Page 91 of False Play
My watery eyes made my vision blurry, and I took a step back with a sniff. “This is so stupid, I don’t know why I’m crying.”
He brushed his thumb across my cheek to wipe off one of my tears. “It’s not stupid. You workreallyhard. I don’t know why the hell Matt decided to do what he did, but I got you. Always. You say the word, and I’ll be there.”
“I mean, not always?—”
“Always, Kenny. I mean it.”
I gnawed my bottom lip with a simple nod. Too many emotions were swimming through my headandmy heart. I didn’t know what to make of them anymore.
So…I didn’t. Once again, I let go of the uncertainty of it all to live in the moment. I took his act of kindness and locked it in a box I could always go back to and remember.
A few hours later,loud music played on the speakers of the rink, and laughter echoed throughout. Everyone was having a good time, and the energy around the arena was good and lively.
Matt showed up at some point with his wife and two kids, and it was hard for him to conceal his shocked face when he found the event was moving smoothly.
That was enough for me to let the situation go. His face alone was worth a million bucks.
The pizzas were a big hit, and some of the older kids were playing board games and playing video games on the TV—I didn’t know who had the genius idea to bring their PS5, but Iwas grateful—while the younger kids were skating their lives away with their endless amount of energy.
I was re-stocking the cups and popcorn bowls when Henry popped up out of nowhere. “Enough work. I have a surprise for you.”
“I don’t have time for a break,” I whined as he gently gripped my shoulders and forced me to sit on one of the benches.
“Sure you do,” he countered, waving his hand around. “Everyone is fine. The kids have had way too many snacks, they could use a break from them.” He kneeled in front of me and grabbed a box I hadn’t noticed was on the floor. “I got you something.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and grabbed the square box. When I opened it, my eyes landed on a pair of white, shiny, brand-new figure skates. My heart tugged at my chest with a sense of joy when I noticed the inside of them were pink, and the laces were the same color.
They were fucking perfect, and no one had ever given me such a thoughtful gift.
“What—Why?” A laugh bubbled out of me.
“I told you I wanted to skate with you today. And this is so much better than the rentals, I promise.” He quickly took my shoes off and put the skates on. His fingers easily laced them, and in less than five minutes, he was done. “I hope I got the size right. I had to take a peek into one of the shoes you left in the shoe bin at home to figure it out.” He chuckled. “Can you stand and try to move your ankles for me?”
I stood and wobbled, but Henry was quick to stand and grip my waist to keep me in place. I tried moving my ankles, but it was hard. “I can’t.”
He nodded. “That’s good. They should feel tight, but not too tight.”
I stared at them, loving the way the pink laces gave them the cutest pop of color. “Why are the laces a different color? Don’t they usually come in white?”
“I changed them.”
“Why?”
His smile was knowing. “Because I know pink is your favorite color.”
My bottom lip wobbled as I lifted my gaze to his. The blues of his orbs were a lighter shade, and I couldn’t lie—I was mesmerized. “I never told you that,” I whispered.
He took a deliberate gulp. “You didn’t need to. I notice you, Kenny. I always do.”
It wasn’t often I was at a loss for words. But there was something about Henry when he gave me these glimpses of sincerity that always got the best of me.
I realized then he was right. There were these little things he did that were easy to miss. I didn’t know why he did them. The sadistic part of me was telling me he was only acting. Playing the perfect fake boyfriend role. But my heart was all but pounding in my chest painfully like a string pulled too tight. It was telling me to open my eyes and stop being so naive.
“You got this, Kenny!”Hayes shouted.
“Yo, Anderson, let her go, man. She’s never going to learn if you don’t give her space,” Parker said.
“Parker’s right, Anderson,” Morgan mumbled.
