Chapter 5

VIOLET

I spent years imagining what it would feel like if Jace Donovan looked at me the way he looks at everyone else.

What happened last night wasn't part of the fantasy.

In my head, it was always supposed to be simple. He would see me, realize I wasn't a little girl anymore, and everything would magically fall into place. But reality? Reality is heavy. It’s a pounding heartbeat, wet pavement, and the terrifying realization that the boundary between us didn't just blur—it completely cracked.

I stare blankly at my laptop screen, my fingers frozen over the keyboard. I’ve been trying to read the same paragraph of my psychology syllabus for forty-five minutes.

It’s completely useless. Every time I close my eyes, I’m back under that concrete awning. I feel the burning print of his hand on my waist. I see the dark, unreadable intensity in his eyes as his gaze dropped to my mouth.

You're imagining things, I lecture myself, aggressively clicking a random link on the screen just to do something. You're totally reading too much into it. He was just catching you. He was being nice. He’s Liam’s best friend, and you almost ate asphalt.

But my lips still tingle. And no matter how hard I try to rationalize it, a deep, aching hope in my chest refuses to die.

"Okay, spill it," Mia says, slamming her closet door shut. She’s wearing a cropped sweater and cargo pants, her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail. She crosses her arms, leaning against my desk. "You’ve been staring at that exact same page since we woke up, and you’ve sighed like fifteen times. Who died?"

"Nobody," I mutter, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Just... stressed about classes starting."

"Liar." Mia steps closer, her eyes narrowing with total roommate intuition. "You look like you’re having an existential crisis. Is this about the hockey house? Did something happen with Liam?"

I bite my lip, looking toward our closed dorm door. The secret is burning a hole in my chest. I’ve kept my feelings about Jace locked away in a dark corner of my heart for years, too embarrassed to ever voice them. But right now, the weight of last night is too much to carry alone.

"Not Liam," I whisper, my voice dropping.

"Then who?" Mia’s eyes go wide. She practically dives onto my bed, her jaw dropping. "Wait. No way. The captain?"

"Shh! Lower your voice!" I hiss, swatting her arm.

"Oh my god," Mia gasps, covering her mouth, her voice dropping to an aggressive whisper. "What happened? Did he say something? Did he look at you?"

"We... we ran into each other near the student center last night," I stammer, a hot flush creeping up my neck. "It was raining. We were walking back together, just talking. And then I slipped."

"And?"

"And he caught me," I say, my heart doing that stupid, violent flip again just from speaking the words out loud. "He held onto my waist. And for a second... Mia, it didn't feel like he was just being my brother's friend. He was looking at my mouth. He leaned down. I swear, if Liam hadn't called out his name, he would have kissed me."

Mia is completely frozen, her eyes dinner-plate wide. "Shut up. Jace Donovan almost kissed you? The 'I am married to hockey and have no emotions' Jace Donovan?"

"Yes! But today he’s acting so weird," I groan, burying my face in my hands.

It’s true. I saw him this morning in the courtyard between our buildings. He was walking with a few guys from the team, laughing at something Miller said. But the second his eyes landed on me walking out of Alder Hall, his laughter died. He stiffened, his entire posture turning completely rigid. He didn't wave. He didn't smile. He just stared for a split second, then aggressively looked away, pretending to listen to his teammate.

The mixed signals are driving me completely insane. It’s like he’s trying to erase last night from existence, creating a massive wall of ice between us.

"He's panicking," Mia declares, nodding firmly. "He's totally spiraling."

"No, he's avoiding me because he regrets it," I say, a sharp, cold wave of rejection hitting my gut. "He realizes he almost crossed a line with his best friend's sister, and now he thinks I'm a distraction. He’s probably horrified."

"Vi, guys don't look at a girl like that because they're horrified," Mia counters, rolling her eyes. "Trust me."

Before I can argue, my laptop chimed with a loud notification chime. I blink, pulling my hands away from my face to look at the screen. An email from the Maplewood Athletic Department is sitting in my inbox.

"What's that?" Mia asks, leaning over my shoulder.

I click it open. My eyes skim the text.

‘Dear Violet Reed, We are pleased to inform you that your application for the student athletic assistant position has been approved. You have been assigned to the Men’s Varsity Hockey Team for the Fall semester. Your duties include managing study-hall logs, tracking player eligibility paperwork, and assisting the coaching staff during home game operations. Please report to Coach Daniels’ office tomorrow at 4:00 PM.’

My breath completely catches in my throat.

"Oh my god," I whisper, staring at the words.

"No way," Mia laughs, a massive, chaotic grin spreading across her face. "You got the athletic scholarship work-study job! And you're assigned to the hockey team?"

"I applied for general athletics!" I panic, my mind instantly spinning out. "I thought I'd be filing papers for the swim team or tracking tennis rackets! Mia, I can't do this. I'm going to be around the team constantly. I'm going to be around him."

This job is a massive bridge. It's exactly what I need for my financial aid, but it forces me directly into Jace’s orbit. There will be no avoiding him. No hiding in my dorm. I'll be in the locker room hallways, the study halls, the arena.

"This is destiny," Mia cheers, shaking my shoulders. "You wanted to find your own identity and stop hiding? Well, now you're an official part of the Wolves staff. You have a reason to be there that has nothing to do with Liam."

I stare at the email, a strange mixture of absolute terror and dangerous excitement flooding my veins. She's right. It's a job. It's professional. I can handle this. I just have to keep my head down and ignore the erratic way my heart behaves whenever Jace is within a five-mile radius.

"I still think I'm reading too much into last night," I mutter, turning back to Mia, trying to ground myself. "He’s Jace. He has everything to lose. The draft, his friendship with Liam, his whole reputation. There’s no way he’d risk all of that for a stupid crush on a freshman."

Mia is silent for several seconds. The playful, teasing expression completely leaves her face, replaced by a sudden, heavy seriousness.

"Violet, I don't think the problem is that you're falling for Jace Donovan," she says softly.

I frown, my brow furrowing at her tone. "Then what's the problem?"

Mia slowly closes my laptop screen, her eyes locking onto mine with absolute certainty.

"The problem is that I think Jace Donovan might be falling for you too."