AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Wow, it's empty," I remark, looking around.
"Yeah, we got lucky," he says with a smile. “There’s no hockey practice tonight, and they want to get the rink ready for tomorrow’s game, so they must have decided to close early.”
“Should we stay then? I don’t want to mess up the ice.”
“I’ve got a connection with Clark, the Zamboni driver,” Shane says with an assuring smile. He can give us an hour.”
I watch Shane walk to the side of the rink where the Zamboni driver is and talk to him for a few moments. The driver looks over at me, smiles, and parks the machine at the far edge of the rink.
Shange jogs back over.
“Okay, so we’re good for exactly sixty minutes. Clark is going to flick on the tunes for us. I take it your hobby is figure skating?” He grins, nudging me playfully. "I can't wait to see you in action."
I laugh, feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves. "Let's get our skates on first."
Shane grabs two pairs of skates for us from the rental area in the back. His are black, mine are classic white. He watches with an amused expression as I start lacing them up.
“I can’t you believe you kept this from me for so long.”
“Not a secret, hockey boy. I told you I grew up close to an ice rink.”
“Do you need any help?" he asks, already halfway through tying his own hockey skates.
"I'm good, thanks," I reply, determined to handle it myself. Despite my confidence, my fingers fumble with the laces, and Shane chuckles.
"Here, let me," he says, kneeling in front of me.
For a moment, I'm hyper-aware of how close we are. The way his fingers move deftly over the laces, the way he glances up at me with those piercing mismatched eyes of his. It's infuriating how easily he can make my heart race.
"There," he says, tying the final knot. "Ready to go."
I stand up, wobbling slightly on the unfamiliar blades. Shane offers me his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, I take it. He leads me to the edge of the rink and helps me onto the ice.
"Alright, show me what you've got," he says, skating backward effortlessly.
I take a deep breath and push off, gliding forward. It's been a long time since I've been on the ice, but it all comes back to me quickly. I'm not as graceful as I once was, but I manage to stay upright and gain some speed.
"Not bad," Shane calls out, grinning. "But can you keep up with me?"
He takes off, skating in circles around me. I laugh and try to catch up, but he's too fast.
“You’re supposed to be watching me,” I yell after him.
“I always am.”
We play this game of cat and mouse for a while, with me trying to outmaneuver him and failing spectacularly every time.
"Alright, alright, you win," I say, breathless and laughing. "I give up. You’re the undisputed king of the ice.”
Shane skates up to me, his face flushed from the exertion. “Very gracious for someone who won’t ever claim that publicly.”
I roll my eyes. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late," he says, smirking. "But seriously, you're pretty good out here."
"Thanks," I say, feeling a warm blush creep up my cheeks. "I used to skate a lot when I was younger. It's been a while."
"Well, you looked like a natural,” he says, and there's something genuine in his tone that makes my heart skip a beat.
