Icebreaker

Nathan decides to talk to Anastasia and clear the air about what happened at Robbie’s party. He guesses that Anastasia and Ryan are not exclusive because he has seen Ryan with Olivia, too. Meanwhile, his teammates keep texting him about Ryan and Anastasia, giving him a hard time. Nathan’s father also keeps calling him, but Nathan ignores the calls. Nathan arrives early to the ice rink and watches Anastasia skate. He is amazed by her grace until she falls hard after trying the quadruple lutz. After she is helped off the ice, Coach Brady announces that she is removing the jump from the routine. As Anastasia argues that she can still do the quad, blood drips down her face. Brady and Aaron both become concerned, and Nathan jumps in and says that he is trained in first aid.

Nathan carries Anastasia to the first aid room while she complains about being infantilized. She says that she is too heavy, but Nathan tells her to shut up, and she playfully elbows him in the ribs. Nathan then cleans her wound and compliments her skill at skating. He explains that he arrived early to hockey practice to check on her after their intimacy at the party, but before she can reply, Aaron walks in. Nathan learns that Anastasia, Lola, and Aaron live together.

On the morning of regionals, Aaron is calm, but Anastasia is so nervous that she throws up. She has never done well in competitions, despite her talent, because her previous partner, James, was not a good skater. Lola misses their competition because she is attending the hockey team’s first home game of the season. She convinces Anastasia to go out with the team to celebrate that night. Aaron complains that Lola is dating a hockey player and tells Anastasia not to, becoming nasty so suddenly that it “feels like whiplash” (98). He justifies his actions by claiming that he cares about Anastasia’s happiness beyond skating. Aaron and Anastasia easily qualify for the next round of competition.

Later, as she and Lola get ready to meet the hockey team at the Honeypot, a popular nightclub in Los Angeles, Lola teases her about whether she will be having sex tonight, and Anastasia claims she will not be. At the Honeypot, Anastasia learns that Nathan called in favors to sneak Henry into the club underaged. Henry chats up girls, and as Anastasia watches Henry, Nathan tells her that she shouldn’t be there with a head injury. They flirt briefly, and Anastasia buzzes with excitement in his presence. But after Nathan tells her he is “amazed” by her, he walks away.

After the Titans hockey team wins their first game, everyone is in good spirits. At the Honeypot, the guys party hard while Nathan waits for Anastasia to come to him. He watches her dance and is mesmerized by her tight dress. Then Lola and Anastasia join Nathan and the rest of the team in a booth. Lola jumps into Robbie’s lap, and Anastasia sits on JJ’s lap. Nathan gets jealous and asks her to dance. She makes him ask her nicely.

On the dance floor, Nathan and Anastasia grind against each other’s bodies until they are both aroused. Nathan grabs the back of her neck, and they are about to kiss when Lola shows up and says it’s time to leave. They all pile into an Uber, and Anastasia sits on Nathan’s lap. Though they are in a crowded vehicle, they are both still aroused. Nathan tells her to lean into him so he can put the seatbelt on. Anastasia tells him that she is not wearing any panties.

In the back of the Uber, Nathan and Anastasia grind their bodies together as quietly as possible. As Nathan runs his hands across her body, she whispers his name with desire. They kiss, and things start to escalate. The music gets louder, and Nathan asks her if she can be a “good girl” and be quiet (112). He pleasures her with his fingers while they talk dirty to each other in whispers. Anastasia climaxes, and suddenly the music turns off. Someone asks if anyone wants to stop for food on the way.

They stop for McDonald’s, and Anastasia worries that they made the car smell like sex. When they reach Nathan’s house, they slip away to Nathan’s bedroom. Anastasia tries entering the code to his room, but she is drunk and accidentally enters Ryan’s code instead. Nathan notices, and his mood changes. Anastasia explains that she and Ryan used to have a friends-with-benefits situation, but it ended when Ryan started dating Olivia. As they undress, Nathan admits that he is jealous because he wants her all to himself.

Nathan wants them to be exclusive, but Anastasia doesn’t. She tells him to stop overthinking it, and they continue to make out. Then Nathan stops, saying that he doesn’t want to be just a “drunken hookup” (117). He doesn’t want her to regret being with him again and avoid him for another week. The rejection shocks her, and she starts to cry because she thinks that he only wants her if she can offer more. She waits for him to fall asleep, then requests an Uber.

Nathan regrets rejecting Anastasia and recognizes that it was because he was feeling jealous. When he goes downstairs, Lola explains that she stopped Anastasia from getting an Uber and tells him that Anastasia slept in Henry’s room. Nathan knocks on Henry’s door, then impatiently enters using the code. He finds Anastasia drinking coffee on Henry’s bed, laughing while Henry sits on an air mattress. When Henry sees Nathan, he leaves them alone. Nathan apologizes to Anastasia for rejecting her, and they talk openly about their feelings. Nathan admits that he was jealous, and Anastasia admits that she has issues with rejection. She credits her therapist, Dr. Andrews, for her ability to admit it. She and Nathan agree to limit their interactions to casual sex.

