Page 36 of Elf-ish

“You got it, Jude. You’re doing it, baby.” The coo is sweeter than her echo last night. The term is more endearing, special even. Pride fills her voice.

Like I’m a child, not a man.

The thought tosses off my concentration, and my arms begin to flail. Angelica leans toward me. Too fast. Too close. My feet tangle with hers, and I fall backward, taking her down with me. Landing flat on my back, she tumbles against my chest, and I let out a sharp, “Oof.”

“Are you alright?”

With my back on the hard ice, I could snap: Do I look alright?

Instead, the weight of her body blanketing mine does strange things to my head, freezing my retort.

“Just . . . give me a minute,” I grunt, needing a second to catch my breath.

Angelica tries to move off me, roll to the side perhaps, but my hands are on her hips, and I hold tighter, keeping her in place over me. Our legs are entwined.

Hers. Mine. Hers. Mine.

One, two, three . . . I seek that freckle at the corner of her mouth. Four.

Slowly, I nod. “Okay. I’m . . . good.” I’d like to stay here all afternoon despite the solid ice at my back, and the cold suddenly seeping through my jacket, because Angelica is lying on top of me. However, our position is hardly intimate with skaters racing around us and broad daylight glaring down on us.

Angelica slowly presses off my chest and kneels. “You’re going to need to frog it.”

“Frog it?” I croak as if I am the creature.

“One foot up and one foot out while your hands remain on the ice. Then one hand up and one hand out.” She imitates the motions, sticking her butt in the air a second before she stands upright.

I do as she did, no longer caring what I look like. I look like more of a fool lying on the ice. When I’m finally standing, Angelica takes my hand again, this time skating by my side, and slowly, I copy her movements.

Left. Right. Slide. Glide.

Repeat. Repeat. Until I’m moving in rhythm with her. Our timing is slow, patient even.

And I wonder if she’d be patient with me in other ways.

chapter 13

[Angelica]

To my surprise, Jude and I skated for nearly ninety minutes before our legs grew tired, and the cold seeped in despite the heat of exertion. We took a break on wobbly legs and walked faster than our original stroll back to the main resort for lunch.

I was so hungry I ordered a cheeseburger despite knowing it would ruin my appetite for dinner. Jude had shared the evening’s menu with me. Beef tenderloin. A true feast.

Our conversation got a little heavy during our walk to the rink, so I stick to more casual topics while we eat lunch. Sports.

Jude loves hockey, despite his personal struggles on the ice. I prefer baseball, but I wouldn’t balk at tickets to a professional game on the ice.

We also cover music. Jude likes techno. Club music, as I call it. I’m a country girl despite having lived in a major city my entire life.

We don’t really agree on much, but the meal passes with ease . . . until we stand.

“Oh.” Jude clutches at his back. “Fuck.”

“Are you alright?” With sudden alarm, I rush to his side.

“Yeah, I just feel like I pinched something.” He stands taller, wincing as he attempts to stretch.

“You did fall on the ice pretty hard, and I fell on top of you.”