Francesca: Going to the rink decided to end the semester where I started it. See you later Ry, I love you

Me: Love you too butt, have a good skate

I slip my phone into my pocket after sending the text and reach down to grab my other skate to put on. Francesca has no idea I am already at the rink. When she mentioned yesterday after pyramid she wanted to use her final ice time today I knew I had to be here. I can't shake the feeling that this summer is going to completely change our lives so I want to take advantage of this moment before it does.

I am sure she will lecture me about still being injured and skating which is why this morning bright and early I went to the athletic trainer and got a note saying I could skate as long as I take it easy. I didn't argue with that condition, I don't plan to workout or anything anyways. I just want to be with her.

Standing on my skates to walk over to the ice feels weird. It is the first time I have laced up since my injury. Three weeks later I finally am starting to feel normal again. Not that I am feeling fine; I still feel a stab to my side anytime I take a deep breath, but I can breathe and laugh and hold my girlfriend without having to lie. I know I said lying to her is hard and it was hard that first two weeks to pretend I wasn't in so much pain but it was worth it. If she would have known how much pain I was really in it would have torn her up inside which is the last thing I wanted. At that point I had caused her enough pain I was not going to be the cause of more, not if I could help it.

Stepping on the ice finally, sort of feels like coming home after a long vacation. I feel the tension in my shoulders melt away as I slowly glide across the ice. Out of habit I put the music on, purposely picking the same playlist I was playing that first day.

I skate calmly with my eyes closed just enjoying being on the ice again until I hear the front doors open. I pop my eyes open but don't turn around to watch her walk in. Out of the corner of my eye I see her stop, watching me skate around. She's in the same spot she stood that first day when she didn't know I knew she was watching me.

I see her bite back a smile before stalking over to the bench and dropping her backpack right next to mine. Matching Michigan athletic backpacks, one that says Ice Hockey and one that says Figure Skating embroidered into the front.

"Hey!" she yells out over my music.

I pull out my phone and pause the music while skating over to the spot where she is standing, arms crossed in the same defiant stance she had when we first met. "Hey," I greet, trying to fight my own smile. I am reeling back in time to January 6th. At that time I had no idea the stare down I was having was with the love of my life. It would take me over a month to figure that out. That revelation would come exactly 1 month and 2 days later at a different hockey rink on February 8th. From that day it would be almost 2 months before I would act on those feelings, on March 29th, and make her mine.

"I have the ice booked."

I can't help the smile that breaks out across my face at her words. She remembers it too. Word for word, she remembers our first encounter. Despite having already broken character I continue. "Actually I do, you must have mixed up your times."

Francesca bends down and laces up her own skates as she continues. "I don't have anything mixed up."

"Seems you do," I tease, skating backwards as she steps onto the ice and skates to me.

I reach my hand out and she grabs it without hesitation, letting me pull her into my arms. "Hi," I breathe as I hold her against my chest. I feel lighter when she is near me. I never thought my happy place would change. For years I was ok with that; I felt safe on the ice. Now even on the ice something seems missing. But not when I am with her, never with her.

"Hi," she sighs, relaxing into me. I don't need to ask to know her feelings about the ice are identical to mine.

"Ending the semester how we started it."

"With a few differences," she notes, finally stepping out of my arms to skate around me with ease.

"Like," I question not because I don't know but because I want to hear her say them herself.

"I don't dislike hockey players anymore," she admits softly.

I watch her carefully, nodding at her admission. "I don't dislike figure skaters anymore either."

"I would call that growth, look at us," she giggles.

"Any other differences?"

"I like sharing the ice with you, not all hockey players, but you I do."

"Well look at that, I like sharing the ice with you too."

"More growth," she exclaims in excitement.

"Anything else, Beck?"

"Yeah one thing."

"Which is?"

"I can do this." Stopping in front of me Francesca grabs my neck and pulls my lips to hers. I melt into the kiss as I wrap my arms around her, wanting her as close to me as humanly possible. "And I really really like doing that," she grins when we finally break apart.

"Me too," I agree as I rest my forehead against hers watching her eyes dance with a happiness they didn't hold when we first met. I never thought I could bring happiness into someone's life but right here, in front of me, is living proof.

