‘Libby!’
‘I’m only joking!’ she teased, holding her hands up and making Guy wobble.
‘Do not let go of my hand,’ he said in panic, reaching out to grab her.
‘Sorry! It won’t happen again. Come on. You’ve got this. And remember to just relax … because more bones can be broken if you’re tense.’
‘You’re not funny.’
‘Maybe just a little?’ She grinned. ‘And despite your nerves you’re still standing upright, that’s a great start.’
‘Time will tell how long I’ll be standing.’
‘You’ve got to have faith.’
Libby stood in front of him and took both his hands in hers. ‘Don’t worry about moving your feet on the ice just yet. I’m going to pull you slowly along until you have your balance.’
Guy smiled nervously, and stared down at his feet.
‘It’s easier if you look where you’re going, or just face forward and look into my eyes.’
With his eyes firmly gazing into hers she immediately felt her pulse begin to race. Feeling the crunch of the metal blade against the ice beneath him, Guy tensed again.
‘I’ve got you.’ Her voice was barely a whisper. Libby skated slowly in front of Guy and began to pull him along. ‘Try standing up a little straighter and don’t arch your back. Like this.’ She demonstrated and Guy mirrored her posture.
With his eyes still firmly fixed on her, Libby finally felt him relax and the panicked look on his face slowly faded away as he began to grin.
‘It actually feels magical,’ he admitted, still concentrating but smiling.
‘You’re doing fantastically and Bambi hasn’t even made an appearance.’
‘Don’t speak too soon.’
After Libby had pulled him one whole lap of the rink, she encouraged him to lift one foot off the ice and push. Guy bit his lip, hesitating, then, finally biting the bullet, he lifted his foot and placed it on the ice in front of him. Then he did the same with the other foot.
‘Fantastic,’ encouraged Libby. ‘That’s it, you’ve got it.’
As Guy smiled back at her, his eyes sparkled. He actually looked like he was enjoying himself.
‘I can’t believe it. I’ve not ended up on my backside just yet.’
‘You’re doing great! Now, I’m going to move to the side of you but I won’t let go.’
Libby was true to her word. She grasped his hand tightly and slowly moved beside him. They carried on skating. ‘It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?’
The next twenty minutes flew by as hand in hand they lapped the rink together. ‘Are you having fun?’ Libby knew that she was. It was a wonderful feeling teaching Guy to skate. Still holding one hand, Libby moved slowly in front of him again and began to skate backwards. After another lap they began to float towards the barrier.
‘Now don’t be scared, I’m going to let go slowly and I want you to just head straight in front of you.’
Placing one foot in front of the other Guy slowly loosened his grip on her hand.
‘I’m skating!’ he exclaimed, heading straight towards the barrier and grabbing hold of it before spinning round towards Libby.
‘I can’t believe I actually enjoyed it and I’ve not broken any limbs.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’
‘In fact, this is probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time.’
