Chapter 1 #3
“Oh, right. Well, he’s working with Rose now.
She’s hired him on as her assistant coach and choreographer.
” Holden pauses and points up towards the rafters of the barn.
To the far side is a closed-off area with a set of windows that look down upon the ice.
There’s a staircase right to the side of where Allison is sitting and now unlacing her skates that leads up to it.
“And he’s living up there. We set him up with a nice little studio. ”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Why would I joke about that?”
“Why would a grown man need to live in your ice rink disguised as a barn?” Holden downs what’s left of his beer in a final swig, then turns to look at Sergio. “You really only pay attention to what’s happening to yourself, don’t you?”
Sergio, determined to prove Holden’s assertion wrong, makes an extra effort for the rest of the evening to pay thorough attention to everyone else.
It starts in the easiest place possible for him, with Henry.
He sits on the floor with the kid and lets him chew his ear off all throughout their pizza dinner.
He listens to him share his imagination and regale Sergio with his adventures on the ski slopes with his dad, on the ice with his mom, and quiet moments of reading and coloring with Jeremy Owens.
It’s those last details that have Sergio’s hackles slightly raised.
“You spend a lot of time with Jeremy, huh?” he asks, keeping his voice light and cheerful even though he’s silently seething at the idea that this other man, this interloper in Holden’s and Rose’s and Henry’s world, living in their barn, could possibly be stealing some of Henry’s affection.
Sergio has always prided himself on being Henry’s favorite.
He does not enjoy the idea of someone else shoehorning themselves into his territory.
He looks over his shoulder to where Jeremy is sitting on the large leather sofa across from Rose, his back against the armrest. His knees are pulled towards his chest, and his plate of pizza rests on them.
He and Rose appear to be having a very lively conversation, probably reminiscing about their glory days of old.
They only pause in talking when Holden comes by and refills Rose’s glass of wine, then comes by Sergio and does the same.
He takes a seat back down with Adrien and dumps what’s left of the bottle into their glasses.
Everyone seems happy and content. Even Adrien has a smile on his face as he banters with Holden and idly pets Gus sitting beside him from ear to tail.
Gus catches Sergio looking and hisses at him again.
“Uncle Sergio, are you listening to me?”
Sergio glares at the cat, then pivots his attention back to Henry. “Of course!” he says, exaggerating his words. “You are my favorite person to pay attention to.”
“After figure skaters in short dresses, that is,” Adrien says under his breath.
Holden laughs and holds his hand out for Adrien to give him a high five.
Sergio shrugs and says, “What can I say, I like what I like.”
“And you will not be liking Allison,” Rose scolds from across the room. “With Nationals and the Olympics coming up, I don’t need you fucking up her focus.”
Henry laughs beside him. “Mom said ‘the eff word.’”
“Can you believe it?” Sergio asks him, his eyebrows raising and his mouth dropping open wide. Henry laughs some more.
“I mean it, Sergio,” Rose scolds again. “I will ban you from my ice rink during your stay here if I have to.”
Sergio holds his hands up in defense. “Ye of little faith in this house. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Your best behavior isn’t good enough,” Rose says, pointing a finger at him. Sergio can’t help but notice the way Jeremy tries to hide his laughter behind a slightly shaky hand. “I need you to be on Adrien’s best behavior.”
Adrien reaches over and slaps her a high five from where he is sitting.
“Well, that’s boring,” Sergio says, with indignation. “Adrien doesn’t know the meaning of the word fun.”
“I think I’m a lot of fun,” Adrien says with a shrug of his shoulders.
“So do I,” Rose agrees.
“Yeah, me too,” Holden says, then looks at Sergio. “In a different way than you are, of course.”
“Thanks, that’s really reassuring.”
“I think you’re fun!” Henry says.
“And I think you’re my favorite,” Sergio says, pulling Henry into his lap.
“And I think it’s getting late,” Jeremy says. He places his empty plate onto the nearby coffee table. “It’s time for me to head back to the barn to lie down.”
“I’ll walk with you.” Rose places her own plate down.
“You don’t need to do that,” Jeremy assures her and rises to his feet, his hand holding onto the couch’s arm as he does.
He stands still for a moment, almost like he’s trying to catch his balance, which is strange to Sergio as Jeremy is supposed to be a world-class athlete, the pinnacle of grace and strength, and yet here he appears to struggle on his feet. “I’m sure I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Yes, come by for breakfast,” Holden says. “I’m making a huge spread before we hit the slopes.”
“Alright.” Jeremy nods and takes a step away from the couch. On his third, he stumbles, knocking into the coffee table. Holden is quick to his feet and catches him before he hits the floor, then rights him back onto his feet.
“Have a little too much to drink there, Jeremy?” Sergio teases. “Maybe you should take that escort home after all.”
Deafening silence meets him. He looks around the room, waiting for anyone else to join in on the joke. Instead, Adrien hides his head behind his hand, Holden sucks on his teeth, and Rose glares at him like he sacrificed her cat on her living room floor.
Henry breaks the silence. “Not cool, Uncle Sergio,” he says and jumps off his lap, then runs over to where Jeremy and Holden are standing. Henry wraps his arms around Jeremy’s thigh.
“What?” Sergio exclaims, still trying to catch what he’s missed.
Rose rises to her feet and walks towards Jeremy, her face flushed with anger.
“He’s not drunk, you asshole. He has MS.” She gently places a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Come on,” she says. “I want to talk to you about your ideas for Allison’s choreography, anyway. We can have some tea at your place.”
“Can I come?” Henry asks.
Jeremy looks at Rose and nods yes.
“Okay,” she says. “But you have to be good and quiet, alright?”
“Alright,” Henry agrees, and they walk out the door, leaving Sergio, Holden, and Adrien in uncomfortable silence. Even Gus takes off running from the room and up the large open stairs.
Sergio finally speaks. “How the fuck was I supposed to know that?”
“How the fuck did you not?” Adrien asks. “It was only the biggest news story in sports four years ago. Jeremy Owens, men’s figure skating Olympic gold medal favorite, is out of the games after collapsing on the ice. Cause later determined to be MS.”
“I mean, it’s not like I follow figure skating religiously.”
“Dude,” Holden says. “You were trying to get into his pants at those games.”
“Yeah, and he turned me down.”
“And that’s a reason not to care about someone?” Adrien asks.
“I was surrounded by gorgeous athletes! I had pictures to take and fun and games to have. It’s not my fault this news hadn’t made it to me.”
Adrien lets out a sigh as Holden looks at Sergio. “Look, man, it’s fine. Just apologize in the morning or something.”
“Why should I have to apologize?”
“Because you fucked up,” Adrien says. “Royally.”
“It was a minor faux pas.”
“Oh yeah, then how does your foot taste?” Holden teases.
“My guess is like Italian suede,” Adrien says.
“It tastes like nothing because it’s not in my mouth. I did nothing wrong.” A cool rush flows through his system at his words that he shakes off.
“Eh, you kind of did,” Holden says.
“Whatever.” Sergio sighs and rises from the floor. “I’m calling it a night.”