Ink and Ice by Erin McRae (novel books to read txt) 📕

The universe did not agree, apparently, because halfway through the show his phone barked. The caller ID said Ari.

“Oh no,” Aaron muttered to himself as he swiped to answer. Ari rarely called him. When she did, it was usually because something had gone wrong on the island. At least it was still summer, which meant the ferry was still running and the islands weren’t ice locked from the mainland.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Ari said.

“Why?” Aaron frowned at the ceiling. “You don’t usually call to say hi.”

“I don’t know. But it felt like a good time to talk.”

Both Ari and Aaron protested against the idea that there was any sort of magical emotional or psychological connection between them as twins. Even so, there were times when intuition seemed to tug between them more strongly than it did with other people. For the most part Aaron found it comforting: A connection, however small and possibly imagined, to home.

“All right. Just a sec.” Aaron levered himself up from the floor. “I’m gonna go outside.”

“You have company?” Ari asked.

“No, but Charlotte disapproves of the company I had.” He winked at Charlotte as he toed his shoes on. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“What is it?” Ari asked as soon as he had shut the door behind himself.

“Do you remember the journalist?” Aaron had mentioned Zack’s existence and assignment on a few calls with his parents and emails home, but not in much detail. He definitely hadn’t mentioned that he’d been crushing hard on him. But then, his family also knew how much he liked to flirt; they might have assumed.

“The one you were supposed to suck up to so he could write flattering things to make the skating powers that be like you more than you do?”

“Uh, yeah, that one,” Aaron said, taking the stairs down to street level. His sister wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t said to her first, but it felt different hearing it now.

“And?”

“And I slept with him.”

“That was stupid,” Ari said without hesitation.

Aaron felt himself bristle. What did Ari know about Zack? Or his choices? “No, it wasn’t.”

“Ohhhhh, that makes it sound like even more of a mistake.”

“Look, do you want to know what’s going on or not?” Aaron snapped, pushing open the door and stepping out into the muggy evening warmth. A mosquito immediately buzzed at his ear and he swatted it away.

“Is there more going on than that?” Ari asked.

“Kinda,” Aaron said, then wondered why he was prevaricating. This was Ari. And he desperately wanted to talk about this with someone who wouldn’t automatically see it through the lens of skating. “Yeah. There is. You’ll like it,” he joked. “It makes me look super irresponsible. Or something. Kind of. Anyway....” he trailed off, not sure, now that it came to it, how to say it. Of all the times for his blurting power to fail him.

“Let me guess, he’s married,” Ari said dryly.

“Divorced,” he corrected.

“Aaron!”

“What? He’s divorced. It’s kosher.” Of all the things about Zack that made a relationship with him complicated if not downright unwise, his former marriage didn’t even make the list.

“What is wrong with you?” Ari moaned.

Aaron could imagine her, on the island, outside, somewhere in the dark, listening to the water and the seals and his own voice, an unwanted tether to the normal human world. He glanced up at the sky as he walked, taking the path that ran around the perimeter of the apartment complex, but it was overcast and there were no stars or moon to be seen.

“So I didn’t google him, before... you know,” he finally admitted.

“Oh nooooo. Aaron!” Ari sounded equal parts horrified and delighted. Aaron couldn’t only hope she would eventually choose to date someone so he could tease her in turn. “What is the terrible news?”

Aaron scrubbed a hand over his face and was glad that, this time at least, there was no one around to see him blushing. “There is no way to say this that isn’t wildly embarrassing.”

“All the better.” Now she just sounded delighted.

“Don’t tell Mom,” Aaron pleaded

“Is he in porn?” Ari asked.

“No! I mean, not technically? Why did you ask that of all things?”

“Because I know you and it takes a lot to make you squirm?” Ari offered. “Now, spill.”

“He’s also a photographer, and Charlotte googled him when she decided to be disapproving earlier.”

“Charlotte is correct.”

“You’ve never met him!”

“She’s still correct. And the google machine found?”

“Erotic bondage photos of his ex-husband?” There was no one around, so Aaron made his grimace of extreme embarrassment at a tree instead.

“Oh noooooo. No, no, no, Aaron, no! Come back to the island this instant. You don’t know how to do anything!”

Aaron laughed, but not because Ari was necessarily wrong. That he had no idea what he was doing with his life was obvious. That Zack also had no idea what he was doing with his life, was also somewhat obvious, and at a given point Aaron would have to deal with that. That his sister, who had never dated anyone at all was the one pointing it out.... Well, that was exactly what he deserved.

“I’m trying to go to the Olympics,” Aaron said in his defense. It was the only reason not to turn tail and run home. That, and that he actually liked Zack.

“And how is this helping make that happen?” Ari asked.

Aaron didn’t have an answer yet, but he was pretty sure Ari had just accidentally shown him the direction in which to look.

BY THE TIME HE GOT off the phone with Ari it was late, not for civilians, but for skaters. Charlotte had gone to bed when he crept back inside their apartment, and he willed himself to head to his own room before he wound up marooned on the couch watching TV. He didn’t have to be up too early on Sundays, but he still had to make it to the rink to help