July 2007
“Kelly, you’re the best skater in the world.”
“Thank you, Arnold.”
My only admirer this summer was eight years old and a student in my Skate Better class. Before my last year of university, I had finally scored the perfect job. I worked full-time at the Britannia Arena in East Vancouver. I taught classes in all levels of skating and hockey skills.
Arnold skated beside me and continued his wooing. “I was telling my best friend, Omar, about you. How you play hockey and everything. And that you’re pretty.”
“Thank you again. But right now you should be practicing your backwards skating.”
He gave me a disappointed look. Although under his smudged glasses and oversized helmet, it was tough to tell. But he teetered off on his backwards way. We finished up the lesson, and everyone left the ice. Friday was the last class of the week, so I locked the equipment away and went to the office. The program director was concentrating hard on her computer screen.
“Here are your keys, Lois.”
She put her hand out without even looking.
“Gee whiz, I could be dropping a snake in your hand,” I warned her.
“You’re not that type,” she said. “You’re too reliable.”
While that should have been a compliment, it felt vaguely insulting. Lois noticed my reaction right away. “Don’t worry, Kelly, reliable people are rare. It’s something I value highly. Did you hand out the evaluation forms?”
“Yup. Too bad we have to evaluate all the kids. Can’t they just enjoy themselves and get better naturally?”
Lois puffed. “Parents want to know where their money is going. But I sort of agree with you. You got plans for the weekend?”
“Yup, Monday’s my birthday, so I’m celebrating all weekend.”
“Wow. I hadn’t heard about the national holiday.”
“My girlfriends are taking me out tonight, and my parents on Sunday. Saturday, I’m having a me-day and going kayaking.”
“What about your boyfriend?”
“What boyfriend?”
“I’ve seen a guy picking you up a few times after work. In a silver Honda?”
“Oh gross, Lois. That’s my brother. I have no boyfriend.”
Since I broke up with Jimmy in January, I hadn’t dated at all. I was too busy when I was at McGill. We had made it all the way to the national championship—and then lost. That was so disappointing that I had vowed to be in the best shape ever for the upcoming season.
Working at a recreation centre was making that resolution easier. Not only could I hit the gym before or after my workdays, but I could also sneak in a little extra ice time.
I waved goodbye to Lois and went to catch my bus. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the bridge, and I got home just as April was arriving to pick me up.
“Ugh, I’m so late, and I still need to take a shower.”
“Most people say ‘hi,’” April replied. “Don’t worry, we haven’t got reservations or anything. I’ll let Charmaine know we’re running late. And now I can help you get dressed.” Her eyes lit up at this prospect.
“Hi, girls.” My mom greeted us at the door. “Kelly, a big package arrived for you.”
“Really? I wasn’t expecting anything.” I glanced at the long and narrow box.
“Maybe it’s for your birthday.”
My grandmother usually gave me money, so I wasn’t sure who could have sent it. I examined the package, but there was no return address on it—only a postmark. “Hey, it’s from Fredericton. Maybe Deirdre sent me something.”
I ripped open the box. Inside were hockey sticks—three brand new Easton CNTs.
“Holy sh-moke,” I said, correcting myself just in time.
My mother leaned forward and poked in the wrappings. “There’s no card. Well, that was nice of Deirdre.”
“They’re not from her,” I said. If Dee got her hands on hockey sticks this good, she would have kept them for herself. Composite sticks were expensive and fragile, and these were the latest model.
“Then who are they from?”
“Um, a friend. From hockey camp last summer.”
Since I had never told my mom about Jimmy, her boyfriend radar wasn’t up. In any case, hockey equipment wasn’t very exciting, so she went to the kitchen.
“A friend? The boy wonder?” asked April. “I thought you toasted him.”
“I did. I haven’t seen him since January.”
“You haven’t seen him, but….” She squinted at me. “Have you been talking to him?”
I exhaled. “Yeah, he calls me once in a while.” Jimmy was so determined, and he couldn’t believe that we had broken up over one small incident. Maybe it was my fault for not explaining well enough that it was really a series of things. But dating long distance was pointless. And I hadn’t heard from him lately, so I figured he had moved on. That was why this gift was a big surprise.
April snorted. “Well, if I got these for a birthday present, I would go up to the guy who gave me such a romantic gift and stick them where the sun don’t shine. But knowing you, you probably think it’s the best birthday gift ever.”
“They are sick twigs,” I admitted, flipping one in my hands. It was so lightweight and flexible. “They’re worth hundreds of dollars.”
April still wasn’t impressed. “Did he pay for them?”
