“That matters more than fancy furniture or new paint.”
We spent the next hour moving furniture and laying down drop cloths, falling into the same easy teamwork that had made the IKEA assembly so successful.
“You’ve never done this before,” I observed as he clumsily put tape around the window trim.
“Am I doing it wrong?” he asked.
“Nah, just slow,” I teased him.
Was that a blush staining his cheeks? Okay, that was adorable.
“I never had much opportunity to do these kinds of things.”
“That’s okay. Trust me, it’s not rocket science, and practice makes perfect.” I dipped my brush in the paint, a warm sage green that would make the room feel more spacious. “What does your dad do?”
Nils was quiet for a moment, focused on his taping with fierce concentration. “He works in… government administration. Very bureaucratic, lots of red tape and paperwork.”
“Sounds boring.”
“It can be. But he’s good at it, and he genuinely cares about serving the public.”
We started painting, working our way around the room in comfortable rhythm. The work was meditative in a way, requiring enough attention to keep your hands busy while leaving your mind free to wander. And apparently, my mind wanted to wander toward getting to know Nils better.
“How did you become interested in astronomy?”
He smiled. “When I was nine, we did a school trip to a planetarium. That was it. I was hooked. For my tenth birthday, I got my first telescope.”
For my tenth birthday, I’d gotten what my parents had given me for the previous two ones as well: new skates. They were too expensive not to combine with a birthday, and I had never minded. Still, it had to be nice to have that kind of money. It probably wasn’t polite to ask, but fuck that. “Your family… They have money, right?”
He grew very still, slowly turning to meet my eyes. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “Just curious. I don’t know anyone who’s gotten a telescope for their birthday.”
He stiffened as he looked away, his cheeks staining. “I didn’t realize… My apologies. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“It wasn’t. I asked a question and you answered it. You weren’t bragging. But it sounds like you’re used to these kind of things, is all. That’s not criticism but a statement of fact.”
He blew out a long breath. “I suppose I am, yes. My family does have money. Quite a bit, in fact.”
“Yeah, I figured. Your skates… Tank said they’re hella expensive.”
Another long sigh. “They are, yes. I didn’t… I didn’t even think of that.”
“It’s okay.”
He finally met my eyes again. “You don’t think it’s bragging.”
“It would’ve been if you’d drawn attention to them. But you didn’t. You’re wearing them, using them. That’s not bragging.” Then something occurred to me. “Do they make you better? As a player, I mean? Can you tell the difference?”
Nils hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, they made a difference for me. They offer more stability and protect your ankles better. Once I got used to them, they made me faster because my ankles could take more.”
Damn, okay then. I needed to get my hands on a pair. “How much are they?”
“Adan…”
“How much?”
“Three thousand dollars.”