"It is my turn to be in control of music," she tells me while sticking her hand in my pocket. I resist a little just to hear her laugh fill the rink and bounce off the walls around us but eventually I let her skate off with my phone to scroll through my playlists to find one she likes.

But of course she doesn't pick one of mine instead the unmistakable first note of Enchanted begins to play. I remember the first time I heard this song, it came on at the end of one of our first practices together. Back then I didn't know the song, then again I didn't know most Taylor Swift songs before I started skating with Francesca. I watched her skate freely to the song and in that moment something inside of me shifted. I spent the entire car ride home repeating the words to the song so I wouldn't forget them. The second I was alone in my room I googled the words and found the song. For days I listened to the song on repeat replaying her skating in my head. That was the day I learned she shied away from standing ovations and any sort of attention when she is skating. Something I have worked to change.

This time as the song plays and she skates I don't stand on the opposite side of the ice from her. This time I reach my hand out and skate with her as she jumps and spins to her heart's content.

When the song ends another Taylor Swift song begins. I know the exact playlist she put on and laugh to myself at how predictable she is. My laugh causes her to open her eyes and raise a questioning eyebrow at me.

"Something you'd like to share with the class, Carson?"

"I was just thinking about how you stream Taylor Swift so much you basically pay her bills butt."

She rolls her eyes and skates backward away from me. I follow slowly behind her, never letting more than a few feet separate us.

We skate in silence for a few minutes. I don't know what she is thinking but I hope it is the same thing I am thinking, that life doesn't get better than this. Suddenly Francesca breaks the silence. "Question?"

"Answer."

"Can I throw you a birthday party?"

"What?" I ask in surprise.

"A birthday party, but not the normal 21st birthday. I want to give you a proper birthday."

"Which means? I have only ever had birthday parties with all my parents friends were invited and none of mine and only ever went to one as a kid because my grandpa took me. His name was Jeremy from my 2nd grade class. His party was at this laser tag place and for the next 6 months I dreamed about a party there but of course when my birthday came around it was the same catered event with all these adults trying to one up each other while I sat alone in a corner trying to keep them happy."

Francesca looks so sad I scramble to bring a smile back to her face. "But I would love it if you threw me a party, even if it is just us since I think everyone else will be home for the summer." We are staying in Michigan until my doctor fully clears me to play with the Islanders. I thought it would be easier than trying to find a new doctor in New York and Francesca decided it would be cheaper for her if we drove to New York together instead of her leaving after finals and me joining her later. We are still going to the twins' graduation, she doesn't know yet but I bought us plane tickets to go down and be there.

"You would?"

"Of course," I assure her. "But don't spend a bunch of money to throw me a party babe, I would be happy just spending the day with you."

"I know," she smiles, "but I want to do something special for you."

"And that's why I love you," I beam.

"More than hockey," she reminds me.

"Way more than hockey," I confess. "Hockey is great and will always be a big part of my life but you... Beck, you are my everything."

"I am?" she asks in awe. She opens her mouth likely to repeat the sentiment back to me but she pauses. We both know that isn't true. She has her family, her parents and brothers, who I will always share a part of her with. That no longer bothers me like it did that day I met them after her competition. I don't ever want her to lose them and be like me. I will happily share her with them, maybe even one day with kids of our own, if everything goes right for us. I want the rest of her life for her to always be surrounded by the love she deserves.

"It's ok," I laugh lightly as she scrunches up her face trying to figure out how to twist the sentence so it's true for her too.

"I-... you're.... It's not that I don't..."

"Butt, I know. I don't want to be your everything. In theory it sounds nice, the sentence sounds romantic and shit but it isn't."

"I'm sorry," she sighs sadly, coming over and wrapping her arms around me sadly.

"Don't be. You can't change my childhood and that's ok. You can't fix everything babe."

"I know," she groans, hating this conversation. Francesca will always be a fixer, it's her nature. She once asked me if I thought there was a chance to repair my relationship with my parents. Very bluntly, I said no. Some things can't be fixed and I think slowly she's coming to terms with that.

"You know," she starts looking up at me, her chin resting on my chest, "I kind of miss you calling me butt, you don't say it as much anymore. Not that I don't love you calling me babe it makes me all gooey and excited but I miss butt."

