er's

brain. I stand there in my stiff, expensive tuxedo, forcing myself to smile f

k. She does not smile wide like she is trying to sell toothpaste. She does not lean all over my arm like a model trying to steal the spotlight.

man with a sharp, greasy smile pushes his microphone forward. "Is it tr

an open my mouth to tell this jerk where to go, L

g office and earned it myself," Lena says, looking righ

months, every woman my agent put in front of me cared only about my bank account, my fame, and what kind of car I drove. Lena does n

ses clink, classical music plays softly from hidden spe

aning down so my lips

rs are tightly clutching her small silver purse.

for a second, my voice drops its f

of a cardboard box while Lena tells me not to quit the university hockey team just because my knee hurt. She remembers that night all wrong. She thinks I looked

rte

ts through the m

s as she stares at Lena. Sophia is the daughter of one of my father's business partners. My family alwa

e, Sophia?" I ask, my v

ring her voice. "Who is this? What is this little game you are playing? Your father is

tolerates," I say coldly. "

hink you can hide from him? He already knows. He

ht down into my stoma

knows her mother works at a grocery store and her brother fixes trucks. People like tha

els and walks away befor

ver cared about any other girl I brought around. He didn't care when I dated models or actresses. But Lena..

feels heavy and dangerous. The city lights glow outside the tal

need to practice our public poses. The media is going to follow us

nd, looking nervous. "We alread

, stepping closer t

then takes two

r," I

hampoo. It's the same scent she wore in college, and it hits me like a physical blow. I rea

est against my lapels, her fingers curli

eyes drop to her lips. "They want to see us close.

ainst mine. She isn't acting. I can feel the fast, hard beat of he

ters, no hockey games, no angry father, and no fake girlfriend contracts. There is only Lena

face moving closer to hers. I can feel her warm breath on my skin. I am going to

ter shut, and her lips

lips with mine when the sharp, loud buz

her face turning bright red as she smoothed down the front of her dress. I s

creen glows with the name of Dr. Evans,

answer, my

calm self. He sounds tired and worried. "I just got the fina

tight knot. "I played through the pain last night. It

ur ligaments is much worse than we thought on the ice. If you play a