“Oh, good idea!” She grabbed her phone and flicked through. “Did you want to go on Sunday? We could go early in the morning and make it back for the results in the evening.”
I checked my phone calendar and confirmed that I was free.
“We can post something on social media, and hopefully it will encourage people to vote forus.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say about the fact that I’d initiated our day out together. I chose to push the thought from my mind.
“Did Jack send you the recording from this week?” I changed the subject.
“He did.” She connected her phone to the TV screen so we could see the video better.
Scrolling to today’s recording, she tapped to open it, turned the phone horizontally, and clicked play.
“Itwasyourfault,” I said and glanced away from the screen for a moment, as we rewatched the lift over and over again. Matilda wiped away a tear, her face still glowing with laughter. She playfully kicked her foot out and laughed, but I caught it with one hand to avoid it connecting with my stomach. I raised an eyebrow.
“It was not! I can’t believe you’re blaming me because you’re too weak to hold me in the lift!” She replayed the recording from her phone. It was only a tiny wobble, not a disaster but not ideal either. It hadn’t been Matilda’s fault, but I didn’t hate the sound of her laugh, so I continued teasingher.
“I can hold you fine. You were just wriggling too much.”
“Oh, as if!” She was full belly-laughing now. “It’s one of the easiest lifts in ice-skating. I think we both know who the real issue is here.”
“Someone’s cocky.”
Her eyebrows shot up so high they were almost in her hairline, her mouth slightly agape. Snatching her foot back, she stood and gestured to the space. “Come on then, big guy. Let’s put it to the test.”
I sat back on the sofa, feigning disinterest. “Put what to the test?”
“Let’s do the lift now.” She bounced slightly on her toes as if readying herself for a bout in a boxing ring or something equally ridiculous.
“We’ve done the lift a thousand times in the studio. I know I’m not the problem.”
Seeing the outrage on her face was the closest I’d come to truly laughing in a long time.
“Up! Now!” she said, walking behind the sofa and pushing onmy back. I let her shove me up and drag me to the center of the room. She nudged the coffee table to the side and cleared more room for the lift.
It looked like a simple lift, but it was hard off the ice because there was no momentum. On the ice, it required much more balance.
“You ready?” Her voice bubbled with infectious laughter, though she bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.
Matilda stood a few steps ahead of me, facing away. Her hair was completely dry now, cascading down her back in waves. I attempted to keep my eyes above her waist.
“Five, six, seven, eight…”
She step-ball-changed backward and spun toward me. As we had a hundred times before, I grabbed her waist and lifted her quickly into theair.
I held her for a second before looking up; neither of us could hold it in longer.
We burst into laughter.
Not prepared for our hysterics, my arms weakened as her entire frame shook and her giggles bounced off the walls. She slipped, knocking the wind out of me as my feet slid from under me. We tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs, her full weight landing on top of me. And through it all, we couldn’t stop laughing.
It felt fucking good.
“You are an absolute idiot,” she gasped out between giggles. Matilda pushed herself up, ready to climb offme.
“At least we now know who the real problem is in this partnership.” A grin spread across my face, and Matilda paused in her ascent, her eyes soft and admiring. She remained on top of me, her hair forming a curtain around our faces, which were only inches apart. Her dimples deepened as she smiled wider, pleased with whatever she discovered in my expression.
This smile was just for me. It was the brightest, most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
