Parallel Lives | BBANGSAZ

F O R T Y T H R E E

H A N N I
—

"It's safe, I promise," I repeat for the fifth time. "It's easy, you won't get hurt."

"Yeah, easy for you to say." She snorts. "You've been doing this since you were three. Your mom is a hockey player!" My girlfriend throws her arms up, shaking her head, and I laugh.

It's been eight days since Minji and I officially became girlfriends. Girlfriends. Gosh, I have a girlfriend. I wanted to do something nice for our first date. Mom told me that Mama took her ice skating for their first date, and I remembered I promised Minji I'd take her some day. That day is today. We're officially on our first date. I haven't told my mothers she's my girlfriend yet because I don't know what Minji wants. I need to be careful with her because I know she's still learning who she is, and also because of paparazzi. I told my sister, though, because this was supposed to be her time at the rink, and I needed the rink all to ourselves. She was more than happy to give me this day for myself. If I asked my Mama, she would've asked a lot of questions I don't want to answer without talking with Minji first.

So here we are, on our first date, at my Mom's Ice Center.

"Do you trust me?"

She shoots me a look, her gaze softening. "Of course."

I try not to smile, but it's impossible. "Then sit right here, and I'll help you with your skates."

She pouts, making me fight the urge to kiss her. "So bossy," she says, sitting on the bench.

I stick my tongue out at her and kneel in front of her. When I glance up, I notice her cheeks blushing. I help lace up the skates, and thankfully, they fit her perfectly. Then, I sit down next to her to put on mine.

It's been months since I skated, but I will always love it—the rush on the ice, the cold, the feeling of floating. I even miss how loud the crowd used to get every time my mom played a game.

"Are we alone here?" Minji still seems impressed by how big the center is. "Did you ask your mom for it?"

I shake my head. "This was supposed to be Rei's practice. She's usually here for three to four hours, but she let us use her time. Mom doesn't know we're here."

"Oh," her brows raise. "So we have the whole place to ourselves?"

"Yup. Is that okay?" I tilt my head, suddenly feeling insecure. Maybe she wasn't ready for this.

"No, yeah. Yes. It's perfect. I'm just... I've never skated before." She looks at the rink in front of us, chewing her bottom lip.

I swear I can't feel my hands from how cold it gets in here, but I hold Minji's anyway, giving them a small squeeze. "I'm not going to let you fall, love. I won't."

Her eyes meet mine, worry etched in them. "You promise?"

I nod. "I promise."

"Okay," she says, blowing out a big breath before kissing me softly but quickly pulls back. "Oh. Sorry."

I chuckle. "Minji, I'm out. The whole world knows I'm out, and we're both alone here. Do whatever you feel comfortable with." I give her hand a gentle squeeze before standing up with her. "I wanted to tell you that—I'm on your page. You don't need to be out just because I am. If you want to pretend we're just friends to everyone else, that's okay. We're the only ones who need the truth."

Her face softens. "Are you sure? I don't... I'm not hiding you, I'm just..."

"You're just discovering who you are, who we are." I finish for her. "I'm not in a hurry, we have our whole lives, right?"