“Oops,” Sloane giggles against my neck.
We’re neck and neck with Lucy and Lars.
They’re slow but unstoppable. Lars skates with the steady power of an icebreaker.
But we’re quicker.
We reach the Kissing Arch—a low arch draped in roses. We have to duck in sync.
I bend my knees. Sloane mirrors me. Our bodies slide together, hip to hip, pelvis to pelvis, in a way that makes me forget for half a second that we’re competing—and remember only how close we are.
We make it through clean.
Final straightaway.
I spot Joe and Sarah. They’re ahead—but their balloon is slipping upward. They’re not connected. Two bodies trying to win individually, not a couple.
“Push!” Joe yells at Sarah. “Get closer!”
“You’re hurting me with your belt!” she snaps.
The balloon slips free and floats skyward.
“Back to the start!” Tina shouts through the megaphone.
Joe kicks the ice in fury, nearly wiping out.
Sloane laughs—pure, vindicated joy.
“Let’s win this,” I say.
We accelerate.
We cross the finish line first, the balloon still perfectly intact between us.
The second we’re over the line, I grab the balloon with one hand and Sloane with the other, lifting her up and spinning her. She laughs, clutching my shoulders.
“VICTORY FOR THE CAPTAINS!” Tina screams.
We stop, breathless.
I glance around as the rest of the couples finish.
Brenda and Steve come in second, furious about losing gold.
Lucy and Lars take third—adorable as hell, even sneaking in tiny kisses.
Roxanne and Dave finish fourth, arguing and kissing at the same time. I’m honestly impressed they didn’t pop the balloon.
Bernie and Esther are fifth (Esther absolutely cheated by holding the balloon with her hand, but Tina pretended not to see because they’re elderly).
And then… the showstopper.
Silas and Daisy.
Silas skates while Daisy clings to him like a human backpack, feet off the ice and wrapped around his waist, the balloon miraculously safe between their stomachs.
Pedro the blackbird swoops down and lands right on Silas’s head, using him as a taxi.
