Page 111 of The Baller

“Relax, bud, we’re not going to be late.” He picked up his jacket and shrugged it on, just as Tanner reappeared, pulling another one of my beanies over his wet hair. “See?”

“For the amount of shit you give me about it, you’re sure happy helping yourself to my closet,” I grumbled, hitting the elevator button.

“You know my motto,” grinned Tanner. “Sharing is caring.”

“Not going to show off your skating skills, Special Agent America?”

While I definitely spied Ethan’s lip curl in amusement, it was impressive how Jake managed to keep his face so completely still. “Not today, Baller.”

I jerked forward as Parker slapped me on the back, letting out a loud guffaw. “Baller, as if.”

“I’m more baller than you are,” I scowled.

“I don’t think so… hey, Tan!” Parker hollered unnecessarily, as Tanner stepped off the ice into the private area I’d reserved at the side of the rink.

It had been designed like a Scandinavian lodge with furry blanket things, stuffed reindeers, and a table that appeared to have been made from a tree trunk with four branches sticking out for legs. I couldn’t say about the other two countries, but I’d been to Sweden, and they definitely had proper tables.

Tanner sat down on one of the tree stumps we had in lieu of chairs. “Yeah?”

“Who’s more Baller? Me or Weston?”

His head moved between us. “Neither of you. I’m the baller of the group.”

“Are not.”

“See what you started?” I mumbled to Jake, whose only response was to lift his hot chocolate.

I glanced out at the rink; even for a booked session, it was packed. Groups of girls skating around holding hands and squealing, couples clinging onto each other for dear life, the girl in the center doing some kind of twirling, spinny thing, the kids, the moms, the teens… all having fun under New York’s biggest Christmas Tree twinkling with a million lights.

Maybe because everyone was far too busy concentrating on not falling over, or because Parker and Tanner were doing their best to break the world speedskating record and were impossible to catch, or because Ace was mostly making out with Payton, but the boys and I had only been stopped a couple of times for pictures. I spotted Meg on one side, Ava in the far corner on the other, Ace and Payton making out near the middle of the ice this time, but it took me a second to find Radley and Millie.

I don’t know why, because I’d already learned I should never underestimate my girlfriend, but I was surprised at how good they both were. Millie’s dark brown waves were blowing across her shoulders as she skated backwards, her face cracking with a laugh at whatever Radley was saying. But once my eyes landed on Radley, it was impossible to tear them away. Her black beanie was pulled down low, and like Millie, her long, dark blonde waves had caught the air as she glided across the ice. Even from this distance I could see her cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, but the sparkle in her eyes was as bright as ever.

It felt too easy and simple to say she was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. She was, but so much more. It wasn’t just the way she constantly and unsuccessfully tried to blow the hair from her eyes, or the faded dusting of freckles on her nosewhich seemed to disappear when she scrunched it in concentration, or how the dimples at the base of her spine deepened the further I sank into her.

It was everything you couldn’t see – her heart, her mind, her kindness, and her passion. It was the strength she summoned every day to overcome her anxiety, to defeat her demons, and still go to bed smiling (usually with my help).

If I thought I’d loved her at Thanksgiving, it was nothing on how much I loved her now, watching her live her life, having her love me back. It was getting harder and harder to say goodbye to her whenever she went back to her dorm, or class, or wherever she was rushing off to next.

I didn’t know how I’d managed to get her, and I sure as fuck wasn’t planning to ever let her go. I usually loved Christmas, but the excitement of being at home this year had been dimmed, because I knew I wouldn’t get to spend it with her.

I didn’t even want to think about Spring Training when I’d be gone for a month.

“Tan, you wanna come and race another lap?” asked Parker.

“Yeah, if you don’t care about me beating your ass again,” he replied, smiling longingly at a tray of glazed Christmas donuts which had just been placed on our table. He stood up, with a finger held in the air. “Wait, one minute.”

I turned back to the ice just as the girls arrived and stepped into the cabin. “Oh, hey there, Goldilocks, how’re you doin’?”

But she wasn’t looking at me. “I’m wondering how Tanner has any room for that, after the amount of tacos he just ate.”

I turned to witness Tanner stuffing the last bite of a chocolate donut into his mouth, and lick each finger with a loud pop, before racing onto the ice after Parker.

“Sorryyyy!” he cried behind him to the girl who’d been gingerly clinging to the boards as she made her way around the rink, only to narrowly avoid a collision when he charged out without looking.

“Are you okay?” asked Radley, steadying her, though the girl looked too traumatized to speak as she shuffled away, gripping even tighter. Her knuckles had to be white under those gloves she was wearing.

“That dude is a liability,” I grinned, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her in so I could kiss her cold, pink nose, “but you’re having a good day? You’re feeling okay here? It’s busy.”

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