Frozen Flames

Rafe’s POV

I sat in the passenger seat of Mum’s old SUV, staring out the window at the blurred road leading up to Storm Ridge Elite Hockey Academy.

My phone screen is still glowing with the post I’d been stupid enough to read five minutes ago.

“Rafe Navarro: talented, sure—but will he ever be half the player Kai Navarro is?”

The comments underneath were worse. People who’d never met me, never seen me play, were throwing around words like “overrated,” “hothead,” “second-best forever.”

I scrolled down until my thumb hurt, then locked the screen and shoved the phone away. But it didn’t help, because the words were already carved into my skull.

“You okay, baby?” My Mum finally asked, her voice coming out soft, like she was afraid I’d shatter. Her hands were tight on the wheel. She hadn’t spoken a word since we got on the road, but I could feel her glancing at me every two seconds, waiting for me to break.

“Rafe.”

“I’m fine Mum! Can you just let me be!”

“You’re not fine.” She reached over and squeezed my knee. “You’ve been staring at your phone for so long now. Whatever that post said, it’s just noise and you know that.”

I snorted. “Noise that everyone’s hearing.”

“Baby you know people will always talk no matter what…but that doesn’t make it true.”

I turned to face her. Those tired eyes, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun, but still, she was beautiful in a quiet way that made people stop and stare even when she wasn’t trying.

She’d spent the last ten years trying to hold our fractured little family together after she married Kai’s dad…more like trying to convince me I wasn’t the reason everything fell apart.

“They’re comparing me to him again,” I snapped, my voice echoing in the car. “Like always. ‘Will Rafe ever be as good as Kai?’ As if I’m some knockoff version of my perfect stepbrother.”

“Kai is Kai. You’re you. That’s not a competition.”

“It is to everyone else.”

She exhaled through her nose, a sound she always made when she was trying not to cry. “You’re letting them get in your head, baby. And that’s not good for your mental health.”

“You’ve worked so hard to get here. Getting into this academy? This is the greatest opportunity to prove how good you are. Don’t let some internet bullies take that from you.”

A bitter laughter tore out of me before I could stop it. “They’re not wrong, Mum. I’ve always been the black sheep of the family. Kai never does anything bad. Kai this…Kai that…I’m so fucking sick of it!”

“Language!” She flinched at the words, as if I’d slapped her. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Turn this into that part of our discussion where you always blame me for everything,” her voice cracked. “I know you’ll always blame me for marrying Victor. For bringing Kai into our lives…and for everything that happened after that.”

I turned my face away, my throat tight with words I was fighting so desperately to hold back. “I don’t blame you for anything, Mum.”

“You do. And you have every right to. I thought marrying Victor would give us stability…give you a better life. But I didn’t see how much it would hurt you. Or him.” She swallowed, “Kai’s mum… what she did… that was never your fault, Rafe. It was mine, but Kai decided to take it out on you. And I let him.”

Silence settled between us, thick and uncomfortable as the car slowed. We finally reached the academy, the main building loomed ahead—modern glass and stone, lit up high and mighty unlike anything I’d ever seen my entire life.

Mom pulled into the visitor’s parking lot and killed the engine. “I’m so proud of you baby,” she said quietly, “You’re here because you’re good and not because you’re Kai’s shadow…it’s because you’re Rafe freakin Navarro.”

“I…I don’t know if I can do this,” I shot back, staring at the huge Storm Ridge dashboard in front of me.

“You can. And you have to.” She reached over and cupped my face, her thumb brushing my cheek. “And when the voices get loud, always remember I’m here for you no matter what.”

I nodded, but it felt like a lie. I grabbed my duffel bag from the back seat and slung it over my shoulder.

“Call me when you get settled,” she whispered, forcing my body against hers into a tight hug like I was still ten years old and scared of the dark.

“I will, Mom,” I hugged her back—harder than I meant to, then opened the door and stepped away.

“Go kick ass, baby!”

“Sure.”

I nodded once, then turned, and walked toward the entrance without looking back. The glass doors slid open automatically, blasting me with warm air and the faint smell of expensive scented perfumes.

The hallway was wide, lined up with framed photos of past champions and NHL alumni. How the hell was I supposed to be as good as them?

I was already ten steps into the receptionist’s office when I collided—hard with a tall commanding figure. My duffel bag slipped off my shoulder instantly, the gear spilled across the floor as I stumbled back a step, already pissed.

“Watch where you’re fucking going!” I snapped.

The figure turned slowly. He was tall, broad- shouldered. Ash-blond hair tied back short and neat, deep blue eyes that didn’t blink for one bit. He looked down at the scattered gear, then back at me.

“You ran into me first. Apologize." His voice was low, calm, as though he was owned this entire academy bowed to his command.

“Are you kidding me right now? You’re the one who ran into me.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes. “Pick up your shit. And apologize.”

“Why don’t you make me?” I stepped into his space, instead of backing down. For a tiny second, something flickered in those blue eyes—interest, maybe? Or irritation. Hard to tell.

“Looks like you’re the new kid,” he said, like he was confirming something unpleasant.

“Yeah…and you’re the guy who’s about to back the fuck up.”

But he didn’t move, just stared at me as if he was trying to decide whether I was worth the effort.

“Everything okay here?” A voice echoed through the hallway. An older guy in a polo shirt with the academy’s logo, stopped in front of us.

“I—“

“Nothing really,” he cut me off before I could finish, “Just welcoming the new kid.” His eyes were still locked on mine, not looking away for even a second.

The staff guy looked between us, clearly sensing the tension. “Rafe Navarro, right? I’m the academy’s tour guide. Come with me, I’ll show you to your room and give you a tour of the entire place.”

I knelt slowly, gathering my gear, but never taking my eyes off the tall figure in front of me. And then, he knelt too—calm, and controlled, picked up my water bottle and handed it to me.

“See you around, Navarro,” his voice low enough that only I could hear.

I took the bottle, holding his gaze. Our faces inches apart as his blue eyes pierced into mine, unblinking, like he could see straight through every wall I’d built.

“Count on it,” I forced the words out, my voice matching his low tone despite the heat crawling under my skin.

As if the staff guy sensed how awkward the moment was. He cleared his throat, “Come with me, Navarro. Let’s get you settled.”

I stood up, slinging the duffel bag over my shoulder again and turned to walk away. But as we walked down the hallway, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his eyes on my back.

We’d surely meet again.

And when we did, it was going to be anything but polite.