Lock down on Ice

Chapter 9

Their rehearsals were going well and they were pretty much ready for the competition. Perri managed to convince Vanessa to grab a takeaway to celebrate a particularly successful rehearsal and another clear test result on the way home having whined and given her the puppy dog treatment on the way out of the rink.

Home and fully sated, he leaned back and looked at his professional skating partner. Her hair was still slightly damp from her shower and she was smiling at him, she looked beautiful when she smiled he thought. He also noticed that she was always happiest when he was happy, which made him happier.

"Say Cheese!" He snapped a picture of her suddenly feeling the need to commit her face to his digital memory. An idea formed in his head, he still hadn't really got her back for laughing at his milkshake face yet. He tapped out a caption and tagged her with a mischievous look on his face.

He stifled a snicker as she heard the notification chime on her phone and opened the app. Her smiled died as she saw the edited picture of her. She had been changed to look like a frog. 'Is this what he thought of me?' she thought as she stared at the unflattering image, reading the dozens of laughing emoji comments until the tears in her eyes blurred them beyond recognition.

"You've posted this to thousands of your followers?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even and her insult hidden.

But try as she might, Vanessa was fuming, she stormed over to the sink and the pile of yesterday's dishes he had failed to wash so that she could distract herself with a task instead of screaming at him. 'How could he be so stupid' she thought. 'why am I so hurt?' She pursed her lips and turned on the hot tap full blast, letting the water act as a metaphor for her own emotions.

Perri was flummoxed. He didn't actually know what he had said or done wrong. He thought it was funny and that she would laugh too. He stood up, suddenly panicked that he might have ruined their friendship for good, or maybe something more.

She hadn't noticed him approach her because she was concentrating on scrubbing a stubbornly dirty plate so when his arms circled her waist and pulled her to his chest she gasped in shock.

"I'm sorry V" he said and kissed the top of her head from behind her. She dropped the plate and whipped round to face him to tell him off and instantly regretted it as now her front was pressed to his front, she swore he pulled her in even closer too. Vanessa kept her gaze over his shoulder and tried to steady her breathing. Perri removed one of his arms from her waist and used his fingers to move her chin to face him. When she looked into his eyes, his hand stayed at her face and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Vanessa let out a shuddery breath and all her strength left her body. Perri felt her relax and took that as his cue. He leaned in slowly, keeping his eyes fixed to her own, he stopped with his lips millimeters from her own and let his breath reach the sensitive skin there. Vanessa had had enough, she couldn't resist him any longer and closed the minuscule gap between them kissing him hard.

They stayed like that kissing passionately for what felt like hours until Perri pulled away panting, just long enough to pick Vanessa up and carry her to his room. He laid her down on his bed and covered her with his body returning to kissing her as deeply as he could. Vanessa finally let months of pent up desire out and pulled his t shirt off, not caring where it landed. Perri did the same with her clothes and it was not long before both were completely naked and on fire.

Vanessa was grateful for her fitness because the man making love to her had the stamina of a God. She was still mad at him, but if this was the way he said sorry, she would have to get mad more often.