Far From Home

“Two, maybe three winters? But we’re talking hours upon hours of practice. I spent a lot of time with my ass on the ice or in the surrounding snow. I almost broke my tailbone once. It was bruised for weeks, but I still went out to skate a few days later.”

“Damn, you were committed.”

“Addicted is more like it. I couldn’t get enough of it. When I wasn’t skating, I was reading up on it or watching figure

skaters with my mom. I did whatever I could to improve my technique.”

“And you didn’t want to do this professionally?”

After seeing what she could do, it was easy to see she had the passion for it.

She shrugged. “I thought about it, but to be honest, I didn’t want to ruin it, you know? I didn’t want it to become a job instead of something I did to unwind, kind of like you in your cabin. When I’m out here on the ice, everything else lifts away.”

I nodded at that. “Why did you stop?” It didn’t take a genius to see just how much she loved being on the ice, but she also said she was rusty. “How long have you been away from it?”

“A few years maybe? I meant to get back to it, but real life got in the way. School became a huge deal.”

“It usually does.”

“I think that’s enough for today,” Sam said, stopping at one of the gates. “Unless you want to keep going, that is.”

“While I wouldn’t mind, I need to get something to eat and stop for a bit. It’s a lot harder than it looks. Not the stuff you do, of course, but just skating in general.”

“It can be,” she said as she helped me through the gate.

“Thank you for agreeing to this. I could’ve come on my own, but I like it a lot more when I get to do it with you.”

“You were right, by the way. I didn’t hate it nearly as much as I thought I would.” In fact, it was way better than when I tried to skate on a half-frozen pond. Yeah, never doing that again. But here? Now? “I could definitely get used to this.”

“Does that mean you’d be up for doing this again sometime?” She sounded hopeful. Excited.

“Once I get something in my stomach, I’d be more than happy to go again.”

Because if being on the ice meant holding her hand and seeing her like this, falling on my butt would be worth it if

only to see her smile.

Chapter Eleven

Sam

Watching Taylor take small steps onto the ice reminded me of when I first learned to skate. My dad had introduced me to the idea, but he was also hoping I’d enjoy hockey more than plain old skating. Once I’d grasped the basics, I was on my own. Not Taylor.

After numerous sessions on the ice, her confidence almost matched my own. She’d fallen twice, once into me and then again into a nearby wall. After learning to skate backwards, forwards, and in between, she started to share the same enthusiasm about the ice as I did. But the part I loved most was when her eyes brightened and her smile reached all the way to her ears.

I’d seen her like this before, but to truly see someone else enjoying something I had an interest in outside of a handful of video games made me love her that much more.

Until you go back home.

My heart sank. My going home would crush her. The smile I’d seen so often would disappear.

For the briefest of moments, Taylor had let go of that fear, but eventually, I’d have to go home. To stay or visit, I wasn’t sure, but it would happen. Soon too. Spring break was right around the corner. Even summer was too soon for us to be apart for any amount of time. I was a part of her family now.

She’d let me in, and I couldn’t stand the thought of betraying her trust.

With only one week left until we went back to school, I planned to make the most of it before our studies or anything else could get in the way. Starting with tonight. Tonight I’d let her know how much she meant to me, and nothing—not even an ocean—would change that.

“You want to go out on the ice again?” Taylor asked, passing me a knowing smile as she took me in her arms.