Page 71 of Heat It Up (Off the Ice)
“Lawn bowling?” I laugh. “Now there’s a sport with lots of hot guy potential. If you’re into eighty-year-olds.”
Maija giggles. “Yeah, maybe dating a hockey fanatic is not so bad after all.”
I lock my locker and, after saying bye to her, head to where Kyle works. The arena is cold inside and I instantly regret not bringing a hoodie. Seriously, what was I expecting? It’s calledicehockey for a reason.
Rubbing my cold hands against my equally chilled arms, and cursing myself for wearing a tank top, I climb the empty bleachers to watch. My nipples prickle to stiff peaks, visible under my thin clothing and bra.Brilliant going, Soph. That’s now zero for two.
Fortunately, everyone’s too far away and too busy to notice my predicament. Trying to distract myself from the uncomfortable sensation, I remove my camera from my bag and switch lenses. I don’t often use my telephoto lens since it’s more suitable for distant shots. My father didn’t know that when he bought it for me. It was a guilt present, another reason I don’t use it much. But right now, it’s the ideal lens for what I have planned.
Kyle is on the ice with a group of kids. They’re all wearing their helmets and holding hockey sticks with the exception of Kyle. He has a whistle around his neck and a clipboard in his hand. It looks natural on him.
Two lines of pylons, evenly spaced apart on the ice, form a racecourse. Behind the goal line, the boys are divided into two groups. I watch as the first boy in each group races down the ice with their pucks, then skates around each pylon as if it’s another player in the way. Once free of the pylons, they square up with the goal. The smaller boy is the first to take the shot. It easily flies into the hockey net despite the goalie’s valiant attempt to block it. Boy #2 is a fraction of a second behind him. The goalie doesn’t stand a chance against the rapid shooting, yet he somehow manages to knock the puck away.
I adjust the aperture and shutter speed for the optimal shot, and wait for the next two boys to race. I zoom in closer so I can capture their individual facial expressions as they speed around the pylons. I shoot several dozen more photos.
At the sound of loud cheering, I have an idea. I keep my lens on the teammates at the other end while the next boys skate down the ice. I shoot several photos of them cheering their teammates on. The best ones are when the pucks go into the net or when the goalie manages to catch it. I laugh at their pained expressions of defeat.
For my final round of pictures, I focus on the one person I’ve tried not to look at too much. Kyle. My heart is ready to strap on skates and race around the rink at the sight of him. Even if it would probably slip and land hard on its left ventricle if it tried.
I’m not sure if he’s seen me yet; his attention is on the boys navigating through the pylons at top speeds, somehow managing not to lose control and careen across the ice on their butts. He’s grinning like I’ve never seen him smile before, pride clear on his face. And it’s not just for these two boys. I watch him for the next two and the two after that. He cheers them on loudly. Nik does too, but the enthusiasm isn’t as great as it is with Kyle. With Nik, I get the impression this is only a job for him, like cleaning the bathrooms at the sports center is for me. It doesn’t mean the same as it does for Kyle.
My cell phone rings in my pocket. Thinking it’s Joni, I answer without checking. “Hello?”
“I can’t believe I actually got a hold of you,” Claire says. “How’s your grandmother doing?”
“She’s fine.” I update her on Muumu’s condition and that my mom will be returning to Minneapolis in two days.
“But…?” she says after I finish, knowing me too well.
“But I’m not sure my grandmother should be left alone.” I swallow back the ache and wish for the billionth time that my best friend could be here with me. I miss her so much. “I’m thinking of staying here. At least for the next year or so.”
“But what about college? What about Kyle?”
“I’ve talked to the university. They can grant me a leave of absence for the year.” But it means turning down the practicum with the Bears, and if I do that, I might never have a chance at it again. “As for Kyle…” The ache in my chest tightens. “He might not be returning to Minneapolis. He’s got some job leads out of state.” We haven’t talked about it since Joni brought it up, but I can’t expect him to throw away a chance at the career he wants just to be with me. It’s not like we’ve discussed where things are going between us once we leave Finland. And now that he might end up out of state, there’s no point having that discussion.
The boys finish racing and Nik calls them over. They take their positions on either the ice or the bench.
“Enough about me,” I say. “Don’t you have anything exciting to tell me?” Something to distract me from my own problems.
She hesitates, then tells me about her crazy weekend and her equally crazy date. Kyle picks that moment to look in my direction. His eyes are enough to cause every female’s heart in a twenty-mile radius to stop beating.
Claire has to go, so we end the call, and I return to what I came to do. Even though I don’t have many frames left on my digital card, I continue taking photos. The game lasts fifteen minutes, much to the boys’ disappointment. The coaches have them cool down and stretch, then send them to the locker room. Nik skates off but Kyle doesn’t join him. He calls out a name and a boy who’s been struggling to keep up with everyone turns around.
Kyle gestures for him to return to the bench. The boy does, but like in the race and the game, his heart is not into it. Even I can skate faster than him, and that’s not saying much. It doesn’t make sense. Kyle told me these are some of the best players for the age group in Helsinki. The way that boy played, you’d think the opposite.
While Kyle talks to the boy, who must speak enough English to understand him, my phone rings again. This time it really is Joni.
“Hi,” I say after answering.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Joni says.
“No, you’re good.”
“Remember that wedding I told you about?”
“Yes, your cousin’s wedding.” He told me about it when we saw the movie. It’s near Jyväskylä, a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
“Lovisa was supposed to go with me but she can’t make it. Would you be interested in going with me?”
