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She laughed, and I was happy to hear it. “You can’t minor in figure skating. But there are a lot of rinks in Cleveland, so sometimes, my friends and I would go when I was in high school. But I haven’t been in years, so I might be on my ass with you.”
We got our skates, and as soon as I laced mine up, I began to think it might have been a mistake. I wasn’t afraid of making a fool of myself, but this could be dangerous. Along with busting my ass, I could break a bone or something. I was man enough not to show my fear, though. I was supposed to be the one catching Ali if she fell, not the other way around.
Fuck it.My girl was smiling, and that was the whole point of the outing.
My blasé attitude bailed on me as soon as I set foot on the ice. Having no shame, I clung to the wall while Ali made her first loop around the rink. She looked over her shoulder, searching for me. When she saw me, she laughed. She came to a stop next to me with a flourish, actually spraying my legs with ice shavings from her skates.
“Show-off,” I muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “Scaredy cat.”
I puffed up my chest.Oh hell no. Did she just call me out?I pushed away from the wall and immediately had to flail my arms to stay on my feet. Maybe I should have worn knee and elbow pads, like a skateboarder. Did they even make ass pads, though?
A child zoomed past me, and my arms flailed even wilder as I struggled to stay upright.Fuck this shit.I returned to the safety of the wall. “You go,” I told Ali. “I’ll watch.”
Shaking her head, she tucked her hands into her pockets and gracefully skated off. I watched for a few moments. Ali was awesome. I wondered what other hidden talents she had and looked forward to finding out once the stupid show was over and she was on her way to a successful music career. I didn’t consider the possibly that she wouldn’t win.
After a few more laps, she came to a stop next to me. I’d managed to make it halfway around the rink. I grinned proudly at her. “Did you see me, huh? Did you see me?”
She gripped my arms and pulled me away from the wall. “I saw you being a big chicken. Now, come on. It’s not that hard once you get the hang of it.”
I muddled along next to her, feeling like an elephant on skates. I probably had about the same level of grace. She was right, though. After two laps around, I got the hang of it and no longer longed for my death grip of the wall. After another twenty minutes, I was proud that I hadn’t fallen a single time. When that same kid zipped past me again, I decided to quit while I was ahead. I left the ice and undid my skates. Then I simply watched Ali. She waved at me as she went past.
After a few more laps, she joined me on the bench. She gestured to the skates sitting on the ground next to my feet. “I guess this means you’re done.”
“I’m not going to tempt fate. I did pretty well for my first time.”
Ali managed a straight face, though I could tell she wanted to laugh at me. “Yes, you did. It looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
“Hey.” I hooked my arm under her knees and positioned them over my legs, drawing her closer.
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Lucky for you, this girl likes old dogs.” Then she kissed me, making risking life and limb on the ice well worth it.
Ali
Trenton went to return our skates while I waited away from the crowd. I’d forgotten how fun ice-skating could be. Perhaps the best part was watching Trenton trying to pretend that he wasn’t freaking out. When I thought about losing a full day of rehearsal, though, I had to stop myself from hyperventilating. I forced myself not to think about it and to enjoy the evening. Trenton was trying so hard to cheer me up, and I loved him for it.
The thought took my breath away, and the sight of him walking toward me put a smile on my face.Do I love this man?My feelings these past few months had been like a roller coaster because of the show and my involvement with Trenton. The two were intertwined in my mind.
I wished they weren’t. Sometimes I would give anything for Trenton to be just a normal guy and for me not to have this drive within me, pushing me to strive for more. Then perhaps my feelings would be more clear-cut.
Trenton laced his fingers with mine and leaned down to kiss me. “Hot chocolate?”
“Definitely.”
There were a few other things to do in the stadium. We looked at the lights and shopped at a Christmas market. I ran my fingers along some handmade ornaments that my grandmother would have loved if she’d still been alive. I missed her. She’d been the only one who understood me, braving a Britney Spears concert when I was eleven because there had been no one else to take me. I wished I could have gotten a message from her instead of stupid Lindsey Piccolo.
With a sigh, I wiped the scowl off my face. Bitter and grouchy wasn’t a good look on anyone—I’d known fame came with a side of unpleasantness. The trouble was that if I was already experiencing it when I wasn’t even that famous, how much worse would it get?
Trenton appeared at my side with a little white box and a receipt.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The box for the ornament.” He plucked it off the tree and nestled it in the fuzzy padding.
My heart grew several sizes, like I was the Grinch, and all my bitterness faded. I was a fool to have been thinking about anything other than how lucky I was to be in that moment with that man. “You didn’t have to do that.”
His mouth stretched into a wry grin. “Yes, I did. You’ve been fondling it for five minutes.”
