“What are you doing here?” Jason asked, his voice tinged with surprise as he skated across the ice toward the bench. His brows shot up in disbelief, and the edges of his mouth curled into an incredulous smile. He came to a stop, the sound of his skates scraping against the ice echoing lightly in the arena, and leaned casually on the half-board, peering at you like he was making sure you were real.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming to practice,” he said, eyes locked on you with a look that was somewhere between awe and affection. His tone softened, the excitement giving way to warmth. “I thought you were swamped back home… you said today was gonna be a whole thing.”

Without waiting for a response, Jason swung a leg over the board and hopped onto the bench beside you, settling in like he belonged there. He let out a breathy chuckle and glanced sideways at you, clearly still wrapping his head around your unexpected appearance. Long distance really does something to the brain.

A lopsided, slightly goofy grin tugged at his lips as he placed his stick gently at his feet. “You could’ve given me a heads-up, y’know,” he said, nudging you playfully with his elbow. “I’m not usually one for surprises.” He shook his head, clearly amused and more than a little touched.