Page 16 of Icebound

He crosses one knee on the screen in that stereotypical I-give-no-shits way all fuckboys seem to master. “I’m feeling stronger than ever, so I hope you think my face is pretty because you’ll be seeing a lot more of me next season. I won’t be leaving the League anytime soon.”

Grabbing my phone, I scan the lone message Rhode sent with his name. A hot rush of panic slices through me.

I need to cancel this date, and Rhode won’t get this for a while if he’s doing an interview, so I make my fingers move across the screen.

He’s probably got thousands of women in his contacts, so he’ll be in someone else’s bed by midnight, moaning their name with mine forgotten.

Me

Hey! I’ve been thinking a lot about our date, and you don’t need to pretend. Fake dating is a little ridiculous… no one ever believes it. I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation. I know your schedule must be crazy, so you don’t need to respond to this. Anyway, have a nice life (:

There. Sent.

“Since when do you watch hockey?”

I jump at the sound of that grating voice.

“What are you doing here, Gwendolyn?” I say to my sister, keeping my focus on Rhode’s chiseled face.

“Really? You’re still sticking with the whole Gwendolyn thing? You’ve called me Gwen since you were five.”

“Yes, but that was before you betrayed me.”

I dump the rest of my water into the fern that stands as a living—or rather dying—testament to her infamous black thumb.

Every plant my sister touches withers faster than our relationship, but I’m not giving up a free living arrangement just because she’s a traitor. Our parents are teachers, and I’d never ask them to fund my pottery fellowship, so I have to save every penny from driving.

There’s a melodramatic sigh and a rustling of cabinets behind me. “Do you want some coffee? I got those beans from the place you like near campus.”

Gritting my teeth, I whip around to see her shoving a cup in my face. She’s wearing an ice blue silk robe that looks like a dress, and her golden hair is a mess on top of her head, but she could make a garbage bag look beautiful.

Gwen’s climbed her way up the corporate ladder by working for some consulting company called Enigma. She’s a badass, except there isn’t enough money in the world for me to admit that out loud.

I might’ve followed her like a duckling to college, but now, I wear my tattoos and corduroy overalls like a badge of honor.

“Is it decaf?” I eye the mossy green cup I made in Ceramics. I’m surprised she picked it out of the cabinet.

She shakes the mug. “No, but is one cup of regular coffee really going to hurt?”

I could tell her that caffeine tricks my body into thinking I’m being chased by a bear, but she’d never understand because the only anxiety she gets is over when her candle-of-the-month subscription arrives.

“Yes, I’ve told you this a thousand times,” I say. “It makes me shaky, and I don’t like the feeling.”

Spinning around, I turn up the volume on the screen that’s showing highlights from last week’s game. Rhode had a shutout, which, confusingly enough, is not about shutting anyone out of the room. It’s apparently a big deal since the announcers won't stop talking about it post-game.

“Is that Rhode Tremblay?” Gwen sighs. “I could literally stare at him all day. Why did I have to find out from Isaac that you were dating him? That’s huge news. You should’ve told me. How’d you even meet?”

“I’m not telling you shit anymore now that you broke my trust,” I snap, hating that we have the same taste in men.

“So, you’re actually dating Rhode Tremblay? The Wall of Steel?”

“Can you stop referring to him by his first and last name?” I deflect.

The fridge opens. “I’m just surprised. You hate sports. You always complained about going to my soccer games growing up."

“Why does everyone think I hate all sports?”

“I just feel like this is something you should've told me,” Gwen continues without acknowledging my question. “Also, isn't he a little old for you?”