They took their opening poses. Frankie felt oddly at ease. The first strains of melody from the overture ofMy Fair Ladyplayed out. They’d decided to revive their three-year-old program after being unable to connect to the classical Rachmaninoff program they’d originally planned for the Olympic season.
She let the music consume her. For Frankie and Charlie, the Olympics weren’t about skating in a competition, but rather celebrating the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and that they were about to close out their careers on their terms. The ice was their stage.
For the next four minutes, Frankie and Charlie were one.
Triple twist. Check. Lasso lift. Check. Now for something a little different.
Gathering speed, Frankie grinned and nodded to Charlie. Setting up on a long outside edge, they tapped in unison for their side-by-side triple Lutzes, which were rare jumps for pairs skaters. Her arms pulled in tight. From her air position, she knew they were on. Her arms opened. She bent her knees to absorb the landing. Mirroring her every move was her partner.
“Nice one,” he mouthed to her.
As Charlie lifted her into a lasso lift, her gaze went out to the stands. She wondered where Leslie, her husband Ron, and Charlie’s parents might be sitting. She chuckled to herself. She’d heard that Leslie was so nervous watching them skate during the short program, she’d covered her eyes and only looked up after it was over.
A minute later, the crowd jumped to its feet as they exited their last lift. There was still thirty seconds to go. Coming out of the last element, an outside death spiral, they performed the final ten seconds of choreography and hit their closing pose, which involved Frankie arching back into Charlie’s arms. Both of them breathed deeply, relishing the moment. Flowers, stuffed toys, cards, and other items rained down upon them.
“Thank you. That was more than I ever could’ve asked for,” he whispered into her ear, and then kissed her neck. He assisted her upright, then knelt down to kiss the ice.
Frankie’s attention went to the stands; she spotted Charlie’s family near the front row of the upper deck. She made a heart with her hands. Leslie laughed and pointed to the ice. As Frankie turned around, she noticed that Charlie was still down on his knees.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as he pulled out a small black velvet box and mouthed, “Will you marry me?”
She flung herself at Charlie and wrapped her arms around him. They fell back down onto the ice, laughing wildly. She kissed him. The ring box slid out of his hands. If it was possible, the crowd’s volume increased another decibel.
As they broke apart, Charlie looked deeply into her eyes. “I take it that’s a yes?”
She rolled her eyes and playfully batted his chest. “Yes, it’s a yes.”
One of the ice girls slowly approached the newly engaged couple and handed the ring box to Charlie.
“Grazie. Thank you.” He winked.
Taking hold of Frankie’s left hand, he kissed it, and slipped the ring on. It fit perfectly. Holding it up for closer inspection, Frankie noted that it contained both white and rose gold. The center housed a brilliant-cut solitaire diamond inside of a flower. Tiny diamonds adorned the side of the band.
“This is your own enchanted rose. I was a beast to you when we first met. You saved me, and for that I will always be eternally grateful to you. I love you.”
“I know.”
The last team to skate, a duo from Canada entered the ice.
“We had better clear off.”
Standing up, they skated to the door leading off the ice.
Their coach, Fernando, embraced Frankie and shook hands with Charlie as he handed them their Team USA jackets, skate guards, and water bottles. “Congratulations. You two were flawless.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better skate.”
Sitting down in the Kiss and Cry, Fernando handed Frankie her phone. She tapped the screen and found her dad’s name in her contacts. A moment later, he and Suzy crowded around his phone.
“Hi, Daddy, Suzy! Look! Charlie asked me to marry him! And I said yes!”
Suzy laughed. “We had a front-row seat to it on the TV, dear.”
Charlie looped his arm over Frankie’s shoulders and waved to everyone back home.
Her dad beamed with pride. “Your young man is a gentleman. He asked my permission right before you left for Milan.”
Charlie’s cheeks flushed. “I wanted to do things right.” He winked.
