Home for the Summer (BOYXBOY)

25 | Growing

We didn't invite the girls as we passed by their room. Nico and I simply grinned at one another and ran further through the hallway, down the elevator, and into the lobby. Clad in swimsuits and t-shirts, we entered the indoor pool area. It was practically deserted. Blue lights glowed from under the surface of the water but other than that, it was dark, leaving the night sky to peek in through windows. Nico removed his shirt as I stood behind him and gulped. Why do I still get nervous around him? Shouldn't I be used to this by now?

"You coming?" he called, stepping into the water.

"Yeah, hold on." I tossed my shirt aside and joined him in the shallow end.

"So, you're scared of the ocean," he said, the water dipping over his collarbones, "but, you'll swim in a pool?"

"Those are two very different things."

"You can drown in both of them."

"Well, the ocean is huge, you know? It could pull you away and nobody would be able to find you. Pools, though? You're just in one place."

"I guess that's true."

I stepped in a bit deeper, allowing the water to rise up my chest. "I was thinking... If there's any ice rinks open back at home, we should go one day."

"Really?"

"I mean, the chances are low since it's summer in Cali, but I'd love to see you skate sometime, even if you weren't playing hockey."

"You know," Nico started, "I always liked the skating part of hockey more than the actual game." I raised my brows as he let out a laugh, like this was some huge secret. "I dunno. It's more impressive, I think. Anyone can hit a puck, but it takes a lot to glide over ice."

"Have you ever thought about figure skating?"

"I'm not that talented. Speed skating could be cool, though."

"Speed skating takes a lot of talent, too."

"I just mean that I'm not that artistically talented. Not like you or Rowan or anything."

"Me?" He nodded and I grinned. "How am I 'artistically talented'?"

"Uh, your garden for one. It's seriously impressive, the stuff you grow. And, you write, too. You're more talented than most people I know."

I shrugged away my smile as he went further into the water. "For what it's worth, I think it's impressive how dedicated you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Running daily, going to the gym even on vacations. That takes real commitment."

"I don't know about that." I tilted my head as he looked back at me. "Training for hockey took up my entire life back at home. It was always how much I could lift or how long I spent on the ice or... It doesn't really feel like dedication. More of a distraction, I think."

"From what?"

Nico shrugged and stared downward. "My mom's relapse wasn't all that sudden. I could sort of sense it coming for a while. She would spend more and more time in bed, she stopped going out to pick up groceries and... Soon, she just broke. And, I guess I knew in the back of my mind that it was coming, so I tried my hardest to just block it out. I got really obsessed with hockey and training and everything that came with that. But, I think I might've made things worse for her. My mom should've been worried about herself, not about me."

I put a hand on his arm and frowned. "She's your mom, Nico. Worrying about you is part of the job."

Nicolas gave me a half smile before sucking in a long breath. "So, wanna play Marco Polo?"