"Well butt, I will make sure to call you butt more, happy?"

"Happy."

I laugh at how ridiculous the request is, even if it did make my heart skip a beat, and push her away. She sticks her tongue out at me in response and skates off doing some jumps.

"Wait Ry, watch! I've been practicing," she calls out as she tries a new jump she's learning. She doesn't land it her first attempt and instead slides across the ice. I fight the urge to rush over and pick her up. She is a professional, she doesn't need me picking her up, she is strong enough to do that herself.

"Try again," I tell her encouragingly.

She nods while I lean against the wall watching her face concentrate on the jump she's trying to land. She gets some more momentum this time before her second attempt. It goes better but she teeters on her skate before falling to the ice again.

"So close butt, you're right there, don't give up!"

She gives me a smile and a thumbs up before brushing herself off and attempting a third time.

She takes a slow lap around getting her bearings and thinking about the first two jumps and why they failed. I see her working through it in her own head nodding slowly. She picks up momentum again and then throws the jump.

This time she lands it with a little wobble but she stays up right. I push off the wall and rush over to her picking her up in my arms. "That's my girl," I yell as she clings onto me.

"I did it!"

"You did!"

I keep her in my arms spinning up both around in fast circles while she laughs happily. "You're crazy," she tells me between laughs.

"Crazy for you." I wink.

"Nooo, you cheese ball stop it, you ruined the moment," she exclaims while lightly slapping my arm.

"Cheese is delicious. I am delicious. I am missing the issue here Beck."

"Of course you are," she rolls her eyes as I set her down.

"I'm so proud of you for landing that babe," I tell her again once we've both settled down.

"Thank you," she blushes, shying away from me.

I grab her chin between my fingers and turn her face to me. I lean down and kiss her gently before pulling back and looking her in the eyes. "You better learn how to take a compliment sweetie because when you win an olympic medal you're going to be getting a lot of them."

The look on her face when I say that nearly drops me to my knees. She doesn't think it will ever happen for her, not that that will stop her from trying but I can see the look of defeat just under the surface. She's mentioned that she will compete for a year and if she can't win competitions and put her in contention for the Olympic team she will retire and become a math teacher or something lame like that.

I refuse to let that happen. I will never ever give up on her, like she won't give up on me. If no one else believes in this dream, I will. I will believe in it enough for the both of us. I will do everything in my power to keep this dream alive until she achieves it. And then the second she does I will be there to tell her 'I told you so' and then celebrate.

The rest of our hour flies by. I always dread getting off the ice but today it is especially hard.

When we do finally get off the ice we sit next to each other on the bench and put our shoes back on silently. With me still injured and Yost open for use whenever1q'QP[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[÷ Josh and Barb have decided to begin renovations tomorrow since our scheduled ice time is officially over as of today. This is the last time we will see the rink as it is now. The rink where we met.

"Can we take a picture," I blurt, feeling the need to document this place as it stands. Maybe if everything goes in our favor one day I can show our grandkids this picture and tell them all about how I fell for the ice princess.

Francesca nods as her eyes get glassy. Frankly I am a little relieved I am not the only one getting emotional right now.

Instead of a selfie we set up my phone in the bleachers on an automatic timer to capture as much of the rink as possible. The first picture comes out cute but I want more so I switch to video and then rejoin Francesca. "Handshake?"

"Definitely."

We do our handshake then at the end I grab her and kiss her, dipping her like we are in one of those rom coms she loves. When I stand her back up again she rushes forward and hugs me. "Why is this so scary? We don't leave here for weeks. We have the entire summer together."

"Change is always scary but we are Fryder Beck, we got this."

Hesitantly she lets go of me. I hand her her backpack then pick my own up. She grabs my hand tightly as we take one last look around before walking out together.

I open her car door and wait for her to get in before shutting it and walking around to my side. The second I start the car Francesca begins playing a song I don't recognize. I sit and listen to the first few lines before turning to her and asking, "What song is this?"

"You Are in Love by Taylor Swift."

Yes I am. I turn the song up and grab her hand again, still looking at her as we listen to the song.

"I love you Carson Ryder," she whispers barely audible over the song.

"I love you Francesca Beckett."

I finally look away and put the car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot. Driving off toward wherever life will take us next.