Theo told me the date wasn't until 7 pm, so I decided to go to practice today.
I did my normal conditioning and warm ups before working on both routines. As the days get closer, we were sent to a different facility where it was more sports. There was a powerlifting room, for some of the people who use that as a type of conditioning, and the indoor sports that competed were in the same facility now.
Ice skating was one of the biggest categories, so we had the biggest rink. It was the same rink a NHL team used to practice. Theo and Ophelia were for sure not allowed here, but that never stops him from picking me up after work with my favorite take out and my favorite girl in his arms.
It feels good, everyday coming home more and more to Theo. Ophelia has been so attached to him, and now that seeping part of me that stressed if he'd leave, isn't so loud anymore.
We talked the other night about his life. It wasn't a simple or happy talk. He ended up telling me all about his childhood. He explained how his mother suffered an eating disorder when he was young, and there was times he thought she died because she'd go days without eating.
I tried to hold back tears because I couldn't imagine a child experiencing that. Whenever stuff like that got so bad, I'd seclude myself from Ophelia, but she never remembered it because she was so young. He also told me about his ex, and how he had known her his whole life and when they were teens he wanted to marry her, but she got terminally ill when they were seventeen and died at eighteen. He told me he still has the ring he gave her, promising to marry her when she got healthy enough to have a wedding.
He told me it felt impossible to move on at first, but now he thinks he has moved on enough to start a new relationship. I don't blame him. It's hard to just move on after the majority of your life was spent loving one person. And for him, that person died. For me, they left me heart broken.
I told him a little about my childhood. About how much it was a struggle to stay in this sport. How I started so late, and how my parents worked three jobs to keep paying for lessons and travel funds. I told him how they never went to any of my competition because they either had work or couldn't afford a ticket for themselves.
"So who cheered you on? And got you flowers?" He ended up asking. I laughed and the pity I made of myself. My parents did everything to help me, and that's why I'm helping them now.
"No one," I simply say. "My teammates or coaches, I guess. But flowers, I never really got those. Didn't expect them when my parents were doing so much that flowers felt useless."
"So you never received flowers after a performance?" Theo asked, nearly stunned. "Not even from that asshat ex?"
I laugh at the nickname. "Isiah got me a bear once, I think. He got me a 'get well' balloon when I broke my knee. He never really drove to any of my competitions though, always had an excuse out so I stopped inviting him."
The conversation continued to flow like that, me talking about some stuff and Theo opening up more. He told me the things he wants in a relationship, and I agreed with everything. He told me how much he cared for Ophelia, and all the stories about her. I simply sat and listened until my eyelids closed on me. I woke up tucked in, and with breakfast in bed—again.
"Julie, we need to fix that combination," Elliot says. Elliot spent the first hour of conditioning bragging about his win, which I liked to listen to. Elliot was the best of the best, even if he was my age and everyone said we were too old. We both had the same plan, win one more time and get the hell out of here.
"Want to run through it on the ground, so we have the formation down and some of the spins and tosses, so we don't break anything on the ice?" I ask, laughing. I've been in a good mood this morning. I'm still working on directing my mind away from looking at every mirror I walk by and more on a healthy mindset. I think of Ophelia and imagining her growing up with that same mindset, and I push through.
We get off the ice, clean our blades, and start to work on some of the spins with the equipment. Elliot works of the toss he does for me, figuring out the right hand placement and how my knees should bend or how I should hop. Our couch helps us with our timing, and we get the move down perfectly before moving back to the ice.
The hockey team has been watching us while there coach is drilling them will orders and commands. When we aren't on the ice, they clean it and let the hockey guys on for an hour of there practice before we switch and they do conditioning.
There are two rinks, but for some reason they've been working on the other one for the past three days, so we have to share. Hopefully today is the last day because I saw a few workers talking to the coach and may have heard them telling my coach that the patch was fixed.
Elliot and I have been on the ice for about twenty minutes and went over our routine about five times. We both listen to the music together in a headphone so we aren't playing songs from Tangled aloud.
"I think I'm going to resent this song once we are done," he groans when the begging of the song plays and we start to skate. My feet glide, and I feel like after so many times of doing the same thing it just feels like second nature.
While manuvering and jumping and twirling, all I can think about is tonight. My date with Theo. I feel like a teenager going on her first date ever. But Theo makes me feel like the most lovesick person in the world.
The song stops, and I catch my breath as we hold the final pose before exiting—just how we rehearsed—thinking we are done.
"From the top," Elliot says for the twentieth time today, and I am in the air once again. This would be a long day.
~~
I rushed home once practice ended, greeted my mom who kindly offered to babysit, ran to the shower, and probably changed as quick as possible.
I've never done makeup faster. It was already peering 7, and I had to text Theo to come over at 7:30 to give me more time. My mother did my hair while I did my makeup. Ophelia helped me pick out my outfit,
My new green, body con dress finally got to make an appearance tonight after being in my closet for years. Monique told me to wear it. It was kind of short, but she told me Theo wouldn't mind—with some cocky laugh. It was green with long flared sleeves and a heart neckline. I paired it with my favorite black, shin high boots.
After rushing with the final touches, I took one glance in the mirror before the doorbell rang. "Wait I want a photo!" My mom yelled.
I groaned. "Mama I'm almost twenty-four, you don't need to act like this is my first date," I tell him, but honestly I'm also acting like it's my first date. I keep reapplying perfume thinking I smell bad, and constantly chewing on gum as if I hadn't kissed Theo this morning.
"I don't care, you are going on a date with a man who keeps telling me he is going to marry you. I need to remember this moment," she says, exasperated.
I laugh. "He has not said that."
"You are a stubborn girl, Juliette Elise Abridge," she tsked , pulling out her phone. I roll my eyes before opening the door to the most delicious looking man. The was wearing a white button up with black slacks and oh my did I want to just ravage him.
He was holding a bouquet of flowers, pink tulips and daisies. There was nothing I loved more than a man holding flowers. His longish hair was slicked back and his facial hair was nicely trimmed.
"You look ravishing, princess," he growls before kissing my cheek.
"Ew, mommy, no kiss," Ophelia yelled from the couch, which caused us to chuckle.
"Don't worry, kiddo, mommy won't kiss Theo anymore," I tell him, going over to her to give her a kiss atop her head. I turned to see Theo staring in amusement, probably at the comment.
Before we could leave to go on our date, my mom stopped me. "Wait, wait, I want a picture!" She demands. I groaned, but Theo was more than happy to please my mom. Probably all the stupid marriage talk they secretly have together.
As she is getting her camera phone ready, I whisper in his ears—having to stand on my toes because he somehow always taller than me. "You talk to my mother about marrying me?"
She yells cheese, as Theo leans into my ear and say; "your lucky she doesn't hear about the other things I want to do to you." And the photo snapped, my face beet red and my eyes wide.
"You have a dirty mouth, Callahan," I mutter as we finally exit my house, out of earshot.
"Only for you, princess," he says as he opens the door for me to enter his truck.
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