Insomniacs (#1)

17. ice

I had the Disney Ice Princess movie on repeat as a child. Partially because I definitely had a crush on Casey Carlyle but also because ice skating looked wondrous. The very concept of us being able to prance and dance on concrete ice just seemed beautifully innovative.

Us humans are horrible things in the wide spectrum of things but small stuff like the art of ice skating, it made me find us a little cool.

However, right now, I absolutely wanted to run away from the ice I was stood on. Only if I moved, I'd fall on my ass again and I don't think I could take another bruise.

"Luca, I swear to god, if you let me go I'll kill you." I gripped tightly onto his arms, his laughter having not ceased since my first fall. His cheeks were bright red, his breaths actually uneven from how much he was laughing.

I let out an annoying whine, becoming increasingly frustrated with myself that I couldn't just do it. Maybe it was a little stupid of me to assume I'd be a fucking whiz as soon as I stepped onto the ice.

It was a beautiful outdoor rink. Round and incredibly large in the centre of town. Despite how it was nearing 2am, there was still some bustle around. The poles around the ice rink had strings of fairy lights wrapped around them, illuminating the area in the dark.

There weren't many people in the rink to witness my shambolic attempt but there were a few. Including the most adorable elderly couple I think I've ever seen, slowly skating their way around the edge of the rink with their hands twined.

There was a stall besides the rink too, where we borrowed some boots and they even had some scarfs and hats. Luca persisted I put them on even though I was determined I could take the cold.

I was wrong.

Even with the scarf and hat and Luca's jacket wrapped tightly around me, I was freezing. Luca just had a beanie on but still seemed to be doing better than me.

He was a natural. He let go of me once as I gripped the edge of the rink, ceaselessly skating his way around the rink. He just made it look so easy. He skidded to a sleek stop in front of me, caging me to the barrier with his hands and smiled down at me.

"I'm not so bad, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Pfft, I mean- average. At best." I scoffed, waving him off. He rolled his lips in to suppress a smile, shrugging before turning to move away from me.

"No! No- okay." I grabbed his arm and he broke out into laughter, "You're not so bad. Please do not let go of me."

And there we were, Luca having the time of his life and my legs trembling every time I tried to move a little.

"You're fucking awful at this." He brought his head back to look at me, laughs still leaving his lips.

"And you're very helpful, douchebag." I glared.

"Okay, well at least now you know how to get up after falling nine times. That's good for your balance." He said, his hands on my waist and his eyes still dancing with amusement.

"Oh yippe! I can fucking fall well." I deadpanned and he turned his head away to laugh.

"Okay. Come on. We're not leaving until you get this down. And you will - something tells me you're a quick learner." He persisted, moving us just slightly away from the edge.

"Yeah? After the nine falls? Or do we need to add more to the ever growing count?"

"Stop being pessimistic,. I won't let you leave until you're owning this rink." His tone easily held confidence.