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Confidence rolls off Leo, cloaking me as I begin to feel it too. My legs feel strong and stable. I'm centered and grounded. He helps to create that inside me. His hands grip my hips as we begin to skate backward together, my feet crossing over one another. He's calm and steady, strong and solid. I trust him with every part of me. I know he won't let me fall and he'll catch me before I hit the ice. With Leo, I feel completely safe. He will always protect me.
He bends his knees before springing upward, lifting me into the air before I launch higher up and out of his grip. I close my eyes, spinning in three rotations through the air before gravity begins to pull me back down to the ice. Leo catches me, his hands grabbing my hips again before he lowers me down onto the ice while he's still moving.
It all happens so fast that I don't feel like I even have time to process what's happening. It's complete muscle memory and from us practicing the movements repeatedly. Leo is completely effortless in the way he carefully helps me back to my feet while he's still moving around the rink.
We continue through the rest of our routine, going through another jump where he throws me into the air and instead of catching me, I land on the ice myself. There's a fluidity to the way we move together, yet there's a push and pull, a subtle tension that's stretching between us. It's like a rubber band. He pushes and I pull; I push and he pulls. In the end, we end up coming back together, melting into one another in the center of the rink as the music trails off and the light cuts off once more.
We're both completely breathless and Leo helps me stand upright. There's a pause before the lights flicker on. One passing moment, where he's standing in front of me, his breath fanning across my face as his hands reach up to cup my cheeks. My eyelids flutter closed as I anticipate the feeling of his lips caressing mine before the lights flash on, illuminating the entire arena. A loud applause erupts from the crowd, echoing throughout the entire building.
My stomach flips and my eyes quickly open as I find Leo still staring down at me. His nostrils flare, his throat bobbing as he swallows roughly before he pulls away from me. His hand drops down to mine and we face one side of the arena as he bows and I curtsey. We repeat the same action to all four sides of the stadium before we begin to skate to the exit together. Leo steps through the door first, his hand still in mine as he leads me out.
We head over to the bench where Coach Kincaid and Coach Davis are both waiting for us. The four of us sit down with Leo and I sandwiched in between them. His hand only leaves mine for a second as he drapes my coat over my shoulders and then slides his fingers through mine again.
"You two looked amazing," Eva says with so much excitement in her voice. "Seriously, such a beautiful performance."
Luca nods as he hands me a water bottle. "I had chills watching the two of you." He pauses for a moment and chuckles. I twist the lid of the bottle and put it to my lips to take a sip. "I was almost waiting for you two to kiss afterward."
I choke on my mouthful of water and Leo clears his throat as the tension grows thicker. I start to cough, drawing attention to myself as my eyes begin to water. Way to play it cool, Aria.
"Are you okay?" Eva asks me with a touch of concern in her voice.
I finally get my shit together and wipe the tears from my face. "I'm good," I tell her in a hoarse voice. Leo chuckles under his breath and I see him shaking his head in amusement from the corner of my eye. I resist the urge to drive my elbow into his ribs and focus my attention back on the ice.
The judges announce our score right before the next two skaters enter the rink. We're currently sitting in first place and have enough of a lead that it should be difficult for anyone else to have a better score than us. The four of us sit in silence as we watch the last four pairs go through their own performances before it's time for them to announce the winners from our group. The day is going to be filled with different skating events, but the pairs were scheduled first, so by the time the winners are announced, it's already close to lunchtime.
"You guys did it," Coach Kincaid says with a smile on his face as he claps his hand over Leo's shoulder. He and Eva both stand up, Leo and I following suit.
Leo squeezes my hand lightly and I look up at him as a soft smile touches his lips. My heart begins to pound harder in my chest. Based on the scores, we were sitting in first place for the gold medal, but I didn't let it fully sink in until it was announced. Not until after we were on the ice with our medals would I feel like we actually won.
The announcer works through bronze and silver before there's a pregnant pause over the speaker. Leo and I stand by the door, the coldness radiating from the ice as it slides up my legs. My heart pounds erratically and I hear the sound of it in my ears. I've never been more aware of my own heartbeat than I am at this moment. Leo's palm is warm and comforting against mine. I don't realize it, but my knuckles are turning white by how tightly I'm holding on to him.
"And our gold medal pair, Aria Reed and Leo Wells!"
I turn to look at Leo, the shock written across my expression even though there wasn't a chance we weren't going to win gold. "Oh my god, we did it."
"Yes, we did." He smiles at me, nodding. "I told you we would."
"Oh my god." I can't help myself as I let go of his arm and wrap my arms around the back of his neck. Leo's hands find my waist and he lifts me into the air as we embrace one another. I bury my face against the crook of his neck, inhaling the scent of him as I feel his skin against mine. He feels right, like this is where I belong. The world around us fades for a moment and the only thing that matters is the way it feels to be in his arms.
He holds on to me for a moment longer before he lowers me to my feet and presses his soft lips against my forehead. "Come on, tiny dancer," he says softly as his hand drops down to mine.
I let him lead me onto the ice and our feet move in sync as we skate to the center. A woman stands next to the announcer and she hands me a huge bouquet of flowers. I hold them in my arms, watching Leo as he ducks his head and she slides the medal down over his neck. I do the same, feeling the weight of it as it hangs down between my breasts. Leo's still holding my hand that isn't supporting the flowers and he looks down at me and smiles.
The crowd around us claps loudly, but the sounds and the sights around us don't exist in this moment. Time is suspended. All I can see are Leo's golden brown eyes as they shine down on me. I never want to step outside of this light. I want to live here forever, with his hand in mine, everyone going crazy around us.
We take our time, bowing and curtseying around the arena before we exit once again. Our entire team is there when we get off the ice and Leo and I are pulled away. The girls all surround me, fawning over the flowers and the medal. The air is filled with nothing but congratulations and I can't help myself as happy tears spring to my eyes. Today's been filled with stress and emotion. When the relief finally hits and the weight is lifted, it's hard not to feel emotional. I wipe my tears away as Eva and Alanna both hug me.
Eva links her arm through mine and she starts to pull me in the direction of the locker rooms. "We need to go celebrate."
"Oooh, yes, champagne please," Alanna says from where she's walking ahead of us.
I glance over my shoulder once, catching Leo's gaze as he stands with Coach Kincaid and a few of the guys. A soft smile sits on his lips, but it isn't as wide and as bright as it was before. There's a longing dancing in his eyes, but he doesn't call out for me. He simply watches as I'm pulled in the opposite direction of him.
And fuck me for wanting to turn around and run back into his arms.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LEO