In the weeks that follow, hockey practices run late, which cuts into Anastasia’s practice time. She is annoyed and behaves coldly toward Nathan after the night at the Honeypot. The next time hockey practice goes on too long, Anastasia skates out into the middle of the ice anyway to make a point. Nathan catches up to her and throws her over his shoulder. When she complains, he tells her to shut up, which makes her even angrier. He asks what her plans are that night, but she won’t tell him. He keeps asking after her plans, and finally Anastasia tells Nathan that if he finds her before midnight, she will give him oral sex.

Anastasia plays a cruel joke on Nathan. While he runs all over Maple Hills looking for her, Anastasia conspires with JJ to throw a party at his own house. With ten minutes left until midnight, Nathan sends her a video call. Anastasia accepts the call while sitting in his bedroom. Nathan realizes where she is and says he is going to kill his roommates. Everyone at the party counts down to midnight as though it is New Year’s Eve. Someone pops a bottle of champagne. Nathan arrives 30 seconds too late, looking irritated. Anastasia is about to walk up to him, but Summer beats him to it. Nathan winks at Anastasia, then takes Summer up the stairs. JJ mentions that Nathan has been chasing Summer since freshman year, and Anastasia feels jealous.

After she sees Summer downstairs 10 minutes later, she marches up to Nathan’s room and demands to know what happened, surprised by how upset she sounds. Nathan accuses her of jealousy and explains that Summer just needed to use the bathroom, and he decided to wait for her in his room “to see how this no-jealousy thing” works (133). She admits that she is angry, which delights him, and then they start making out. Nathan is both rough and gentle during foreplay. Anastasia gives Nathan the oral sex she promised him, and they have intercourse for the first time. He promises to be gentle, but instead, she tells him to have sex with her “like [he] hate[s] [her]” (136).

Having realized that he is no longer interested in Summer, Nathan only has eyes for Anastasia. When Anastasia tells him to have sex with her “like you hate me” (138), Nathan tells her that he could never hate her. Instead, he says he is going to have sex with her as though her body belongs to him, and that she will “take it like a good girl” (138). The dirty talk continues as they have sex in multiple positions. Afterward, they rest in each other’s arms. Nathan sneaks into Henry’s room to grab some things from his necessities box, but he accidentally spooks the girl Henry is with. When he returns, he and Anastasia shower together and then fall asleep.

The next morning, Anastasia and Nathan fool around again in the shower. Then Anastasia yells at him for giving her hickeys. As Nathan drops her off at work, they consult her planner and make plans to buy Halloween costumes together on Thursday. When Nathan picks her up from work later, he jokes about destroying her planner, and Anastasia explains that she started using it years ago as a therapy exercise; she worried that her adoptive parents wouldn’t love her if she failed at figure skating, and the planner helped her to deal with the pressure. When Nathan drops her off at home, they make out in the car for 20 minutes.

When Anastasia enters her apartment, Aaron immediately spots the hickeys and Lola drops a hint that makes him realize that she has been with Nathan. He accuses Anastasia of making bad choices and barely talks to her for the rest of the week. Anastasia spends a lot of the time studying with Henry, who observes her fear of abandonment and reassures her that Nathan would never abandon her. In his typically filter-free, honest fashion, he also says that he can hear her orgasm from his bedroom. Later, as she waits for her turn on the ice, Anastasia is aroused by how Nathan looks when shouting instructions to his team. Nathan sticks around and watches her practice, which goes terribly because Aaron makes mistakes while accusing her of being distracted by Nathan. After practice, Nathan suggests they go to his place, order takeout, and buy costumes online instead of at the mall.

When they reach Nathan’s house, Anastasia is still upset about Aaron’s behavior at practice. She and Nathan go inside, and Nathan ushers her into his bedroom. Nathan loves spending time with Anastasia sober. She clings to him as they talk about her skating career, and they eventually take a break from costume-shopping to think about what food to order. Ryan video-calls Anastasia, checking up on her after hearing about Aaron’s latest episode of bad behavior, and invites her to eat hot wings with him and Olivia. When Anastasia declines because of the calories, Ryan calls her on her food issues and asks who she is with. Anastasia turns the camera to Nathan, and Ryan is happy to see them together.

Nathan orders hot wings despite Anastasia’s qualms, and she lets herself relax and enjoy the meal. They eat with Nathan’s roommates, and Anastasia embarrasses them by moaning with each bite. Afterward, they return to Nathan’s bedroom, and Anastasia immediately drags him to her and kisses him. Things escalate quickly, and she dares Nathan to do something that will make her scream. He asks her to sit on his face.