Fire on Ice

Part 44

Nora POV

The next week Nikolas and I are constantly at the rink. Georgia knows about the NIDC and she let me take off work for a week so I could practice. We only have a week before the competition and luckily, it's being held in LA this year, so it's a really short flight.

We're at the rink for the second time today working on the twist lift. It's the most complicated move in our routine, so it's really important we get it right. So far, the practices have been going well, but I want it to be perfect.

Nikolas throws me up in the air and I'm propelled into the air. I spin 3 or 4 times before I'm back in his arms and on the ice. "Good, that was good." He says, slightly out of breath. I nod my head in agreement. We take a break to get water before practicing the transition from the bounce spin to the axel. Before we finish, we run through the routine one more time and when we finish Nikolas hugs me.

"We're gonna be perfect" He whispers into my ear before kissing the side of my head.

"I hope so." I respond. I kiss his nose and he helps me walk off the ice since my feet are on fire and I can barely walk.

When we stumble into his apartment after stopping at Gigi's for me to get more clothes he gets a text. He looks at me and says, "There's a surprise in the bedroom" I look at him confused and rush there. On the bed is a white box with a golden bow tied around it. He follows me, "Open it"

"Is this another present? My birthday was last week." I scold him.

"Of sorts, just open it"

I look at him faux-upset and carefully open the box. When I lift the lid I see a yellow leotard covered in jewels.

"It's for the competition. I thought you could use a new one and it kind of fits the song." He explains coming to hug me from behind. The leotard is gorgeous. The sleeves are transparent with jewels lining them. It's short and stops mid-thigh. But the best part is the color. It's a deep yellow that almost matches how sparks look.

"Thank you, I love it" I turn around in his embrace and wrap my arms around his neck. His arms naturally go around my waist and he kisses my neck.

I pull away and say sternly, "You have to stop giving me gifts. I can't repay you right now."

"Baby, I don't expect to be repaid. I want to do this for you."

"Okay, but please no more gifts."

He concedes and we spend the rest of the night relaxing in the bathtub.

*****

Today is the big day. Nikolas woke me up with breakfast in bed and we sat together and ate. It was a surprisingly quiet morning, with neither of us talking much except when Nikolas saw me in the leotard for the first time. He wouldn't stop saying how pretty I looked, and while I knew I looked good, I think part of it was to calm my nerves.

The uber drops us off at the rink around 8:00 am. We're not competing until 11, but we wanted to get there early to get ready and watch the other performances. Coach already called us last night to inform us that we are the second seed, with Jessica and Kevin being the first. He told us not to worry about the ranking and just focus on our performance. My mom also called me this morning to wish me good luck. She'll never say it, but she's hoping we win for the money too.

"Checking in?" The woman at the front desk asks us when we walk in.

"Yeah, Valentino and Peterson." Nikolas tells her.

"Yup, 11am?"

I nod my head and she gives us our athlete badges to walk in. The rink is swarming with people, skaters, families, coaches. Nikolas and I find a quiet place to sit and stretch before we have to go warm up. We separate into the locker rooms to put our stuff down, and when I walk in, the first person I see is Jessica. She's in a scandalous navy blue leotard that is short but pretty. The straps are thin, and don't look like they are providing much support.