Dante doesn’t want to push Ryan too hard—it’s his first time back on skates in forever but he’s not invincible, no matter what he seems to think. He insists he’s fine but Dante knows better, he sees the thin lines of exertion crease the skin around Ryan’s eyes, and he doesn’t even get a quarter of the way around the rink before he leads his boyfriend back to the gate. This is just the beginning—they have tomorrow too, and Saturday, and when they get back home, Dante promises to take Ryan skating every single morning. “Right after the hockey team leaves the ice,” Dante says, holding tightly onto his boyfriend’s arms for fear of him falling. God, what would Mrs. Talonovich say if she knew what they were doing? It’s crazy, he can’t even walk and he’s out here on the ice, skating, but there’s
