“Both.”
“When do you think you’ll want to start again? No pressure. I’m just curious.”
Arush shrugs. “I don’t know. I took the semester off because I’m not sure exactly what direction I want to go in with this degree. There are a lot of different areas that you can study in and I’m caught between environmental and aerospace.”
“That’s incredible.”
His smile is shy when he bows his head. “Thanks.”
We eat in companionable silence for a while and Arush helps me clean up the kitchen when we’re finished. After that, I lean against the counter and look at him.
“What would you like to do today?”
He looks at me like I just slapped him, which makes me grin. “I don’t know. Isn’t Chicago huge?”
“It’s pretty big. And it’s cold out so we can choose something inside. Or if you’d prefer to stay home, we can find something to do here. I have video games and I think a few board games. We can watch movies. There’s a pool and a gym downstairs that we can check out.”
The smallest hint of a smile lingers on his lips as he studies me. I wonder which of the options sounds good to him.
“When the weather’s nice, there’s even more to see outside, like Lake Michigan.”
“Are all the Great Lakes close? I’d love to see them all.”
“Not super close,” I say, chuckling. “Maps make them look close, but they’re really not. However, we can tour the borders of Michigan and hit four as long as we go up into the UP. Then we can follow Lake Erie into Canada and check out Lake Ontario last with Niagara Falls. Weneedto go in to Canada to see it from the Canadian side too. It’s worth seeing both directions.”
Once more, he’s looking at me with the tiniest smile on his lips. “I’d like that,” he says quietly.
I nod. “I haven’t seen them all either. I’ve never been to Lake Superior. We can see it for the first time together.”
His smile climbs a little more, but he bows his head. “That sounds great.”
“This spring. Once hockey’s over in April.”
Arush nods. “I can’t wait.”
“Me too. But for today, what’re you feeling?”
He looks around. I imagine if the situation were reversed, I’d be at a loss for how to answer that question. I have no idea what I’d want to see in India. What’s in India to see? I’m sure there are hundreds of things to do, but I might have heard of three things.
“How about this—do you feel like going out or staying in?”
His eyebrows knit together when he looks at me. “Do you have a preference?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. I haven’t actually explored Chicago much. I was drafted into Chicago two and a half years ago, moved here right before the season started. Then I was traded at the end of the season, so I left for Arizona. Somehow, I managed to be traded back to Chicago this season, and I moved backagainright before the season began. Needless to say, I haven’t had much time to explore.”
“Why have you been traded so many times?”
I huff. “No idea. I didn’t buy this place because I feel like I’m just going to be traded again.”
Arush shakes his head. “Idowant to explore the city, but I think I’d like to wait until it’s a little warmer outside.”
“I like that plan. How do you feel about board games? We can hang out and talk while we play.”
He smiles. “That sounds like a good way to spend the day.”
CHAPTER 8
ARUSH
