“Well, you know the scene where she jumps into his arms and he holds her above his head? Let’s do that.”
My brows shoot up. “You want me to catch you and hold you up in the air on ice and in skates I’m not familiar with?”
“Yeah, you can totally do it. I know you’re strong enough,” Nico says confidently.
“It’s not just strength, it’s balance.”
“I trust you, Roman,” he says softly. “Just don’t fall,” he adds a little more playfully.
“I’m used to taking falls,” I admit.
“I’m not.” He looks above my head. “And from that height, I’ll break something.”
“I will not fall. I promise.”
He nods like that’s all he needs to believe me. And maybe it is.
I spread my legs to get a steadier stance. I prepare myself, ready to catch him when he leaps into my arms. This is stupid, I know that. But I also know it’s going to be fun.
“Have you ever done this before?” I ask.
“Nope. You?”
“No way.”
“I’m a guy… I’m not the one who gets to be lifted up and spun around.”
I have zero want for someone to do that to me, but if I did… it would suck because no way in hell is anyone lifting me over their head. At least I’m confident that I can carry with ease, but my hesitation doesn’t come from his weight. It’s the inertia of him jumping forward. I have to make up for that by moving opposite him, so when I lift, he doesn’t fly over my head and take us both down. This could be bad, but… whatever he wants.
Nico wants to be lifted up and spun around… I’ll lift him up and spin him around.
“Ready?” he calls out.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll go slow.”
“Go as fast as you need to make this work. Don’t hesitate.”
Nodding, he licks his lips, bends his knees, and pushes off the ice, moving toward me with full, long strides. When he’s a couple feet out, I bend my knees more and hold out my arms. He leaps at me. I grab his waist and lift. He straightens his body, tightening it. I lift him above my head and focus on where his weight is and distribute it equally so we don’t fly back.
We don’t.
I look up at him, his arms out wide, legs straight, like a bird. He laughs, and so do I. I could hold him up here all day. I spin a little, pushing off to twirl around just slightly. When I feel his body loosen, I lower him to the ice. My hands stay on his hips and his go to my chest.
“We should go into partner figure skating.” I throw my head back and laugh, the sound echoing in the arena. His eyes are shining when I meet his gaze. “I love your laugh,” he says.
It only makes me smile more.
“Teach me how to skate like you,” I say.
His brows raise. “Like me? I don’t think you’ll ever bethatgood.”
“You know what I mean.”
He holds my gaze, smiling. “Okay. Let’s spin first.”
I nod as he moves back, taking my hands. He starts to move us, so we spin slowly. I almost trip, my feet getting in the way of each other, but he moves easily, of course. My feet wobble, but he keeps going.
