Unexpected Blessing

Chapter 13: Light As Air

Kelly's P.O.V

We leave the restaurant just over an hour later, stuffed full of Italian food. Vienna's arm is looped through mine again as we make our way back to the car, but she stops short before we get there.

"Hey, look there." She says, directing my attention across the street where a large tent has been set up with lights strung around its edges, and underneath—an outdoor skating rink.

I look to her, seeing how her eyes are lit up at the sight of it. "You wanna go check it out?" I ask, and she just looks back up at me, giving a nod.

"As long as I'm not interrupting the itinerary of the evening." She jokes, and I chuckle and shake my head.

"Course not, let's go." I say, changing direction and heading towards the crosswalk.

When we come upon the tent, we see a small table set up as the make-shift cashier. Behind the cashier, large blue tubs with numbers written on the sides—sizes of skates I'm sure—sit lined up in the few inches of snow on the ground.

"Hey," I say as we approach the woman currently behind the counter. "How much would it be for two?" I ask, and watch her eyes dart over to Vienna.

"You need skates as well?" she asks us and we both nod. "Ten dollars." She says and I nod, reaching for my wallet. I feel a hand on my arm when I do so, and see Vienna looking to me with slight disapproval.

"I got it Kelly—you paid for dinner, I can at least pay for this." She says with a soft smile before reaching into her own purse, finding her wallet and handing the money over.

We're given our skates and are pointed in the direction of a few benches that are sitting off to the side. We both sit down and get to work on taking off our own shoes and slipping the skates on instead.

"You do much skating in New York?" I ask her, and Vienna cracks a smile.

"Honestly, aside from school field trips to Rockefeller, I didn't get much practice. It'll come back though, right?" she says with a nervous laugh. "Like riding a bike..." She mumbles, almost to herself.

Once we're all laced up and have left our belongings behind the cashier's desk, we make our way to the edge of the skating rink.

It's mostly families out right now, with small kids whizzing through the bodies of those trying to keep their balance. I spot a few children gripping the edges of the boards, trying to keep themselves upright.

"Ready?" I ask Vienna, glancing over to see her expression. I laugh. "I can't tell if you look excited or terrified." I say to her and she looks to me and breaks into that smile that makes my breath hitch for just a fraction of a second.

"A combination of both, I think. Maybe more terrified than excited." She admits and I smile, finding her hesitation but willingness to try, completely adorable. I step out onto the ice, turning to face her. Her eyes widen in surprise, a look of amazement crossing her features. "You can skate backwards?" she breathes.

I chuckle, shrugging. "My mom got me into hockey when I was a kid, stayed with it for a few years." I say before reaching out my hands for her to take. "Come on, I got you."

Vienna smiles before taking a tentative step out onto the ice, her hands reaching for my own at the same time. She grasps them tightly, clearly worried about keeping her balance.

She lets out a breath as we glide out a little further onto the ice. "There you go, not so bad, right?" I ask and she laughs.

"I apologize in advance if I crush your hands." She says to me, looking sheepish.