"You're hilarious, Mel," Noah said before he stopped, and twirled her around again until she was facing him. Before Melanie could ask what he was doing, Noah pressed her against the board near the edge of the skating rink, crowding her space until there wasn’t an inch between them.
"What?" Melanie asked.
"Nothing is the same between us anymore because—" Melanie looked away, afraid of confronting what was so clear. She exhaled deeply, trying to regain herself, wondering if she had always been this childish in her relationships before. But then again, she had always followed a set of rules, had an easy checklist to follow that let her know whether to carry on with a relationship or not. But with Noah, there was no set guideline. She didn't know what rules to follow. But what Melanie did know was the truth now, what she couldn't ignore anymore.
"We can't be friends anymore, can we?" Melanie asked softly, though she knew the answer already.
Noah pressed his forehead against hers, and she breathed in his scent, comforted by his warmth despite her fears.
"No, I don't think we can be," he told her honestly, pressing a tender kiss against her cheek that made her melt. "I woke up this morning, and the only person I wanted to spend my day with was you."
Melanie hoped that they could return to the way they had been before. But that kiss had changed everything. There was no returning back. Pre-kiss, Melanie was comfortable around Noah. She could laugh with him and joke with him without any problems. She had found someone she connected with. But post-kiss, whenever she was around Noah, she felt like her skin was on fire. She was aware of everything he did. Her heart raced, and her fingers tingled with a desire to touch him.
Though she desperately wanted to go back, she realized what Noah had already known— there was no turning back. Just being in his presence filled her with a desire to do more than just laugh with him. She wanted more.
This was so unfair.
"Why can't you just find some pretty young girl to date?" Melanie whined. It would all be so simple if Noah were the one to give up. If she was the only one who had feelings, then she could handle them. But how could she handle them when Noah looked at her with those blue eyes that so clearly desired her.
"I already found her," he said, and she bit her lip, trying to stop her heart from racing.
"I bet you took a bunch of girls here to make them fall for you," Melanie said and frowned when she thought about the possible many ice-skating dates Noah had before.
Noah laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she couldn't help but smile. She loved it when he did that, though she would never admit that to him.
"Actually, you and Abigail are the first. I've never taken any other girls ice skating before. Never cared to, and it's too much work trying to teach them the basics. The only reason I took Abigail because it would give me an excuse to spend time with you."
"You don’t want to teach other girls, but you don't mind teaching me," Melanie said, giving him a look that showed she thought he was full of shit.
Noah grinned. "I don't mind teaching you at all."
"I still think we should just be friends," Melanie said stubbornly. There were so many reasons why they shouldn't be together. Every time she thought about being with him, she couldn't help but think about all of those reasons. She knew it was best for them not to be together, but she also knew the truth— Noah was like a magnet Melanie couldn't pull away from because if she could, she would have ended everything already, including their friendship.
"I think we should be more," Noah said as he skated backward, tugging her along with him. Melanie let Noah guide her across the ice, and she trusted that he wouldn't let her fall.
"I'll think about it," Melanie murmured. Noah halted to a stop.
"What did you say?" he asked.
Melanie sighed. "I'll think about— Aww, put me down!"
One moment she was on the ice, and next, she was in the air with Noah holding her up. Noah swung her around, and Melanie yelped, telling Noah to put her down. But he didn't. He continued to twirl her, filled with happiness, and Melanie found that his happiness was contagious because she felt it too. She felt like she was on a rollercoaster that she had been dragged on by force, but now that she was on it, she would try to enjoy every minute of it. She would try to enjoy being on Noah's rollercoaster.
***
After spending another two hours at the skating rink, Melanie left with Noah in his truck, while Abigail went home to take care of her father. Melanie and Noah were now in front of her apartment, still inside of his truck, making out. Since the moment Melanie told Noah she would think about it, it was like a lock on a door had been opened, and though Melanie knew in the back of her mind she should be worried if she'll ever be able to close it again, on the other hand, all she could do was live in the moment right now.
"Maybe we should take this upstairs," Noah suggested in between kisses as his hands roamed up and down her thighs. She sat in his lap, shamelessly grinding against him as his tongue mapped her own. Noah's suggestion came as no surprise to her because it had been one that appeared in her mind since the moment he came to drop her off. Filled with the desire to be with him, Melanie wanted to throw caution to the wind and take Noah upstairs, where they would have space and privacy to do more things. But she also knew that if they went up to her room, there was no way it would only result in kisses.
Melanie pulled back, escaping Noah's hold. "Will we only kiss?"
"Yeah," Noah said, his eyes low-lidded with lust with a lazy grin.
Melanie punched his arm lightly, and Noah laughed. "Okay, maybe we'll do a little more. But a little more is fun. I can show you how fun it can be."
Melanie wanted so badly to give in, but she also knew it was best not to. She said she would think about it, which technically she hadn't been doing before. She had immediately written off the idea of being with Noah from the beginning. But now, she would really have to think about what she could be with Noah. But how would she be able to do that with his tongue in her mouth?
"I'll take a rain check," she said, ignoring the disappointment on his face. She gave him a quick peck feeling bad, but of course, Noah wouldn't let it stop there, turning it into another make-out session again. And being the weak person Melanie was when it came to Noah, she fell into it, enjoying their kiss, until she had no choice but to pull back, breathless.
