"So is falling," she said. "But maybe not tonight."
The lights shifted to red and green. He offered his hand.
"Couples skate?"
She did not pretend to think.
"As many laps as we get."
They glided. He confessed nothing small this time; the big confessions had already been spent and renewed. Midway, Mikey zoomed between them on purpose, a seasonal tradition with safety rules negotiated in advance, and they spun but did not fall. They laughed anyway, because laughing was the point and the prayer.
Later, by the rail, Jake told her that Claire had heard of a restaurant in Mansfield looking for a manager in the new year, a place with real bones and a kitchen that needed someone who understood both hunger and dignity. He said he would never ask her to shrink her life to fit his town. He said he only wanted her to know the door was open if she wanted Ohio to be home again without it being a demotion of her dreams.
Elena rested her forehead against his, gold clip cool against his cheek for a second.