Ruby looked at him, blinking. “That’s awfully impulsive of you, Dr. Hakim. I’m a terrible skater. I think I told you that.”
“C’mon, Ruby. It doesn’t matter if you’re not good at it. It’ll be fun.”
She frowned. “You say that now, but I’ll be holding on to you so tight that you’ll bruise, or I’ll end up on my ass the whole time.”
He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I don’t have a problem with you holding me tight. We can get hot chocolate after. Somewhere near there should have a gingerbread one.”
Ruby couldn’t say no, because one day she’d be looking back at this time with Rashid, and she didn’t want to regret that she didn’t do everything she possibly could with the man while she had the opportunity. Plus, skating at Nathan Phillips Square was such an iconic winter-in-Toronto activity—she kind of wanted to experience it, too.
They walked to the outdoor skating rink near city hall, and by the time they rented skates and laced them on, Ruby was quite sure she’d made a terrible mistake. She almost fell on the three steps from the bench to the ice. If Rashid’s arm hadn’t been around her waist, she would have been on her ass.
But he was a natural on skates. It was hilarious—the guy grew up in London, England, but with his blue beanie, plaid flannel, and jeans, he fit in more in Canada than most Torontonians. And with skates on, he may as well get a Tim Hortons coffee, a poutine, and add a few moreehs to his vocabulary.
Ruby clutched his strong forearm tightly as they stepped onto the ice together. She’d thought that the skates were hard to walk with on the rubber floor near the benches, but the rink itself? Whose idea was it to glide around on slippery ice on thin metal blades?
She shuffled along, moving her feet forward and back a tiny bit while holding on to Rashid for dear life. She was afraid tolift her feet because she’d fall on her ass. She was afraid to glide the way other people did, because she’d fall on her ass. She was pretty much afraid to breathe too hard because she’d fall on her ass.
All in all, she was pretty worried about her ass.
Rashid was effortless, though. He had one arm around Ruby’s back, and one in front of her that she was grasping. Every time she lost her balance, her grip tightened. He was steady and strong, and he had her.
“I-I can’t do this,” Ruby said. This was such a bad idea.
He beamed at her. “What are you talking about, Ruby? Youaredoing this!”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. Then she lost her balance because of the movement. This. This was proof she was living in the wrong country.
“Okay, put your arm around me here.” He guided one of her arms to wrap around his back. “And use your other one to help you balance. I’ve got you.” His arm wrapped around her waist. “I won’t let you go. I promise.”
Ruby panicked the moment her right hand wasn’t on his, but he held her waist tight to keep her upright. He did have her.
Slowly they made a few circles around the ice—staying close to the outside edge of the rink, where the other beginner skaters were. Eventually, as Ruby found her footing, she started gliding a bit on the ice. It felt so strange—so foreign to be moving without moving her feet, but she eventually found her rhythm. Rashid tightened his grip on her whenever her balance wavered.
“I don’t understand how you’ve never learned to skate,” hesaid. “I thought Canadians are supposed to skate before they walk?”
“Did Tara and Noor learn to skate before walking?”
He laughed. “No. My sister’s a disgraceful Canadian. I signed them up for lessons starting in January. If it goes well, we’re thinking of putting them in hockey.”
Ruby frowned. It would be hard for Rashid if the girls did end up playing hockey—it would kill him that he wouldn’t be there for all their games.
“Watch out, slowpokes!” someone behind them yelled. Rashid quickly pulled Ruby toward him, but it was too late. The person rushing past them—some bro on hockey skates—clipped Ruby on the arm as he passed her. It was enough to make her lose her balance again, and in what felt like excruciatingly comical slow motion, her legs started moving back and forth, unable to get any traction. Rashid couldn’t hold her up this time, and she landed flat on her butt, her thin jeans not doing nearly enough to insulate her from the cold, hard ice.
“Ouch!” Ruby said. The hockey bro turned and said sorry—clearly a true Canadian—before whizzing away.
“Are you okay?” Rashid was bending over her with his arms out to help her get back up. He looked upset. Which,fair. He’d promised her she wouldn’t fall. And she fell anyway. Her ass was cold and probably bruised, and a big part of her was telling herself that falling meant it was time to recognize her limitations and get off this damn ice.
Or maybe it was time to let someone who cared about her help her back up. Because one fall didn’t mean that everything before now hadn’t been fun. She smiled and took Rashid’s armsto pull herself to her feet again. “That was hilarious,” she said, wiping the snow off her butt. “Come on, they just started ‘Last Christmas.’ Let’s skate to my favorite song.”
Smiling widely, Rashid wrapped his arm around her, and they started making the rounds again. This time Ruby was a little braver—maybe because she had fallen once and she knew Rashid was here to help her back on her feet. She let him teach her how to use the side of the skates to push off. She fell a few more times—completely her own fault, not because of a polite douche. But soon enough she could skate without looking at her feet.
“You’re a natural,” Rashid said.
She frowned. “Hardly. I’m sure I look like a baby gazelle taking its first steps.” She faltered a bit, but Rashid didn’t let her fall.
He leaned in to whisper in her ears. “Nah, you’re way sexier than an antelope.”
Ruby laughed.
