Love and Skate (12 page)

             
I let my hands span the length of the table and grab his.  He looked down at our hands.

             
“What happened last night?”
He looked truly concerned.

             
“What do you mean?”

             
“Amber said something about using your bed and the next thing I know, you’re shutting the door on me.  I wasn’t expecting—that.  I don’t want you
to think that I’m pressuring you into anything
.”

             
I took a deep breath and tried to smile.

             
“Ok, so in order to explain that I’m going to tell you the story
of Corey.” He visibly tensed at the mention of his name even though he had no idea
who that was or
what I was going to say.

             
“So Corey and I were together for four years, from the time I was fourteen until I was two days shy of eighteen.  The entire time we dated everything had to be right.  I had to dress a certain way and act a certain way.  I was told that we could not hold hands or kiss in public and when we kissed in private, it was like kissing a brick of ice.  He basically ignored me unless it was Saturday night, then it was burger joint, movie, home.  It never differed or strayed from that schedule.  It was suffocating.  But I was trying to make everyone else happy.  So I stayed with him.  He called me one afternoon, a Saturday
,
and said he didn’t want to see me anymore.  He said that I was too nice of a girl for him.  Then the next Monday I found out that my best friend
Cassandra
was apparently not very nice.  I walked into the cafeteria to no more friends, everyone talking about how I was a cold-hearted virgin and my best fri
end and my ex were making out
in the middle of the room.
They are married with three kids now. That was the day I went ape shit as my mom calls it.  I quit doing what everyone else wanted me to do and did what I wanted to do.  Hence, the hair and the tattoos and the piercings.  Plus they always wanted me to be a lawyer and I blew that to hell too.  So, Amber
kinda
picks on me about my lack of, um, experience whenever she gets a chance but it really hits a nerve.  So I’m sorry I took it out on you.  I was just embarrassed.”

             
I had let go of his hands to make my famous hand gestures while I was talking.  He said nothing. 

             
“Get over here.” He whispered.  And though it was a command, it sounded like a plea.

             
I got up and walked around and sat next to him, not knowing what to expect.

             
“You know what I think?” He asked me as he pulled up the hem of my shorts a little and cocked his head to inspect the damage.

             
“No clue.”  I shrugged.
He turned to face me and pulled me closer.

             
“I think Corey is the stupidest
asshat
that ever lived.  I think your Mom is mistaken.  That day was the day you became who you are today.  And who you are today is a gorgeous, smart, funny woman who takes bullshit off of no one
except Amber
.  And I’ve never known anyone as sweet and kind as you in my whole life.”

             
“Oh,” was all I could croak out. 

             
“And I hope when you kiss me it’s better than a brick of ice.  Cause from where I stand, I al
most catch fire when those lips touch mine
.”

             
“Hey, I checked my lips for scorch marks last night.”
I tried to joke around but he was still not laughing.

             
“
It’s only been a week.” He
whispered and looked up like he had realized something.

             
“What was that look about?” she asked me.  I couldn’t tell her what I had just come to terms with.  But I had realized
through her trusting me enough to tell me everything that had happened to her that I loved her.  More than that, I was
in
love with her. 

             
“Nothing.  Are you hungry? Cause I’m starved.”

             
“Yeah, ok.” She knew something was up but let it go. 

             
We ate and soon after she needed to go to work. 
I went to the gym, and probably overworked myself because I knew that I had been too chicken to tell her what I felt.  But I needed to get it off of my chest soon. 

             
I
went to eat and then to the library to study.  I sat at my regular table in the back and glanced over my shoulder at the rows where she sat with that
short jean skirt on that beckon
ed me to touch everything it didn’t. 

             
I shook my head to myself and got down to studying.  Eventually I made my way back to the dorm and
thought about texting Nellie, but decided to give her some time to breathe.  Some time to miss me, I hoped.

             
The week flew by quickly and I tried to see Nellie as often as I could.  But she was practicing hard and working.  Cindi was now training her to take over, even though Nellie hadn’t given her an official answer.   

             
By Friday night I was dying to spend some time with her but she had one last Friday night team dinner before the season was over.  I went to eat and play pool with Dylan since Amber had decided to go to the last dinner with Nellie.  Dylan decided to go to a bar and meet up with Amber later and I went back to the dorms to go to sleep.  I heard my phone and almost ignored it because I thought it was Dylan.

             
N: U asleep?

             
O:No, laying here awake thinking about some girl.

             
N: Well, don’t let me keep you.

             
O: Oh, trust me, I’m thinking about doing a lot more than keeping you.

