Page 69 of Put a Rink on It

“Great. I’ll look forward to that.” She looks off into the distance, almost as if she’s talking to him, but then her gaze meets mine again. “I knew he was into you. He’s been denying it for years, but I knew it. I teased him about it, but he swore up and down there wasn’t anything going on between the two of you, despite how he felt.”

“Yeah, about that,” I begin, until Nero rudely grabs the phone from my hand.

“How about we talk tomorrow at a more decent hour for all of us?”

I can no longer see her face, but her exasperated breath filters through the line. “I suppose that would be the nice thing to do. I’ll have more questions after I watch the video. Make sure you send it the moment the call disconnects.”

“It’s the first thing I’m gonna do, of course,” he mocks.

“Excellent. Let me say goodbye to Marina. My soon-to-be sister-in-law.” Nero aims the screen toward me. “Might take me a while to forgive the whole not telling me, but I’ll let you explain tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”

Nero scoffs and shakes his head.

“If it’s any comfort, Juliet was pissed, too.”

“As she should be. This is a huge secret to keep from the people you love.”

I don’t allow her statement to bring more guilt. It sucks what we did—what we’re doing—but we can’t change the past. We can’t go back and do it over again.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow. Or I guess it’s later today for us. Watch the proposal.” I step closer to the phone, though still within Nero’s hearing. “Some of your lessons must have sunk in, because it was amazing what he did. You’ll see.” There’s sentimentality in my voice as the memory of that day sinks in. My eyes dart toward the ring. Its beauty never ceases to amaze me.

“Ooh, can’t wait. Let me see the ring.” I hold up my ring finger, but I doubt she’s able to comprehend its brilliance. It’s too dark on our side. “Fuck, that’s big. At least he didn’t skimp on the bling. I can’t wait to see it in person.”

“It’s truly one of a kind. Like your brother.” I glance at Nero, my friend, my favorite, my fiancé. If only in title.

“Eww. That’s too sweet for this time of night. Go back to sleep. Love you guys.”

“Love you, Kaity,” Nero expounds, spinning the phone toward him and ending the call. He tosses it toward the bed and opens his arms. My feet move on their own accord, falling into his chest. “I’m not in love with you, Ships. Kaitlyn always claimed she saw more, but I denied it because she’s wrong. I love you. Like my best friend. Like a person who means the world to me. But in love with you? Nah.” His comments are sincere, and I take them to heart.

I lift my head off his chest, wiping an errant tear slipping from my eye. I’m blaming the time of night for that. “I love you, too, Nero. Like my best friend. Like a person who means the world to me.” I parrot his words, statements that are honest and genuine, if they’ve never been expressed before. “Can we go back to bed now? You’ve got to be up early, and I’ve got a meeting to prepare for.”

“Sure thing.”

Nero’s gone before I get out of bed this morning. There’s a note on the coffeemaker.

Hit the button when you want coffee. I’ll be home by noon. Let’s have lunch delivered so it’s more private, then snuggle on the couch and watch Grey’s. See you soon.

I can’t stop the smile spreading my lips at his note, nor can I remember the last time we watched Grey’s in person. His visit in August was a quick one, so we had little time to spend together. Our usual routine is to watch it over a video call and pretend we’re in the same room, kinda like we do with skating. The thought of cuddling on the couch to watch our favorite show makes me giddy.

The evidence he’s already made coffee is in the sink, and my heart melts at how he took the time to set it up for me. I push the button to power it on, and the smell of brewing coffee fills the kitchen.

I shoot him a quick thank you for the coffee text, knowing he’ll read it when he’s done with practice. While the coffee percolates, I gather ingredients for a breakfast omelet, choosing from a handful of items I never have on hand. I shouldn’t get used to this treatment, but why not take advantage of it while I’m here?

I settle at the island with my breakfast, coffee, and latest audiobook appearing in my email with the specific instructions it was for me only, not one for both of us.

I’ve always felt cherished by Nero’s friendship. He’s never lacked for surprises, gifting me small items to let me know he was thinking about me. Audiobook credits—some for specific titles, some I’d get to choose—flowers delivered, salon gift cards, random hoodies and T-shirts that reminded him of me, so of course he “had to buy them,” and hockey tickets. I never knew when they’d show up, and I never expected anything. Sometimes, he’d go months between gifts, and other times, I’d get something every week.

I never thought it was odd, per se, but I knew it wasn’t standard friend behavior. I chalked it up to it being him, the unique friendship we’ve always shared. I didn’t tell anyone about the gifts because I didn’t want them to think anything of them, nor did I want people to assume there was more behind the gifts than his thoughtfulness. After Kaitlyn’s comments last night, I wonder if I missed something all those years.

I want to believe Nero, not Kaitlyn. He’s the one who’s my friend, the one who’s forever taking care of me, but could there be more to it?

Besides the woman he dated right out of college who made him swear off relationships—his words—he’s dated no one. He always blamed hockey, but my mind considers a new angle. Especially when I add in some of his comments about always wanting another chance with me, or was that merely about sex?

As much as I’d like to say it’s about sex for me, a part of me would be lying. Once a year, on the day we forged our friendship, I allow myself to dream about what a life with Nero Champion could look like. It’s the only day I permit it to happen, the only time I wonder “what if,” and the next day I go back to business as usual.

But what if we could be more?

What if there was a reality where we end up together? Is that why neither of us has found someone else to spend our lives with? We were waiting to get our shit together and see what’s in front of us?