by Aurora Rey
“Seriously?”
“They were so pretty, pristinely white with glinting steel blades. I was in awe of them.”
She pictured an eight-year-old Lia, full of excitement. “What happened?”
“I had a fleeting fantasy of becoming a figure skater, then Mama sent them back and got the roller skates she ordered. I was devastated for about a week. Then the roller skates arrived. They had hot pink wheels and it was a fight every night to get me to take them off.”
“I’m glad it turned out so well. Wait, does that mean you’ve never even gone ice skating?” Alex understood that growing up in the South was different, but she’d always thought of ice skating as universal. Not like ponds froze over or anything, but the rinks were mostly inside.
Lia rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’ve gone ice skating, if what you mean by ice skating is falling on my ass and providing lots of entertainment for my friends.”
“I see. Did you not like it or did you just never get the hang of it?”
“Oh, definitely the latter. It was fun, but I couldn’t seem to keep my balance for more than a minute or two at a time. Perhaps you’ve noticed, I’m not the most graceful person in the world.”
“Nonsense. I could totally teach you.”
Lia looked incredulous. “Really? You skate?”
“Not seriously, but I played hockey when I was a kid. I don’t know if you can grow up in Massachusetts and not ice skate. I bet I could manage to keep you on your feet.”
“Easy for you to say.” Lia laughed as she said it.
The easy, rich sound reminded Alex why she’d developed a thing for Lia in the first place. She pulled into the parking lot of the ice rink. Whether she was prepared to admit it or not, this woman had seriously gotten under her skin. What she was going to do about it was another matter altogether.
Unable to stop herself, she made a mental note to schedule an ice skating date. It was so easy to imagine Lia, in a sweater and a scarf, holding on to her for dear life. She would hold Lia’s hands and skate backward; Lia would giggle in that way she had. They’d go home and share a nice hot shower to take off the chill. She thought about the hot water sluicing over them, Lia’s full breasts in her hands. Alex cleared her throat, prompting Lia to look over at her.
“Are you okay?”
Alex chuckled, shaking off the fierce arousal that gripped her so quickly when she thought of Lia. “Yes, yes. Just a little tickle.”
As they walked in to the building, Alex took Lia’s hand. Although Stuart had met a number of the women she’d dated, this was the first time that Alex specifically brought a woman to meet her best friend and his family. It seemed very official all of a sudden. She hoped her idea of an easy date didn’t backfire.
Once inside, they found Stuart and Connie in the stands. Lia asked Connie to point out Maddie and Beth in the sea of little bodies warming up on the ice. She then launched into a series of questions about their ages, interests, and how their first season as hockey girls was progressing. No tension, no awkward silences. Most importantly, no talking about feelings. It was perfect.
Lia fell into an easy rapport with both Connie and Stuart, just as she’d done on Thanksgiving, and with Alex’s family in Boston. Watching her fit in so seamlessly was reassuring and disconcerting at the same time.
Lia watched the game with complete fascination. The players, boys and girls ranging in age from seven to eleven, skated around with far more focus and skill than she expected, especially given the bulky padding and helmets they wore. Maddie, taller even than most of the boys playing, was definitely the star of her team. When she scored the only goal of the game, Lia cheered, feeling like part of the family.
When the game was over, Connie turned to Lia and Alex. “I don’t know if Stuart told you, but we promised the girls we’d go out for pizza after. We’d love for you to join us.”
Lia glanced at Alex, who was looking to her to make the call. She turned back to Connie. “That sounds like an offer we can’t refuse.”
At the restaurant, Maddie and Beth talked a mile a minute, and it seemed like most of their chatter was focused on getting and keeping Alex’s attention. Lia watched as Alex carefully divided her focus between the girls, asking them detailed questions about school and friends and their favorite things about playing hockey. It was evident within about ten minutes that both girls were madly in love with her. Really, Lia couldn’t blame them. Alex had a way of making whomever she was with feel like the center of the universe.
