XAVIER’S POV

The rink was colder than usual that morning—or maybe it was just me.

Coach wasn’t coming today. Some last-minute meeting with the federation to finalize logistics for the Mexico tournament. That meant Melissa and I had to lead practice. Together of course

Just the two of us in charge of the entire team. Again.

Funny how we always end up sharing space when I least expect it.

I arrived early, before the rest of the team. I liked it that way. The silence. The emptiness ...