He raises his eyebrows. “What, now?”
“Sure. It would be magical, ice-skating here.”
He chuckles. “You’ll need gloves. Do you have gloves?”
I nod, gesturing to my bag. “Do you?”
He taps his coat pocket with a smile.
“Can we?”
“Well, we could.” A self-conscious laugh chuffs out of him. “I’m not very good. My balance is terrible. It’s hard to skate when you’re this tall.”
I trail my eyes over him. Heistall—I’m guessing six foot four, or so. But still, he’s pretty built and he goes to the gym, so I know he’s fit. Much fitter than me, that’s for sure.
“Seriously?” I give him a teasing smile. “I thought you were really athletic. You can handle it.”
“How do you know I’m athletic?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “You just look—”
“Super fit?”
“Shut up,” I mumble, glancing away.
He shuffles closer on the rail, nudging his shoulder against mine. “Let’s do it.”
I turn to him, and there’s a flutter behind my ribcage because he’s so close. “Really?”
“Yeah. It’s your first winter in New York. Let’s ice skate at Rockefeller Center.”
A thrill runs through me and I push away from the railing, looking around for the entrance to the rink.
“But no laughing at me,” he adds, attempting a serious face.
I shove him with a giggle. “Oh, I’m not promising that.”
19
If ever there was a perfect scenario in which I would make a dick of myself in front of Michael, it would probably be on ice. The rink looked so magical from up on the Plaza, but now that we’ve got our skates on, I’m seriously questioning this decision. I haven’t been ice-skating since I was a kid.
But I’m pleasantly surprised to find that it only takes me a few goes around, holding the railing, to find some confidence. Turns out it’s kind of like riding a bike, and it’s not long before I can push away from the side and glide across the ice, even if I am a bit wobbly. I barely notice the cold anymore as I look around, trying to take in the fact that I’m here, ice skating in New York City.
Michael, however, wasn’t kidding when he said he couldn’t skate. I didn’t realize how difficult his height would make this, but he can’t find his balance properly and he sticks close to the sides. It’s odd to see him so out of his depth—this big guy, afraid of falling on his ass. Everything is turned on its head andI’mthe one who’s capable, who’s watching asheflounders. I can’t say that I don’t enjoy the shift in the power dynamic.
Still, after a while I start to feel bad. Every time I glance over he sends me a weak smile, and I can tell he isn’t having a good time.
I skate across and lean against the railing beside him. “We can go now if you want.”
“What? No way. I’m having fun.”
I look at his hands as they grip onto the railing for dear life, and stifle a laugh.
He follows my gaze. “Yeah, okay,” he says with a chuckle, loosening his grip. “I’m not great. I warned you about that. You’re a natural, though.”
I flash him a grin, doing a little twirl on the ice, my coat swirling out around me. His cheeks dimple and he pushes off the railing towards me. My heart almost stops as his gloved hand slides into mine, and we tentatively set off to do a loop together.
Together.