What did surprise Lia was the extent to which Alex seemed genuinely interested in their stories. It wasn’t that she expected Alex to dislike kids. It was just…what? It was that watching Alex with the girls was enough to make Lia’s uterus skip a beat. It was unsettling, given how the last few days had played out and the fact that she’d never been baby obsessed.
There was quite a stir at the table when Alex let it out that Lia didn’t know how to ice skate.
“We can teach you,” Beth said with enthusiasm. “Can we all go skating on Saturday, Mom, please?”
Lia looked at Connie, who seemed to be leaving it to her to make the decision. Lia considered declining, unsure if something that so resembled family time was a good idea. But the girls were so sweet, it would be rude to say no. “Oh, you can definitely count me in.”
Alex was quick to chime in. “Hey, I want to come, too.”
Beth lifted her hands in the air triumphantly. Maddie followed suit and said, “It’s a date!”
*
When Saturday arrived, Lia felt significantly less brave. She had the fear of falling down, but even more alarming was the possibility she would make a complete fool of herself. Her fear was not assuaged when they arrived at the rink and she headed over to the rental area while Alex laced up her very own skates. It was amplified when she laced up the pair given to her and stood.
Despite the handful of misadventures in college, Lia had convinced herself it would be like a slipperier version of roller skating. She hadn’t done that in years, but thought she knew what to expect. When her ankles wiggled uncertainly, Lia was forced to face the reality that she was balancing her entire weight on two quarter-inch thick steel blades. She listened as Maddie and Beth offered their best advice.
“Don’t look down.”
“Stick your arms out.”
“If stopping scares you, just skate to a wall and grab on.”
Lia thanked them and sent them off to warm up while she pondered exactly how she was going to go about things. When Alex appeared behind her and said “hi,” it was all she could do not to tumble over on the spot. Lia blushed, then hung her head dramatically. “This is not going to go well.”
“I have an idea. Do you trust me?”
Lia thought about the question, and all of its broader implications. Whatever those might be, she decided that, for the moment, it was by far her best bet. “I put myself in your hands.”
Alex offered her a devilish grin. “Oh, really?”
They hadn’t entirely regained their flirtatious banter, but it was getting better. “Now. I put myself in your hands now. If I make it through this without any broken bones, we can see about later.”
Alex took her hand and guided her slowly to the ice. “I promise that you will not break any bones.”
Lia wobbled after her, amazed by how warm Alex’s hand felt despite the chill radiating from the ice. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Alex stepped onto the ice and turned to face Lia. She took her free hand, asking, “You’ve roller skated, right?”
Lia nodded.
“Perfect. The movement is the same, just a gentle push of the feet as you shift your weight from side to side. If you feel shaky, just squeeze my hand. I’ll keep you balanced.”
Lia gingerly stepped onto the ice. Slippery was an understatement. Had she not been holding onto Alex, she was sure she’d already be on her rear end. Alex was there, though, and showed no signs of letting go. “Is this where I tell you
how impressed I am that you can skate backward?”
Alex chuckled. “Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Lia looked up from staring at her feet and locked eyes with Alex. A wave of warmth spread through her belly. She wondered if that immediate, insatiable desire she had for Alex would lessen over time. It seemed impossible that it could last, but it showed no signs of fading.
She was so caught up in thinking about getting Alex into bed, Lia hardly realized that they had made their way around the entire perimeter of the rink. “Hey,” she said. “I’m ice skating.”
“Yes, you are,” Alex said encouragingly. “Would you like to let go?”
“Well, no. I suppose I should try, though.”
Alex slowly let go of one hand, then the other. “Just because you let go, it doesn’t mean I have to go anywhere.”
The warmth between Lia’s thighs spread throughout the rest of her body. She reminded herself to take Alex’s words at face value, without meaning beyond the moment.
