Page 64 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

Wait…what?

Why did I say that? And why do I mean it?

* * *

“You’re kidding.”

I stare up at the red, barn-style building I’ve driven by many times but haven’t ever been inside.

“Nope.”

“Thisis what you had in mind?”

“Yep.” He pulls the door open. “Come on.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead.”

“Aren’t we a little too old for this?”

“Are we too old to have fun? No. Now, come on.”

“Why the hell not?”

With a shrug, I breeze past him into what is aptly named The Skate Barn, a roller rink.

The first thing I notice is the smell—old. It’s not entirely unpleasant, but it smells dated for sure. The second is the décor. There are old concert posters, flyers, and tickets stapled to the walls. It’s cluttered, but in an artsy sort of way.

To my surprise, the place isn’t completely dead. There are about ten people out on the floor flying around the rink, and a few stragglers in the middle moving more slowly. There’s soft music playing through the speakers and a couple kids running amuck in the small game room.

“This place is…”

“Awesome!” Dean claps his hands together. “Oh, man. I haven’t been in one of these inforever. I’ve seen it on my drive over the past year I’ve lived here but haven’t had the chance to come check it out yet.”

“I’ve never been in either. I don’t think I’ve even set foot in one of these since I was like five.”

“Really? We had one in my hometown. Throughout middle school, it was always packed on a Friday night. The hottest place to go, that’s for sure.”

“I take it you’re a great skater, then?”

He shrugs. “I can manage. You?”

It’s going to be embarrassing as hell and I am not looking forward to it.“I’ll manage too.”

“Good. Let’s go grab some skates.”

Dean places his hand on the small of my back, and my skin hums just like it did the other night when he made the same move.

It’s silly. It’s not like I haven’t had guys do it to me before.

But Dean’s touch…it’s different.

Firm, yet gentle. Like he’s touching me because he wants to keep me safe and close and because he can’t help himself.

I like it.

Dean requests skates in our sizes, then we make our way over to an empty bench and swap our shoes for the four-wheeled style.

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