When a Love Runs Cold

"Oh, hells yeah! One lake all to ourselves." Rory Matthews shouted as he and his best friend Skyler Thompson arrived at the lake. Ever since winter began, the boys had been eagerly awaiting the holiday break so that they could finally dust off their skates and hit up the lake near their neighborhood. After so many weeks of freezing cold weather, the lake was frozen solid and ready to take on the weight of two middle school boys. Sitting down on the wooden bench by the lake, Rory and Skyler went to work lacing up their skates. Rory finished before Skyler and swiftly made his way out onto the untouched ice.

Skyler might've gotten done at the same time as Rory if he hadn't been so busy staring. Even bundled up in a thick winter coat and red knit cap, Rory was the most beautiful thing in the world to Skyler. They'd been friends since first grade and it was around sixth grade that Skyler began to realize he liked boys--and that he'd fallen hard for Rory. With his wavy brown hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, Skyler could hardly take his own eyes off of Rory when they were together. Now that they were only a school year away from entering high school, Skyler could firmly say he was in love with his best friend.

Finally getting his skates on, Skyler joined Rory out on the freshly frozen lake. Being the first two to get out onto the ice, their blades slid across the slick surface with smooth ease. Neither boy was a pro skater by any means, but Rory was skilled and graceful enough to have Skyler transfixed by his movements. Skyler, meanwhile, had to pay careful attention if he wanted to avoid wiping out. He knew from experience that taking a faceful of solid ice wasn't much fun. But as Rory skated past at full speed, he pulled his cap off and howled up at the sky. With the pond being within walking distance of the forest, Rory had always hoped that his howl would draw out a wolf. Seeing Rory's beautiful hair fly free as it was released from its wool restraints sent Skyler's heart soaring.

His body, meanwhile, was falling as he skated right into the snowbank. As Skyler laid on top of the mound of snow, he heard a familiarly adorable laugh as Rory skated over to him and flopped down beside Skyler.

"I'll give you an 8 on the landing, buddy. Little messy in the execution, but the result made up for it."

Skyler barely heard his friend's wisecrack. He was too caught up in Rory's wild hair, flecks of snow clinging to a few strands. With that warm smile of his and Rory's soul-capturing gaze, it was like something right out of Skyler's fantasies. It was a sight beautiful enough to overtake any rational thought Skyler might've had in his head beforehand. A moment so straight out of his dreams that he couldn't help but act it out right then and there.

In a swift motion, Skyler's lips were connected with Rory's, with Skyler putting a hand behind Rory's head to have a feel of his hair. It was as soft as it was the last time he'd felt it when he bumped into Rory in the school cafeteria. Kissing Rory was just as magical as Skyler always envisioned it would be...

Or at least that's how it was for the four seconds it lasted.

"What the fuck?" Rory exclaimed as he pulled away from Skyler. It was less of a disgusted rejection of Skyler's kiss and more of a confused "what are you doing?" reaction to the advance. Not that it made much of a difference to Skyler. With three little words, Skyler's beautiful fantasy was gone. What replaced it was a best friend looking at him with a mix of shock and confusion. Skyler wanted to say something. Wanted to tell Rory how he'd come to realize he liked boys. How he'd taken a long time to accept himself for who he was. About when he'd first realized his feelings for Rory had grown into something else. About how he thought Rory was the most beautiful, kind, all-around amazing person he'd ever met.

"I'd...better get going. I just remembered my...dad needs some help...with the car today."

But no words would pass Skyler's lips. Even though he knew Rory was lying to have an excuse to leave, Skyler didn't have the strength to question it. After changing back into his boots, Rory gave Skyler one last unreadable expression and a quick "see ya later" before heading back towards town. His heart crumbling inside his chest, Skyler collapsed back down into the snow--back down onto the same spot where he'd been over the moon just seconds before. After he could no longer hear Rory's footsteps, Skyler buried his face in the cold wet mass, allowing his tears to mix with the frozen water.

Skyler didn't know in that moment what long-lasting consequences his impulsive kiss would bring. Was Rory going to tell any of their classmates? Tell his parents, who would certainly relay the information to Skyler's mother? Above all else, though, Skyler had no clue as to whether or not his and Rory's friendship was going to survive this revealing trip to the lake.

All he knew was that he'd bared his heart to Rory beside that frozen pond. And now, here he was, left out in the cold.