ALEX
Aweek.
It had been a whole week since our date, the picnic, the kisses, the couch . . . all of it, and I was still thinking about her every time I closed my eyes.
We hadn’t had another night alone since. Her mom was back. Tech week for The Penguin Project was starting. School was winding down, and the kids were vibrating with end-of-year energy.
Life had gotten busy.
But I hadn’t let go of the hope that tonight would make up for all of it.
Eleanor was meeting me at the rink for another practice session. This time with backup. Belle and Mel had practically insisted on helping her get ready for tryouts next month. “No friend of ours is showing up to Reapers tryouts half-cocked,” Mel had said in her kitchen, pointing a hot dog at me like it was a sword. “We’re building her from the wheels up.”
So now I stood in the parking lot of the rink, waiting for Eleanor, feeling more giddy than I should admit for a grown man, before finally heading inside.
I pushed through the glass doors. Music pulsed from the speakers, something poppy and bright, and I spotted them immediately.
I was the last one there.
And the three of them were already out on the wooden skate floor.
My feet stopped moving entirely.
Belle was a force of nature, all curves and muscle, gear strapped tight, laughing as she gave instructions I was too far away to hear. Mel was a blur, the smallest of the three but an absolute menace on wheels, dipping low and weaving like she was born on the rink.
And then there was Eleanor.
My breath caught.
Hair in two loose braids sticking out from her helmet. Knee pads slightly askew. A determined little furrow in her brow. A deep purple tank top that hugged every soft line of her body.
She was cute. And hot. And strong. And trying so damn hard.
I don’t even know which part hit me first, the braids, the fierce concentration, the fact that she was laughing, not polite or nervous, but laughing as Mel challenged her to do something with her weight shifted back.
Her backward skating . . . damn. It had comeso far.
She pushed off carefully, wobbling only once before finding her center. Her arms lifted awkwardly, but she kept moving, slow but steady, each step smoother than the last.
Belle whooped loudly. “THAT’S IT, BABY!”
Eleanor giggled, actually giggled, and nearly lost her balance before catching herself.
I felt something in my chest pull tight.
She was fighting for herself, full of joy, taking control of her life. And I loved watching it.
Mel saw me first and grinned, rolling backward in that unnatural, show-offy way of hers. “Hey, Prince Charming! Took you long enough!”
Belle turned next. “Alex! Get out here before El shows you up!”
Eleanor looked over her shoulder then, cheeks flushed, braids swinging, and the smile she gave me was so bright it knocked the air right out of me.
“Hi!” she called, breathless.
I swallowed around the stupid lump in my throat. “Hey.”
I sat down and got my skates on as fast as I could.
