“Not cool, bro. Take it back and give me my hot chocolate.” I lunge forward, legs still sore from earlier, and slip on a patch of ice coating the grass. Connor tries to catch me, but he still has two hot chocolates in his hands and wobbles with me. “Save the hot chocolates! Don’t worry about me!”
He widens his arms and steps back, and I tumble head-first into a bank of snow to a huge, mirthful chuckle. Ice falls down the back collar of my coat. I shiver through the freezing sensation terrorizing my spine as I shimmy it out. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just given me the damn hot chocolate.”
“Wow! Let’s try that again, Mads. Thanks, Connor, for thinking of me and buying me my favorite hot beverage on your way to come to keep me company. You are better than any other person I know. How could I ever live without you?”
“I refuse to reinforce your ribbing with positive affirmations.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugs, taking a sip of his drink and closing his eyes to savor it. “Fuck, this is good.”
“I hate you.” I plop back down on the bench and cross my arms in a pout. “I don’t want a hot chocolate anyway. It’s fine.”
“That’s too bad because Zach made it, so it has extra everything.” He swirls it in front of my face with a teasing smile. Cocoa beans wrap a delicate hand around me, and my tastebuds water.
“Oh, god, okay, I still love you. You’re the best.” I reach, brushing against his mittened hand to grab the hot cocoa.
“Glad you’re still easy.” He smirks. The twinkling lights on the trees reflect off his glasses. First order of business when I get back to my old life is to do Connor a solid and tell him to get a pair of glasses because he’s even sexier like this.
Do I want him back as my boyfriend, though? Unfortunately, no, I don’t think so. Life would be so much easier if I did, but after living with him for three weeks, and watching him walk around in a towel, abs out for all to see. I know two things. One, Connor is an incredibly attractive man. And two, that fact does absolutely nothing for me. No butterflies. No sparks. Just an admiration and all my platonic love.
So what would I do with my ten minutes now? Getting the crown seems so hollow. After everything, I think it’d just feel like a symbol of all the shitty things I did to get to that point, and not a moment where I finally knew my worth like I wanted it to be.
None of those things matter because Seth ghosted me this entire week. At first, it annoyed me because I had a goal to accomplish, but as the week spanned on, all I did was miss the damn man.
I’m attached.
How wretchedly inconvenient.
The bench creaks as Connor sits beside me, sipping his hot chocolate. I savor the warmth sliding down my throat, and the bit of cold cream I catch on the first drag.
“How’s date night going?” he asks.
Every Friday from eight to ten, Pining All the Way’s skating rink becomesthedate place in Balsam Hill. Up to New Year’s, we’ll play romantic songs with a Christmas lilt to them and then change to sheer romantic ballads through Valentine’s day.
Spiked hot chocolate from Cup of Cheer is for sale on a first-come, first-served basis, but it usually runs out in the first hour, and they discourage employees from partaking for obvious reasons.
My shift ended a half hour ago, so I’m just here to people-watch with Connor after a stressful week.
We fake-clink our cups of hot cocoa together. “It’s going pretty well,” I hum, glancing at my phone. Nothing. Still being ghosted by Seth Aarons, then, cool, cool.
I could have sworn we were getting somewhere at the gym, but he freaked out in his bedroom a week ago, and I haven’t talked to him since.
A sharp spasming cough grips Connor next to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask as he continues to choke on his hot chocolate.
“Fine. Just went down the wrong way.” He springs up from the bench and blocks my view of the pond. “You know what? I’m not really feeling into skating tonight. Maybe we should go home. Now. And watch a Netflix movie or something.”
“Why are you being weirder than normal?” I ask with a judgmental raise of my brow.
“I’m not being weird. I’m just tired. Beat after Finals, you know?” He rubs the back of his head, pushing his beanie off.
A familiar laugh and a breathy “Seth” send my heart into a free-for-all. He wouldn't do something that cruel. He knows I work here.
“How are you so bad at this?” A deep chuckle stabs me right in my unguarded chest. Apparently, he would.
“Connor, move,” I order, standing on shaky legs.
Reluctantly, he shifts out of the way, revealing Seth skating around a far too wobbly Jenny Farrow, considering she glided with complete grace just a few days ago. She turns around, and he laces his hands around her waist, pulling her into him and flashing one of his huge, panty-dropping smiles.
