Chapter 32: Pressure Lines

Aveline’s POV

I was the first to wake up the next morning.

Actually, I barely slept at all. The fear of saying something stupid in my sleep had kept me awake during the night, and sometime around five in the morning I finally gave up pretending rest was possible.

Kieran was still asleep when I quietly climbed out of bed. Morning light spilt through the hotel windows, For a second, everything looked peaceful enough to forget how dangerous this entire situation really was.

Then I remembered we shared a room. I grabbed my toiletries and moved toward the bathroom before Kieran could wake up. The second the door locked behind me, I exhaled in relief.

Hot water ran over my shoulders Halfway through bathing, aggressive knocking suddenly slammed against the bathroom door.

“Ash!”

I nearly slipped.

“We’re late already,” Kieran shouted from outside.

“Relax,” I snapped back immediately.

Another knock followed. “Hurry up.”

I quickly reached for my towel before opening the door only slightly and throwing his toothbrush at him through the gap.

“Bath somewhere else.”

Kieran caught it with reflexes that annoyed me instantly. “You’re unbelievable.”

He stared at me for a second before laughing under his breath and walking off down the hallway toward another bathroom.

The moment he disappeared, I shut the door again and leaned against it briefly.

That was way too close.

By the time we arrived downstairs, the entire team already looked locked in for game day. Nobody joked loudly, Nobody looked relaxed.

Even Milo stayed unusually focused while adjusting tape around his wrists near the lobby entrance.

Today mattered.

Crestwood had already advanced farther than expected this season, and everyone could feel it now.

This was becoming their year.

The bus ride to the arena felt completely different from the trip yesterday Quieter, Sharper.

The girls were already waiting near the stadium entrance when we arrived. Crestwood colours filled the crowd while supporters screamed players’ names the second the team stepped off the bus.

Daphne waved immediately when she spotted me.

I nodded toward her before following the team inside.

The rival arena felt even louder than Crestwood’s somehow.

Music blasted through massive speakers while reporters crowded near the lower entrances hoping to catch interviews before warmups started.

As we headed toward the tunnel leading to the rink, someone stepped directly into my path.

“My name is Karden.”

I looked up.

The guy wore the rival team jersey loosely over black compression sleeves, confidence practically dripping from his smile.

“And?”

He grinned wider instead of looking offended.

“And I would love to have some alone time with you.”

I blinked once.

Honestly, I didn’t even know how to answer that.

I barely reacted at all before moving past him toward the rink entrance.

But during that brief moment, I noticed something else.

Kieran wasn’t paying attention to whatever was going on.

The game started soon after, but something already felt off. Kieran played rough from the beginning, not normal aggressive hockey rough but Personal rough.

Every single time Karden touched the puck, Kieran targeted him immediately.

The third time it happened, even Landon looked confused.

“What’s wrong with him today?” Theo muttered

I honestly didn’t know, but Kieran clearly wasn’t paying attention to strategy anymore Only Karden.

Which became a problem fast The first penalty came halfway through the first period after Kieran slammed Karden too hard against the boards.

The whistle echoed instantly.

The crowd exploded.

Coach Hale looked furious.

“Hampton!”

Kieran skated toward the penalty box without arguing once.

That somehow made it worse.

Usually, he fought every call Today he looked angry enough to break something.

The rival crowd taunted him loudly while Karden smirked from the ice like he enjoyed the reaction.

Crestwood still managed to survive the penalty, but tension kept building afterwards. Every shift became harder, faster, and more physical.

By the second period, exhaustion already clawed heavily at my body, Lack of sleep was finally catching up to me. I made a mistake during the final minutes of the second period.

One stupid mistake, I misplaced a strategy that nearly cost Crestwood the game. The rival team intercepted immediately and almost scored.

The arena erupted.

Coach Hale lost his mind.

“What was that?” he shouted the second

I stayed silent breathing heavily. “How can you miss that?”

My chest tightened. “Get your head right here, Asher!”

The disappointment in his voice somehow hit harder than the yelling itself.

I nodded quickly

The rest of the game felt brutal after that Every player pushed harder, every hit carried more desperation And somehow Kieran became even worse.

He targeted Karden every single opportunity he got until it eventually earned him another win late in the third period.

Coach looked seconds away from entering the pitch at this point, but despite all of it Crestwood won.

Again.

The final buzzer echoed through the arena while the crowd exploded into screaming celebration. Players rushed onto the ice shouting loudly while cameras flashed everywhere around us. This was really becoming their season.

The energy felt electric.

Pure adrenaline.

Theo tackled Landon into the boards laughing while Milo screamed something incomprehensible toward the crowd.

Before I could properly react, strong arms suddenly wrapped around me. Then I was lifted completely off my feet.

My breath caught instantly.

Kieran.

He held me tightly in a quick burst of celebration, laughing breathlessly against the chaos around us Then suddenly his grip shifted slightly And everything inside me froze because his hand brushed directly against the compression vest beneath my jersey.

I pushed him off immediately.

Kieran looked startled by the reaction Then his eyes narrowed slightly. “You okay?”

I stepped backwards quickly. “I’m fine.”

That answer clearly didn’t convince him then his attention dropped toward my hand. A sharp cut stretched across my knuckles, probably from earlier contact during the game. Blood smeared faintly across my glove.

Kieran frowned immediately “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It needs cleaning.”

“I said it’s fine.”

But he ignored me completely, By the time we returned toward the locker rooms, Kieran was already grabbing the medical kit from the staff shelves.

“You seriously don’t have to do that.”

“Sit down.”

“I can clean my own wounds.”

“You’ll probably make it worse.”

I glared at him while he pulled a chair closer. The locker room had mostly emptied already, players still celebrating loudly somewhere down the hall. I finally sat down reluctantly while Kieran crouched slightly in front of me opening the medical kit.

His fingers wrapped carefully around my wrist, "Hold still" he said I lost myself watching how gentle he was. Till our eyes met we spent the last few seconds looking into each other's eyes.

.