Chapter 7 #2
“Keep your voice down. This is my workplace,” I hissed, looking around to make sure nobody could overhear us.
“I want to see you too, but there are better ways to go about that. You can’t keep showing up at my job unannounced whenever you feel like it.
If you wanted to plan ahead, so we could actually find a time that was good for both of us, it would be one thing.
But we barely get to see each other this way.
You always show up five minutes before I need to be on the ice or meet with the physiotherapist or the dozen other things I have to do. ”
He pressed his lips into a firm line. “So you don’t want me here, is that it?”
“That’s not what I said and you know it,” I retorted. “I’d be more than happy to see you after work or to text you, but you need to treat this like the job it is. You need to run it by me before showing up here. You wouldn’t do that if I worked in an office.”
“This is different than if you worked in an office.” His words were sharp.
“How?” I prodded. I was going to make him put his problem into words. Then I would know that I wasn’t just being paranoid and that he didn’t have innocent intentions. I didn’t care if he was reluctant. If he felt dumb saying it out loud, maybe that would clue him in that it was a problem.
“It just is,” he said.
This was clearly back to Dom. Brandon had only started showing up after he’d seen the speculation that Dom and I were on a date.
That couldn’t be a coincidence. “If you want to see what I’ve been working on, come to the rink after work next Friday.
My parents and Dom’s parents are going to come by to see both of our programs, along with a few of our friends. It would be great if you came by, too.”
Brandon turned away from me again and didn’t speak for a while. The silence hung heavy in the air between us. When he finally spoke, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
I wasn’t entirely sure why, to be honest. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind until that moment.
“It is a silly old tradition. I didn’t know how you’d feel about taking part in it.
Every year, both sets of parents would stay to watch us perform our programs before we did any competitions.
A few friends have joined in over the years, but not consistently.
After we’re done, everybody goes out for dinner and we celebrate.
Now that I know you want to be more involved with this part of my life, I’d love it if you came to it. It’s always fun.”
There was another long silence before he said, “Okay. When on Friday?”
“Six-thirty,” I said, “so you should have time to get here after work.”
That seemed to appease him. “Sorry for making you feel like I was butting in.”
“It’s okay,” I said. It wasn’t, not really, but there was no point in arguing if he was admitting wrongdoing. “I need to get going, though. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Okay,” he said. He looked over my shoulder before leaning down and kissing me on the forehead. He waved as he walked off.
I had to hurry to meet up with Mark and Dom on time. I apologized as I skated over to them, explaining that Brandon had shown up again.
“His presence shouldn’t be interfering with practice,” Mark said sternly.
“It won’t be a problem anymore,” I assured him. “I’ve convinced him to stop dropping in randomly.” Turning to Dom, I said, “I told him he could come next week if he wanted to see what we were working on.”
Dom tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, like a confused puppy. “You hadn’t invited him already?”
I didn’t want to have the conversation again, so I said, “Not yet. I wasn’t sure… never mind. We can talk about it more later if you’re really interested.”
Mark spoke before Dom could, turning the conversation back to practice.
“If you want everyone to be impressed, you two are going to need to focus on the new lift. You can talk about your personal lives and fun plans you have for the weekend when we don’t have ice time.
You don’t want to show your families and friends something that looks like it is a paint by numbers, without flow and artistry. ”
“We’re not that bad,” I said, with Dom nodding along fervently.
“No, but you won’t improve by next Friday if we keep chatting. Now go get into position.”
We did as we were told, skating off together. Dom reached for my hand after a few paces, giving it a gentle squeeze. The pressure eased the tension that had built inside of me. We didn’t speak until we got settled into position. Even then, it was only him counting us in.
By the time Mark dismissed us, he seemed satisfied with the way things were progressing. He tried to be stern when we were practicing without Olga, but he could never keep up her serious persona for long.
I took my time getting ready to leave for the day.
There was something calming about the unexpected quiet of the locker room.
Usually, there were more people bustling around and vying for access to the mirrors.
When that happened, I didn’t bother trying to get space to make myself look presentable unless I had somewhere I needed to go immediately.
I still didn’t take too much time, but I made sure my hair looked decent and I put on a bit of mascara and lipstick.
I was already thinking about what I needed to pick up at the store when I walked out into the corridor. My eyes immediately landed on Dom, who was standing across the hall and scrolling through his phone.
“Were you waiting for me, or did you just want to see who else was in there?” I teased him, walking over to stop at his side.
