Spiral (Off the Ice Book 2)

THERE’S NOTHING MORE embarrassing than running through the streets of downtown Toronto in a leotard. It’s a Monday, so my schedule is packed, and the hangover from the weekend’s festivities did not help. It’s easy to pretend under the ruse of alcohol that I forgot about all the stupid things I may have said or the things Elias did that made my hands clammy. I’ve pretended like the night went the way it looked on social media when I posted about it.

The music in my headphones accompanies my sprint to the pharmacy, but the stares on the way there prevent me from getting lost in my playlist.

I forgot. Again.

Many things go into being a good older sister, and continuously forgetting to call your little brother or not making sure his medication is paid for before it runs out are not among them. Spotting the green cross, I’m almost to the pharmacy. A woman in a white coat stands behind the glass, reaching to flip the open sign to closed, but I barrel past the door, pushing her in the process.

“Sorry,” I say when I finally catch my breath. “I need to pay my invoice.”

She fixes her crooked glasses, giving me a look that is not nearly as friendly as the first time I met her. She recognizes me—or rather recognizes my tardiness.

“Ms. Beaumont,” she practically tuts. “Late payment again, I presume.”

I feign a smile, taking out my wallet as she leads me to the front counter. “Sorry, I just needed a little more time. The deductible is more than I expected.”

Instead of helping me herself, she waves over a technician whose smile I’ve become accustomed to from the many times I’ve had to come here. I’m lucky enough that the pharmacist doesn’t need to deal with me, otherwise her judgmental looks would risk me getting banned from the pharmacy.

“Sage, I’m glad you could make it,” says the technician. She taps at the keyboard, pulling up Sean’s profile. Her eyes widen.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, leaning over the counter to look at the screen.

She hums, her lips pressing together as she clicks a few more times. “Looks like you had an unpaid invoice from last month.”

“I can pay for it now,” I rush out.

“And the new brand Sean is using has increased in price.”

My throat feels dry at her words. An increase? I can barely afford the current one while the deductible hasn’t been met.

“As for his deductible—”

“I swear I can pay for it. Just give me a few more days, and I’ll have my paycheck.”

“Ms. Beaumont—”

“Please, you know I’m good for it. His supply ran out, and I would never be this negligent, but you have to trust me.”

She puts a hand over my frantic one and looks at me levelly. I think she’s about to refuse, and I know I’m about to cry or threaten to rob this pharmacy. Jail be damned.

“Ms. Beaumont, it’s already paid for. Actually, it’s paid in full. Sean’s deductible is settled, and the remainder that insurance doesn’t cover is also paid for.”

I blink several times as if that will help me hear better. “What does that mean?”

She smiles, pushing back her glasses. “It means that his prescription will be renewed and sent to him as needed. No more dealing with us.”

“How?”

She turns back to her screen and after a few more clicks angles the monitor my way. “Paid in full by Elias Westbrook.”

No.

ELIAS

THE MOMENT THE front door slams and a heavy purse drops behind me on the kitchen counter, I realize it’s not one of the guys or Summer.

“How could you?” Sage’s voice is charged with emotion.

I peek over my shoulder to find Sage in her ballet outfit, staring at me with a fire behind her eyes that I’ve only ever seen once before—when she stormed into the guys’ changing room to lash out at me for giving her Mason’s number.

For some perverse reason, I enjoy it when Sage lets me see her whole range of emotions. It makes me feel like I scored the winning lottery ticket.

My sauce for the alfredo pasta we’re having tonight bubbles.

“Try this.” In one quick move, I stir it and bring the spoon over to Sage, slipping it between her parted lips.

She can’t react quickly enough, and when the flavor hits her tongue, she gives an involuntary sound of appreciation, and her stomach makes an approving rumble. When her eyes open again, she’s disoriented, but then she returns to her previous expression.

When her gaze slips to the bouquet of pink and blue carnations, Sage glares at the flowers. Okay, not her favorite.

Dropping the spoon in the sink, I turn back to the stove and lower the heat, only to hear a frustrated exhale before she slams the cupboard. Sage pours herself water and gulps it down.

I assess her stiff posture and turn to give her my full attention, leaning against the counter to look at her. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

She scoffs, turning dramatically, her curls bouncing off her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Is there?” She narrows her eyes and stares at me like my face alone is driving her crazy. She lets out a frustrated breath. “If I knew you were insane, I wouldn’t have offered to fake date you.”

“I believe your exact words were insanely hot.” I can’t help when my lips curve into a smirk, and her tight expression is only amusing me more. Ever since the night of the party there’s been a thick haze floating around us.

“Don’t play innocent. How could you pay for Sean’s medication without telling me?”

Oh. I should have known that was coming. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

She looks at me with big angry eyes. “It is to me! He’s my brother.”

“And you’re my girlfriend. I don’t see the problem.” I hold her gaze. This is a speech I might’ve practiced in my head a few times because Sage is allergic to help. “You’ve set up your life to never have to rely on anyone, but when you’ve come to a point where you need to, you’re angry about it. Why can’t you let me do this one thing for you?”

