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“I have fallen eight times already,” he said, shuffling forward.
I grinned and shrugged. “Maybe you need to get rid of some muscle.”
He managed one of those damning glares that set my blood boiling. “Then what would you stare at when you think I am not looking?”
I continued to skate, placing my hands behind my back. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” I said innocently.
“Mmhmm.”
I made a large circle around him and moved to his side. “Watch me. Move your feet like mine.”
He glanced down, watching my feet slide left and right. He copied the movement, his natural grace kicking in, and soon our feet were in sync.
“Good job.”
He smiled widely, this time glancing at me. “Thanks.”
I extended my hand toward him, and I could feel his surprised pleasure. He took it almost reverently but held it firmly. “How did you get so good at this? You never told me.”
I squeezed his hand as we went around the rink once more. “Gabby and I came here during the first big Celebration of The Fall we spent together. It was a few years after they opened. I got a week away from Kaden, and we spent every day here. I busted my ass way more than her, though. She was a natural at everything, and I hated her for it.” I smiled, realizing the memory didn’t come with the same sharp pain as before. “We tried to do this every year so we could get together for the holiday.”
His expression changed, but I couldn’t decipher the emotions.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head. “While your story is lovely, and I wish you two could have had many more of these adventures, it’s just very strange to me, and I suppose mildly uncomfortable, that Onuna celebrates a day that haunts me.”
I hadn’t considered that aspect of the holiday. Samkiel had nothing but painful memories associated with The Fall. “It’s more about the celebration of life, not the destruction. Everyone was terrified, thinking the world was ending. I mean, for us, the sky literally fell, but it wasn’t all bad. Gabby helped me see that. It may have changed our world, but it gave us the technology we would never have developed, medical knowledge that helped cure so much, and people were just nicer afterward. The Celebration of The Fall is just another way to show appreciation. It showed us how fragile life can be and to appreciate the ones you love always.”
I didn’t realize Samkiel was staring at me until I finished. “What?”
“That was… beautiful.”
I smiled softly, bumping softly into his shoulder. “Gabby’s words, not mine. Trust me, I still hated you all and thought you were the scourge of the universe.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “There she is. I was afraid you might have gone soft.”
“Who?” I pointed toward my chest. “Me? Never.”
We skated, only the sound of our blades biting into the ice breaking the silence.
“Thank you for bringing me here. I know it means something to you. Anything you wish to share with me means a lot.”
My heart leaped at his words. I knew he genuinely meant it. He always meant what he said and never shied away from how he felt. I’d been broken into so many pieces, and Kaden had taught me that each shard could be used as a weapon against me. It was so hard for me to crawl out of that pit and feel safe expressing any emotion. That was one reason I’d brought him here, away from everyone else. I wanted to try.
I dipped my head, letting my hair fall forward to shield my expression. “You haven’t fallen in almost five minutes. That’s a new record.”
Samkiel allowed the change of subject and nodded proudly. “It’s because you have not let me go yet.”
He squeezed my hand, and I smiled at him. A dark lock of hair had escaped his hat, falling across his forehead. He looked so mortal, trying to keep pace with me, so out of his element. His thick winter coat was black, mine was white, and our jeans were almost identical. I wondered if he’d intentionally matched his clothes to mine, but I chalked it up to my overthinking brain. He hadn’t let go of my hand, and a part of me wanted to yank it back, rebel. The same part that was terrified to experience anything and took comfort in being emotionless and callous
“Can I ask you a question?”
He snorted. “Why would you hesitate now? Don’t you always?”
I bumped my shoulder against his. “I’m being serious.”
He smirked. “Go on, ask away.”
