“Izzy!” Nina spots us immediately and waves both arms over her head. She’s standing towards the back of the space, right by a cluster of middle-aged people who are watching her like she personally invented this sport. “You brought her!”
Cecilia slows beside me.
“Izzy?” she repeats under her breath, tasting it out loud. Then she turns her head slightly towards me. “Can I call you that?”
“No,” I say immediately, shooting her a look.
Her mouth curves.
“Firm boundary?”
“Very.”
She hums thoughtfully, pretending to consider alternatives. “So whatcanI call you?”
I don’t break stride. “Princess.”
She laughs, low and warm, stepping closer so our shoulders brush as we walk. Her eyes flick down to my mouth for half a second before she looks away again, smile lingering.
“Are you two coming or what?” Nina shouts, moving hurriedly to grab some brooms that are propped against the wall.
Cecilia winces slightly. “I regret this already.”
“You say that now,” I murmur, leaning closer than necessary, but enjoying the warmth of her body. “Give it ten minutes.”
A man appears beside Nina, and she elbows him sharply in the ribs. He straightens with exaggerated dignity, rubbing the spot she hit, and I recognize him a split second before he fully turns towards us.
“Rafa?”
He looks older, obviously. Broader through the shoulders, jaw more defined, hair trimmed shorter than the last time I saw him—but the expression is the same. Slightly amused. Slightly competitive. As if the entire world is a game he intends to win.
“Well,” he says, voice carrying easily across the room. “They let you out of your ice castle, I see.”
Nina smacks him again.
Cecilia shifts subtly beside me, taking him in the way she assesses everyone new: posture, tone, confidence.
I fold my arms loosely. “They let you grow up.”
“Debatable,” Nina mutters, swatting his arm again before turning to us with theatrical impatience. “Introductions.” She claps her hands twice, doing a remarkable job of looking like a summer camp counselor. “And then beers.”
She hooks her thumb towards Rafael. “Rafe and I basically grew up together. His older brother was a junior hockey golden boy and trained here every off-season. My sister was on the ice, obviously. So while the siblings were chasing their dreams, we were the neglected younger children eating vending machine dinners and causing problems.”
Rafael nods solemnly. “Character building, I call it.”
“Delinquency,” Nina corrects. Then she gestures towards Cecilia. “Ceci used to compete against Izzy, but now she coaches and she does an incredible job at it.”
Cecilia shifts slightly beside me, clearly not thrilled with being introduced like a resume.
“Retired,” she says simply. There’s a neutral expression on her face that I can’t quite decipher. “And the jury’s still out on the incredible part.”
“It’s not,” I say before I can stop myself. “Her skater placed in the top five at Worlds.”
Her head turns to me, just a fraction, and there’s something in her expression—surprised, maybe, or pleased—that feels more intimate than anything Nina just said. I don’t take it back.
“Oh,” Nina adds, with another clap. “And you guys are both from Argentina!”
“Really?” Rafael says, eyebrows lifting.
