When we get to the ice rink, we split up. Dres and Amelia get on line to rent their skates while I cart Maddox and Sofia over to a table so I can help them with their skates. Skating is a Sumner family tradition, and both Maddox and Sofia take lessons every year.

     I get Maddox's skates on relatively easily. He's able to help with the process and can almost tie his own shoes, but it takes a bit more effort to get Sofia's on. She fidgets a lot, especially as I tighten the laces on her skates.

      "Too tight, Cas," she complains, pulling her foot away. I loosen the ties only slightly. They still need to support her ankles and I can see an ER visit in our futures if I let her have her way. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Maddox stepping towards the rink entrance. I call to stop him, "Maddox, you're not to step foot on that ice without me."

     "I'm just looking," he cries back at me.

     I shake my head, but monitor him as I finish tying Sofia's skates. I sit down beside her as Dres and Amelia walk over. Amelia is grinning at Dres. I glance at her hand where her skates are dangling and then at Dres.

     "I didn't know they rented out black skates," I say, frowning slightly. Leave it to Dres to get special treatment skates. The privilege of being drop dead gorgeous, I guess. Whenever I rented skates, I ended up with the scuffed, stinky ones. I have to refrain from my rolling my eyes.

     "They don't," Amelia says as she sits down beside me and removes her shoes. "He bought them."

     I raise my eyebrows questioningly at Dres, this feeling of warmth rising up in my chest. Amelia stares like she knows something's happening and she's not about to miss it.

     "It's an investment," Dres says rather simply. He's smiling with his eyes, which is starting to become better than when he does it with his lips.

     "Uh huh," I say with a laugh.

     "What? It could be," he retorts and even though there's a lot we aren't saying, it feels like deja vu. I get it now. I thought I'd bought new hiking boots to impress Dres, but maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe it's about meeting someone half way, taking an interest in their interests, making the concerted effort to do the things they like with them. I don't know exactly but it feels good. Feels like Dres is telling me something important.

     Maddox takes off the moment we get on the ice, treading with ease down the center of the rink. It's honestly impressive. I don't remember being that good when I was his age.

     Sofia clings to my hand as she gets used to skating again. She hasn't been taking lessons that long and she's still afraid to fall down. Amelia and Dres are not skaters. But Amelia's pretty fearless, stepping out onto the ice and making one long sweep across it before she face plants. Dres, charming asshole that he is, helps her up but laughs the whole time. Amelia's a good sport about it.

     After a few laps around the rink, Sofia tugs on my hand and then lets go completely. "You sure?" I ask her. She's closest to the wall, with Dres and Amelia on the other side of me, and still has her hand reached out toward it. She nods, taking careful strides, so I slow down, letting her get ahead of me. I allow just a few feet so I can see how she does.

     She's got it. I let her stay in front of me, glancing over at Dres to see how he's doing. He pretty much has his stride down but Amelia is moving slightly stilted. She's not afraid to fall, though, so she's improving with each lap.

     Amelia starts to skate ahead, catching up to Sofia. They're too far ahead and she's talking too low for me to hear her but Sofia turns her head and starts moving her mouth animatedly so its got to be about some girly kid stuff.

     Maddox whirls past us, makes a point of slowing down to laugh while screaming, "See ya' later suckas!" and keeps going. Dres laughs at this. He's generous with laughter when it comes to the kids.

     "I'll be right back," I say to Dres before I dart around Sofia and Amelia and take off after Maddox. I race him on his next lap, letting him take the lead as we catch back up to Dres and them, slowing down till I'm back beside him.

     "I win," Maddox calls as he turns in a circle to look back at us. He pivots and then takes off again.

     Dres glances at me with a cheeky look, and says, "You're good at this for someone who can't really walk."

     I gape at him. "What do you mean can't walk? I can walk."

     "You're clumsy, is all," he says with a shrug.

     "I am not clumsy, okay. The earth just calls to me."

     "Oh, is that what's happening?" He smirks. "And what does it say when it calls to you?"

     I don't miss a beat. "It says, 'Cas, you exceptional specimen of man meat, come closer so we can get a better look at you'."

     Dres looks at me, so amused I think the expression may shatter any frowns his future holds. "I feel so lucky to be dating this exceptional specimen of man meat."

     "See, now, that felt a lot like sarcasm." He doesn't answer, but he takes my hand and leads me farther out onto the ice, away from the wall. "Oh no, we're not going to be one of those couples, are we? We can't be one of those hand-holding skating couples. Your tattoos are too edgy for it. People will think you're holding me hostage."

