School's Out: an Alex Brightman x Reader

10) Cinderella

I nervously plucked at the laces of the skates I picked out and let out an annoyed growl. This was already the fifth pair I was trying on and none of them felt right to me. It was almost like these things knew I didn't actually want to wear them.

"Is everything alright?" a voice sounded.

"No..." I grumbled, making absolutely no effort to hide my irritation.

I heard a soft chuckle and looked up. My eyes met with familiar hazel ones and my frustration instantly disappeared. Alex was leaning against a rack that stored some of the ice skates we could choose from, clearly amused at the sight of me. The light fell just right to highlight his jawline and nose, shrouding a part of his face in shadows and giving him a mysterious look. One that, admittedly, suited him pretty well. Still, he was mocking me and I couldn't just let him get away with that, no matter how dashing his appearance might've been. So instead of a compliment, I gave him a cold look and he realised I didn't see the fun in this particular situation.

"Let me help you with those", he offered, pointing at my skates with his chin.

Without waiting for a reply, he pushed himself off the rack and I scooched over so Alex could sit next to me. He took one of the skates and fiddled with it for a while. I was just about to say it was impossible to get those damned things to untangle when he handed me the skate, laces no longer intertwined. With an open mouth, I stared at Alex, who confidently grinned back at me and gave me a wink. 

While I put on the skate, he was already fixing the other one, but instead of handing it to me when he was done, he gave me one of his impish smirks and I knew he was up to something. 

Suddenly he dropped to his knees, eyes looking up at me. He gently placed a hand on my lower leg and I froze. 

"If I may, Your Highness?" he grinned, holding the second skate in his other hand.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" I chuckled, finally understanding what he was doing.

Now with my consent, he went on. He held my leg a bit firmer while slipping on my skate, a playful grin still lingering on his face. With a remarkable amount of concentration and care, he tied my laces in a perfect bow and when he was done, he snapped his eyes up at me again. 

"There you go, princess", he smirked.

"Why, thank you, my prince!" I laughed. 

In a desperate attempt to hide I was blushing, I looked down while laughing and when I glanced up again, I swore his cheeks flushed a little bit too.

"Ahum", someone coughed behind us, "Am I interrupting something?" 

We turned our heads towards the door.

"No, not at all! Come in!" Alex gestured and he got up from the floor.

"Oh, hi Sierra!" I greeted her casually, unconsciously avoiding eye contact.

"Are you ready?" Sierra asked me, glancing at my skates.

"Yes! I finally found a pair that fits, so we can go!" I answered quickly and I clumsily waddled towards the skating rink.

I had to do my very best not to trip with these bulky shoes, but somehow I managed to reach the wooden boards surrounding the ice without falling over. I leaned on them with my elbows and watched how people passed by to distract myself for a while. Sierra, who was an experienced skater, kept up with me easily and came standing next to me.

"So... What just happened in the changing room?" she whispered, eyes shining with a playful curiosity.

"What do you mean?"