             
N: I must ha
ve the wrong #, my Owen would
nv
r
talk dirty to me.

             
O: Ur Owen?

             
N: Y, I’ve decided to keep you.

             
O: I’m a lucky man.

             
N:
Wanna
come over? I’m watching Signs and then The Village.

             
O: Only if you have snacks.

             
N: I have ice cream with
ur
name on it.

             
O: I’m in my pajamas.

             
N:
Ooohhh
, even better. 

             
I got there and true to my word I was in my blue flannel pants and grey t shirt.  She opened the door with a huge bowl full of ice cream and everything else she could think of. 

             
“What? Don’t judge. I only have one more bout.  I can eat what I want.”

             
“I’ve never seen you eat that much.  You look like me.”

             
“Ugh…come on, how long is it going to take for you to kiss me?”

             
I leaned down with every intention of simply teasing her with a peck but her lips tasted like vanilla and chocolate and cherry and my intentions soon
were forgotten
.
  She broke away soon after and offered to make me a sundae just like hers. 

             
She made me one that was somehow bigger than hers and sat on the edge of the couch to put Sig
ns on.  Then she turned and lay
down on the couch and didn’t think anything of putting her feet in my lap. 
I only made it through half of the sundae she made me without starting to go into sugar overdrive.  I put it down and scooted a little closer so that every inch of those legs were draped over me, even though they were covered with pink striped pajama pants.  Without taking her eyes from the screen she laced her fingers through mine and at
that mo
ment I felt as content as I’ve ever experienced
.

             
Her phone vibrated and she looked at it, groaned and threw it behind the couch.

             
“What the he
ll? You almost took my eye out
.” I
told her.

             
“I did not.  And it was my mother.  I’m allowed to throw the phone when it’s her.”

             
“
Ahhh
…”

             
Then her phone started
singing Barracuda
. 

             
“Oh Lord, now she’s calling.”

             
She got up and answered the phone.

             
“
Yo
! Nellie’s funeral home.  You slice ‘
em
, we ice ‘
em
. 
Whatcha
got?”

             
She was quiet for a second while she listened to the answer. 
She walked into the kitchen but was so loud that anyone could hear her.

             
“Ugh, no. I’m not going.”

             
“I don’t care if she’s having her thirty third baby. I’m not going. And how many showers does the girl need?”

             
“Yes Mom, I know that I’ll never find anybody who loves me with blue hair.  That’s why I  dyed it pink.

             
“
I could give a fat rat’s ass about what people think.  You should know that by now.”

             
“Mom, I love you but I can’t listen to this anymore. Ok? Bye.”

             
She hung up the phone and went straight into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.  As tough as she tried to be, I knew
she was probably crying and those icy blue eyes filled with tears
was a thought I couldn’t bear. 

             
I went into her bedroom without knocking and sure enough she was sitting on her bed wiping tears from the corners of her bloodshot eyes.  I sat next to her and threw my arm around her shoulders and pulled  her to me. 

             
“You mixed it up.” I said.

             
“Huh?” Another tear rolled down her cheeks.

             
“
Girls cry first and then eat ice cream, right?”

             
“I know right? Ugh, I’m so ass backwards.”

             
“I’m liking your mom less and less.”

             
“Join the club.”

             
“What can I do?
”

             
“Just be you. 
That’s all I need.”

             
It killed me to see her react that way to her mom.  Especially since her mom continued to flood her with untruths and bullying. 
Who tells their daughter those things?
 

             
I held her until she quit crying and then I convinced her to watch The Village with me.  I didn’t know anything about that movie, but maybe it would get her mind off of her mom.  I felt her relax more and more next to me until she completely slumped her entire weight against my torso.  I moved a little to see if she was comfortable and she snuggled in closer and let out the most contented sigh I had ever heard.

             
I needed to tell her how I felt soon.  I wanted to tell her tonight, but after her Mom told her that she couldn’t find anyone to love her, telling her now would only cheapen it and she may not believe me.  But as she lay here next to me, I couldn’t think of anything but
how much I loved her and how precious she was to me, ever after a week. 

             
I picked her up and put her in bed.  It wasn’t the first time I had done this and as I looked down at her, I couldn’t ever imagine it being my last.  And one day when she and I were ready, I would get in next to her and hold her while she slept.

             
I closed her door and intended to leave when I remembered that
if I left, her door would be unlocked.  So I cleaned up her monster sundae mess and crashed on her couch.  I woke up a few hours later to Amber and Dylan getting in and had Amber lock the door after me.