"Did you know, could you tell 
You were the only one
That I ever loved...
You're my favourite mistake..."

~ Sheryl Crow, My Favourite Mistake

10:43 p.m. The last traces of light were beginning to erase themselves from the sky over the park. A lone figure remained in the darkened playground, aimlessly dangling her legs off a swing, swinging slowly back and forth, but not getting very far off the ground.

The sound of footsteps interrupted the still silence of the night, and the park�s lone occupant instinctively looked up to see who was coming.

She squinted into the darkness. �Ben?�

�Steph?� The walker entered the playground and walked towards the swingset. �What are you doing here?�

�I could ask you the same thing,� she replied. �I like to come here sometimes, at night... Okay, so maybe it�s not the safest thing in the world to come alone, but sometimes you just need this kind of silence... to think.�

�That�s scary,� he remarked. �Because that�s exactly why I�m here. As as for safety... well, you�re not alone anymore. Unless you want to be, that is.�

�Nah.� She shook her head. �I don�t mind you being here.�

He sat down on the swing beside hers. �So... what were you thinking about?�

She scraped her feet against the sandy ground. �You.�

�Oh?� His tone of voice suddenly changed.

�Yeah.� She didn�t offer any details. �So... what were you thinking about?�

He paused. �I hate to sound like an echo, but... believe it or not, you.�

�Weird coincidence.� She pushed off and started to swing. A minute later, she spoke again, her voice almost lost against the wind her momentum was creating. �You want to know what I was thinking... what I was really thinking about you?�

�Well, I wouldn�t mind knowing,� he responded, trying to sound flippant but knowing he�d failed miserably in the attempt.

She pumped her legs, getting higher and higher off the ground. �New Years Eve, �94.�

His heart lurched. At first, he wasn�t sure he�d heard right. But what else could she have said? New Years Eve, 1994. The one thing he�d been trying to block from his thoughts for so long. It wasn�t just a date... not to them. Had it really been four years?

He caught the chain of her swing, forcing her to come back down.

�Steph, did you say...� He saw her look away and knew he had heard correctly. �You did, didn�t you?�

She nodded wordlessly.

�You were thinking about...� He trailed off.

�Yeah.� Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

Four years had gone by, and they�d never once mentioned it. Never spoken of it, never let on that they remembered, pretended it had never happened. Four years of skating together since that night, of sharing hopes and dreams, successes and failures on and off the ice. Four years of partnership and friendship, and now, here they were, in a playground, alone, and she�d said the words they�d avoided for so long... New Years Eve, 1994.

�Steph, I...� He stared down at the sand, at a loss for words.

�I know,� she said. �You don�t know what to say. I know. I know I�ve never said anything... I know we�ve never talked about it... but you don�t just forget, Ben. You know, don�t you?�

�Yeah,� he agreed quietly. �I know.�

She twisted her swing to face him. �You mean you haven�t forgotten?�

�Forgotten?� He looked up at the night sky and started counting stars in an effort not to fall apart. �Steph, how could I forget?�

When she finally replied, there was a tremour in her voice. �I thought you might�ve. You never said anything... not even that week... I thought...�

�You never said anything, either,� he reminded her. �But just because I didn�t say anything, it doesn�t mean... it doesn�t mean that it didn�t mean something.�

She started swinging again, and this time, he decided to join her. When they finally came down again, she got up, walked away from the swingset, and started balancing her way across a series of uneven logs. Knowing she needed her space, he stayed sitting. He knew she�d be back.

Soon, she sat back down on the swing, and he could tell she was preparing herself to say something.

�That night...� she began, hesitating.

�Yes, Steph?� he urged gently, not wanting to push her, but needing desperately to hear what she�d been holding inside for so long.

�I�d never done that before,� she finished in a rush. �It was my first. You were my first.� She sat back, nervously awaiting his reaction.

�I know,� he replied simply.

�You knew.� It was a statement, not a question. �Why didn�t you say anything?�

�You didn�t say anything,� he pointed out once again. �I thought you didn�t want anything said.�

�I should�ve known, though,� she reflected. �I must�ve been so...�

�Shhh...� He cut her off, wanting to reach over and touch her, but feeling too awkward to do it. �It wasn�t you. I mean, I could tell you were nervous, but... it was more... Steph, you were seventeen. I guess I just...�

�Expected it?� She gave a lopsided smile. �Thought I was a good girl? Well, I guess you were right.�

Silence fell between them again, and for lack of anything better to do, he resumed swinging. But he was only off the ground for a short while before he came back to her.

�While we�re in confession mode, I might as well tell you something,� he said softly. �Steph... we were pretty much in the same boat that night.�

She looked at him, confused. Then suddenly, the meaning of his words struck her and she gaped at him.

�You, Ben? You, too?�

He nodded.

�B-but... but... you were so much older, and...� she stammered.

�Is it impossible?� he teased lightly.

�Of course not, but...� She shook her head. �I guess I just didn�t expect it. I can barely believe it. But Ben, I...� Her voice dropped. �I�m so glad.�

�Me, too.� He tentatively moved his hand within reach of hers. She was willing, and took it.

�That night... it was...� Even in the faint moonlight, he could tell she was blushing. �There hasn�t been one like it since.�

He smiled. �Is that good or bad?�

�Oh, you...� She laughed, and the echo of her laughter sounded throughout the playground. �You know what I mean.�

�Steph...� His voice was suddenly serious. �What happened that night? What really happened? Why haven�t we said anything until now?�

�I don�t know.� She started drawing pictures in the sand with the edge of her sneaker. �I tried to forget... for so long. I would come to the rink every day and be trying so hard to think of something else. And then Joe came along, and I just wanted so badly to get over it, to forget. And then one day I realized I had forgotten. Almost. And that it wasn�t just an excuse anymore... I really loved him. Well, until...� She trailed off.

�I�m glad, Steph,� he replied honestly. �I really am. It took me longer to forget... I�m glad it wasn�t like that for you.�

�I know it was hard on you.� She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. �I saw it in your eyes... sometimes. But I just wanted so badly to pretend it hadn�t happened... or that we�d handled it differently... I�m sorry.�

�We were too young,� he whispered, half to her, half to himself.

�Or maybe just too stupid and naive,� she added. �We just didn�t know how to handle it... something so intense...�

�And so we tried to erase it.� He sighed. �It didn�t work.�

�I�ve been wondering a lot lately,� she said with a deep breath. �About why this is all resurfacing now. About what would�ve happened if we�d talked like this long ago. About... about what would happen if what happened that night happened now.�

They just looked at each other for a long moment, until finally, she stood up.

�I�d better get going,� she said softly.

He noticed she still hadn�t dropped his hand. �Walk you home?�

�I�d like that.� She gently pulled him up from the swing, and they began to walk together in silence, hand in hand.

When they finally reached her house, they stood outside together, looking up at the twinkling stars, not saying anything.

�Well...� she finally pulled away. �I guess this is good night.�

�Yeah, I guess.� Wish upon a star... he looked up at the sky once again and made a quick wish. And then... �Good night, Steph.� And he leaned down, and very gently, kissed her on the lips.

The wonder in her eyes when he pulled away gave him hope... and then she leaned up and softly kissed him back. �Good night, Ben.�

And as he walked away, the demons of New Years Eve, 1994, finally weren�t around to haunt him... and he looked up at the sky and thanked his lucky star for making his wish come true.