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"Yeah" He stops in thebreath

"Do you want to move back?" I ask, then hold my breath as I wait for his reply

"I don’t know"

He rakes a hand through his auburn hair, and I track the motion of his hand His hair looks so soft to the touch It is soft to the touch--I know this because I’ve run ain now, but I’m scared that if I touch hio back after graduation I want to be close to my mom, take care of her, you know? But when I was there for the holidays…" He groans softly "There are no opportunities in Patterson None It’s a tiny town that hasn’t grown at all in a hundred years And I wouldn’t even be able to coinally thought I’d live in Dallas during the week and stay in Patterson on the weekends, but that sounds exhausting theto do?"

"I have no clue"

I wait for hi to do about this baby, but he doesn’t

"You want to go watch the skaters for a bit?" he suggests

"Sure"

We start walking again His arm is still around me His familiar scent wafts into my nostrils andhim back to wherever he parked his truck and maul him I want to feel his lips oninside reet us before we even reach the pond A bittersweet feeling washes overDozens of people whiz past us on the shiny surface of the rink Kids bundled up in colorful coats and scarves andhand-in-hand

Tucker reaches for ether, and we stand there watching the rink for a while My heart skips, because it feels like we’re a real couple Just two happy people spending the afternoon in the park, enjoying each other’s company

"Oh shit, see that aze toward a tall, gray-haired man in a blue parka and black skates "Yeah… Do you know hiht I did, but he’s just a lookalike"

"For who?" I ask curiously

"Coach Death"

I alue "Okay Let’s back this up Did you just say Coach Death?"

His boohter tickles the side of , darlin’ My very first hockey coach was named Paul Death Apparently it’s an old British name Or maybe Welsh? I can’t re "Was he as evil as his naests?"

"Nicest dude you’ll ever meet," Tucker declares

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah He’s the first person who told ed my mom for hockey lessons, so she drove me to this arena an hour away because Patterson doesn’t have a rink Coach Death popped a squat, shook ot potential’" Tucker chuckles "That was his catchphrase--yup-yup I started saying it around the house and it drove Mo up?"

"Pretty much" He slants his head "What about you? Who was your idol?"