Fire on Ice

Part 19

Nora POV

It's been two weeks since Coach told us about the Arizona competition and since then Nikolas and I have been training nonstop. We've created a routine: he picks me up at 5:30 to go to the gym for an hour, then drops me off at the cafe, then after my shift we train together until Coach closes the gym. As I keep spending more time with him, my hatred for him has dwindled. My anger over what happened at Euforia has dulled and I think we both just moved on. Neither of us talk about it because we are more focused on other things. The Arizona competition will be our first competition together, and even though this isn't a NIDC qualifying competition, it's still important for us to do well so we get on the judges' radar. Since we will be performing the same routine at each qualifying event until we make it to the NIDC, the choreography needs to be perfect and unique. We finished our routine last week and have been perfecting it since, but the only problem is we haven't picked a song. I was clicking shuffle on my spotify playlists on repeat for almost an hour the other night before it landed me on Sparks by Coldplay. I showed Gigi, and she was absolutely enamored by the idea, but I'm too scared to show it to Nikolas because of how intimate the song is. I wanted to pick a song that shows the growing connection we have but also fits the tempo of our dance, and this one does both perfectly. But, today's the day. Coach said he needed our final song choice by the end of the week, so it's now or never to show Nikolas.

As I walk into the rink for our session, I am beyond nervous. I was even nervous this morning--so much so Nikolas asked why I wasn't talking at all, which I just chalked up to being tired. I enter the locker room to find it empty for once and I take a minute to catch my breath. What if he doesn't like it? What if he thinks I'm trying to send a message that I'm not? The words of the song are so loving and romantic, and I don't want to give him something he can use against me later on.

Fuck it. I have to do it. I quickly change and walk out of the locker room with so much determination I bump straight into the wall. Only the wall has arms that snake around my waist to stop me from falling. I look up to find Nikolas staring down at me with an amused expression. God, I hate that knowing, endearing, infuriating smirk he does.

"Whoa, what's got you in such a rush?" He asks.

Suddenly any confidence I built up vanishes and I mumble, "Nothing, just ready for practice."

If he doesn't believe me, he doesn't show it, simply just sets me up straight and chuckles, "Sure, I'll be out in a minute". He leaves and I catch my breath. I hear laughing coming from behind me and when I turn around Gigi stands there with a huge smile.

"Ugh, what?"

"Oh nothing nothing, just wondering how you guys haven't had sex yet. The sexual tension is oozing from both of you."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah right, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Please, Nora. That man is ogling you 24/7. And don't forget how he offered to pick you up everyday to go to the gym."

"That doesn't mean anything, there are no buses going that early and I needed a way to get there."

Now she rolls her eyes, "One time I asked him for a ride to a competition that was 3 hours away and I had no way to get there and he rejected me before I could even finish asking him the question. He wouldn't drive you if he didn't want to. Anyway, now that we've established you're obsessed with each other, have you shown him the song yet?"

I told Gigi about my song choice the second I picked it and she thought it was perfect, but she also thinks Nikolas wants to have sex with me, so her judgment isn't always sound.

"No, not yet. I'll probably do it today, I'm just nervous though."

She shakes her head, "Don't be, he's gonna love it, I promise." Nikolas and Sebastian walk out of their locker room along with some other members of the gym at this point so I bid goodbye to Gigi and head to the rink with Nikolas to start warming up.