“It’s like scrambled eggs with vegetables and stuff inside,” Sergio says with another ruffle to Henry’s hair as he begins to rise out of bed.
Henry pulls a disgusted face. “Why would you wantthatinstead of pancakes?”
“Variety, I suppose. They say it’s the spice of life,” Sergio says. His time spent reliving this day is beginning to teach him that it’s not entirely true. Variety is nice when it comes to meal options. After all, it’s only natural to tire of the same food day after day after excruciating day. However, variety is very steadily proving not to be the spice of life when it comes to matters of the heart. In fact, having no variety and maintaining a sole focus on theone and only Jeremy Owens is actually proving to be far more exciting for Sergio than hunting tail and notching bedposts.
Speaking of, Sergio moves to the window and peers outside, catching Jeremy right when he steps out of the barn with his tea.
“What are you looking at?” Henry asks him, jumping up and down, trying to get high enough to look out the window.
“The trees.” He places a hand on Henry’s shoulder to still him. Craving a little bit of peace, he urges Henry along. “Could you go ask your dad about that omelet?”
“Okay!” Henry shouts and gives him two very enthusiastic thumbs ups before he goes thundering out of the room, through the hall, and down the stairs.
Now alone, Sergio smiles to himself and wonders what life will be like without the cacophony of Henry’s footsteps if he ever gets released from this loop and returned to the life he was living before. His smile turns into a frown. For as much as he wants to see tomorrow, he no longer thinks his life of yesterday is something to which he wants to return, especially if that life doesn’t include being able to gaze upon Jeremy drinking his tea in the morning.
He no longer wants to simply gaze at Jeremy through a window with a thicket of trees and snow-covered ground between them. He wants more. Much more. More than mere chaste kisses in an ice rink barn can ever provide him. But if that’s all he can get, for now, he’ll gratefully settle. Those few chaste kisses are the best kisses he’s ever had.
“Are you coming?” Adrien asks from the doorway.
“Yeah,” he says, his eyes lingering on what he desires. “I’ll be right down.”
“All you need to do is hold my hands,” Jeremy instructs, extending his palms forward for Sergio to take.
Feeling more confident than yesterday in his ability to not knock Jeremy down on the ice, Sergio grabs them willingly.
“Good,” Jeremy says, giving his hands a little squeeze as he begins to skate backward, pulling Sergio along with him. “Now all you have to do is shift your weight with me from side to side. Don’t even worry about picking up your feet.”
“Like this?” Sergio asks, getting into the rhythm, trying to remember the little bit he learned during yesterday’s lesson.
“Like that,” Jeremy says, swaying side to side, his skates carving shallow edges into the ice as he propels them along.
Sergio chances a glance to see what Jeremy is doing with his feet so he may be able to mimic the movements in a few more lessons. With time, hopefully, he’ll feel more comfortable and confident on this frozen slab of potential back aches and trips to the hospital for concussion protocol.
“Nice and slow,” Jeremy says, moving them a little bit faster. “Get used to the way your feet feel on the ice. Feel the grip of the blades and find your balance.”
Sergio lets out a laugh. “I’m pretty sure the only reason I’m balanced is because of you.”
“Nah, I could let go and you’d be fine.”
Sergio grips Jeremy’s hands. “Maybe so, but I’m not willing to risk it yet.”
Jeremy’s face breaks into a playful grin with one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other. “I can’t hold on to you forever, Sergio.”
“Bold of you to assume I ever want you to let go.”
Jeremy stops his motions and slowly they come to a standstill in the middle of the rink. “Is that so, Mr. Sergio Durand?”
Sergio, standing stock still, nods his head.
“And why is that?” Jeremy pulls at Sergio’s hands, drawing him in closer so they are inches away from standing chest to chest.
Carefully letting go of one of Jeremy's hands, Sergio brings his now free hand to Jeremy’s cheek and lets his thumb tug gently at the corner of Jeremy’s left eye. “You’re so beautiful on the ice,” he says, sighing softly. “You look … free.”
Jeremy tilts his head and looks at him in contemplation. “I guess I am.”
“I guess you are,” Sergio says, leaning in and placing the gentlest of kisses onto Jeremy’s lips. This time, he doesn’t hold his breath as he knows Jeremy, same as he’s done before, when Sergio gets this right, will return the kiss. Instead, he braces himself for their inevitable interruption courtesy of Henry.
“Are you two kissing?” Henry asks, right on cue.
