This was his plan all along, wasn't it? Well, it worked. I thought I was falling for him, but I'm glad I caught myself before I put all my trust in him.

I knew it all along, too. I kept warning myself to not let him get close to me, but of course his sparkling smile and gorgeous eyes got in the way.

"Victoria!" Brendan shouts from a few feet away, catching up to me. "Please, wait!"

Half of me wants to let him explain himself, but the other part of me wants to punch him in the face. I feel like a bomb just waiting to explode.

"Get away from me, Brendan!" I move my feet a little faster. Before I know it, Brendan catches up to me and grabs my wrist, twirling me around to face him; our faces only inches apart.

My voice turns to a whisper, "I said, get away from me." My tone is still stern, but the harshness has been quieted from the mere inches separating our lips.

"You don't mean that." His voice matches mine. Maybe he feels the intensity too? "Why did you come here?" He presses.

I whip my wrist out of his grasp, "It's the ice rink and I can come here if I'd like to." Our eyes are still connected, still longing for each others touch, but neither of us will cave. Not now, at least.

"The only reason that you've ever stepped foot into this rink was because of me." He makes a good point.

I scramble for words. He knows I'm bluffing, but I've always been a terrible liar.

"Fine." I raise my eyebrows. "If you must know, I was actually meeting someone here." Hoping that my voice doesn't shake, I stand my ground.

He examines my face for a few seconds before shaking his head. "You're lying."

Crap.

"What were you doing with that girl?" I change the subject.

"Oh," He begins, "So the truth comes out." His mouth turns into a smirk, and all I can do is raise my eyebrows while I wait for an answer. "Was someone... jealous?" He presses.

"That's not my point." I cross my arms.

"Sure, it's not." He says sarcastically.

I raise my arms, "Whatever, Brendan. I'm done." I turn around and walk to my car.

"Please, just wait!" He runs after me.

"I've tried, Brendan!" All of my emotions are waving over me at once, making tears form in my eyes. "I-I just can't." I cover my eyes and tilt my head down as we stand next to my car.

"Tell me what's wrong, baby." He grabs my hands into his, pulling them away from my face to reveal a single tear sliding down my cheek.

"I didn't come here to meet anyone." I confess. "I came here to tell you that I'm sorry for ignoring you." I try to catch my breath but he cuts me off before I can continue.

"Victoria, it's fine. I get it if you don't like me I-"

"No, Brendan. You're not understanding." I place my hand on his arm and take a deep breath. "I'm trying to tell you that I have real feelings for you." My eyes gradually gaze up to meet his.

My heart is pounding so loud I'm almost positive Brendan can hear it. My body becomes so tense that I think I'll fall over at any moment.

I don't want to know what he has to say. I mean, I do, but I'm scared... Scared that he'll reject me.

But why would he? Was I reading the signs all wrong? Maybe he doesn't have any feelings for me at all?

I stare into his eyes for an answer he isn't giving me. His face is blank; expressionless.

Is that a good thing? Oh, no... Maybe it's a bad thing.

He smiles and places his hands on my shoulders, "Victoria," He laughs. "Relax."

His words comfort me, but his smile places a calmness in my heart that was never there before.

"Sorry." I tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear and still await for his response.

"I can't believe you like me." He flashes me a smile before pulling me into a hug. "Finally." He breathes.

His tall frame engulfs me in a place where I have never felt so safe; so secure. This is where I want to be. This is where I need to be.

I can hear his heartbeat. It doesn't only give me a sense of his natural warmth, but it calms me.

Why did I hide this for so long?

Because of my father.

But who cares what he thinks? In the end, the decision is mine... And only mine.