Things went well for about twenty minutes. She slowly crept around the perimeter of the rink, resisting the urge to grab onto the wall. Alex showed off a little, doing turns and showing Maddie and Beth how to change directions quickly so they could fake out their opponents. Stuart and Connie held hands as they skated and looked like a pair of high schoolers in love.
Feeling bold, Lia ventured a little bit further from the wall. She resisted the urge to look at her feet, instead scanning the rink for Alex. Seeing her, Lia raised her hand in a wave. Just as she did so a little boy skated directly across her path. Terrified she might plow into him, she frantically tried to stop.
Lia turned the blades of her skates, effectively stopping her feet. Inertia, however, had other ideas for the rest of her. She lurched, flailing desperately for something to grab. There was nothing there, and she plunged forward.
The ice was painfully hard. Splayed on her stomach and a bit disoriented, Lia’s first thought was one of embarrassment. That feeling was quickly replaced with pain. Her palms stung and her whole chest ached. She must have hit her head, too, because it hurt like a bitch and she couldn’t see straight.
Lia rolled over and pulled herself to a sitting position, torn between wanting to see Alex and wanting to melt right into the ice. Alex didn’t leave her a choice. When she opened her eyes, Alex was on her knees in front of her. The look of absolute horror on Alex’s face did more to freak her out than the sharp pain above her left eye.
“Don’t move. I’m calling an ambulance.”
Had she severed a limb and not realized it? “No. Wait. I’m okay.”
“You’re bleeding.”
She lifted her fingers to her head and then pulled them away. Sure enough, there was blood on them. It was a small amount, though. “I’m okay, really. Will you help me up?”
“Not until you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”
Although tempted to argue, it was probably faster to play along. “Three.”
“Wiggle your legs. Make sure nothing feels broken.”
She complied. “Just my ego. Please, help me up.”
They made their way off the ice and to a bench. Stuart came over to them while Connie, thankfully, kept the kids off to the side.
“Can you please tell her she needs medical attention?”
“Can you please tell her to relax?”
Stuart looked like the last thing he wanted was to be in the middle. “It was a nasty spill. You should have yourself looked at, at least. You might have a concussion.”
Lia didn’t want to admit it, but going to a doctor seemed less daunting than arguing. And she was still struggling to bring her vision into focus. “Okay, okay. Is there an urgent care or something nearby? I really don’t want to go to the ER.”
“Yes, there is. I’ll take you.” Alex was on the floor unlacing her skates.
Lia looked up at Stuart. “Please tell the girls I’m fine and I had a lot of fun.”
“Will do. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Alex slid Lia’s shoes onto her feet and helped her stand. The process made her dizzy, although she refused to admit as much. They slowly walked to the parking lot and Alex insisted on helping her into the truck. The whole thing made her feel pathetic.
When they arrived at the Provincetown Health Center, Alex took over. She got Lia signed in, filled out the paperwork, fished the insurance card out of her purse. Lia didn’t think anyone had fussed over her so much since she had her appendix out when she was twelve. Alex had a way of doing it so matter-of-factly, it was hard to focus on being embarrassed or annoyed or anything else.
The P.A. who saw to her was a beautiful, dark-skinned woman named Maria. Her accent made Lia wonder where she was from—the Dominican Republic, maybe, or Puerto Rico. She asked Lia a series of questions, then examined and cleaned the cut on her head. Lia was immensely relieved when she determined stitches wouldn’t be necessary.
Maria placed a couple of butterfly bandages over the wound. “You’ll have quite a lump for a few days, but it shouldn’t leave much of a scar.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty sure my ego got the worst of the bruising.”
Maria chuckled. “Well, I don’t have anything for that, but ibuprofen should take care of the other aches.”
“Any special instructions? Things to look out for?” Alex asked.
Alex sounded like a worried parent, or girlfriend. Hearing it gave Lia a funny quiver in her chest.
“No, other than no contact sports for the next couple of weeks.”
