Her blush was something I’d already come to expect from her. She was the least self-absorbed person I’d ever met. She didn’t take herself too seriously and my God, did she have a killer laugh.
“I can handle anything.” She pulled away on purpose, holding up her hands in a way of telling me she wasn’t going to help me.
I pitched forward as if ready to fall, forced to catch myself because she wasn’t going to come to my rescue.
Not even when I offered a pouty look, which usually won women over.
Not her.
She not only shook her head, she wagged her finger at me. Then like the little fairy princess from before, she decided to torment me further by skating around me, making every move appear effortless.
“So how are you mean to these kids?” I asked, trying to think of steps I could take to help in the belief I was paying attention, getting a little better.
“Well, they know that I will always be able to catch them in a lie. That’s been proven time and time again. I had an uncanny ability they no longer challenge. Oh, and I require them to do their homework. No excuses. Not my mother was sick, my father was in the hospital. Not my little sister tore it up or my dog ate my homework. I’m a little brat that way.”
Laughing around her was so easy to do. When I did so this time, I lost myself in the enjoyment of the moment so much, she stopped skating. Her heart-shaped lips twisted in amusement and some sense of frustration.
“Do your harsh techniques work?”
She peered down at my skates before drifting away, spinning in a complete circle becoming coming to face me once again. “Absolutely. You’d be surprised.”
“I’m not certain anything about you would surprise me.”
“Oh, no?”
I dared make a move I hoped I wouldn’t regret later, placing one hand on her waist, pretending as if I was using the hold to keep me aloft while taking control of the moment and of our dance of silence.
She allowed me to guide her around the perimeter of the ice, ensuring we weren’t going very fast. When I pushed away, she gave me a scornful look.
“You should be careful. Don’t get too arrogant,” she advised, slowing down as if fearful she’d get tangled up with the crazy man on skates.
I’d never figure skated before, not even attempting a single move. That wasn’t my bag and the muscle structure was entirely different. So when I lifted one leg behind me, for the first time since I was a kid, I felt like a fish out of water.
Somehow, and I’d never be able to repeat it, I managed to throw my arms out to the side and for a few seconds, I was a figure skater.
Until I really did come tumbling down like some big galoot. I’d used enough power in my ridiculous routine that when I thumped on my butt, I spun around several times, traveling a short distance.
My teacher wasn’t in the mood to let me get out of my lesson that easily.
“Come on. Upsy. Now.” She threw both her arms out while shifting her weight back and forth from skate to skate.
“Upsy?” I repeated.
“Yeah, as in get the hell off your butt or when you do, I’ll beat it.”
“Oh, you’d like to try. Wouldn’t you?”
She straightened her body to her full height, even placing her hands on her hips. “Is that a challenge?”
“What if it is?”
“You’re not ready.”
I gave her a heated look even though I was still sitting on the ice. “Apparently, you don’t know me very well.” With that, I stood with ease, even daring to bend over as if taking a bow.
“I’ll be damned,” she whispered under her breath. “You’re right. I don’t.”
“So, how do you feel about a little friendly competition?”
