Page 115 of Holiday Friend Zones
I tug her to my chest and envelop her with my arms.“Fifteen, but don’t worry.Once we get moving, you won’t even know.”
“Says the guy who’s a natural radiator.”The pom-pom on top of her cap wobbles as she peers up at me.“Okay, so how does this work?”
“It’s just like golf, but on ice.”
“So not like golf at all.”Her brows arch, a teasing smirk on her lips.
“Okay smartass.It’ssimilarto golf.Same concept, slightly different rules.Each stroke counts toward our final total, but instead of golf balls, we use tennis balls so they float in the hole.”I point to the course in front of us.“The red flags sticking out of the snow indicate each hole.”
She nods along.“What do we use as our club?”
“Excellent question.For the Frozen Classic, you get three options.”Reluctantly, I release Lauren and bend down to the plastic sled next to me and pull out a tennis racket.“You can Serena Williams your way to victory with this.It’s great for the fairway, but not so much for putting.”
“It pairs well with the faux golf ball.”
“Precisely.Or you can go more traditional, Phil-Mickelson style with the golf club.The only issue is you only get one club.In this case, the driver works best.Or my favorite: you can go Happy-Gilmore style and use a hockey stick.”
“How will I ever choose?”She taps her chin with her mitten-covered hand.“I think I want to live out my inner childhood dream and be Happy Gilmore.”
“Good choice.”
We’re randomly placed into groups with various tee times.We’re slotted with Mitch and Carrie and Marcus and Amber.With our sled carrying our gear and a cooler, we crunch across the ice to the first tee box.
“When did you two start dating?”Amber asks as she waits for her turn.
“Oh—” Lauren glances at me.“We’re not.”
Amber’s lips curve into a smile.“This is acouples’tournament.”
I chuckle.Everyone’s watching me now, so I roll with it.“While we’re not actually dating, the tournament never specified what kind of couple.We’re the best-friends kind.”
“That’s too bad,” Amber says.“You two would make an adorable couple.”
Lauren grips my wrist as the rest of our group moves to the next hole.“Why didn’t you tell me this was a couples’ tournament?Now everyone is going to think we’re dating.”
My gaze wanders across the course, and sure enough, everyone is either dating or married.“Well, I was a couple when I signed up.And out of everyone, you were the best fill-in.”I shrug before throwing my arm over her shoulder, tugging her to me.“We might as well roll with it.Who knows, it could throw them off their game.”
She smirks and pats my chest.“Fine.Let’s go win this thing, fake boyfriend.”
For the next seventeen holes, we heckle each other mercilessly and cheer each other on just as loud.It’s the fun, easy rhythm that’s always been us.I crack jokes about washing my balls, keeping a soft grip and stroking it smoothly, and rimming the hole.Each one gets me a backhand to the bicep but also a chuckle.By the eighteenth hole, we’re three under par and in second place, but we’re gaining ground on Mitch and Carrie.I can barely focus on my putts because Lauren’s all rosy cheeks and sweet laughter and looks like an angel in a puffer jacket.
I rest my gloved hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently.“All right.Sink this, and we win.No pressure—but just so you know, every year I’ve played, I never lost.”
“Wow,” she says dryly.“Thanks for putting that into the universe.”
“You’ve got this.”
She glares at me over her shoulder before grabbing her hockey stick from the sled and strolling onto the icy green.Her tongue peeks out as she lines up her shot.Feet shoulder-width, knees bent, eyes narrowed at the neon-green tennis ball like it’s mocking her to make this putt.Slowly, she pulls back and swings.The ball skitters across the ice, wobbling over the uneven surface.I hold my breath.It slows… slows… clings to the edge… then drops in.
“I DID IT!”She spins and I catch her, wrapping her up and lifting her off the ground as she pumps her hockey stick in the air.
“That’s my girl!The putt-putt champion!”
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I did it!”
“I believed in you the whole time.”
“Woohoo!”
