Page 138 of Taking Sides

“Maybe.”

He extends his hand and, reluctantly, I take the blindfold. I give him one last leery look before I pull it on.

“Now what?” I ask, butterflies swarming in my stomach.

“I’m going to take your hand and lead you out onto the ice, okay?”

“Alright, but if you’re fucking with me, I feel pretty confident that Conrad will kick your ass.”

“No doubt.” He laughs again, then his big, warm hand engulfs mine. It’s an odd feeling having another man’s hand linked with mine. I’ve gotten so used to Conrad’s, and in the past, new would have been fun and exciting, but now it’s just different and a little strange.

We take a handful of slow steps, then Danny says, “Careful now. We’re stepping onto the ice.”

It’s smoother than at the high school rink, not surprisingly. I’d say it’s been cleared recently, but it’s probably always been recently cleared.

I’m about to ask what’s next when the first note of a song plays over the arena’s speakers.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” A giggle follows as “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” continues blasting around me.

“Don’t move.” Danny lets go of my hand. The music is too loud for me to hear anything else, but I know Conrad is here somewhere. This can only be his doing.

“Where are you, Charming?” I call out, probably not loud enough for him to hear me.

“Right here, baby.” His voice comes from behind me, closer than expected, at the same time that his arms move around my waist to steady me.

With the blindfold I can’t see anything, but somehow, I know he’s smiling as he takes both of my hands in his. Goose bumps rise along my arms as he skates, pulling me with him.

“What are you up to?” I ask.

“You’ll see.”

“Actually, I won’t. Not with this blindfold on.”

“Almost there,” he says, skating me a little farther, or in circles, or who knows where because I’ve lost all sense of direction, before he stops. “Okay. Ready?”

“Yes.” My nerves are bouncing all over the place, but beyond anything else I’m so curious.

“Okay. You can look now.”

He doesn’t need to tell me twice. I lift the blindfold from my eyes. It’s darker than I expected. Most of the overhead lights are off, but the ice is lit up all around the edges. There must be a thousand candles surrounding us.

“Conrad!” I gasp. “What did you do?”

I turn in a circle, taking it all in. I skate toward the edge to check out his handiwork. Little tea lights are frozen inside jars and placed inches apart, several rows deep. I glance back at Conrad. He lets me lead but doesn’t drop my hand. I’m on the verge of tears all the time now, so I’m not surprised at all when my eyes start watering.

“This is so beautiful.”

“I had a little help from my friends. They’re hiding somewhere.” His gaze briefly leaves mine as if searching for them.

“You did all this for me?”

“I wanted to show you how much you mean to me.” His expression goes ashen and his shoulders lift and fall like he’s taking deep breaths. It takes me a moment to realize he’s nervous. This is the Conrad I first met. The one who sat across from me on our first date. The one who was scared to talk to me.

“I know,” I tell him, skating forward another foot so there’s barely any distance between us and staring directly up at him.

“Do you?” His voice cracks. “I’ve never been good at expressing myself. You’ve always been great about it. I can’t tell you what that means to me, but right now I just want to be the guy who isn’t tongue-tied and scared to death. You deserve that.”

He turns to face away from me. Even now he won’t let go of me like he’s fully prepared to hold me up even as he’s breaking down. He reaches into his pocket with his free hand and pulls something out, then mutters a string of curses under his breath. My heart squeezes in my chest.