Page 33 of Back Outside Edge

Not the best greeting, but it's that or two paragraphs explaining my dilemma.

No surprise, Stefan doesn’t jump to get back to me. I'm sure he's living in the rink, starting to ramp up for the new season. The return text comes when I’m sitting down to a dinner of leftover Chinese, my International Health Care Systems book open and staring at me. The book should be interesting. It's not. I should have gone to the study session.

Stefan Petryk

Hey, it's great to hear from you!

My stomach flips when I see the name. Crap. I'm so screwed. It takes me a moment to switch gears between studying, the spike of lust, and reading his message. When I do, I frown at my phone. Is it great? He’s been radio silent for weeks, but I'm not going to call him on it. I haven't been any better.

Me

You too. What have you been up to lately?

The three dots show up within moments. Apparently, now I've broken the ice, he's ready to talk. Well, so am I. Too ready, if anything.

Stefan Petryk

Been trying not to get too out of shape

Me

Lol. As if there's any chance of you getting out of shape.

Stefan Petryk

Two weeks touring Europe with and ? You bet I was out of shape

Me

You got back like a month ago though, right?

I didn't memorize his schedule. I didn't. I can do math, and I know he was headed for Europe after Worlds.

Stefan Petryk

And I've spent every day of that past month paying for it

Me

Which reinforces my opinion that you practice too much. *It’s the off-season!*

Stefan Petryk

How much is too much, really? Does it exist when you're training for an Olympic season?

Even over text, I can almost hear his voice, and I’m grinning at my phone. Maybe he’s competing with my sister on overuse of emojis, but it's so nice to talk to him. It’s like we're back in the hotel room together, hanging out. Friends. The teasing camaraderie still exists, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I missed him. I want to turn on video chat, see his face, hear his voice, but maybe it's too much, too soon.

Me

Pretty sure it does, especially if you peak before Stockholm.

Crap, I shouldn't have said that. Is it too close a reference to what happened last time? Will he take it as a veiled insult?

Stefan Petryk

I would never

I don't get the feeling that he's upset, but how am I supposed to be certain over text? Would it be better or worse to acknowledge the accidental reminder? Should I apologize? Since I don’t know, I stick with something generic.