     Dres doesn't let go of my hand and I don't really want him to, anyway. It just feels like something I should pretend to dislike. "Can't have people thinking this exceptional piece of man meat is on the market, now."

     "Careful fifty, your true colors are showing."

      My fifty shades joke lands as well as I expect it to.

     It only takes a couple hours for Sofia and Maddox to start losing steam. We break for some hot chocolate, crowding together at one little table.

     When we get back on the ice, Sofia and Maddox have some newfound energy, no doubt thanks to the sugar. The lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me, so I stay near the wall, leaning against it. Amelia's swinging Sofia around in circles and Dres is racing Maddox. He's pretending to be a worse skater than he actually is, losing his footing so that Maddox keeps beating him. He even lets Maddox show him different techniques that I'm positive Dres has already figured out.

     When Dres gets a chance, he breaks away from Maddox and skates over. He spins in a smooth circle, a far cry from the skating he was just demonstrating with Maddox, and leans against the wall next to me. "Tired?" he asks.

     I answer, "Exhausted. Kids are actually exhausting, who knew."

     He nods. "A good exhausting, though."

     "You're like actually a kid person, huh? This is so unexpected."

     He rolls his eyes as a response.

     Maddox skates over then, saying, "Dres, watch this!" He pushes off with his right foot and does a twirl, crouching as he slows down. "Now you try," Maddox says.

     "Okay, hm, like this?" Dres does a terrible rendition of Maddox's twirl that nearly ends in a split.

     Maddox loves it, cracking up so much that he almost falls over himself. I'm feeling all types of things that I'm trying to suppress but with Dres right in front of me acting like a child, its getting nearly impossible. It's an all consuming feeling.

     "No, silly, like this." He shows Dres again. "Cas, you can do it right?"

     "Sure can buddy," I say pushing off the wall to do Maddox's spin. Maddox bounces excitedly when I finish.

     "Alright, alright, let me try again," Dres says trying to hide his smile as he spins again. This time's worse than the first. He loses control and goes tumbling towards the ice. Maddox can't contain his laughter and ends up on the ice beside Dres.

     All of it is entirely too much for me. It knocks the air out of my lungs. It's cold on the ice but I'm hot all over.

     When Dres tries to stand, he slips, on purpose I'm pretty sure, and falls back down. Maddox is laughing hysterically and across the ice Sofia and Amelia have stopped to stare at him, amused. "I'm just not as good as you," Dres tells Maddox when he finally stands.

      Maddox is beaming at him. "Watch this then." He takes off down the ice, zigzagging towards Amelia and Sofia.

     "So," I start to say and Dres looks at me, curiously. I don't even know how to put my thoughts into words at this point. I don't even know if I have words. I realize how inappropriate it would be to shove Dres up against the wall and kiss him right now but it's all I can think about.

     "Hold that thought," he says as he turns his attention back to Maddox who's calling out for Dres to watch him. I would need to have a thought to hold onto it and I presently don't. I am completely thoughtless. I'm just urges, tons of them, a ridiculous of amount of urges.

     This is a whole other side of Dres and its hitting me like a ton of bricks.

     When Maddox finishes showing off another fancy twirl, Dres turns back to me. "I was thinking," I say slowly, thoughtfully, as I try to piece together what it is I'm thinking.

     Maddox calls out to Dres again and he makes a sheepish face before glancing back at Maddox. He's waving Dres over to him so he takes off, chasing Maddox around the rink. When they lap back to us, he comes to a standstill in front of me. "You were saying?" he says.

     It feels like he knows I'm trying to say something important. I don't know how he knows this since I barely know what I'm trying to say. I think I do know what I want to say, just not exactly how.

     "Uhm, right, I was thinking. I think that we."

     Maddox rolls up on us then, tugging on Dres's arm as he starts skating backwards into the center of the rink. He's slow, not as steady as he was with his other tricks. Dres offers words of encouragement.

     I'm trying to get this out of before I chicken out completely and don't say it, and Maddox keeps interrupting. The longer I don't say it, the less likely I will. Frustrated, I mutter, "Jesus," before crying out, "Maddox, show Dres how fast you can skate to that wall!" I point to the wall farthest away from us.

     Dres lifts his gaze to mine, looking horrified and amused. At least I've got his undivided attention now. Even if it is for only five seconds. I do not miss a beat.

     "We should have sex tonight."