“Who… who…?” he stuttered, another sign of how furious he was. Ivan never stuttered. Never faltered. And even his neck was going red. He gave the papers another shake. “Who did this?” I swallowed. “Who sent this shit to you?”

“What are you looking at?” I asked him, unsure why he kept glancing over and not liking it. The smile on his face didn’t go anywhere as he replied, “You.” “Why?” “Because.” Was there something wrong with my face? “Because what?” “It’s rare you laugh.”

“No, it’s only five, Meatball. I’ve got hours. It’s fine.” “I’m sure you have better things to do.” The arm over my shoulder went down, and Ivan’s hand went to my shoulder, cupping it before going up and down my upper arm. “Be quiet and go back to sleep, all right?”

“I can pinch you if you start to argue with him.” I couldn’t help but give him a smile. “I’m sure you’d pinch me even if I didn’t argue with him.” The smile that came over his features lit me up, and I bottled it up and set it aside for later, just like I always did.

“I didn’t watch the fucking video, Ivan. Are you done now?” He stared at me for a moment then said, “Yes, I’m done.” Ivan sputtered. Sputtered. His face went even redder, and then he said, “Get your shit together. You aren’t staying here tonight.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to your stubborn, mouthy, mean ass. My partner or not my partner. Do we have that clear?” What. The. Fuck?

“Come on, Meatball. You and me. We’ll make everybody jealous with our work-of-art asses.”

“Whatever happens, right?” I asked him as we skated to our starting point. Ivan didn’t let go of my hand as he nodded and took a step back to get into place. Whatever happens, he mouthed to me. But then his lips kept forming words. Three words exactly. I love you.

His mouth went over my cheeks, warm and everything wonderful in the world. “You tried to get up,” he said to me in a voice so low I barely understood his words. “You tried to get up and keep skating, and I swear I almost started crying right then.”

“I believe in you. In us. Regardless of what happens, you will always be the best partner I’ve ever had. You’ll always be the hardest working person I’ve ever known. There will only ever be you.” I sobbed into him. These fucking tears just purging themselves from me.

“Vanya,” I started to say, oddly not nervous, so close his breath touched my lips. “I don’t expect anything from you, and I don’t want to make this weird, but I want you to know—” His “Shut up” caught me off guard. “Don’t tell me to shut up. I want to tell you something.”

He kissed one cheek and then the other, soft, his mouth brushing over the bridge of my nose as he moved around. “Only you would sprain the shit out of your ankle and try to get up to keep going,” he said to me, his voice hitching.

“I will always have your back, you know that,” he stated, sincerity staining his tone. I nodded again because it was the truth, but also because he had to know I had his back too. Always. Even in a year, when he was skating with someone else. Always.

“There’s my Meatball,” he said in almost a whisper, his fingers loosening from around my wrist until they were slipping through mine, holding our hands together like we had done it a thousand times.

“I understand school is important, but she has a gift. You should be proud of her for never giving up on her dreams. You should be proud of her for being true to herself.” Ivan paused and then said three words that slayed me. “I would be.”

“Hold it in. Not one tear, Jasmine. Not a single tear. Do you hear me?” I sucked in a breath, my eyes going glassy. “Don’t you dare do it,” he hissed again, the arm around my shoulders tightening. “You don’t want anyone to see you do this. Hold it, baby, just hold it….”

“If I had to choose anyone to help me bury a body, eat dinner with, or watch television with, it would be you, every time for everything.” My heart squeezed, squeezed, squeezed.

“You kept saying, I’m sorry, Ivan. I’m sorry, Ivan. I’m so sorry, and I told you to shut up because if you kept saying it any more, I would have been the one….” His mouth shifted over mine, grazing it, so light and sweet, something in me constricted.

Ivan was kissing me. Kissing me. His mouth went to my eyes suddenly, and he pressed his lips from one of my eyelids to the other, quick, fluttering, so light I could barely feel it. One brow bone and then the other.

“I made up Mindy taking the season off when really our agreement had ended, and I hadn’t planned on going back to skate with her. Because even though you drove me crazy, I wanted to skate with you.”