This girl used to flinch when I got too close. Now she melts into me. Maybe that makes me selfish. But I don’t care.
“Okay,” I say, scanning the rink. “We’re gonna pick up speed.”
Her eyes round, looking up at me.
“You’ll see.”
She’s standing better than earlier, but still shaky. If I pull her with me the way I want—hands on her waist—it’ll throw off her balance. Best case, she panics. Worst case, she twists an ankle or eats ice at thirty-five kilometers an hour. Not happening.
I skate back and stop just in front of her, giving her my back. “You trust me?”
“Oh God. What now?”
“I’m gonna need you to hop on.” I bend a little.
“What?”
“Piggyback.”
“You are not skating around this rink with me strapped to you like a backpack.”
“Sure I am. I’ve done it with weighted vests heavier than you.”
She hesitates, then carefully wraps her arms around my shoulders. I grip her thighs and lift. Her legs wrap around my waist, and her arms lock onto my shoulders.
“Now. Hold on.”
“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” she huffs against my ear.
“Give it five seconds.” I push off hard. The second we launch, she yelps, then squeals, then laughs—high, sharp, breathless—her head thrown back as the sound echoes across the empty rink.
I dig into a stride, then another. Jessica’s arms tighten around my shoulders, her legs squeezing my waist. I take a hard turn; the edges of my skates carve the ice so deep it hisses behind us. The rink becomes a blur. Years of muscle memory take over. Jessica is solid warmth pressed against me, trusting me not to let her fall. Her laughter every time I go faster makes my adrenaline spike.
“Faster!” she screams. “Come on, Captain, you’re not even sweating!”
I laugh and dig in. We skate the full length of the rink, into a wide arc, then start slowing. I guide us to center ice and coast to a slow glide. She’s still giggling with her arms looped tight around my shoulders as if she never wants to get off.
“You alive back there?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
She’s gasping. “That was… wow!”
I shift my grip on her thighs and her breath catches when I squeeze. I skate gently in circles before finally coming to a full stop.
I ease her down, hands on her thighs until her skates hit the ice again. She turns to me with a huge grin lighting up her flushed face.
Fuck me, she’s beautiful. That wild energy, that glow, that sparkle behind her eyes—I did that. I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “That,” I say quietly, “is what it feels like to fly.”
“I loved it.” Her smile softens.
“I’m glad you did.” I pause, brushing my thumb along her jaw.
She tilts her head and squints up at me like she’s analyzing something. “Can you, like… do jumps?” She bites her lip. “Jump while skating.”
“I mean… yeah.” I’m not sure where she’s going with this.
“Can you do an axel?” she asks, eyes bright. “You know, that jump where you spin mid-air and land on one foot?”
I stare at her. “Do I look like a figure skater to you?”
