All Chapters of Fragments on Ice: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The music swelled to its final crescendo, the dramatic strings pulling every skater and coach in the arena to attention. Elias pushed through the last elements of his short program, blades carving deep into the ice with determined precision. His coach stood at the boards, hands cupped around his mouth, voice booming across the rink. “Elias! Cut it there! No more jumps today, that’s enough!” But Elias didn’t stop. The fire in his chest was too strong. The frustration from the fall, the viral video, the hateful comments, the cast on his arm, all of it fueled him. He built speed with powerful crossovers, ignoring the burning protest in his injured arm and the coach’s repeated shouts. Elara skated near the boards, eyes wide, but she didn’t try to stop him. She knew that look. Elias launched into the triple axel. The takeoff was clean, higher than he had managed since the injury. Rotation tight in the air, body controlled despite the cast throwing off his balance. He landed with a

Elias was in the middle of dancing with Elara when the pressure in his bladder became too much to ignore. The warehouse party was loud, the bass vibrating through his chest, colorful lights flashing across sweaty bodies. He leaned close to Elara’s ear so she could hear him over the music.“I’ll be right back. Let me use the restroom.”Elara nodded, still moving to the beat. “Hurry up, superstar. Don’t disappear on me.”Elias weaved through the crowd toward the back hallway where the restrooms were. The music dulled slightly as he moved away from the main floor. He was almost at the door when he heard it, a low, unmistakable moan coming from one of the closed storerooms beside the restroom. He smiled a little to himself. That’s what parties are for, after all, he thought, shaking his head as he pushed open the restroom door.After finishing, he stepped back into the hallway. The moan was still there, louder now, more desperate. And this time, the voice sounded very familiar. Too famili

Jax and Elias stayed under the shower spray for a few more minutes, breathing hard, bodies still pressed close. The water ran over them, washing away the evidence of what had just happened. Neither spoke at first. The reality of the moment hung heavy between them, the stolen passion, the risk, the mess of emotions that neither of them had fully faced yet.Jax was the first to move. He reached for the soap, gently washing Elias’s chest and stomach with careful hands, avoiding the areas that were still sensitive. Elias let him, eyes half-closed, the hot water soothing his sore muscles. When they were both clean, they dressed quickly in the empty shower area, water still dripping from their bodies. The air was thick with steam and the heavy scent of sex. Elias pulled on his clothes with shaky hands, his mind still spinning from the intensity of what had just happened. Jax was silent beside him, buttoning his shirt, but every few seconds their eyes would meet, charged, uncertain, hungry.

The day before the Qualifier, the rink was freezing, as always, but the tension in the air made it feel even colder. Elias glided across the ice, his blades carving sharp, precise arcs as he ran through his short program for the third time that morning. His breath formed clouds in the chill, but his body moved with fluid precision, each spin, each jump landing clean.Coach stood at the boards, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he watched. Beside him, Elara was lacing up her skates on the bench, her focus absolute. Joe was already on the ice, running through his own routine on the opposite end, the sound of his edges scraping against the surface echoing through the nearly empty arena.“Alright, gather up,” the coach called out, his voice cutting through the silence.Elias slowed to a stop, skating over to the boards where the coach stood. Elara stepped onto the ice, gliding smoothly to join them. Joe followed moments later, slightly breathless, his cheeks flushed from exertion

Elias sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the cracked screen of his phone. The leaked video of Jax and Ethan was everywhere. The comments were worse, vicious, cruel, relentless. Elias’s chest tightened with every scroll. He wasn’t angry about the sex itself. He and Jax weren’t official, and he had been with Damon too. But the lie. The cousin part. Jax had hidden something so huge, so personal, while pretending to open up. That hurt more than anything.The betrayal sat like ice in his chest, heavy and cold.A soft knock sounded on the door. Elara didn’t wait for permission. She pushed it open, carrying two large milkshakes and a bag of fries from their favorite late-night spot. She kicked the door shut behind her and dropped onto the bed beside him, handing him one of the shakes.“Chocolate peanut butter. Extra whipped cream. You look like you need it.”Elias took the cup but didn’t drink. He just held it, staring at the condensation dripping down the side. “I don’t know how to feel