Page 51 of Cross Checks

“Surprise!” Hank shouted, and his laughter filled the air. I could think of only one way to get my revenge.

“Okay, you asked for it,” I growled, quickly forming a snowball in my hands and aiming it straight at his chest. My aim was perfect, and the fresh snow exploded upon impact.

He threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Look who’s talking about fairness. Who’s the athlete here? Not me.”

“But you started this,” I insisted. “No mercy until I even up the score.”

I pelted him on the shoulder with another snowball. Seconds later, an epic snow fight commenced. We did our best to outmaneuver each other, ducking behind trees and snowdrifts.

Our laughter filled the air as we traded volleys. It was exhilarating as the adrenaline pulsed through my veins.

“Chase, you’ll never be able to defeat me,” Hank taunted from behind a tree. “I was the snowball technician in my neighborhood for ten years straight. You do realize that, right?”

“I never surrender, Hank,” I called back as I packed snow into a perfectly round ball. “I have a few special tricks up my sleeves.”

“Is that so?” he challenged and dared me to prove it.

“It is,” I responded, more determined than ever to win the battle. With a sly grin, I used a hockey move. I faked to the left, causing Hank to move in the opposite direction, and then I hurled the snowball directly at him.

“Gotcha!” I yelled triumphantly, watching the surprise on Hank’s face.

“Okay,” he sighed heavily. “You win. Truce?”

“Truce,” I agreed. We collapsed together onto an as-yet-untouched patch of snow. Our laughter subsided into a contented silence.

As we lay there, I felt around for Hank’s gloved hand. It was there beneath a light dusting of snow. Our fingers intertwined, and I closed my eyes, curling my mouth into a gentle smile.

“Hey, Chase?” Hank asked softly.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you so much for tonight. You made me laugh so many times and reminded me what it feels like to be alive.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for being you. There’s no one in the world I’d rather be with than you.”

The cold air nipped at my cheeks, and I watched as our breaths mingled in the still, dark night. The moonlight made the snow glow.

“It’s hard to believe we’ll be leaving all of this behind soon,” Hank mused.

I nodded and squeezed his hand gently. “Some things are a little bittersweet, like leaving my teammates, but I can’t wait to see what Florida has in store.”

“Do you think we’ll miss the freezing nights when we’re sweating in tropical heat?” Hank asked.

“If we do, we can hop on a plane back to Portland. I’ll be making enough money to be able to do that.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf,” Hank added. “I know they don’t do a lot of surfing in Florida, but I’ve seen video clips of it before.”

“I never knew you liked surfing.”

Hank smile. “Just think about it—you and me riding the waves, soaking up the sun.”

“Can you imagine it, Hank?” I asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper as we lay in the snow. “Our future home in Florida, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by palm trees.”

“Yeah, I can see it,” he replied with his breath, making little frosty clouds in the cold air. “We’d have a cozy little house not far from the beach, with a backyard for barbecues and maybe even a pool.”

“Definitely a pool,” I agreed, thinking about diving into the deep end with a big splash. “Your parents would be only an hour away, coming over for weekend dinners and cheering me on at my games.”

“Mom would absolutely love that,” Hank said with a chuckle. “She always likes to be close to the action, but the winter weather bothers her. They don’t leave Portland often between December and March because she worries about a sudden snowstorm coming up.”

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