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“Let’s grab a pair of skates for you.”
Wolf tugs me toward a window where a guy our age lounges, reading a textbook. It’s only when he glances up that I realize it’s Anthony. He pops to his feet as his face lights up with recognition.
“Hey, Fallyn! It’s good to see you.”
“Hi. I didn’t know you worked here.”
“I’ve been doing it since freshman year. It’s only a handful of hours a week, but the extra cash helps.”
Now that I have to pay for groceries and necessities myself, I totally get it.
I glance at the man at my side, and a shiver of awareness dances down my spine because that’s exactly what he’s become.
A man.
All of Wolf’s boyishness has disappeared. The fullness of youth no longer fills his cheeks. Instead, his face is all hard lines and angles. Dark stubble coats both his chin and cheeks. His green eyes suck me in, reminding me of the forest near our cottage in the summertime. Bright gold color rings the pupils. There are so many varied flecks that make up the shade.
As a kid, I would sit on his chest and stare into his eyes, trying to count all the varying hues. He always laid perfectly still and allowed me to do it.
I blink away those memories and refocus my attention on Anthony. I haven’t run into him since he asked me out again.
Wolf eyes him up with a frown. “You two know each other?”
I shift. “Um, yeah. We’ve had a couple of classes together.”
Anthony takes the opportunity to add, “We also went out a few times last year.”
Wolf raises a brow and steps a little closer so that our bodies are touching. “Is that so?”
I clear my throat, hoping to change the subject. “We should probably get our skates.”
“Are you still the same size as before?” When I nod, Wolf says, “Can I get a pair in a size eight?”
Disappointment flashes across the other guy’s face as his gaze bounces between the two of us. “Sure. Do you need anything else?”
“Nope.” Wolf nods toward the rink. “Are there a lot of people here for open skate?”
Anthony looks away just long enough to flick a quick glance toward the sheet of ice. “Maybe four or five. It’s been pretty slow this afternoon.” He hands over the skates. “Let me know if these don’t work.”
Wolf grabs them before inspecting the blades. “They’ll be fine.”
“So, Fallyn…have you given any more thought?—"
Wolf throws an arm over my shoulder, steering me away from the counter and toward the arena before Anthony can finish.
“It was nice running into you,” I call out before turning to Wolf with a glare. “That was rude.”
“Trust me, it was in his best interest that I get you out of there before he asked you out.” His voice dips. “Again.”
“It was just a few dates,” I mutter, hating that I feel the need to explain the situation.
We push through the heavy doors into the chilled air. I inhale a lungful as the scent of the ice hits me full force, and another wave of nostalgia crashes over me. All the times that Wolf, Miles, and I were dropped off at the rink near our house for open skate push in at the edges of my brain. We spent so many hours fooling around at the arena. The boys would shoot on goal while I twirled around and pretended to be the next Gracie Gold.
We walk around the curve of the ice to where the locker rooms are situated. He points to a bench shoved up against the wall. “Why don’t you sit there and change.”
It never occurs to me not to follow the directive. Once I drop onto the bench, he hunkers down before picking up my foot and slipping off one shoe. A million goose bumps prickle along my arms as his thumb slides across the arch of my foot.
Startled by the physical contact along with my reaction, I whisper, “What are you doing?”
