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BJ mentioned teaching me how to tighten my turns. I wasn’t sure if I would need my hockey equipment for that, so I brought everything. If I have time, I’ll stop at the laundromat on the way home.
Once I’m inside, I make my way to rink three. Muffled music with a heavy bass backbeat filters through the door. I peek through the window and smile as I spot the artwork spanning the skater’s right arm. I’ve seen BJ in full hockey gear doing pirouettes, but this is different. He’s wearing a pair of black jogging pants and a black T-shirt. His hair is pulled back with a vibrant yellow tie.
There’s a girl with him on the ice. Like most figure skaters, she’s compact and doesn’t even reach BJ’s shoulder. Unlike BJ, his partner wears black leggings, a black sleeveless leotard, and one of those skirts that’s more decoration than clothing. When he said he was a figure skater, I didn’t consider that he might skate pairs.
They circle the rink, his expression serious, and he talks with hand gestures. She nods, listening intently. On the next trip around, their fingers link, bodies converging before they diverge again. Everything about the way they move seems effortless.
I wonder what it’s like to be so in tune with someone that to everyone on the outside, you appear to be an extension of each other. His head bobs with the rhythm, and I can see his lips moving, counting beats of four. She moves in, and his hands curve around her waist. He lifts her with ease, her body a graceful arc, balanced in his palms. And then he spins, gaining speed.
I hold my breath, awestruck by the level of trust this kind of routine requires. My heart lodges in my throat as she falters, one hand lowering. It sets them off-balance, and BJ loses momentum. He quickly corrects his hold, lowering her to the ice. I see defeat written on his face, but it’s only there for a second before it’s gone.
When he cuts the music, I push through the doors. His partner notices me first. Her brows pull together and BJ glances over his shoulder, a smile softening his features. He leaves her in the middle of the rink and skates over, spraying ice when he stops inches from the boards.
“Super excited to see your beautiful face.” His grin and his compliment do silly things to my insides.
“Sorry I’m early. I didn’t mean to interrupt your practice. I figured I’d drop my bag and fill my water bottle.”
“Don’t apologize. We’re half an hour over our practice time and not nailing the lifts anymore. I need a reason to call it a day and switch gears, so your timing is perfect. And there’s a fountain right there.” He points to the water station thirty feet away.
His partner skates over and threads her arm through his. “I didn’t see a lesson on your schedule.”
“It’s not an official one so I didn’t add it. Winter, this is Adele, my pairs partner. Adele, this is Winter. She’s a badass hockey player, and she works at Boones.”
I wave. “Hey! Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Adele smiles, but she’s stiffer than a corpse. She turns her attention back to BJ. “Should we run through the routine once more?”
“The lifts are getting sloppy, and my arms are tired. We’ll start fresh tomorrow. It’d be awesome if you got here close to on time.”
And now it’s getting awkward.
Her nose scrunches, and she ducks her head. “I’m sorry. I’ll set an extra alarm.”
“Maybe set two.” He extracts his arm from hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Sure. Okay.” She gives me another tight smile. “Have fun with BJ. He’s a great teacher.”
“Thanks.” I wait until she’s off the ice before I speak. “I didn’t picture you as a pairs skater, but maybe I should have.”
“Choreography can be more dynamic with pairs.”
“You look good out there together.” Aside from the flub at the end, they were in sync.
“Thanks.” He pulls the tie from his hair and gathers it up again, refastening it. “We’ve been at it for hours, though, and sometimes you gotta know when to call it quits.”
“Do you need a break? I brought the fritters.” It was hard not to eat one before I arrived. Boones employees get to take leftovers home with us, and deli items are 50 percent off at the end of the day.
“We can save those for after we skate, if that’s all right with you?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
“I’m gonna refill my water. Why don’t you put your skates on and we can warm up?”
“Yeah. Perfect.” I lace up while BJ fills our water bottles, and then I join him on the ice.
He matches his strides to mine as we circle the rink. “How long have you and Adele been skating together?” I ask.
“A little over four years.” He does a two-foot turn so he’s skating backwards, facing me.
