Theo

It was bound to happen sooner or later, and apparently today was the day.

The elevator door slid open at the eighth floor, and Henry stepped on. Well, he half stepped on, stopping dead and staring at me like I was a ghost, and this was some horror movie. The guy hated me, but come on. I wasn’t that bad.

“Hey!” I gave him a little wave. “I guess we’re neighbors.”

He blinked, so at least he hadn’t been magically frozen into stone with the shock of it all. Manon’s assistant had mentioned Henry lived in this condo too, and that Ivan had until he moved in with a girl he met.

The door bounced back open. Henry hadn’t moved, and the door tried again valiantly to close and do its elevator duty. After two more denials, an angry beep sounded. I tugged Henry inside by the dangling strings of his hoodie.

“So you’re on eight, huh?” I said, stating the obvious. “I’m on eleven. The building seems nice enough. You like it here?”

Swiveling his eyes to the bank of numbered buttons, he nodded, then pressed P1 with a frown. The door opened at the lobby, and I said, “See you in a bit!” before he could question why I wasn’t going down to parking.

I waved to the concierge as I hurried past, pulling out my phone to check on my ride. Fuck. Fuck! It’d been canceled and the app was searching for another driver. It wasn’t always easy to get someone out here midday for some reason. In the distance, cars zoomed by on the 401, the major highway cutting across Toronto.

Since the Ice Chalet was in the middle of nowhere, some drivers didn’t want to go up there. It was weird that they’d built an arena so far away in the seventies, but apparently there had initially been a big outdoor adventure park beside it that was long gone now.

I’d tried the bus, but I had to take three to get close to the rink, and it took way too long. At least I’d convinced Manon and Bill for a one p.m. start on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Only problem was that this was Monday.

I’d missed not only the obligatory team session at the crack of dawn, but by the time I’d woken, there was no point in going until after lunch. I’d texted Manon my apologies and explained that my alarm hadn’t gone off. Which was true! Because I’d blanked on setting it. My phone usually reminded me at night, but it had betrayed me.

“Come on, come on…” I almost shook my phone like that would help somehow.

Henry had surely been at the rink obscenely early and had likely come home for lunch before heading back. An engine rumbled close by, a red Civic passing the front doors on its way down the driveway. It was Henry, and because I’m an idiot and didn’t keep my head down, our eyes met through his window.