Lock down on Ice

Chapter 12

Vanessa was poleaxed. She was sat on his lap like a child, but her feelings were anything but childish. She looked at his incredibly beautiful face and yet didn't want to admit her thoughts out loud again. He had called her out, of course he had, he always spotted any tiny error she made and teased her mercilessly for it. And now she had to choose between putting her raw heart on a chopping block and handing him a knife or denying what he clearly heard and losing a chance to do over.  Because if she admitted it to herself, she really wanted him. She wanted to feel those soft lips again, she wanted him to make her scream again, she wanted to hold his hand and take long walks, she wanted to cook his favourite food and watch him dance in his chair as he wolfed it down. She wanted to be his girlfriend.

His strength had sapped her own and even if he let her go she would not have left his lap. An invisible force was keeping her right there, looking directly into his warm brown eyes. She didn't know what to do, she was scared of losing him with either action. Finally she made her decision and steeled herself for whatever was to come.

"I do think you're beautiful Perri." She said quietly. "And I was upset and feeling rejected before because, I do want to take things further with you...if...that's what you want." She stared at her hands for what felt like hours while she waited for the knockback. There wasn't one, only silence.  She looked up, wondering if his way of saying sod off was to say nothing at all.

"I think you're the most gorgeous human on this planet and I'd bin this whole competition right now if it meant that I could be with you, cos I only want you."  She dropped her mouth and stared at him in wonder, never would she ever have imagined such words coming from him. "Now who's the owl?" he said softly, smiling.

She could no longer hold back a fat tear which rolled down her cheek. Perri leaned in and kissed it away. She shivered at the gentle contact and angled her head so she could capture his mouth. They kissed until she heard the rink door open then she hopped off his lap and pretended to tie her skate laces.

"The competition starts soon." Vanessa said uselessly, the date was burned into both their brains. "Do you think we should keep things secret until after you win?" He laughed at her confidence.

"Er I think you're gonna be very disappointed if you think I'll even get past the first round!" he scoffed. "But I will be your dirty little secret if you want." He pulled her ponytail and leapt on to the ice, skating to the far side like an Olympic speed skater.

"Ow, Perri Kiely you get back here...!" She skated off after him, realising that her life from this moment on will never be boring.

~Fin~