Page 32 of Date With Skates

“Yeah,” I agree, rubbing the back of my neck.

Étienne grabs the sheets and tosses them toward the bottom of the bed, then hops onto it and lies down on one side, patting the other for me to join. I do.

He rests his hands behind his head as I get comfortable beside him.

“I’ll leave soon, don’t worry,” he says.

“Not worried.”

“I wouldn’t want your roommate to find out.”

“Would it be that big a problem?” I ask.

The words fall out of my mouth, and I’m not sure why it matters. Why do I care if Étienne doesn’t want Roman to know? It’s not like this is a thing that’s going to last. We’ll be leaving soon enough, going back to our lives very far apart from each other.

“Would it be for you?” he asks, sounding as confident as always. Nothing gives away his answer—if he’d care or not.

But I answer honestly anyway, because what’s the point of lying?

“No.”

I turn to look at him, waiting for his answer.

“I have nothing to hide,” he says, but there’s something in his tone that makes everything he says sound so flippant—like he doesn’t have a care in the world and nothing matters.

It hurts a little. I mean, I know this isn’t a thing, but some part of me will miss this when we part ways. Won’t he?

“You have fuck buddies at home?” I ask.

Not really the thing I want to know, so I have no idea why that comes out of my mouth, either. It has to be some weird, post-orgasm thing that’s making me feel like this—emotional.

Étienne chuckles. “No one consistent.”

“Yeah, me either.”

It’s the truth. Hook ups are completely random for me. I don’t do repeats. In fact, I’ve had sex with Étienne more than I have with any other person before.

“What do you think will happen to Roman and Nico when we leave?” he asks. “Do you think we will have to listen to them whining about the other for weeks?”

I laugh. “Knowing Roman, no. He’ll keep it all inside. Maybe make a comment here and there, but he’s not a big talker.”

“I wish!” Étienne says with a laugh. “I’m going to hear Nico whining and crying about Roman for months.”

“Sucks for you.”

He reaches over and swats at me, hitting me right in the chest. I groan like it hurts more than it does. Étienne turns onto his side to face me, propping his elbow up and resting his head on his hand.

“Are you going to miss me, Hockey Boy?” he asks sweetly.

I glance at him, looking into his eyes. There’s a seriousness there that I haven’t seen from him before. A vulnerability. I need to answer this question carefully. I can’t just throw out the same defensive, playful shit that’s been coming out of his mouth. But I can’t be too serious either.

The truth? Yes, I am going to miss him. This.

Étienne is fun. He’s carefree and hot. Good in bed. Funny. I like being around him because it doesn’t feel like work or a chore. I don’t feel forced to act a certain way, I can just be.

But I can’t tell him all of that.

So I settle on something safe.