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“Yeah.” He says nervously. “So, would you maybe want to go out with me tomorrow night?”
His eyes look hopeful, and I can’t deny I’m flattered. Maybe this is what I need to distract me from Holden. What’s that saying? To get over someone you need to get under someone else?
I smile shyly. “Sure, Caleb. That sounds great.”
He lights up, dimples appearing as he grins. “Sweet. I’ll pick you up at five.”
He takes a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to me. His phone number. I smile and put it in my clutch. Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. I look toward the stairs, and standing at the top of them is Holden. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, still shirtless.
No. No more of this.
“See you then.” I say, turning my attention to Caleb. He opens the door for me and I step out, leaving Holden and everything with him behind me. I need to. Doing anything else is wrong.
Now to go find Brianna a birthday present so my guilt doesn’t completely destroy me.
CALEB TEXTS ME TO let me know he’s outside. I look at the clock - 4:57. Right on time. I finish brushing my hair, throw on my jacket and shoes, and head towards the door.
“Alright, I’ll be back later.” I say to Bree. She’s engrossed in studying for a big exam she has coming up, but she hums a quick good luck and I head out the door.
I ended up buying her a new Apple Pencil for her iPad, since hers broke, and a new hair straightener. The straightener was necessary since an incident where one of us, who may have been me, left hers on and it melted.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to spend too much time with her. She was out with Holden for most of the day and only came back right before I was going to sleep.
Caleb waves to me from the driver’s seat of his truck, a brand new looking F-150. I open the door and climb in, shivering from the cold and adjusting the vents so the heat warms me. He notices and turns it up a little.
“Why is it so cold?! It’s only October.” I whine, causing Caleb to chuckle. When I finally warm up, I reach over and turn the heat down a little. “Okay, I’m better now.”
He smiles. “Good, though I should tell you, we’re going ice skating.” I face palm. “But wait, reach into the bag in the backseat.”
I do as he says and grab the bag, pulling out the contents – a pair of gloves and a hat.
“This is really thoughtful.” I tell him. “Thank you.”
Caleb and I spend the drive listening to some music and talking about our classes. I learn that he’s on a soccer scholarship and is majoring in Business. Not exactly my cup of tea, but he seems passionate about i
t. As we pull into the parking lot, he picks a parking spot towards the front, and the two of us climb out of the truck.
“So, have you ever been skating before?” He asks.
“Maybe a bit.” I don’t want to brag and tell him about how I’ve taken figure skating lessons since I was a little girl.
It’s not crowded. Only maybe 10 people on the rink. Caleb pays for the two of us and we walk over to get our skates. As we’re putting them on and lacing them up, I notice he isn’t making his tight enough.
“If you don’t make them tighter, you’ll hurt your ankles.” I inform him. He looks a little surprised.
“I thought you said you’ve only done this a bit.”
I smile. “Yeah, I may have lied.”
I stand up and take the couple steps to the entrance of the rink. As I step on, I glide with ease, testing the ice. It only takes a few seconds before I’m in my element. I spin around and begin skating backwards, looking at Caleb who stares at me, his jaw slacked. I wave for him to follow and he does just that.
“Okay, so you’re like a professional figure skater.” He laughs. “Any other surprises?” I shrug, suddenly feeling shy yet still comfortable.
The two of us skate laps around the rink, listening to music and talking. He used to play ice hockey in high school and hasn’t been skating since. I tell him about my figure skating lessons. It’s nice to know we have something in common.
The two of us start to race. At first I think I can take him, but when he really starts to push, I know I have no chance. He’s used to going fast, while I’m more skilled in tricks. Once the rink is empty enough, I start to goof around a bit. After landing a few jumps, I finally stop after successfully completing a triple Lutz.
“Show off.” Caleb teases. I smile and look down at the ice. This date was fun; however, I still can’t get my mind off Holden.
