“Fuck. Okay, get yourself together, Pitz. You look like a pussy out here.” My little pep talk is enough to get my glide on. One foot, then the other.Okay, this isn’t so bad. I think I can do this.
“Look at you go! I knew you could do it.” She spins around me again, then skates backward, watching me move.
“I don’t understand how you can skate like that. Aren’t you scared you’re going to run into someone?” I’m kind of nervous about it, honestly. There’s no way I can get to her safely if she gets hurt.
“You mean, like this?” She swerves and wiggles her hands in the air.
“Ha-ha, funny girl.” I’m trying to be serious, but I can’t help but laugh.
She looks so happy and carefree.
I stand here, just watching her.
And it hits me—hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs.
Is it actually possible to fall for someone after only a few hours?
I used to give Archie so much shit for that—swearing he’d lost his mind when he and Emma clicked on day one.
But now … yeah, I get it.
And I don’t want to get it.
Because I’m not that guy. I don’t do commitment. I don’t choose romance over football or my family or … anything really. This night was supposed to be fun—one night, no expectations, no complicated aftermath.
Yet here I am, wanting things I shouldn’t want.
Wanting to be in her space.
Wanting her in mine.
Wanting to know her—really know her, every sharp edge and soft part she hides behind the jokes.
It’s ridiculous.
It’s dangerous.
And if I were the kind of guy who let relationships matter, I already know exactly where I’d be headed with her.
Unfortunately, I’m not that guy.
So, why does it suddenly feel like I could be?
Her long brown hair is flying behind her as she speeds around the rink. She keeps turning her head to find me, a smile on her face. And those eyes, glittering. She really is stunning.
And she looks like mine.
My feet are moving of their own accord now in her direction. I want to get to her and wrap her in my arms.
“You coming to get me, Blitzen?” She starts to giggle.
“I am.” But I’m actually not, because I windmill my arms, trying to keep my balance, but my feet slide out from under me. “Fuck!”
I land flat, not just on my ass, but completely laid out. I somehow manage not to hit my head on the ice, thankfully preventing a concussion.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” Ice sprays all over me as she comes to a stop next to me. When she bends down, she puts her hands on either side of my face. “You good?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “Maybe you should check my head.”
