Page 103 of What Are The Odds?
Chuckling, Grace kissed my forehead.
“Anything with you, Holloway.”
53. Happy Thanksgiving
Grace
As per usual, I woke long before the sun. It took me a moment to remember where I was. Though once I did, I relaxed back against Levi’s warm body. He was wrapped around me, warming every part of my skin like a human-sized hot water bottle. Being in his arms had become so familiar. My heart ached even considering a time when this comfort no longer existed. While it was a reality I had to face, it wasn’t one I had to confront just yet. So I squished the thought down and closed my eyes. When they fluttered open once more, Levi was gone. I sat up, hurriedly looking around for him. I reached for my phone. My jaw almost hit the floor when I read the time. Nine-twenty-three-am. That was a record for me. There was a message from Levi.
Levi: Didn’t want to wake you. Had to run into town for an errand. Shower and dress warm. We have plans this morning.
I didn’t need to ponder what. The text was followed by a dozen ice skating Emojis. With a smile I threw back the blankets and padded to the bathroom. My things were sprawled across the counter, as though I’d lived here my entire life and wasn’t a guest. After taking a long, warm shower, I dressed in leggings followed by black jeans, a singlet followed by a long-sleeved tee and knit jumper, as well as sneakers and a thick jacket. I was preparing to freeze. Just as I was pulling on my beanie, Levi walked into the room. He didn’t have as many layers as me, but he was still dressed for a cool day. His black jeans fit him perfectly, and his grey hoodie and fleece-lined denim jacket covered his broad shoulders. How he’d managed to fully get ready for the day while I slept proved how tired I had been. Though looking at him now, and the way his backwards cap accentuated the sharp angles of his face, I was entirely refreshed.
“You ready for this, Hughesy?”
He was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. Well, I guess this was an important day too. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was.
“Happy Thanksgiving. Is that a thing?”
Chuckling, he kissed me. It was nowhere near long enough though.
“Is that all?” I complained.
“For now. I only have the ice for the next two hours and I don’t want to waste a second.”
I guess I couldn’t argue with that. He was way too excited. Lana was waiting by the front door, dressed in a full-length black body suit and animal print fur coat. There were two pairs of skates by her feet. The sight of them made me nervous. I don’t think Levi realised how bad I was going to be at this.
“I hope you don’t mind me third wheeling, Grace.”
“Not at all. The less eyes on me the better.”
I sat in the back of the car so Lana and Levi could catch up. They spoke with the familiarity of siblings, mentioning places, memories and names. It made me miss home. Talking to my brothers like that. Catching up on things that meant nothing to others but everything to us. Then Levi caught my reflection in the rear-view mirror and smiled, and the thought of home dimmed a little. It didn’t take long to reach the rink. Will was leaning against the only other car in the car park, one ankle crossed over the other.
“No way was I missing the chance to skate at the old stomping ground,” he said when I rose out the car. He scooped his skates off the back seat. “You ready for this, Hughesy?”
“Absolutely not.”
The outside had looked more like a college campus than a high school one, so it wasn’t all that surprising that the rink was like a mini arena. There had to be at least five-thousand seats slanting towards the ice. The walkways were filled with memorabilia, and significant flags hung from the ceiling.
“Is one of them yours?” I asked.
“Two,” Levi and Will called in unison.
Once seated by the ice, Lana passed me her spare pair of skates. They were heavier than I was expecting. Levi chuckled.
“It’s not a loaded gun, Hughesy. Relax.”
All three of them laced up their skates in record time. By the time I was slipping off my sneakers, they were hitting the ice. I watched in wonder, still taken aback by how quickly Levi and Will could move. Lana was good too, but nothing compared to the boys. Levi changed directions with a flick of his ankle, and Will went from skating backwards to forwards without stumbling. When Lana paused to take a selfie in the middle of the rink, Will and Levi circled her, purposely charging at full speed before breaking sharply and spraying her with ice. Each time she attempted to throttle one of them, they’d easily slip away. By the time Levi eventually skated over to me, his face was flushed.
“Need a hand, Hughesy?”
He stepped off the ice, throwing his jacket over the bench. Upon seeing my half-done-up skates, he frowned.
“You’re not doing it tight enough. Here.”
He lifted my leg into his lap and undid my effort. I tried to snatch my foot back when he tightened the laces. Like, ridiculously tight. Clearly I was way off.
“You look nervous,” he pointed out.
