HAYDEN

The rink was quiet at night. No buzzing crowd, no echo of whistles or shouts from teammates, just the low hum of the refrigeration system and the faint squeak of my blades as I stepped out onto the ice. The fluorescent lights overhead gave everything a pale, almost magical glow.

Coleen’s laugh broke the silence as she shuffled cautiously behind me. “I still don’t know why I agreed to this again.”

“Because you secretly love embarrassing yourself in front of me,” I called ...