“So we can get you some skates,” he says, like I’m the one who’s not making any sense.
“Yeah, no. That’s a terrible idea. I can’t skate.”
“No one said you had to. Just trust me, ok?”
I sigh and take the skates Ollie offers. It takes forever to lace them up and when I stand, I wobble, reaching out for Ollie’s arm. “You realize that if I can’t stand on a rubber mat, I’m going to fall flat on my face once I hit the ice, right?”
“No, you’re not,” Booker says from behind me. “I won’t let you. Come on.”
Looking out at the ice, I can see it’s mostly couples, skating leisurely around. Coach has his arm around a pretty woman in her mid-thirties, I’d guess. She knows a lot more about skating than I do, based on the fancy twists and turns she’s doing. “You don’t expect fancy footwork, right?”
Booker laughs. “Coach and Mrs. K are just showing off. Besides, they’ve been married for ten years or something crazy like that. We’ve got time to catch up.”
He’s teasing, I know, but for a second, I glimpse a future where the two of us are together ten years from now, and I like what I see. Sure, the road ahead won’t be easy, with me attending grad school far away, and with Booker still technically in the closet as far as his parents are concerned, but that’s all a worry for another day as Booker takes my hands and leads me out on the ice.
“Don’t look down,” he warns, just as I look down and my feet wobble.
“Seriously, just look at me. I’ve got you.” He’s positioned in front of me, skating backwards for God’s sake, and holding my hands firmly in his. I let him pull me along, only lifting my feet enough to keep the momentum going.
“This is so far out of my comfort zone,” I tell him as we glide our way around the rink.
“Being on the ice?”
I shake my head. “Not being in charge. Letting somebody else call the shots. I’m not sure if you know this, but I kind of have a bossy streak.”
Booker laughs out loud. “No, seriously?”
“I’m trying, ok?” I promise, but it’s not easy for me to give up control. I spent way too much of my childhood feeling powerless as my parents and brothers defended me at school and against bullies. Since I left Laramie at eighteen, I’ve been in control, and it’s not a position I want to give up any time soon.
“I have a favor to ask,” I tell him as he pulls me closer.
“Anything.”
“You say that now, but you’ve never visited the rural parts of Western Pennsylvania.”
“Should I?”
“Yeah, you should.”
“Ok,” he smiles. “And when am I making this pilgrimage? Do I have to go alone? Is this some naked in the woods challenge?”
“Definitely not,” I laugh. “When we get naked, it’ll be in my childhood bedroom. There are too many bugs in the woods.”
“You want me to go home with you?” he asks, and I can hear the hope in his voice.
“I do. My nephew’s birthday is next weekend, and PJ and Katie are throwing him a farm-themed party.”
“That’s adorable.”
“Maybe,” I concede, “but it’s not original. That’s literally the theme of every birthday party I had as a kid. Same for my brothers. One year, I was really into outer space and aliens and stuff and even then, the theme was Cows in Space.”
“That’s seriously adorable. Count me in.”
“Awesome. And brace yourself for the rest of the McBride clan. Luke’s a lot, but he’s not the only one.They’re a little enthusiastic, and they can’t wait to meet you.”
One by one, couples leave the ice until Booker and I are the last men standing. Or skating, I guess. My legs are screaming, but he’s smiling, so I’m ignoring the protesting screams of my calves as he leads us to the center of the ice.
“Thank you,” he tells me.
