Page 40 of Campus Crush
Instead, I was nervous as hell.
I kept sneaking glances at Abby as I drove, trying not to be too obvious about it. She looked stunning tonight. Not that she didn’t always look pretty, but there was something different about her now—maybe it was the way her hair fell in shiny waves around her face, or the way that red sweater brought out flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Or maybe it was just seeing her outside the tutoring center, knowing she was here because she wanted to be. Not for class. Not out of obligation. Just…for me.
“Are we going to the movies?” she asked, peering out the window as we passed the downtown theater.
I grinned. “Nope.”
“Dinner?”
“Not exactly, though I did bring snacks.” I nodded toward the back seat where I’d stashed a thermos of hot chocolate and a cooler with cookies, some fruit, and other treats I thought she might like.
Her brow furrowed adorably. “The bowling alley?”
“Wrong again.” I turned onto the road that led to the rink where our team practiced. “One more guess.”
She looked around, recognition dawning as the familiar building came into view. “The ice rink?”
“Yep,” I said, pulling into the empty parking lot. “I called in a favor. We’ve got the place to ourselves for two hours.”
Her eyes widened, a mix of excitement and apprehensioncrossing her face. “I told you I don’t know how to skate.”
We’d talked about it at one of our tutoring sessions.
“I know. But you also said you’ve always wanted to learn. So…I was thinking I could teach you.”
I parked and turned to face her fully. “Is that okay? We can do something else if you’d rather.”
She bit her lip, considering, then a small smile spread across her face. “No, this is…it’s perfect, actually. I can’t believe you remembered I said that.”
“I remember everything you say,” I admitted, my chest tight. I’d been thinking about getting her on the ice since she first mentioned it. And there was something about teaching her how to do something that was such an integral part of my identity that made me feel like if she liked it, then maybe she’d like me.
I got out and circled around to open her door, then reached into the trunk to pull out a gift bag. “Here. These are for you.”
Abby took the bag with a curious expression, then gasped as she pulled out a pair of white figure skates. “Foster, you didn’t have to?—”
“I wanted to,” I said, a little nervous now. “The rentals are pretty terrible, and I thought…well, if you liked skating, you should have your own pair. If they don’t fit, we can exchange them.”
She ran her fingers over the white skates, her smile soft and genuine. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I grabbed my hockey bag and the cooler, ignoring the diorama tucked behind her seat—I was saving that for later. “Ready to hit the ice?”
The rink was eerily quiet as we walked in, our footstepsechoing in the empty space. I flipped on the lights and led Abby to a bench near the rink entrance.
“I’ve never been here when it’s so empty,” she said, looking around. “It’s kind of magical.”
I smiled, pleased by her reaction. “Have you secretly been coming to my games all this time?” I teased her.
Her cheeks flushed. “I came to your first game freshman year.”
Her admission filled my chest with warmth, but I didn’t want to bring too much attention to our past by commenting on it. The only thing that mattered was our future.
I set down my bag and pulled out my skates, then gestured to hers. “Let’s see if those fit you.”
Abby sat beside me and pulled off her boots, then slipped her feet into the figure skates. “They’re perfect,” she said, sounding surprised. “How did you know my size?”
“I may have asked Sam,” I admitted. It hadn’t been hard to get her number and ask her a few questions. If anything, I’d been surprised that she’d been so eager to give me the details I needed without giving me the third degree.
Abby’s eyes seemed brighter than normal when she looked at me, and her smile made my heart do a weird little flip in my chest. I’d been on plenty of dates before, but none had ever made me feel like this.
