Save Me #1

13| Be mine

Before my eyes appears a huge and impressive skating rink. Zach brought me to Downtown Calgary.

I turn around and face Zach with sparkling eyes.

"You're taking me skating?"

"Do you like it?" Zach eyes me nervously and rubs the back of his head.

I wrap my arms around his waist and beam up to him.

"I love it, Zach!" I state happily.

Zach relaxes and smiles back at me, kissing the tip of my nose.

"Glad you like it. Let's get moving then!"

He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the small hut where we rent two pairs of ice skates. We sit down on one of the large benches and put them on. I stand up with unsteady legs. Zach watches me with an amused smirk on his face and then takes my hand and we make our way to the giant ice rink.

Before putting my feet on the ice, I stop and frown. Zach notices my hesitation and looks at me with a questioning look.

"I haven't been skating for ages...," I confess quietly.

Zach just giggles and grabs both my hands.

"Come on. I got you!" he says and pulls me onto the ice.

The next moment I feel my unsteady feet slithering over the sleek ice.

If it weren't Zach's strong hands which steady me, I would probably topple in an instant. I try to move forward, pushing my feet cautiously from the ground, but fail miserably and grasp Zach's hand even tighter. I feel totally embarrassed, but Zach just smiles at me encouragingly.

"Just try to hold the balance and push your feet to the side. Look, just like that!" And with that, Zach lets go of my hands and starts slithering over the ice like a goddamn pro.

Without his helping hands I just stop where I stand and watch him with my mouth wide open.

Wow!

"Where did you learn skating like that?" I call out to Zach who's speeding up, making some smooth loops and circles.

He turns in my direction and I can see a childish smile brighten up his handsome face as he draws closer again.

"My mom took me skating every year when I was little. Since her death, I come here every year and spend some hours on the rink. This is a place which awakes so many good memories of her and I feel very close to her every time I'm here." The carefree expression on his face has turned into a sadder and absentminded one.

I listen to him intently. The fact he took me to this place honors me a lot. To pick such a meaningful location for our first date lays so much more depth and sincerity into it.

"That's beautiful, Zach. Admittedly, I'm a little bit moved that you are sharing your yearly tradition with me. Especially since it's such a meaningful one," I tell Zach in a soft tone.

Zach beams at me and moves closer.

"You're the first person I ever took here with me. Usually, I'm all by myself when I come here. Except for when I was younger. Back in those days my stepdad used to accompany me," he says. "This morning, when I saw how much you love Christmas and all the wintry stuff, I wanted to arrange something special and meaningful and then the rink came into my mind. It actually means a lot to me that you like it, Livie!"

"I love it! I really do, Zach!" I tell him honestly and then add with a playful smile, "Are you going to show me how to skate now, or do I have to teach it myself?"