Erin just grinned. “You’re welcome.”
“What are we supposed to do at the rink on a date?” I asked.
“I don’t know, skate? Make him lift you in the air with those muscles of his.”
Leaving her unhelpful ass on the couch, I headed to my room to get ready for practice, typing out a response to Mateo.
Emmie: Sorry, my roommate thought it would be funny to steal my phone.
Not even a minute passed before he replied.
Mateo: It’s okay if you don’t want to admit you called me stud muffin. I know you have my number saved under that name in your phone.
“Thanks a lot, Erin,” I mumbled under my breath.
Emmie: Now I regret texting you.
Mateo: You’ll never regret me, babe.
“Oh, boy.” I rolled my eyes. His ego was astonishing.
Mateo: I have to go to practice, but I’ll be there.
My first instinct was to text him back and tell him not to come, but Erin’s voice rang in my head, urging me to give him a chance. Maybe hanging out with him wasn’t such a bad idea.
I nervously skatedaround the rink, waiting for Mateo. I wasn’t even sure why I was. I’d never been one to get nervous over a guy. The last time it happened was my sophomore year of high school, and I wanted to ask a guy to be my date for a school dance.
There was just something about Mateo. He had this larger than life personality that drew you in instantly. I didn’t need to know the guy well to see why he was well liked.
The clock on the far wall ticked closer to three. Each minute made me wonder if Mateo would even show. There was no reason why he wouldn’t, but of course, my mind went to the bad.
“Get it together Em. He’s just a guy. A regular ole guy.” I mumbled to myself.
“Are you talking to yourself?” a voice echoed through the rink. I skidded to a stop, head whipping around to find Mateo at the entrance to the ice.
“How long have you been standing there?” I looked him over, ignoring the stupid butterflies in my stomach. He was already in his skates, a pair of long joggers, and a pullover. It was a simple outfit, yet he looked fresh out of a magazine.
His light brown hair was pushed back, a few pieces resting on his forehead. It had that shaggy look, like he needed a haircut, but I liked it. He really was insanely attractive. I’d met plenty of good-looking men, here in the states and internationally, but none held a candle to him.
“Long enough to hear you having a conversation with yourself,” he teased, stepping onto the ice. He casually skated toward me, long legs eating up the distance.
“I wasn’t,” I lied.
“Uh huh.” Mateo came to a stop in front of me. I had to crane my neck back to look at his face, his skates giving him another few inches and further dwarfing my short height.
I shifted on my feet as he stared down at me, not saying another word. The teasing tilt of his lips told me he found it amusing how uncomfortable I was. While I’m not a big yapper, I usually didn’t have such a hard time talking around people.
“So,” I cleared my throat, “thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for texting me.”
Okay, this was awkward. Suddenly, it was like I didn’t know how to use my mouth.
“Emmie, breathe.” Mateo’s tone softened. “This doesn’t have to be a big deal. We’re just two people hanging out.”
I took a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax. He was right. We were just two people hanging out.Chill, Emmie.
Mateo gestured toward the open ice. “Race you to the far board?”