She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Because people rely on me. What do you think will happen if I’m relying on someone else? It would all fall apart, Elias.”

I know what she’s saying is all from experience, but I hate that she forces herself to deal with it all alone. I care about her, and it’s not only because of our arrangement.

“It doesn’t have to,” I say.

“I can’t rely on something that isn’t even real.” She runs a hand through her hair. “You can’t make promises you can’t keep. I’ve had enough of that in my life, and I won’t let you do it too.”

“God, Sage, it’s like you want to live in this place where you don’t even have a second to breathe, just because you think you have to carry it all alone.”

“That’s all I know!” she exclaims. “It’s not easy to let it go and let someone like you in.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

I don’t let her off the hook. Instead, I take a step toward her and wait for an answer.

She catches my gaze and sighs. “You have your shit figured out, Elias. Soon enough, you’re going to realize my life is exactly as everyone says it is: a disaster. It’s a facade because I ruin things. I ruin people.”

“You haven’t ruined anyone.”

“Sean’s been late on his meds a million times because of me. Not to mention he was getting bullied at school for months before I found out. My parents? They never wanted to be home because I reminded them of everything they wanted to escape. It all pushed them to just up and leave.”

“None of that is your fault. Sean is a strong, capable kid. And don’t you dare put your parents’ choices on yourself. They are not yours to carry.”

Sage drops her gaze. “It’s not just that. It’s like no matter what I do, no matter how much I try, I’ll always be scraping by. I’m a goddamn mess.”

“You’re my mess.”

Sage snorts. “Was that supposed to be romantic?”

“It’s supposed to be me telling you that I’m here, and all of this—all of you—is safe with me.”

She registers the words like I’ve spoken a foreign language. Slow and confused.

“But you’re right.” I step back. “I shouldn’t have done it behind your back.”

She meets my gaze. “I’m paying you back—”

“Don’t,” I interrupt. “I get where you’re coming from, but what I did wasn’t for any other reason than wanting to help out. So, no, you’re not going to pay me back.”

She doesn’t like that answer. “Just—don’t do it again.”

“I can’t promise you that. But next time I want to do something for you, I’ll tell you first.”

“I think you mean ask.”

I don’t, but I’ll let her think that for now. “You know, you can say thank you and move on, right?”

She huffs, silently simmering by the sink. “Thank you.”

I don’t expect her to be okay with this immediately, but I don’t want her to think it’s a bigger deal than it is.

Taking the boiling pot off the stove, I move to the sink to drain the pasta into a colander. Sage doesn’t move.

When I move back to the sink to wash the pot, my phone rings and our heads snap to where it lies on a kitchen towel by the stove. “Do you mind getting that?” I ask, showing her my wet hands.

She nods once and brings it over. “It’s your mom.”

“Answer it.”

Her eyes widen. “She’s video calling you. What if she realizes we’re lying and I’m some gold digger—”

“Answer the phone, Sage.”

“Hi,” she says when she finally answers, waving at the phone screen.

My mom is silent for a long time, and Sage’s gaze bounces from mine to the phone. She’s nervous. It’s cute.

“Ian! Come quick, it’s Eli’s girlfriend,” my mom shouts. Sage is smiling when she twists to show me the screen too. “Oh, Sage, we’ve been begging our secretive boy to let us meet you. You’re just as gorgeous as you are in your dancing videos.”

Then my dad pops into the screen, beaming brightly. “We made all our friends at the country club follow your account. You have some big fans here in Connecticut.”

Sage chuckles. “Thank you, that means a lot.”

“Is he treating you well?” my mom asks. “What’s your number? I’ll call—”

“Mom,” I scold.

She deflates. “Right, sorry. Apparently, I can be overbearing when I’m excited.”

“Don’t be rude, Elias.” Sage shoots me a narrowed glance. “I’d love to catch up with you whenever you want to call.”

My mom beams in victory when she gets exactly what she wanted. “Are those carnations? Those are my favorite flowers.”

Sage appears stunned, and when she turns back to the camera, she bites the inside of her cheek. “Elias wants me to have a favorite flower, so he buys me a new bouquet every week.”

“That is so romantic!” My mom practically swoons, and wears a satisfied smile. “Will you be coming home with Eli in his offseason? We’d love to meet you in person.”

Sage stutters. This thing between us will be over by then, and I can tell she’s not going to lie to my mom or give her any false hope. Jane Westbrook has that effect on people.

“Mom, we’ll call you later. Sage just got back from teaching, and she’s exhausted. Right, baby?”

The word slips past my lips, and I freeze. And so does Sage. Her head snaps to mine, and her eyes are wide like I cursed in front of my mother.

There’s a palpable awkward tension before my mom clears her throat. “Okay, send me her number, then, Eli.”

I wipe my soapy hands and take the phone from Sage when they hang up.

“They seem really nice,” she says, backing away to where she left her purse. “Which one of them did you take after? I couldn’t tell.”noveldrama

The question throws me off. I face the sink again and continue rinsing the dishes. “Neither,” I say. My response is curt.

Maybe too curt because she doesn’t say anything after that. The next thing I hear is her walking out of the kitchen and the door to our—my room closing.