"I wouldn't do that," Noah said as he sat down next to Melanie. And once he did, Melanie felt very aware of him, especially every time his arm brushed her own. She tried to calm down her beating heart in hopes that neither of them would hear it. Why was she so nervous around him? She hadn't been at first. She could be calm and relaxed around Noah, something that she hadn't been able to do with other men before. But then again, in the beginning, she hadn't seen Noah as a man. She had seen him as only her student and her friend, and now she saw him as something else entirely.
Melanie shifted over closer to Abigail and continued to put on her skates when she felt that there was enough measured distance between herself and Noah.
"Now, I definitely know something happened," Abigail whispered to Melanie, "since you're practically sitting on my lap."
"Shut up," Melanie whispered back.
"Are you both ready?" Noah asked as he stood.
"I'm ready," Abigail said. "Though I'm not sure how I'm supposed to stand on the ground."
Noah chuckled. "Use the railing for now. It'll be easier once you get on the ice."
"How about you, Mel?" Noah asked her.
"Do I really have to go out there?" Melanie asked as she eyed the skating rink where a few people played. Ice skating had never been something on her bucket list. Then again, she wasn't the most adventurous person to begin with.
"It'll be fun," Abigail said, "stop being a sourpuss."
Melanie rolled her eyes and glanced at Noah, waiting for Noah to join in on the'you're so boring'comments. But he didn't say anything. What was happening?
"How about this? To make sure that neither of you falls, I'll take Abi out first, and then I'll take you next."
Melanie blinked, feeling a pang in her chest. His suggestion made sense. Melanie was nervous, and in fact, she didn't really trust that with her and Abigail out there, even with an experienced skater like Noah, that one of them wouldn't fall. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel like there was something else behind it. Why was Noah so different now? He was dismissive of her like he didn't want her to be here.
Abigail glanced at Melanie with a questioning stare, and Melanie shrugged. It was the practical decision, and though Melanie wanted to ask why he didn't choose to take her first, she knew that Abigail was the one who wanted to do this, not her. Yet still, it was strange.
"Okay," Abigail said as she rose from the bench, holding onto the railing. "Let's go, lover boy. We'll be back, Mel."
Melanie nodded, watching as Noah helped Abigail out onto the ice. She smiled, seeing that Abigail was already struggling with her balance as Noah helped to keep her upright. But after watching them for a while, Melanie felt an overwhelming sadness take over her. She turned around on the bench, no longer wanting to watch them skate because of the uncomfortable feeling it put in her chest. She shouldn't have come here.
"Excuse me, miss."
Melanie looked up to see a man standing in front of her. He had dark brown hair cut low, and he was very muscular. She quirked a brow as the man stared at her with interest. Melanie stared back at him, wondering if she had met him before. He didn't look familiar, but there had to be a reason he was staring at her now expectantly.
"Do I know you?" Melanie asked, unsure with a small frown.
The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry. It's just that I saw you from a distance, and I thought you looked very pretty. But seeing you up close, you're more than pretty. You're beautiful."
"Umm," Melanie said, unsure of how to respond to that. She didn't exactly think she was going to get hit on at the skating rink today, especially with her sulking about right now. And though, based on physical appearances alone, she guessed she could say he looked well enough, right now Melanie wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone. "Thank you for your compliment, but..."
"It's okay," the man said. "I don't expect anything in return. I just wanted to tell you that."
"Oh, okay. Thanks again," Melanie said, awkwardly, waiting for him to leave. She glanced back at Noah and Abigail, and they were still skating with Noah helping push Abigail forward.
"Do you know how to skate?" The man asked.
Melanie turned back to the man, surprised he was still there. "No. I've never skated before."
The man laughed. "I can tell."
Melanie arched a brow. "How can you tell?" she asked, curiously.
"You're not on the ice," he said, smiling. "By the way, I'm Gerald. You?"
"Melanie," she said, having a feeling that this man would not be deterred, even if she showed no interest.
"Do you want me to teach you how to skate?" he offered.
