Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
“What the fuck happened here?”
I looked up from where I was gluing the final piece of the diorama I made for Abby. I’d spent more time scouring Pinterest than I ever thought was possible before I stumbled on the idea of a homemade diorama that looks like her farm—or at least it was supposed to.
“This wasn’t as easy as it looks.”
“It doesn’t look like it was easy at all.” Gordy scanned the mess that covered our kitchen table, half the counter, and had somehow managed to get on the floor.
“Is that glitter?”
“Uh, yeah. The woman at the craft store talked me into it.”
He shook his head. “We’re never getting rid of that now. They’ll be finding glitter in here for years to come. Forget rebuilding the hockey team as our legacy. It’ll be that this house was glitter bombed.”
I sat back in my chair with a heavy sigh. “This shit was hard, okay?! Haven’t you ever had to make one of these?”
“Not since the second grade.” Gordy leaned in to inspect the diorama. “Is that…a chicken coop?”
“It’s a barn,” I muttered. “But I messed up the proportions.”
He blinked. “That’s a barn?”
“Look, I didn’t go to art school, okay? The important part is the idea behind it.”
Gordy scratched the back of his neck. “Which is?”
I stood and paced a few steps, dragging a glitter-covered hand through my hair and immediately regretting it. “It’s a Stardew Valley diorama. You know, that farming game.”
“I know of it, but I’ve never played it.”
“Well, Abby does.” Time for brutal honesty. “And so do I. In fact, I’ve been playing with her for months. Online.”
Gordy’s brow furrowed. “Weird that you didn’t mention that when we ran into her at the festival.”
“Yeah, well…she doesn’t exactly know that I’m her online friend,” I exhaled.
His eyes widened. “Are you catfishing her?”
“No!” I sat back down. “No. I didn’t know it was her at first, and by the time I did, I knew she’d never accept me as Bear.”
“Bear?”
“BigBear88.”
He laughed. “You used the name of your childhood dog and your hockey jersey number for your handle?”
I gave him a look. “Not the time, man.”
He sobered. “Okay, so let me get this straight. You’ve been secretly playing a farming game online with a girl who turned out to be the tutor you’re crushing on?”
“Yeah.”
“And now you need to find a way to tell her the truth without her losing her shit on you.”
“Pretty much.”
“Shit.”
“I know.”
He took a seat across from my chair. “When are you planning to tell her?”
“This week. It’s our last week of tutoring, so I was planning to use that as an excuse to maybe go somewhere else, do something fun to celebrate, and then I would give her this and tell her the truth.”
I hadn’t been sure about the timing, but her reaction to me at the festival gave me hope that this wouldn’t blow up spectacularly in my face.
He let out a slow breath, then nudged the glittery base of the diorama with one finger. “Well… for what it’s worth, this is actually kinda sweet. Messier than I thought it would be. But sweet.”
“I’m banking on the effort winning me points.”
“She’s into you, man,” he said quietly. “Why do you think I spent so much time with her roommate at the festival? It was clear you two were feeling each other.”
I sat back down and stared at the tiny barn, the mini crops I’d glued in with tweezers, and the hand-lettered sign I’d made that said, “To Peach, from Bear.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Because this was either going to be the moment that changed everything…or the last time I ever got to be part of her story.
So far my plan was off to a great start.
When I’d showed up for my final tutoring session, I convinced Abby to let me take her somewhere. It wasn’t all that hard to convince her, especially after I reassured her that I felt confident about using the skills she’d taught me on my final.
She’d given me the tools and confidence to pass math—now I just needed to use that confidence to win her heart.
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 apprehension crossing 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 footsteps echoing 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.
This wasn’t even officially a date, but fuck did I want it to be.
“Here, let me help you with those,” I offered, kneeling in front of her.
I showed her how to properly lace the skates, making sure they were tight enough to support her ankles but not so tight they’d cut off circulation.
My fingers brushed against her calves, and I tried to ignore the electric feeling that shot through me at the contact.
“Thanks,” she said softly when I finished, her eyes meeting mine. For a moment, I forgot what we were doing, lost in the warmth of her gaze.
Did she have any idea how badly I wanted her? The lengths I was willing to go to win her heart?
“Um, right,” I said, clearing my throat and standing up. “Let’s get you on the ice.”
I put on my own skates quickly, then stood and offered her my hands. “First rule of skating—it’s all about balance.”
Abby took my hands, her grip firm as she stood shakily. “I feel like I’m on stilts.”
I laughed. “You’ll get used to it. Walk with me to the entrance. Keep your knees slightly bent and your weight centered.”
She took a few tentative steps, wobbling but managing to stay upright. “This is harder than it looks.”
“You’re doing great,” I assured her as we reached the rink entrance. I stepped onto the ice first, then turned to face her, still holding her hands. “Okay, now step onto the ice. I’ve got you.”
Abby took a deep breath and placed one skate on the ice, then the other. Her fingers tightened around mine as she tried to find her balance. “Oh my God,” she breathed, looking down at her feet. “How do you make this look so easy?!”
“A lot of practice,” I said with a grin. “You’re doing great. Better than most beginners. You haven’t even fallen.”
“Don’t jinx me,” she warned, but she was smiling too.