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I unclick my buckle and shift in the seat so I’m facing him. Slowly, I put my arms around his neck and lean forward. Austin stands and holds both my legs, beneath the knees. I laugh when he begins galloping toward the entrance.
“This looks ridiculous,” I say.
“No, it looks fun,” Austin says.
“Everyone inside will look at us weird.”
“Only because they’re jealous,” Austin adds.
He reaches the door and turns to the side, trying to pull the handle while still holding my leg. I start to slide off his back and I scream. He drops the handle and grips my leg again. Once I’m in place, he bends forward, balancing me on his back, and tries to reach for the handle once more. He pulls quickly then grabs my legs and hops through the door, before it shuts. We barely make it through, when the door tries to close on my foot. Austin yanks me out of the way and we both almost topple over.He catches his balance just in time. We’re both laughing so hard, I start to get a cramp in my side.
Austin wobbles over to a small table nearby and I slide off his back, into a chair.
“I’ll be right back,” he says, grinning.
I look around and see several people watching our scene unfold. I don’t care as much as I thought I would. My face is flushed and I wipe beneath my watery eyes.
Austin comes back a few minutes later with two steaming cups. “Here,” he says, setting one in front of me. “Hot chocolate fixes everything. At least according to my mom.”
I take a sip of the rich, creamy drink. It burns my tongue a little, but the flavor makes up for it. “Your mom is brilliant,” I say. “Thank you.”
“Do you feel better?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, nodding, “I actually do.”
Austin points to my cup. “Keep drinking. Hot chocolate is basically liquid magic.”
I smile. How did I never realize how sweet Austin is? I take another sip and glance up. Austin is watching me. When my eyes meet his, he looks away quickly. His ears start to redden on their tips.
“I’m sorry your family sucks today,” he says.
“My family sucks every day,” I say back.
He blows on the top of his steaming cup.
I take another sip. The warm, thick chocolate slides down my throat. It’s cooled down enough now, that there are no more tongue burns.
“I’m excited you were brave today and tried out for the team. I’m really glad you’re going to be there with me.”
“Thanks, me too.”
I pick up my hot chocolate to take a sip. At the same time, Austin reaches for me across the table. His hand bumps mine and I drop the cup. Hot, brown liquid oozes across the table.
I jump back, snatching the cup quickly and setting it right side up. Austin jumps out of his seat to get some napkins. We both mop up the warm mess.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“It’s no big deal,” Austin says.
But it is a big deal. I bite my lip. I’m internally kicking myself for having such poor timing. Why did I have to take a drink right then? I think Austin was trying to hold my hand, and I screwed it up.
My phone beeps as we’re cleaning up. I glance down at the message and see it’s from Mom. She’s telling me to come home. I groan. “I’ve gotta go,” I say.
Austin scoops up the pile of soggy napkins and throws them into the nearest trash bin.
“You sure?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “The evil queen is bidding me home.”
