My lips tipped up in an amused smile. “Is that so?”
“Yupp.” His warm breath hung in the frigid air as he studied me with those kind eyes of his. He held his hand out. I took it and he spun me into him. “You can call us whatever you want. I know what we are,” he said with a quiet confidence.His lips curved up into a small, kind grin.
My heart stumbled. I knew I should’ve been skating out of his arms, but I couldn’t seem to make myself. With my back pressed against his large chest, I felt warm, protected.
“Oh yeah?” I asked breathlessly, craning my neck to stare up at his strong jaw. “What’s that?”
His gaze went to our friends. Mer and Colt were kissing in the middle of the frozen lake. Kappy and Piper were talking by the bonfire. Then his eyes dropped down to mine. He gave a soft smile. “Inevitable.”
I almost flew off the back of my skates. JP caught me around the waist a split second before my butt hit the hard ice. With a laugh, he lifted me and easily plopped me back on my blades the way I did with Snowplow Sam toddlers when I was helping at Learn to Skates.
“Thank you, sorry, that was… um…” I stared at him. “That was so smooth.” Forcing a laugh, I swatted at his chest. He was usually so reserved that those words caught me off guard. “I’m shocked.”
His face lit up with a grin. “I’m not, you’re a clumsy little thing.”
“Am not.” I rolled my eyes.
Grinning down at me, he arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t Hans have to call the fire department because you got stuck in the harness a couple weeks ago?”
I gasped. “That was my coach’s fault, not mine!”
He laughed. “Sorry, my mistake.”
“Mean.” I wagged a finger at him, but I couldn’t stop my own grin. “I land on my feet on the ice and that’s the only place that counts,” I said, then scrunched my nose. “Well, I land most of the time anyway.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve seen.”
I stopped gliding. “You have?”
He nodded shyly. “I like that one jump you land at center ice.”
“My double axel?” I blinked at him in surprise. “You’ve seen my double axel?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen all your stuff.” His smile faltered. “I mean.” He closed his eyes and gave his head a little shake. “That sounded weird. I just mean I’ve watched your program, so I’ve seen…”
I laughed, feeling absolutely elated. No one ever watched me skate besides my parents. That was the tragedy of figure skating—people at school had no idea I was even an athlete. Maybe if they did, they’d be a little nicer, but probably not. “Thank you, JP.”
The tops of his cheeks heated. “No problem.” He did a little mohawk move around me and grabbed my gloved hand. “Let’s go by the fire, it’s getting too cold.”
I stared at our joined hands as I followed after him, the whole time knowing I had no business feeling the little butterflies I was currently feeling.
I decided right then that I’d have to talk with Mark…
__________
But talking to Mark was easier said than done.
Later that night when I was tucked in bed, I heard my bedroom window slide open, and guilt spiraled down my stomach.
While I wanted to end things with him, I felt bad about it. Mark snuck into my bedroom window a couple nights each week. This was part of our unspoken arrangement. He made my life easier at school by tucking me under his arm so no one dared to even utter a mean word to me, and I made his life easier by giving him a place to sleep at night. I never understood why he needed a place to sleep, and whenever I asked, it led to an argument, so I dropped it. But if we broke up, he’d have no place to go.
“Hi,” I mumbled sleepily, pulling the covers up to my chin as Mark let in the frigid night air.
“Where were you? I came over like an hour ago and you weren't here,” he said, jumping down into my room with a loud thud.
I froze for a second, hoping my dad wouldn’t wake up. When no sound came, I whispered, “I went pond skating with some friends.” I rubbed my sleepy eyes. My bedside clock read 12 a.m..
He kicked off his shoes and tore off his jacket and t-shirt, exposing his muscular torso. As soon as he was undressed, he crawled up behind me in bed. I flinched slightly at his cold hands.
