“You came,” he says, like he can’t believe it.
“You knew I was coming!”
“I wasn’t sure.” He chews on his lip.
“I said I couldn’t wait.”
“I know, but.”
I poke his shoulder, making him look up at me. “But what?”
“I’m kind of still waiting for the other shoe to drop, I guess.”
“Well, it’s not going to.” I notice his skateboard tucked into his backpack beside the table, one wheel rolling lazily in the wind. He’s had his board at the shop before, but I’ve never really gotten to see him skate. “Did you skate here?”
“Yeah,” he says, a little shy, like I’ll think that’s dorky or something. I don’t. I love it.
“I always wanted to learn. Show me?”
He pulls his board out and carries it over to a flat area away from the cobblestones, then changes his mind and walks down farther to the parking lot. “Have you ever skated before?”
“Once,” I say, “but it doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because it wasn’t with you.” I meant it to be funny, but it comes out sounding sincere.
He blushes at my answer, ducking his head as I step onto the board. “Do you want to learn, or do you just want me to pull you along?”
“Both.” I laugh.
“Okay, get your feet comfortable. Move them so they’re kind of like this,” he says, demonstrating on the ground.
I do as I’m told, marveling at how much warmer it feels when someone you like is giving you skateboarding lessons, even in an empty parking lot on the last day of March.
“Okay, push off,” he says, reaching his arms out. I give it a shove, locking my arms on his when I start to lose my balance. “I won’t let you fall.”
I look up, startled, and he’s smiling when our eyes meet, one dimple visible under the cold sun. We practice a few more times, until I start to figure it out, using his arms less and less as my confidence grows.
“What do you think?” he asks. “Should we give it a go?”
“Absolutely,” I say, a little too enthusiastically. He chuckles, and then it’s my turn to look down, embarrassed. “I mean, yeah. I think I’ve got this.”
He drops his arms, and I kick off. The board slides forward; I’m a little wobbly but I keep it going, gliding faster and faster, shoving forward as fast as I can. I try to find a rhythm in the sound of the wheels on the asphalt, try to turn it into music so it makes more sense.
“Yes!” he shouts behind me, and I turn my head, almost losing my balance when I see him raising his arms up in victory. I hop off, running forward a few steps so I don’t fall over, before I turn the board around to face him.
He grins, and it bolsters my confidence so much that I shove off a little faster than I mean to, careening toward him at a rate I’m not entirely comfortable with. He seems to sense the change in mood and races toward me, reaching me right as the board nicks the curb and sends me flailing in the other direction. I’m lost in the air, landing hard on top of him.
I cough into his elbow as I push myself up. He takes a deep breath and grunts beneath me, like I knocked all the air out of him.
“Oops,” I say, sitting up and trying to give him space. “In fairness, though, you did say you’d never let me fall.”
He raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth but then sighs in mock defeat. “Historically, I’m not good at keeping promises, so.”
“Hey.” I grab his chin. “None of that.”
“Fine, half credit for catching you?”
“Half credit seems fair.” I scoot forward, giving him the tiniest kiss on his cheek, not sure what the rules are in the daylight.
I slide beside him, looking up at the sky. I’d swear it was a summer sky if I didn’t know any better. And god,