Free Gio (5th Street) by Elizabeth Reyes

trust him completely. “Any word yet on when he’ll be up?”
    “Nothing yet.” Bianca chewed her pinky nail. “He’s supposed to call me a little later. He knows I’m spending the day boarding.”
    “I know. I’m sorry I interrupted. You know normally I wouldn’t but…” she seemed hesitant and that alone put Bianca on edge.
    “But what? Is there more?”
    There was an unpleasant pause then Toni spoke up again. “No. No, there isn’t.”
    “Are you sure?” Bianca glanced back and saw that Gio had both feet strapped into his board and was attempting to stand. Shit. She hurried back in his direction but still held the phone to her ear.
    “I’m sure. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get spooked or anything by some eager photographer.”
    Just as she reached Gio he nearly toppled over and she grabbed his arm with her free hand. “I gotta go,” was all she said to Toni before hanging up and sticking the phone in her pocket with her other hand then quickly reaching over to hold Gio up.
    His arms came around her in a panic. “Holy shit!”
    She couldn’t help giggling. “You weren’t supposed to strap both boots in yet. Just one.” She looked up at him; his face inches away from her. His minty breath so close to her face made her insides flutter but his confused expression had her smiling again in an instant. “I’m sorry I should’ve told you that first, right?”
    “Yeah,” he smirked, trying to stand on his own again. “Maybe I wouldn’t have taken so embarrassingly long.”
    She started to laugh but then stopped when she saw him wobble. “Don’t!” She grabbed his arm. “You’re gonna fall!” Even though she’d just had his big arms around her a moment ago it surprised her just how big and hard they really were now that she was squeezing them.
    Her eyes went from his arms to his alarmed expression and she pressed her lips together in an effort to suppress the incredible urge to laugh. The alarm in his eyes turned into humor. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”
    The only thing that kept her from laughing outright was that the sparkle in his green eyes was so incredible. The urge to sigh deeply won out over the urge to laugh by a mile. She settled for a very satisfying smile and she raised her chin. “Actually, believe it or not, I’m very concerned for your safety.” She motioned for him to sit. “Here, unstrap the right one.”
    He sat and did as he was told. “What’s the point of two straps if you only need one on?”
    “You’ll need them both on when you’re actually snowboarding but when you’re walking around and getting on and off the lift you only keep one on so your other foot is free to move on and off the board.” He glanced up at her as the strap pulled open and Bianca wondered how long it would take to get used to those eyes. “Jesus, Gio. Which one of your parents did you get such amazing eyes from?”
    Unbelievably, the sparkle in his eyes got even more brilliant with his smile. “My mom and thank you.”
    “You’re welcome,” she smiled back, feeling just a little bit embarrassed that she was so blunt about it, but it couldn’t be helped. “I’ve never seen anything like them.”
    His smile waned a bit as those eyes looked deep into hers for a moment. “I could say the same about yours.”
    She forced her eyes away from his penetrating stare feeling her face warm. “Mine are just plain brown.”
    “They’re anything but plain, Bianca. They’re beautiful. But I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve heard that.” He stood up placing his freed boot on the snow and looked down.
    It wasn’t the first time but she wasn’t about to brag. “Bambi,” she blurted out trying to keep the moment from getting awkward.
    “Huh?” Gio’s eyes met hers again and she smiled at his comical expression.
    “It’s what Felix calls me sometimes. He says I have Bambi eyes.”
    A slow smile spread across Gio’s face. “Nice. I think he hit it on