“Probably not, since he gets his sponsored. But he did have to ask for them in my length, and then he taped them himself.” I felt the raised surface of the tape. Somehow the idea of Jimmy carefully taping my sticks was the sweetest part of the gift.
“How do you know that?”
“It’s his taping style. See? That’s the way he does his knob.”
She snorted with laughter. It was kind of funny if you didn’t know hockey. “Go take your shower, Kelly. You can’t try your sticks out right now.”
I showered. When I got to my room, April had already laid out an outfit. It was way too skimpy, even though it was a hot night. She knocked when I was combing out my hair.
“You decent? Charmaine walked over here instead of waiting.” Both of them came in.
“Kelly, you’re not wearing the shorts I put out.”
“Shorts at night, that can’t be right.” I giggled. “Hey, that rhymes.”
Charmaine laughed politely, but April ignored my corny humour. “Did you even look at me?”
I noticed that she was wearing an outfit that looked like it belonged to an oversized toddler, albeit a sexy one. “What is that?”
“Rompers,” she explained. “So, you can wear shorts too. Dressed up with a jacket. Also, I thought we’d go out afterwards.”
April’s will was too strong. I sat down on the bed and changed from my jeans. “Where?”
“To a club.”
Both Charmaine and I made faces. We were not club kids.
“Oh, come on. It’s your birthday celebration. We should have fun.”
“Fun is not standing around a loud, crowded club getting eyeballed by gross dudes,” I said.
“We’ll dance together. You love dancing,” April said. She made some imperceptible adjustments to my outfit and added a belt. “Okay, let’s do your makeup, and then we’ll go.”
For dinner we went to this fun Japanese tapas place called Guu. Instead of a regular meal, we ordered a series of yummy appetizers along with shared bottles of beer. Charmaine was telling us about a mass escape of lab rats at work, when a deep voice interrupted.
“Okay if I join you?”
Phil sat down beside me.
“Phil! What are you doing here?” He was working in Fort McMurray this summer at some kind of well-paying job on an oil sands project. But that was 1500 kilometers away, and I hadn’t heard from him all summer.
Now he had suddenly materialized and was looking pretty nice in a navy plaid shirt and dark jeans. His hair was a little long, and I resisted the urge to push it off his face.
“I get time off, too. Thought I’d fly home for your big day.”
“You came back for my birthday? That’s so nice.”
“Isn’t it?” He put his arm around the back of my chair and helped himself to a takoyaki.
Charmaine passed him the menu. “We can order more dishes.”
“Thanks, Charmaine. Nice to see you, and you too, April.”
“I wondered when you were going to get around to noticing us. How did you know where we were?” April demanded.
“Molly told me. I dropped by Kelly’s when I got home.”
“So, how is life in the oil sands?” Charmaine said.
“Everything’s fine,” he replied. But there was a tightness to his face as he said that. The waitress came, and we ordered more food and more beer.
“Truthfully… you don’t like it there?” I asked.
Phil looked over at me. He reached out and twisted a strand of my hair. I felt a twitch deep inside. “No, I don’t. Either I can stay at the camp all the time, which is boring, or I can go to town. Every weekend there are fights at the bars and worse. It’s fuelled by money and all the excess that money can buy.”
“Wow, that’s pretty harsh,” April said. “I know Spencer Mills got a construction job there. He wanted to save up money so he could afford a house here.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that story before. Guy wants to save his money and get out of there. But money is addictive. You’re working hard, so you figure you deserve a new truck. Then your buddies are going to Vegas for the weekend, so you go too. Next thing you know, you’ve been living there three years, and you still haven’t saved shit.”
“Cynical, much?” April asked.
“Hey, I was willing to go with ‘everything’s fine,’ but Miss Perceptive here—” he patted my shoulder “—asked for more.”
“I heard there aren’t many single women there,” April said. “Which might explain why you’re so grouchy.”
It also might explain why Phil was exerting his full-strength magnetism on me. He kept touching me and giving me these sultry looks from under his dark eyelashes that made me feel a little dizzy.
We had hardly spoken this entire year. Ever since New Year’s Eve when he barged into my love life by telling off Jimmy, we’d barely called or emailed each other. At first, I was angry with him. Then, once I’d cooled off, it was time for my playoffs. I figured that we’d make up this summer, but then he took this job in Alberta and disappeared. If he’d been back to Vancouver before, he hadn’t contacted me.
Still, it only took five minutes to renew our easy familiarity. We slipped back into conversation as if I’d seen him yesterday. Everyone at the table sensed this too and treated us like a couple. Kelly and Phil, back together. Like it was totally normal for him to fly all the way here and find me first.