“I think I can manage that.” Lia followed her to the receptionist desk to check out.
Alex helped her into the car again, then climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “I can’t believe I gave you a concussion.”
She seemed genuinely distressed by the prospect, which Lia found very sweet. “Honey, you didn’t. I managed to do that all on my own.”
“But I promised you wouldn’t get hurt.”
“Actually, you promised I wouldn’t break a bone.”
“Oh. Well, then I feel much better now. Thank you.”
“Good. You are hereby absolved of all guilt.”
Something shifted in Alex’s demeanor and she got a glint in her eye. “You couldn’t just fall on your ass like a normal person?”
Lia laughed and it turned the dull throb in her head into a shooting pain. She winced, then glared at Alex. “You’re a jerk.”
With that, the tension of the previous two hours, and the previous week, seemed to melt away.
“Come home with me?” Alex asked.
Lia could think of nothing she’d rather do. “Yes, please.”
Chapter Twenty-five
After the whole concussion incident, things returned to normal, or at least what Lia liked to think of as normal. If anything, she and Alex spent even more time together. The sex was still amazing and the ease of conversation had returned. It was a good thing, too, because Sally was coming for a visit and she’d see through any pretenses quicker than Lia could make them up.
She drove along Route 6, thinking about the day she told Sally she was moving to Cape Cod for the winter. Sally had wanted her to come home, but understood that Lia needed to be on her own and her reluctance to become the subject of hometown gossip. Being the big city lesbian whose life imploded left a bad taste in her mouth, on several levels. In the end, Sally was so thrilled that she was leaving Dani, she was supportive of any plan that got Lia as far out of New York City as possible. As soon as Lia picked Provincetown, Sally started planning her trip.
Alex offered to drive, but Lia insisted she could handle it. There were only a few flurries and Lia made good time to Logan. At the airport, Lia parked in the short-term garage. She typed the level and row number of the parking spot into the notepad on her phone. Roaming around for an hour in search of her car was a mistake she only planned to make once in her life. She made her way into the terminal and ch
ecked the monitors. Sally’s flight, a connection from Atlanta, was on time and due to land in twenty minutes.
To pass the time while she waited, Lia perused the gift shop on her side of the security checkpoint. T-shirts and shot glasses and magnets, all emblazoned with Boston’s historic sites and sports teams, were artfully arranged on every available surface. She walked past them to the wall of books and magazines. When she and Dani had traveled, Dani would pick up Forbes and The Economist. Even on vacation, she never seemed able to, or interested in, turning off that part of herself. Lia, on the other hand, bought Southern Living and Bon Appetit and indulged fantasies of being a food writer. Since she hadn’t in a while, she picked up the latest copies of both.
With her purchases tucked in her purse, Lia headed over to the security area through which all arriving passengers in the terminal were funneled. The monitor on the adjacent wall indicated that Sally’s plane had landed. Lia waited, enjoying the hugs and kisses and reunions between other passengers and their loved ones.
Eventually, she spied a petite woman with shoulder-length black hair weaving her way through the crowd. When they made eye contact, Sally threw up an arm and waved enthusiastically. Lia returned the gesture, finding it impossible to suppress a wide grin. Once Sally was through the swinging security gate, she hurried over and flung her arms around Lia.
Lia stood for a moment in the crushing embrace. For all that Sally was five-foot-one and weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, the woman could give a hug. When Sally stepped back, Lia took in the full sight of her. Effortlessly glamorous—that’s what she thought every time she saw her best friend. “You look amazing, as always.”
Sally waved away the compliment and looked Lia up and down. Lia felt like she was getting the once over from her mother, but in a good way.
“You look pretty amazing yourself. New England, or perhaps some New England baker, seems to agree with you.”
“Probably a little bit of both. Do you have a checked bag?”
“Despite my better judgment, I took the minimalist route.” She gestured to the small, wheeled suitcase at her feet. “This is it.”