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I close my eyes and sink into the moment–to the whole experience. I’m also completely oblivious to the fact that Jesse has come down to skate, too, and he’s currently watching me from the bank of the frozen harbor.
23
JESSE
OF COURSE.
I came down to the harbor to skate so I could clear my head. I was going to go with Jake to watch a movie with the guys, but I figured Andi would be there. I’m trying as hard as hell to keep an emotional distance between us today. I want to send the right message. I want to prove we can fool around at night without going all gooey eyed for each other by day. Easier said than done, apparently. So I’m cheating a bit today. I’ll just avoid the shit out of her and make it easier on myself.
But even when I’m keeping my distance, I can’t get her off my mind. All fucking day, I’ve had Andi on my mind. Her scent. Her presence. She’s like a drug I’m desperately trying not to get hooked on. So, I figured I’d get in a workout on my skates to clear my head.
But there she is.
She’s on the ice with Mia Calloway. Mia is skating backwards and beckoning for Andi to follow.
Andi does a little spin and a jump, surprising me with her grace. She’s good. I can tell immediately from the way she carries herself on the skates. Her balance is almost perfect and she lands as if gravity can barely touch her.
She does a twirl, hands circling out with wrists bent, then curtseys and both girls break into laughter.
Something in my chest hurts.
I realize I’m smiling as I watch her. I realize it because she looks up suddenly, locking eyes with me. She was mid turn and her skates bump into each other. She spills on the ice, her ankle rolling to the side as she lets out a yelp of pain.
“Shit,” I say, dropping my gear and rushing to the ice. I make my way toward her as fast as I can in tennis shoes, almost falling on my ass several times and not caring.
I slide to my knees beside her, where Mia is crouched and Andi’s breathing hard.
“I’m fine,” Andi says, clearly forcing a smile. “I just rolled my ankle a little. I’ll be fine.”
“Not if you lay here on the ice,” I say.
“Wanna drag me to safety?” she asks, smiling that crooked smile of hers.
“I’ll…” I hesitate. I was going to offer to carry her. Bum shoulder or not, I should be able to manage that much. But I glance behind me at the distance of slippery ice and realize as much as I may want to whisk her to safety in my arms, I’d be doing more harm than good. One slip and I’d slam her to the ice and cause more damage. “Can you stand with help?” I ask.
“I think so.”
She gets up, pulling on me and Mia to get to her skates. She tries a little weight on her right foot and winces. “Just sore,” she says.
“Come on.” I glare at Mia. “Why did you let this happen?”
Mia’s face screws up with outrage, then she laughs. “What? How is this my fault? You’re the one who was being all creepy off on the bank smiling like a weirdo at her. I think I could see your boner from here.”
I clench my jaw. She’s kind of right–not about the boner–but I want to blame her. “I was just surprised to see Andi here. I didn’t know she could skate like that.”
“Impressed?” Andi asks.
“I was,” I admit. “Until you busted your ass, at least.”
“Hey,” she says, laughing. “Be nice to me. I’m mortally wounded.”
“We’ll get ice on that ankle back at the cabin. Actually… I think I should take you to see Dr. Knight, just to be safe.”
“No, really,” Andi says. “It’s just a rolled ankle. I’ll be walking like normal by morning. I promise.”
I give her a long look, but nod my head in agreement as we move off the ice and to the snow.
“Here,” I point to a bench. “Take a seat.”
