"Oh, she is. You broke her heart." Her smile was saccharin.
"What is this?”
"Derrick, with all due respect, sit your ass down and for once listen."
I ground my jaw in annoyance, but I turned toward the rink. A whistle blew, and Rachel's teammates gathered in the center of the rink. My breath caught as I spotted Rachel among them, healthy and strong, strands of her neon-pink hair flying behind her.
In a synchronized motion, the women started shuffling around, Rachel tucking behind them. Then the first woman skated in front of me, holding a large, handwritten sign that read:
Derrick Jacques.
What the hell? The next woman skated across the rink with another sign.
You're a stubborn jackass. But...
I snorted out a shocked laugh, remembering when Rachel thought that was my last name. Then sign after sign was revealed as skaters zipped from side to side each with a new sign.
You're also kind...
Loyal...
A valiant protector of women...
Old AF...
I laughed hard at that one, the ice in my veins slowly melting.
And...
Rachel skated to the front holding another stack of signs and I tensed, my stomach flip-flopping. I glanced beside me at Eva and raised an eyebrow.
"It's fromLove, Actually," she explained, referencing the famous scene with Kiera Knightly in the popular rom-com.
"Yeah, I got that," I said. "I have six sisters." I turned back to Rachel as she flipped over the signs she was holding, one by one.
I love you more than the Kardashians love a camera...
She dropped it and revealed the next one.
More than Billie Eilish loves oversized clothing...
And the next…
More than Taylor Swift loves a surprise album drop...
And the next…
And even though you're scared...
And finally…
I'm yours, I'll always be yours, until I'm super old. Way older than you, boss man. I love you.
My heart was pounding, and I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but stare at the poster boards discarded on the rink around Rachel.
Then, as if my body was operating on autopilot, I stood, turned, and walked swiftly toward the locker room.
I needed space. Needed to think. Needed to?—