He didn’t laugh like I had been expecting him to. “I was waiting for you. Earlier, you’d said we could talk after. When Mark wanted us to shut up and start skating. I just had a couple of things I wanted to say.”
I gestured for him to walk with me. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”
He fell in stride beside me, matching his pace to mine. He was silent for a long time, but I just waited him out. We had already stepped outside when he finally said, “I’m worried about you.”
That wasn’t what I had been expecting. “You’re worried about me?” I repeated, mulling over the words. “Why?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I know that you’re trying to keep Brandon happy.
” He must have thought I was going to get mad, because he raised a hand.
“And I get it, trust me. You don’t want to make your boyfriend upset because you’re spending your days with me.
I’m not blind. I know he doesn’t like me.
A blind man could tell that he is jealous of the fact that we’re together so much.
That’s why he’s been showing up, right? To spy on us? ”
“I… he’s not spying on us,” I said. Even to my own ears, my voice sounded pitiful. Thank God the parking lot was almost empty. I would’ve died of embarrassment if somebody overheard this conversation. “And I told you he’s going to stop dropping in unexpectedly.”
“Maybe spying was the wrong word, but he wants to keep an eye on you. Or maybe it’s me he wants to watch.
Either way, it worries me.” He quieted again, the only sound of our shoes crunching on the pavement as we walked to our cars.
Once again, we had parked next to each other.
“You don’t need to tell me why you just told him about us showing everyone what we’ve been working on next Friday. I already know.”
I tilted my head, but didn’t speak. Dom broke the silence with a sigh. “I know you, Hazel. You’re worried he’s going to be mad about the routine once he sees it.”
I stared down at my shoes. He had read me like a book.
I hadn’t told him my thought process, but I clearly hadn’t needed to for him to understand.
“A big part of me is worried,” I admitted.
“He hasn’t brought it up in a while. It’s been nice not having it be a problem.
I’m worried he might not be in the celebrating mood immediately after seeing it. ”
“Him not bringing it up doesn’t mean anything.
He clearly thinks it is a problem. He wouldn’t show up to remind me of his existence otherwise,” Dom said.
The truth of the words was hard to acknowledge.
“I know he won’t be thrilled, but please don’t bend to him.
Don’t let him get into your head. You shouldn’t feel like you need to change for him.
And I’m not talking about the program. Don’t let him change you. ”
My bag slipped down my shoulder, gravity tugging at the mess inside.
Dom was uncharacteristically serious. The difference from his typical happy self made my stomach churn.
Knowing that I concerned him so much made my chest ache.
“I won’t let him affect our partnership,” I said. “Or our friendship.”
Dom stared at me, his eyes not moving from mine.
“You are worried about his jealousy, though. Mark and Olga may have believed that your concerns were about what your parents will think a couple of weeks ago, but I don’t.
I know you better than that. It’s always been Brandon weighing on you.
” He looked away then, somewhere far over my shoulder.
“I’m worried about his jealousy, Hazel.”
I popped open the trunk to toss my things in. Rather than moving to do the same at his own car, Dom waited for me. When I’d slammed the lid shut, he said, “Do you remember what they said to me when we were first partnered together?”
“The first thing was who I was,” I said. The urge to make him smile was overpowering. I hated seeing him unhappy.
It worked, but barely. The corners of his mouth twitched up for a second before his sombre expression returned. “After that. About how it was my job to make sure that you were safe. That it was my job to take care of you.”
Warmth rushed through my chest. I felt like the Grinch, with my heart expanding against my ribs. “They meant on the ice,” I said, turning back to him. “It’s your job to take care of me when you’re lifting me, not all the time.” I grabbed his muscled forearm.
“I know,” he said softly. His thick eyelashes brushed his cheek as he fixated on my hand.
“But I still feel protective of you off the ice. Not in a possessive, douchebag way like Brandon. But as a friend who has been with you almost every day for eight years. As your partner. Anyone who comes into our lives has to be able to handle what we have. Because I’m not going anywhere.
We are a team for life.” He rested his hand over mine protectively.
I felt a wave of emotion. “For life,” I repeated.
There was no question. No one could break the bond we had.
We rarely talked about anything this serious, but we didn’t need to.
If I needed him, he would be there in a heartbeat and vice versa.
“Thanks for looking out for me.” I wanted to say more, but I didn’t know how to phrase what I was feeling.
How could you tell somebody how much they meant to you? I didn’t trust myself not to choke up.
Thankfully, he seemed to get it. “You just take care of yourself, okay?”
He didn’t go until I promised I would.