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“No.”

“Well, you must be.”

He launched forward then, and Clara slipped farther into his arms. He laughed, righting her at once. “Steady now.”

“You did that on purpose,” she accused lightly, breathless from their proximity.

He merely grinned.

They began again, this time, his movements much slower. With his arm around her waist, they were able to skate a few feet without falling, but after a moment, they wobbled again, and Mr. Cole caught her again.

She laughed. “Heavens above, Mr. Cole. This truly was a terrible idea.”

“I can see why you would think that, but⁠—”

His words were cut off as he nearly fell forward, bringing her down with him, and their laughter mixed together as they doubled over, the sound ringing around them in jolly symphony.

Robins twittered in the trees at the back of the pond, fleeing from bare branch to branch as the muted sound of falling snow from the trees thudded against the forest ground. Every now and again, the ice of the pond settled beneath them, a sharp crack marking the air, but Clara hardly noticed. She was too busy having a wonderful time.

She couldn’t remember when she’d last laughed so hard, hobbling as they did, sometimes on his skate, other times on hers, as they inched their way across the pond.

Halfway across, they paused, breathless. “I need a moment to recover,” she said through another laugh.

“You’re tired already? Heavens, imagine if I hadn’t suggested this faster, easier route.”

She laughed at his teasing, not meeting his gaze, for she knew their proximity still—and also knew what it was doing to her desire to be near him again.

His cologne and a hint of cinnamon filled her nostrils in a most satisfying manner, and his strong arm around her waist was intoxicating.

She felt cared for in his arms. Watched over. As if she knew no harm would come to her if she remained at his side. She marveled at feeling this way with a man she’d known for less than a fortnight, but she couldn’t deny it any longer. He’d proved his worth and his value time and time again. And now, his attempt at bringing her joy amidst her trials, she couldn’t have asked for anything more thoughtful.

“Ready to continue?” he asked after a moment.

She nodded, but after only a few steps, she tripped on a particularly lumpy bit of ice caused by earlier skates, and she launched forward with a yelp.

Mr. Cole caught her, but his skate caught on the same spot, and soon, they were both hurtling toward the ice. The movement was so swift, she wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but Mr. Cole managed to slide his body beneath her, shielding her from impact and landing hard on his own back with a loud thud and a grunted, “Oof!”

Clara stared, having fallen against Mr. Cole’s solid figure and now looking down at him in silence.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern as they winced, no doubt due to the pain he was experiencing himself.

“Yes,” she breathed, still atop him.

Move, Clara. Move!

But she was frozen in place, like the covering over the pond. Instead of being subject to the frozen air, she was subject to Oliver’s hands around her waist and his firm chest rising and falling into her own.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I should’ve been watching the ice closer.”

She could only shake her head. This was not his fault—nor was it his fault she remained above him. She was doing so entirely by choice now—a choice she couldn’t bring herself to regret or change.

He must have finally acknowledged how she lingered, as well, for his eyes shifted from being filled with concern to being filled with a hazy look, as if he was trying hard to focus but couldn’t, despite his best efforts.

His hand slid up her side, then shifted to her features, caressing her cheek and jawline to where she was feeling that same haze, her heart racing, her head swirling, as her attention dropped to his mouth.

In that same moment, his thumb moved to her own lips, sliding along the bottom of it, as if he thought that would satisfy him enough—but she only saw the hunger in his eyes increase.

If they kissed again, that would solidify her desires to be with him for longer. If they kissed again, that would make it even harder for her to say goodbye.