After dinner, we went to the club that April wanted to check out. I felt more enthusiastic since Phil was there, so I wouldn’t have to put up with random guys. We all danced together anyway. When we finally took a break, Phil went to the bar to talk to some guy he knew.
“Oh Kelly, it’s so romantic that Phil flew in for the weekend to surprise you for your birthday,” Charmaine gushed. “It’s just like high school all over again, when you two were the couple.”
“I don’t know,” said April. “You have to keep guys on their toes. He shouldn’t parachute in without calling and assume that you’re single. What if you were at dinner with a date?”
I shook my head. “It’s always a good bet that I’m single. And if I were on a date, hopefully my mom wouldn’t send him after us.” Even if he was her favourite boyfriend of mine. Well, actually he was the only one she knew about.
My ears were ringing when we finally left the club. The fresh air felt invigorating after the sweaty heat.
“I’ll take Kelly home,” Phil said as we went back to the car. He was already walking beside me after using that cull-one-from-the-herd method he excelled at.
“Is that okay with you?” April asked me.
“Sure,” I said. Phil was making me nervous, yet I was drawn to him at the same time. I hugged April and Charmaine. “Thanks for dinner and a great evening.” They got into April’s car and left.
It was a few more blocks to Phil’s SUV. Before he started it up, he turned to me.
“Where would you like to go now?”
“Go? Home, of course. It’s after 2:00am, where else would we go?”
Phil reached over and rubbed the back of his fingers against my bare arm. “We could get something to eat, or….”
I shook my head and channeled April. “You know, Phil, you can’t just waltz in here and assume I’m free and easy.”
He gave me a skeptical eyebrow. “Are you seeing someone else?”
“Well, no. But I could be.”
Phil reached out and caressed my hair. Involuntarily, I leaned into his touch. “I know that all too well, Kelly. If you noticed even a fraction of the guys who check you out, you could have dates every night of the week. But I like to think you’re more discerning than that.”
If by discerning he meant that I hardly ever dated, then yes, I was. “You like to think I’m saving it for you,” I scoffed.
He put both hands on my shoulders, pulled me closer, and kissed me. His lips were hot and demanding, and as he parted my mouth I felt like he was inhaling all the energy from my body. I melted against the seat and let the warm, buttery feelings of desire go through my body. When he finally stopped, he opened his hazel eyes and gave me a look of pure lust.
“Are you saving it for me, Kel? Because I’ve been saving something for you….” His voice trailed away as he caressed my bare thigh. Jeez, April, I wouldn’t be getting so turned on if I had worn jeans. I rubbed my thighs together, trying not to be totally turned on, and kissed him back.
When we broke apart, Phil caressed my cheek and gave me his patented half-smile. “As fun as it is making out with you here, I think we should go someplace more private. Why don’t we get a hotel room?”
I stared at him in shock. “What? A hotel room?”
“Yeah, you know, Vancouver has lots of them. Nice beds, room service, privacy.” He made it sound like no big deal, but this was crazy.
“But won’t a hotel be expensive?”
“I’m making good coin this summer. I can’t think of anything I’d rather spend it on than time alone with you.”
“What am I going to tell my parents? They’re going to know what we’re doing.”
Phil laughed. “Kelly, I think your parents know you’re having sex. But you don’t have to say where we’re going. Text your mom and say we’re together, and we’re going out and then watching the sun rise from Stanley Park.”
“That actually sounds nice,” I said.
“We can watch the sunrise—from a king-sized bed.”
I breathed in. Sleeping with Phil in a big bed sounded fantastic. Not sleeping sounded even better. I texted my mom.
Phil got busy on his phone too, and he pulled up some last minute deals on hotels. “See, it’s not even that expensive. This one looks nice.”
“It’s still over a hundred bucks. I should be splitting this with you,” I protested.
“Unless rec centres are paying bonuses these days, I’ve got this. Think of it as your birthday gift.” He laughed. “Mine, too.”
We ended up at L’Hermitage Hotel. It looked way too fancy, but middle-of-the-night rates were cheaper. The guy at front desk didn’t blink an eye at the time or our lack of luggage.
“I feel like a hooker or something,” I told Phil in the elevator. “I even have hot pants on.”
Phil laughed and patted my ass. “Your pants are hot. Everything about you is hot. But nobody with two eyes would mistake you for a hooker. Did you not hear the guy at the front desk call you my wife?”
“He did? That’s so weird.”
