Lock down on Ice

Chapter 2

Perri didn't see Vanessa for weeks after the reveal day, the tour venues were too far away but now he had some dates down south which coincided with some time Vanessa had free. He was excited to book in a first lesson at the time but now he found it all too real. He forced himself to park up at the rink and walk in and put his brand-new skates on. Perri's eyes wondered around the outside of the rink as he waited. He looked at the cold hard ice and shuddered. Memories of landing awkwardly in public rinks flooded his mind. He hadn't skated in ages, so now on top of all the pain he will surely suffer, he now had to deal with public humiliation too he thought rolling his eyes and letting out a huge sigh. It took all his willpower to not leave right there and then. A movement caught his eye and he turned in its direction. A young woman skated towards him. He could only see her stunning figure at first, her form fitting leggings and top showed off her feminine curves. As she drew closer he could see that her face was as beautiful as he remembered. Her bright smile dazzled him as she held up her hand and waved at him. Perri let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"Hi Perri!" Vanessa beamed up at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Alright" he said awkwardly, he suddenly felt very shy. Vanessa put her arms up and indicated she wanted a hug, Perri picked up on her cue and leant down to carefully hold her for a few seconds then let go. She didn't let go of him though.

"Come on to the ice Perri, I want to see how good you are." He had filmed a piece for Torvill and Dean yesterday for a first time on the ice VT but she hadn't seen that yet so she needed to know what his skill level was. Trying to ignore her small hands on his waist, he stepped down on the slippery surface and held on to her shoulders for balance. His large hands each covered an entire shoulder and she struggled to hold the weight of him. If he fell there was no way she was going to stop him he thought. "That's it" she cooed encouragingly. He noticed she was shaking a little bit from the effort it took to keep him upright. He wanted to ease her load so he stood up on his own and only lightly held her.

"Sorry" he mumbled, feeling sheepish. He hadn't noticed how small she was before. Vanessa smacked his arm and made him jump.

"Oi! I'm not a delicate little bird, I can hold you". She chastised. Perri gave her a look of disbelief. "Right, come back to the side!" she ordered, when he obliged, she barked another order. "Take off your skates!" She started to remove hers too. When he was standing there in just his socks, Vanessa locked her arms around his waist and lifted him up off the floor. Perri squealed an unnatural high pitched sound of alarm. She managed maybe half a foot before she had to put him down again, but it worked, Perri was in complete shock. He stood where he was dropped and blinked for a few seconds, then saw Vanessa move towards her skates, he scooped her up as she turned and lifted her effortlessly up several feet in the air. It was her turn to scream and she tried to twist out of his grip.

"Now THIS I can do all day long" he teased, holding her tight, his grip was like iron and she gave up trying to break his hold.

"Perri Kiely put me down!" she shouted. It was a sharp, no nonsense shout that made Perri think of his strictest teachers at school, he immediately lowered her down. Vanessa looked up at him sternly. "I was making a point that I am strong enough to not let you fall." Her German accent made her sound stern. She put her hands on her hips and squared up to him. Even as she stretched up the top of her head only just reached his chin. "I am your teacher and am responsible for your safety. In this ice rink you do not do anything unless I tell you to Ok?"

Perri's jaw dropped as he listened to Vanessa's tirade. He was thoroughly confused. He thought he was playing. It was the sort of thing he did with his sisters Starr and Elvie and they always laughed. He hung his head down and put his hands in his pockets like a disciplined child.

"Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood," he muttered. Vanessa looked at him and her angry tone disappeared instantly.

"It's ok, you surprised me you know..., I just want to make sure we are safe at all times, that's all." She reassured, stroking his arm. "Come on, let's start again."