“Would you? It’s just for the video sessions. Once, maybe twice, I know it’s-”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to-”
“Elida. Yes.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there.”
We set a time and wind down the call. I’m about to sayI have something to tell you too, about scouts,when she says, “I should go. Brita sent homework.”
“Homework?”
“New sequences to run through before the next session.” A smile in her voice. “Don’t be late.”
And then she’s gone.
And she’s really leaving.
20
Chapter 20
MATEO
The rink is empty.
Just the two of us and Brita on the laptop propped against the boards, her voice tinny through the speaker, her eyes seeing everything even through a screen.
I step onto the ice and immediately feel wrong in a way I can’t quite name. She’s watching me circle and I can feel the difference between how I move and how she moves. I move like a hockey player, she moves like a dancer. We couldn’t be further apart.
“You sure about this?” I ask, stopping in front of her.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
She pushes off and lets me follow.
Brita’s voice comes through the laptop. “Basic pair spin first. Elida, you know the position. Mateo - you’re the base. She sets the axis. You hold her steady.”
I glance at Elida. “Hold her where?”
“Here.” She takes my hand and places it on her hip. My other hand goes to her lower back. Her jacket is thin - I’m way too aware of her body. “You’re not spinning me. You’re giving me a center to spin around.”
“And if I mess up?”
“You won’t. You’re solid. I’ve watched you brace against bigger guys at the boards. This is easier than that.”
“You’ve watched me,” I say, raising one eyebrow suggestively.
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
We spin - her leading, me following, and I find the right amount of pressure. She saysfasterand I match her. She saystighterand I pull her in, and then her blade leaves the ice and she’s spinning around me with one leg extended and her arms out. All I need to do is hold her without wobbling.