The elevator dinged, and we got off. He slid a key card into the reader, and the door opened on our private paradise. The king-sized bed in the middle of the room looked luxurious and comfortable. Still, I hesitated in the doorway, feeling awkward.
Phil took my hand and pulled me into the center of the room. “This is the best way to celebrate your birthday. You’re 21. You’re an adult. So, you get to do adult things now.”
We both flopped onto the bed and lay facing each other.
“It seems like we’ve been doing adult things for years.” I laughed and ran my hand along his jawline. A smile flashed over his face. “It’s been way too long, Kel. I missed you.”
It was nearly two years since we’d been together like this—the first summer after we split up to go to university. Phil’s plan was that we get back every summer, but I hated being so scheduled. Love should be more spontaneous and natural.
Then he bent his face towards mine and put his arms around me. I relaxed into his embrace. Kissing Phil was like going home, going back in time. He had kissed me first, and he was like the gold standard. Maybe I had gone to university since, and maybe I had been with other guys like Jimmy and J.P., but here I was back in Phil’s arms. He seemed to have picked up some new skills in the meantime, and he moved his hands over me in a way that seemed to leave tingly trails behind.
I was so busy thinking about the past that I didn’t even notice that Phil had deftly removed my shirt and undone my bra, and he was staring at my half-dressed body.
“Have I changed?” I wondered.
“Totally. You’ve aged a lot. Such a shame. This is going to be a pity-fuck.” He cupped my breasts in both hands with his thumbs stroking my nipples.
“Well, let’s have a look at you, old man.” I unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open. He looked a little thinner than when I last saw him undressed, but his chest was still nicely defined, just more sinewy now. Probably due to less gym time these days, and that his muscles were for use and not show. I undid his belt and slid his jeans partway down. His concave abs and the dark line of his happy trail appeared, and I exhaled happily.
“What’s the verdict?” He wore a big grin.
“Meh. No wonder you’re back with your high school girlfriend. You probably can’t find anyone else to give you the time of day.”
“She’s always been easy. I only had to wait eight years for her to give it up.”
“Gross. You wanted to get with me when we were ten?”
Phil turned serious. “I liked you the moment I saw you. Sure, we were kids, but I wanted to be your friend and then I wanted to be your boyfriend.” He smiled. “But enough talking.”
He unzipped my shorts and pulled them down. I was wearing a red thong, and he didn’t bother to remove it, but just started rubbing me through the thin fabric. When he felt how wet I was already, he smiled even more.
I could feel his cock pushing up through his boxers, nudging me. “Hello there,” I said to it.
“He doesn’t talk.” Phil laughed.
“But if he could, oh the tales he could tell. Speaking of that, are you good to go?”
“You mean health-wise? I’ve been stuck with guys all summer. I’m pure as the driven snow.” He reached over and pulled some condoms out of his jacket. He pulled off his jeans, and I eyed his naked body. Yum.
“All those condoms. You were hoping to get lucky tonight.”
“I am ever optimistic when it comes to you,” he replied. He was running his hands all over me. He pulled off my thong so I was completely naked. “This body is amazing.”
“Not a pity-fuck after all?”
“Well, I pity everyone who doesn’t get to fuck you.”
And then he rolled on the condom. We were still face-to-face and began kissing with our mouths linked wetly and hungrily. Phil lifted one of my ankles and then entered me abruptly. It was intense and elemental, like we had been held back from each other for too long, and had to come together or die. He filled me up, I squeezed his cock inside me and we rocked hard together. Joined in that one beautiful spot, I relished the feeling of his hardness inside me. So fucking good. My hips followed his on every out-stroke—like I couldn’t bear to have him outside of me. I ground against his pelvic bone until I gained the sweet release of my orgasm, and he came a few minutes later.
We lay together in a wordless but happy stupor. Finally he got up and went to the washroom. I rolled onto my back and considered how my day was ending in a way I had never expected. Man, I loved having sex.
Phil came back and lay behind me, spoon-style. He put his hand between my legs and played with me, teasing me. I started to breathe deeply and wriggle gently against him. He turned me on my back and spread my legs and began licking me, like he had the first time we had sex. And like that time, I came almost immediately. But this time he kept at me, kept teasing me with his strong tongue until I came again and again. He went at me relentlessly, and when I felt weak, I protested lightly and he laughed.
“You need to be with a real man, Kelly. You need to be with me all the time.” Then he spread my legs wider and pushed the tip of his cock inside. He lifted my knees up and plunged deep, and this time it lasted a long time. A long, gorgeous time.