Amelia removed her skates from her bag and handed one to Ben. He bent down on one knee in front of her, as he had so many times in the past, and carefully swapped her boot for the skate, then tightened the laces.
Lexi had returned with skates for Ben, and as he put them on, Amelia did some stretches, hoping to limber up her legs. She was experiencing some pain in her joints that day, so it wasn’t going to be an extended time on the ice. She’d just needed to get it over with. Her first time returning to the ice as a non-competitive skater.
When Ben was ready, he offered her his hand, and together they walked to the opening in the boards. After removing his skate guards, Ben stepped onto the ice and skated a short distance away before returning to where Amelia stood.
“Ready?” Ben asked.
At her nod, he held out both his hands. She grasped them tightly, then, keeping her gaze on his, she set first one blade, then the other on the ice.
Ben stroked backwards, drawing her away from the boards.
As they glided across the ice, grief welled up from deep inside her. Amelia blinked rapidly as tears stung her eyes, trying to keep them from spilling over.
“It’s okay to let go, love,” Ben murmured. “I’ve got you.”
He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. With a gentle pivot, he positioned himself facing forward and took the lead, slowly guiding them around the rink.
Amelia clung to his waist, pressing her face into the solid warmth of his chest. She allowed him to move them across the ice, her blades never lifting off the slick surface as she mourned the loss of her ability to skate the way she once had.
She cried for the jumps she’d never be able to do again. The spin positions she’d never be able to hold. The speed she’d never be able to create on blades.
Since it had been over two years, Amelia hadn’t expected to feel so emotional when stepping back on the ice. She was glad that she’d waited until Ben could be there for her. His strong arms around her were reassuring and comforting.
It took a couple of slow laps around the rink before she finally felt her emotions settle.
Amelia loosened her hold on Ben and lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you for being here for me. For waiting for me.”
“I’ll always wait for you,” Ben said softly. “And I’ll always be here for you.”
The opening strains of a song began to play, and Amelia immediately recognized it. She hadn’t asked Lexi to play any music, but apparently her coach remembered the song she and Ben had skated to whenever they could.
“Our song,” Ben said, a whisper of a smile on his face.
“Our song,” Amelia agreed as Lionel Richie began to singEndless Love, joined after the first few stanzas by Diana Ross.
It wasn’t a song from their generation, but because music was such a crucial part of her skating, she’d listened to music from all decades. This song from the eighties had struck a chord in her teenage heart, and it still did as an adult.
Smiling up at Ben, she sang along with Diana, knowing he’d join in. They’d played it so often in their teen years that they’d memorized it.
It felt like a full-circle moment.
And though they were in a different place from where they’d thought they would be with regards to their careers, it was okay because they were together once again.
As the music faded away, Ben said, “You have my endless love.”
When the final note of the music faded into the chill of the rink, Amelia felt tears prick at her eyes again. But this time, they were different tears. Tears of joy over finding her way back to something she thought she'd lost forever. It might not be the same as it once was, but it was still something.
"I've missed this," she whispered, looking up at Ben. "Not just the ice. Us."
Ben's expression softened as he gently wiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Me too."
They continued to glide slowly across the ice, their movements in perfect sync despite the years apart.
Amelia prayed that this would be how they moved through the future that lay ahead of them. Together. Supporting each other. Always.
EPILOGUE
Amelia heard a soft sniff and looked over to see her dad staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched tight. She smiled as she gripped his elbow more firmly.
