Breaking The Ice Between Us Novels & Stories

“But you did.” “I did.” For a heartbeat, we stood there again, locked in a silence that said more than either of us could. The tension between us was palpable, thin as glass, ready to shatter with the slightest touch. He broke the gaze first, turning toward his wardrobe. I exhaled, the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding leaving me in a slow rush.

Yet it is the very jump that once came close to destroying everything. I glide into the setup, heart hammering, breath tight, legs trembling. I bend my knee. I push off the ice. And....

“Now spill.” My hand flew to the bridge of my nose, pinching hard enough to leave a mark. Maybe if I focused on the pain, I could ignore her. “We didn’t break up,” I growled. “There was nothing to break up. It was... transactional.” Victoria’s grin widened. “Oh, transactional. Sounds fancy. What were you, His sugar baby?” I glared at her so hard I thought she might burst into flames. “It’s none of your business.”

For thoughts that didn’t fit? In the sea, when grief broke a mind, we sang. We held them in the current until they remembered their name. We didn’t lock them away. So I shaped the words carefully for both of them: _My mind is not broken. My mother is dead. This is what we do for the dead._ Simy crumpled. Wrecked. Like he wanted to argue and couldn’t find the words. Like part of him wanted to believe and the rest was terrified to.

I stare at the dark until it stops talking like an enemy. Thin ice, he said. Fine. Then we cross it together, teeth bared, line tied, eyes open. And when it breaks, we swim.

I stood up, grabbed my coffee, and splashed the entire cup right into Clara's face. "You should be grateful you're pregnant right now." With that, I grabbed my bag and walked out. I could hear Clara's hysterical screaming fading behind me as I left. I went straight from the cafe to the Pack Council to file for an official Decree of Dissolution. I pulled out a Recording Stone— I knew Clara hadn't asked to meet me out of the goodness of her heart, so I'd come prepared. I hadn't expected her to hand me exactly what I needed on a silver platter.

"We need to break the barrier upon this cave…" "Understood, let's do this with fire and ice." He said in a husky whisper. Fire and Ice. That was exactly what we were… I was unable to stop the small smile that graced my lips, or the flutter that settled into my stomach. He didn’t question me, he didn’t ask me anything, he simply decided to help me… "On three." I murmured. "One… two… three!" With those words, we both gave it our all… Our eyes blazed as an immense amount of power wrapped around us, merging together rather than repelling one another, becoming far stronger.

"I didn't exactly tell her." "He did," Gina intervened immediately. "Gina!" "What? You literally told me." "I told you privately!" "And now it's public," she laughed. Ethan groaned and slumped deeper into the seat while Blake looked away, shaking his head. None of them spoke for a minute, until Gina's smile appeared again as she looked at them in the mirror. "Well," she said, "at least the ice is broken now." "What does that mean?" Ethan asked suspiciously. "It means now that we know that you two like each other, you can stop acting like strangers."

About to dial. Then they heard it. A sound. Quiet at first. Then louder. Crack. The ice beneath them. Shifting. Breaking. Grace's eyes went wide. "Aiden—" CRACK. Louder this time. A long fracture spreading across the ice. Right where they were standing. "Move!" Aiden yelled. "Get off the lake!" They ran. Toward the shore. But the ice was breaking faster. Grace stumbled. Her shoulder screaming in pain. Aiden caught her.

I shook my head and replied, "No, I don't know what to do. Do I just walk up to Jasper and say, 'Hey, you know part of our contract is that I have to divorce you after a year, but I still fell for you?'" Kenny chuckled and shook his head. "No, that's not the way to do it," he said. Feeling overwhelmed, I let out another sigh. "I just don't know how to break the ice," I said. "You and Jasper need to figure that out yourselves. Alex and I can't do it for you," Kenny said, trying to be helpful. "I know, but once this situation ends..." I trailed off, my nerves getting the best of me. Kenny nodded, understanding my hesitation.