“Your turn now.” Finn clapped, then motioned for Robbie to get into position—mimicking Finn’s earlier pose and squatting so that his thighs were bent enough to stand on. Finn placed his hands on Robbie’s shoulders and explained, “Easiest way is one foot at a time, so your shoulders and right thigh are going to have to hold all of my weight for a moment.”
“Right.” Robbie shifted his weight and nodded that he was ready.
“Put your hands on my hips, it’ll help you with anticipating my movements.”
“Logical.” Robbie placed his hands and tried not to think about the last time he was in a similar position with another man.
“Remember to lean into it. Follow me. Right? Okay, here we go.” Finn leapt up and suddenly he was standing on Robbie’s thighs, and huh, that was easier than Robbie thought it would be. It wasn’t like Finn weighed nothing or that Robbie didn’t feel it, but thanks to Finn’s strength and skill to spread his weight and hold himself up, it didn’t feel like having someone stand on him.
Robbie tested his hold on Finn’s hips and felt the weight of him on his thighs and shoulders. He’d learned long ago, when learning a new move, to take the time to feel it in his body. He breathed in and centred himself as he would during a yoga pose.
“How does it feel?” Finn asked.
Robbie looked up, which was when he noticed they were all but face to crotch. It wasn’t the first time that Robbie’s athletic… hissportingpursuits landed him in positions that might be considered intimate in other circumstances.
So it also wasn’t the first time that Robbie had to remind his hind brain to stay on task.
Finn smiled down at him.
“Uh, good. Good. Less pressure than I expected.”
“Right? Okay. Time for me to hop off.” He landed more nimbly than Robbie had.
“I’d clap,” said a voice near the doorway, “but that seems like a bad idea with a broken collarbone.”
“Stef!” Finn opened his arms for a gentle hug. “How are you?”
“Doing all right. I’m on good drugs, which helps. Robbie, nice to see you again.”
“You too. I was sorry to hear about your injury. I hope you’re recovering okay.”
She shrugged, then winced. “Doctors are happy on that front. Should be able to compete next season. Sorry to miss out on partnering with you, though.”
Robbie pulled an exaggerated face. “Right? Instead you’ve stranded me with this guy.”
“Hey!”
Ignoring Finn’s outburst, Stef turned a sardonic expression on Robbie. “Yes, it looks like you’re having a terrible time.”
He opened and closed his mouth, found he had no rejoinder, and finally shrugged. “Caught me.”
“Hmm,” Stef said. “You didn’t catch Finn, however.”
“He didn’t ask me to.”
Stef clapped him on the shoulder. Or she would have if she could’ve reached it. It was really just above the elbow. “One step at a time, I get it. And right now, it’s time for lunch. Come with me to the cafeteria so we can feed you and you can tell me what you’re going to dance to.”
The show had set up craft services in the arena’s cafeteria, and Robbie grabbed a slight variation on his usual hockey-season lunch—just as much protein but fewer carbs, based on his nutritionist’s recommendation. He, Finn, and Stef found a table at one side of the room, away from any other teams who might eavesdrop, and set down their trays.
Stef stuck her fork into a bowl that was 40 percent chicken breast and boiled eggs but called itself a salad. “So.” She pulled an iPad out of her bag, slid it across the table, and turned on the screen. “I’ve come up with a short list of songs I think will fit the theme and would also fit the two of you, but if you don’t see anything that strikes your fancy, I’m open to other ideas.”
Pulling the iPad between them so they could both see it, Finn bit into his pita wrap.
Curious, Robbie shoveled food into his mouth mechanically as he scanned down the list. Stef hadn’t included music Robbie might’ve recognized as actual swing music, like “In the Mood.” Most of the tracks were modern songs with lyrics.
When he asked her about it, she wiped a drip of salad dressing from the corner of her mouth and said, “Yeah, so—the thing is, the challenge is swingdance style, not necessarily swing music. And you can swing dance to things that aren’t technically swing music. The real key to a good ice-dance performance isn’t just doing the steps in the right order, it’s telling a story with the dance. That’s why music with lyrics works better, especially if you’re beginners.”
“Okay, that makes sense.” Robbie nodded. “But, like, what story are we telling with ‘Ex’s & Oh’s’?”
