Chapter 28 Keeping It Cool on Ice

"When the world ends, who do you want by your side?" Maya asked as she laced up her skates. Leah already had her skates on and was wobbling slowly toward the rink that was nestled between the office buildings in FiDi and the Hudson. It was already dark out; in New York in January there was almost no difference between 5:00 PM and midnight. The sky was black but illuminated by streetlights. People tired from long days at the office or bar straddled the streets in clothes that weren't nearly as neat as they were meant to be.

Leah stepped onto the rink. It was mostly empty except for a few other enthusiastic skaters who chose ice skating over happy hour. "Does it have to be a guy?" she responded as Maya followed her and they started circling on the ice. Leah wobbled but kept her balance. She hadn't ice skated in years, not since her mom had taken her for lessons when she was younger, but since the lessons were right after Hebrew school, they were often late. The teacher, a former figure skater, did not appreciate a late arrival on the ice and so Leah was forced to quit before she ever learned how to do an axel jump .

While Rockefeller Center is famous for its ice-skating rink, it's a little-known fact that there are multiple rinks set up around the city in winter. They are small, no bigger than a tennis court, but big enough that New Yorkers can glide around in the crisp air while avoiding the tourists that flock to Rockefeller.

"It doesn't, but don't you want to kiss someone at the end of the world?" Maya continued. "It's your last moments."

Leah had just told Maya about the wedding and how Gabe had avoided her except for his short response to her witty email. "Should I pursue him?" Leah had asked before Maya responded with her question. "Should I try to fix this or should I just accept that it isn't meant to be?"

Leah was still thinking about Maya's question when they finished their first circle around the rink. By the entrance was a group of people in suits starting to spill onto the ice. Leah and Maya tried avoiding them, passing the entrance and starting another loop. Leah felt her ankles wobble and she flung her arms around to stop herself from losing her balance. "Leah!" she heard, causing her to startle and end up with her knees on the ice. Her gloved hands saved her from hitting her face. She felt a hand on her back and she looked up.

"Asher? What are you doing here?"

"Intern outing for SIM Holdings." He held out his hand to help her up. "They do monthly events for us interns, like its compensation since we don't get paid." Leah let him help her up to her feet. Her knees ached and she felt even less sure of her footing than before her fall. "Hey Maya," Asher called out and waved. Maya was standing a few feet in front of them with her hands on her hips. "Kevin was asking about you."

"He can ask," Maya responded and then looked at Leah. "Are you OK?" When Leah nodded, Maya gracefully turned around and started gliding around the rink as though she lived her life on ice.

"We missed you on New Year's," Asher said as they started skating forward. They were still holding hands as though it felt totally natural. Leah didn't even notice her hand was still clasped in his. All she noticed was that she suddenly felt a little more balanced on her skates.

"It looked like you guys had fun," Leah responded.

"We did. It was like old times. Except without you, of course."

His comment reminded Leah of high school. Of BBYO. Of dressing up and going to dances called Beau Balls. It reminded her of convention weekends and sisterhood events. And late night talks of love and feeling lost. She started spiraling down the drain of nostalgia, back to when she and Asher were the perfect couple. The poster kids for happy Jewish relationships. Then Maya came up from behind them, hitting Leah lightly on the butt as she passed by.

"Hey!" Leah cried out.

"You're falling behind!" Maya called back as she whizzed around again. Leah did feel like she was falling behind. Back in September, she felt like she had it all figured out. She had her dream job, which turned out to be a little less of a dream, and her dream man, who too had his flaws, and an overabundance of hope that everyone starts out with when they move to New York.

"Asher! Come over here!" "Asher!" The other interns were calling him over to their group where they were laughing as they huddled together and moved like an amoeba over the ice.

"I'll catch you later, Leah," he said, letting go of her hand. They'd barely made it one time around the rink. "I'll call you. We should hang out."

Leah nodded and looked at Maya who was now twirling in the middle of the rink. Leah slid her feet forward, holding the wall around the rink and she pushed herself. When she made it around again, she stopped by the entrance, contemplating if she should get off the ice. She saw the group of interns on the other side of the rink. She couldn't spot Asher in the crowd, but she could hear their giggles and loud voices that carried across the ice .

She was startled when Maya collided with the wall in front of her. "You done already?" she asked.

"Yeah. Where did you learn to skate like that?"

"I used to want to be Michelle Kwan," Maya said. "I'd go to early morning figure skating lessons before school until I realized I'd never make the Olympics." Maya stepped off the ice as elegantly as if she were in ballet slippers rather than ice skates. "You never answered my question."

"Huh?"

"End of the world…who's next to you?" Maya looked at Leah, who looked at the interns rounding the other side of the rink. Before she could answer, Leah's right leg somehow ended up under her left and before she could steady herself, she hit the ice with a big crack. At first, she thought the noise was the ice breaking. All it took was the electric shock of pain to inform her that she was very wrong.