Page 51 of Scars Like Wings
After Quinn paid for the eight of us, we walked around the counter into a bright room with vibrant but small blue lockers for holding belongings and dark purple benches. Pastthis room were the main attractions, the most immediate being the expansive ice skating rink with rows of stadium-style seating that you had to walk past before you got onto the ice. There were signs leading off to the left for the arcade, laser tag, a rope course—or, Journey Thru the Alps, go-kart racing, mini-golf, a food court, and so much more.
Quinn had purchased tickets to everything for us without a moment’s hesitation along with tokens for the arcade and skate rentals. I had tried to offer to pay for at least my own and Simone’s and Maisie’s, but she had insisted.
“I appreciate your kindness, sweets, but we literally have so much money that even our grandkids wouldn’t be able to spend it all. We can definitely afford to pay for a date day out.”
“Oh, does this count as a date?” I raised my eyebrows. Quinn winked.
We carried our rental ice skates that we exchanged our shoes for over to the seats in front of the ice skating rink. I sat down further into the seats to give everyone room to sit nearby. Quinn joined me with a smile, sliding down into the seat next to me while everyone else sat either next to her, behind us, or in front of us. The space was unfortunately too small for her—most spaces were not built for bodies like ours, after all—but it fortunately meant her body heat got to radiate toward me. I leaned into it, needing it to combat this chill however I could. She didn’t seem to shiver at all, and I didn’t feel any goosebumps on her tan bare arms.
“You aren’t cold?” I asked her, rolling my shacket sleeves down to capture and hold more heat.
“Not at all,” She slipped her feet into the blue ice skates they gave the folks who wanted masculine sizes. As she tied them up leaning her skates against the chair in front of her, she continued. “I run hot as hell. Both my parents always have and I got it from them. I rarely get cold.”
“Ah, you are one of those people without color who can wear a hoodie with shorts and flip-flops in the winter, huh?”
“Hey! It’s a hoodie andchanclas,muchas gracias,Señorita Dulces.”
I laughed as I slipped my feet into my white ice skates, the ones given to those wanting feminine sizes. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fit, but rental ice skates always fit weird compared to the custom-made ones I had as a kid. They were also far easier to put on in a small space. I was about to just struggle to lace and tie up the skates when Quinn patted her thick thighs.
“May I tie those for you?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
I beamed, propping my feet onto her thick thighs. Quinn’s fingers were thick and attached to her large hands, but she was able to maintain a deft steadiness as she looped the laces through the holes of the ice skates and eventually tied the laces tightly. It made my mind stray, imagining what other things those hands could do or what other things they could tie and bind.
Byrd. Come on. Get it together, you freak. Yes, you haven’t gotten any in ages, but you aren’t some horndog. Remember your promise!
I mentally shook my head. Thankfully, she was done before I knew it, leaving perfectly done bows behind. They were a better job than I would have done, even on my own skates.
“Thank you so much! You tied these amazingly!”
“I love sneaks like any typical stud, so lacing and tying shoes is nothing for me,” She shrugged, but I saw her stand a little straighter with pride out of the corner of my eye. Gods, she was so adorable.
“Well, I thank you all the same.” Before I let myself become even further consumed by how cute this specimen of a womanwas, I decided to look away from this gorgeous woman short-circuiting my brain. I asked the others, “Have any of you all been ice skating before?”
Everyone shook their heads. Nat said, tying her skates, “I think we all have always wanted to try! We have dabbled in everything else from pickleball to snowmobiling, so ice skating is one of the few things we never got to do. Surprising, given that Cody’s gay ass used to make us watch the Winter Olympics specifically for the figure skating competition every time. It’s no wonder he wanted to do this today.”
“First of all, this ass isbisexualto you, whore. Second of all, I seem to remember your equally bisexual ass watching them right next to me,” Cody remarked, pointing to Nat using his middle finger.
“I’m surprised you haven’t been ice skating before, Sea-sea,” Cole said. Maisie and I made eye contact immediately, mouthing, “Sea-sea” and smiling at how stinking cute the nickname was.
Simone shrugged. “Ice skating is a favorite of mermaids in cooler climates, usually. You should see them! They look like they are almost swimming on the ice. Surfing is more my cup of tea, but I’m excited to try this! Mermaids are usually really naturally good at anything on any kind of water, so this should be easy!”
Once we were all in our ice skates, everyone stood up. I felt right at home, back on the metal of the blades. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until now. However, my nostalgia was short-lived.
Immediately, Simone wobbled, unsure, flailing and about to fall on her ass. Cole caught her, helping to steady her. I bit the inside of my lip to swallow my chuckle.
I held back behind the glass wall entrance to allow everyone else to carefully step through the gate and onto the ice. They all looked like baby deer learning to walk for the first time.
Simone wasted no time in falling flat on her ass straight out the gate. Cole attempted to help her up, but she ended up taking him down with her, causing them to devolve into cute couple laughter.
Cody clung to the glass, trying to get his bearings, I think, and get used to his skates on the sheet of ice. Maisie, my bestie who had no shame and never felt embarrassed, grabbed a walker that looked like a giant iceberg complete with a horn in the shape of a penguin to warn skaters of her presence. Unabashedly, she leaned on it to help her get used to the ice as she made her way around the rink.
Cooper and Nat both went in headfirst as they slowly skated forward without the help of the glass or a walker. They tried to pizza and french fry the situation like they were on skiis. It worked for a time, and I was starting to nod with how impressed I was with their first try. But then, they got to their first turn. Nat lost all of her balance. She flailed even worse than Simone before taking herself, Cooper, and Maisie who was passing by out, resulting in a pile of skates and more laughs. I shook my head as I chuckled along.
They werereallybad at this.