Chapter 4 Morning Tension

Aurora’s POV

I barely slept last night.

Marcus’s angry voice kept playing in my head, along with the way Julian had looked at me before walking away. By the time my alarm went off at 4:45 AM, I was already wide awake, staring at the ceiling with a mix of nerves and annoyance.

I didn’t want to care what Julian thought. But here I was, bundling up in my warmest hoodie and heading back to Ice Haven in the freezing dark.

When I pushed open the rink door at 5:30 AM, the place was quiet except for the low hum of the cooling system. Julian was already on the ice, doing warm-up laps. He didn’t smile or tease me like yesterday. He just gave me a small nod.

“Morning,” he said flatly.

That was it. No “Pointe Shoes.” No smirk. No flirty comment.

I laced up my skates in silence, trying to ignore the weird feeling in my chest. Part of me missed his annoying energy. This version of Julian felt… wrong.

We started practice without Coach Rivera watching. She’d texted that she’d be late, so it was just the two of us under the dim morning lights.

Julian stayed professional. He kept a safe distance, only touching me when absolutely necessary for the moves. His face was serious, almost cold.

We worked on basic pair spins. I placed my hand on his shoulder while he held my waist. The second our bodies got close, I felt that stupid flutter again.

“You’re tense,” he said quietly, eyes focused somewhere over my shoulder.

“Yeah, well, maybe because you’re acting like a robot today,” I shot back.

He didn’t reply. We tried the spin again. This time I wobbled a little on my bad ankle. Julian’s grip tightened to steady me, and for a moment our chests pressed together. I could smell his cologne mixed with the cold air. My heart did a weird little flip.

I pulled away quickly.

“You don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass, you know,” I said, frustrated. “Marcus yelled at you, not me. I can handle myself.”

Julian finally looked me in the eyes. “I’m trying to respect your brother, Rory. He’s my best friend. And he made it very clear what he thinks about me being around you.”

“So you’re just going to be all cold and distant now?” I crossed my arms. “That’s mature.”

He let out a tired breath and ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want from me? You said yourself I’m trouble. Your brother agrees. I’m trying to do the right thing for once.”

His words hit harder than I expected.

We moved on to footwork. Side by side, skating in sync. Every time our hands brushed or our shoulders touched, the air felt heavier. I hated how aware I was of him — the way his muscles moved under his shirt, the focused look in his eyes.

During one slow turn, Julian’s hand slid lower on my back to guide me. My breath caught. He noticed.

“You okay?” he asked, voice softer than before.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

We tried another spin. This one actually went well. As we slowed down, still holding each other, Julian looked at me for a long second.

“You move like the ice was made for you,” he said quietly.

My eyes widened. He seemed to realize what he’d said and quickly looked away.

“I mean… your ballet stuff helps. That’s all,” he added fast, clearing his throat.

A small smile tugged at my lips despite everything. “Was that a compliment, Reyes?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

We took a short water break near the boards. I sat down, stretching my injured ankle carefully. The rink was still mostly empty, just a couple of early skaters in the far corner.

I stared at my water bottle, feeling brave enough to say something real.

“I’m really scared, you know,” I admitted softly. “What if I never get back to ballet? What if this injury ruined everything I worked for?”

Julian was quiet for a moment. He leaned against the boards beside me, closer than he needed to be.

“I get it,” he said. “When I tore my shoulder two years ago, I thought my skating career was over. My parents lost their minds. They kept saying I was throwing away all their sacrifices.”

He glanced at me. “But you’re strong, Rory. I’ve seen how hard you push even when it hurts. You’re not going to let this beat you.”

His words felt warm. For the first time, I saw a real crack in his cocky playboy armor. He wasn’t just the guy who flirted with everyone. There was more to him.

Before I could reply, the sound of skates cutting ice sharply caught our attention.

A beautiful girl with long black hair and sharp eyes skated toward us. She wore a tight training outfit and had a fake-sweet smile on her face.

“Well, well,” she said, stopping right in front of us. “Julian Reyes doing pairs now? And with Marcus Sinclair’s little sister? Wow.”

Julian’s body tensed beside me.

“Lila,” he said, voice flat. “Not now.”

Lila Chen. I’d heard her name before — one of Julian’s exes and one of the better female skaters at the rink. She looked me up and down like I was something she found under her shoe.

“Moving on to your best friend’s baby sister?” she laughed coldly. “That’s low even for you, Reyes. Does Marcus know you’re playing house with his precious Rory on the ice?”

My face burned with embarrassment and anger.

Julian stepped slightly in front of me. “We’re just training. Leave it alone.”

Lila smirked. “Sure. Just training. We all know how your ‘training sessions’ usually end.”