“Have they said that?” Drew asked gently, hating how much of an effect it was having on her.
“No, but I can feel it.”
Ari paused for a moment and looked up at the wooden beams on the ceiling, closing her hands around her hot chocolate. He’d noticed her doing that a lot. Zoning out of their conversations for a moment and silently thinking things through by herself. Drew recognized it because he did it all the time. Processed his thoughts and emotions alone. He watched as she fidgeted in her chair for a moment and stretched her legs out, trying to get comfortable.
“My legs ache. I think the cold is getting to my bones,” she said, fidgeting around.
“Come over here,” he said. “There’s plenty of space.” She let him take her calves into his hands so they could rest on his lap, then smiled as she got comfortable against the side of the couch.
“Ari, they’re your friends. Do you really think they’ll be disappointed that you can’t do everything perfectly all the time?” he asked, returning to their conversation as he rested his hands onher knees. It felt comfortable and familiar. Like they’d done this a dozen times before.
“Kind of, but more than that,I’llbe disappointed,” she said, looking over at him, her voice soft. “It was so hard for us to get to the Olympics that I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive myself if I become the reason why we don’t make it. Plus, my friend Yasmeen’s trying to book us into a spa day the weekend after the finals, so they’ll be gutted if we end up having to catch an early flight home,” she said wryly. She was trying to lighten things up, but Drew stayed right there.
“You put a lot of pressure on yourself.” It was an observation, not a question.
“You don’t become great by treating yourself with kid gloves,” she said. There was a slight note of defensiveness in her voice. “I wouldn’t have gotten this farwithoutthat pressure.”
“But?” he asked, leaving the door open for her to keep going. She looked over at him, studying his face for a moment, a response on the tip of her tongue. But then she glanced over at the door. Something she saw there made her shake her head. Drew glanced over and saw a group of Team GB athletes who’d just walked into the bar. Ari slid her legs off his lap and shuffled over to his side of the couch, moving closer until they were seated shoulder to shoulder. Drew sat up, remembering why they were there.
“Snowboarders?” he asked, scanning the group for Harrison.
“No, bobsledders. But everyone knows each other. I saw him earlier, actually,” she admitted. Drew raised an eyebrow. “Nothing interesting, just Harrison being Harrison.” She shrugged. The look on her face made it clear there was more to it than that, but she’d moved on, redirecting her energy to shuffling over toward him. He instinctively put his hand against the back of the sofa and smiled when she wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Fake boyfriend, remember?” she said, reminding him why they’d come to Schokoladenzeit in the first place. One of the bobsledders glanced over. Ari took it as a cue to move even closer to him. Inching forward until their legs touched.
“Actually, I was looking into the science behind romance yesterday. For the sake of our fake relationship,” she said, like it was a regular thing to do. “And I saw this video talking about why seats are arranged side by side outside old French restaurants instead of across from each other.”
“And why is that?” he asked, amused to hear her findings.
“Well, according to the video, it’s more romantic,” she explained, casually placing a hand on his leg. “Apparently, people hold back on being themselves when they’re seated face-to-face with somebody, because it feels like being on display. But when you’re sittingnext tosomeone, you’re quicker to break that barrier and more likely to open up.”
“That explains New Year’s,” he said, recalling how quick he’d been to relax around her.
“The shots my teammates convinced me to drink probably helped.”
“And the premidnight dread sealed the deal.” He smiled. “What else did your video say?”
“That this seating arrangement is perfect for making us look like we’re really together. Because sitting side by side makes a date feel more intimate.” She shrugged.
“Oh, really?” he asked, looking over at her.
“Well, there isn’t a table standing between us.” She said it as if she was telling him a secret. “So, there’s nothing in the way of you casually leaning over to hold my hand, stroke my leg, or kiss me.”
They held each other’s gaze.
“Not that I want you to touch my leg, hold my hand, or kiss me,” she backtracked.
“I could if you wanted me to.”
“Just to test out the research.” She smiled.
“Anything in the name of science.” He nodded. “I aced my AP Chemistry classes, so I take these things very seriously.”
“So, in yourscientific opinion, how would we make it absolutely clear to the rest of the room that we’re together?” she said, looking over at the athletes in matching uniforms.
“Well, I could lean over,” he said, until their heads were just a few inches apart.
“You could.” She didn’t flinch.
