Fire on Ice

Bonus Chapter 1

Nora POV

4 years later

"Alright everyone! That's it for today's class. Have a good weekend!" I say to my class of 5 year-olds who I took on the ice for the first time today. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement. Luckily, Gigi made a surprise visit into town from New York and offered to help me.

"Whew, when I said I'd help, I did not imagine screaming kids falling on the ice" She says as she skates up to me, out of breath. I laugh in response.

After the NIDC 4 years ago, Coach surprised all of us by saying he was retiring from coaching, and surprised me further by giving me the keys to the gym. He said he wanted me to have the gym and since then I've been teaching all of the classes and keeping the lights on. I still skate consistently, but I haven't competed since the NIDC.

After my mom passed 2 years ago, I haven't found the courage to go back. The clinical trial was successful and she got better for almost a year, but then her health took a turn for the worse. Her death was one of the hardest moments of my life and I still feel a dull pain in my heart.

Nikolas was incredibly supportive the whole time, giving me space and comfort when I needed it. I don't know what I would do without him.

"Are you ready?" Gigi asks me as I close up the office.

"Yes but I still don't know what for. You haven't even told me why you're in town." I say.

She waves me off, "Do I need a reason to see my best friend?"

I look at her skeptically, "I guess not."

"See? Now let's go, we don't have much time." She drags me out of the gym and into her car where we speed off to the apartment.

Nikolas and I still live in the same apartment and when we get there Gigi practically pushes me inside. "Jeez! What's your deal?" I say in surprise.

"Nothing! I'm just excited to spend time with you." She says with a huge smile on her face. I know I'm fun to be around, but something is definitely up, and I finally see what it is when we walk into the bedroom.

The entire room is covered in rose petals and there's a note on the bed. My mouth drops in shock and I turn to Gigi. She still has a big smile on her face and nods her head to the bed. I walk slowly and pick up the note carefully. Inside is Nikolas' curvy handwriting with an address and time.

Golden Gate Viewpoint 8:00pm. I check the time and it's already 7pm.

"Now you see why I was in such a rush?" Gigi scolds me, pushing me into the closet. I still haven't found words as I silently take the deep green dress from her hands.

"Now put this on" She shuts the door behind and I finally realize what's happening. Nikolas isn't...is he? We've talked about getting married for a while, but we were never in a rush to get engaged. Before I think too much about it, I quickly put the dress on and find some heels to go with it. I look at myself in the mirror and see my face is red with nerves.
"You might be getting engaged tonight." I whisper to the mirror. A smile breaks out on my face hearing those words, but my moment is interrupted by Gigi knocking on the door.

I step out of the closet and Gigi claps her hands. "You look beautiful honey." She hugs me and leads me to the bathroom where she touches up my makeup and curls my hair. Even though it didn't take long, I look completely refreshed. Before we leave the bathroom I stop her, 'Gigi, is what I think is happening, happening?"

"Nora, just enjoy tonight." I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, but after Gigi essentially confirmed my thoughts, I can't stop smiling.

We get in her car again and she takes me to the viewpoint. When we arrive I check the time: 7:50. Gigi leaves me to walk up alone and says she'll be waiting. I hug her before I step out of the car. I walk down the pathway in front of me to see it covered in more rose petals and candles. When I get to the end, I see a large patch of grass that overlooks the Golden Gate bridge, lit up by all the cars. But more importantly, I see Nikolas in a tailored black suit standing in a ring of candles.

"Hi baby" He croaks out, as if he's trying not to cry.

I walk towards him, "I love you." He smiles, "I love you too." He takes his hands out of his pockets and puts mine in his. His thumb subconsciously starts rubbing my wrist and he takes a deep breath.

"I'm gonna try to say this without crying but don't laugh if I fail okay?" He tries to joke but as he says it a tear falls. I reach up to hug and say, "I'll try."

He unwraps my arms from around him and pauses for a moment before starting, "When I saw you at the coffee shop for the first time I knew that you'd be a handful."

"Hey!" I swat his arm and he laughs.

"But, spending these last four years with you has made me realize that I could never live life without you. I know we had our," he pauses to choose the right word, "differences when we first met, but you are the most dedicated, loving, kind, beautiful woman I've ever met. You never fail to make my day better, and just being near you makes me feel complete. I want to spend the rest of my days by your side, as your best friend, confidant," he bends down on one knee and pulls out a ring box from his pocket, "and husband".

I cover my mouth with my hand to try and quiet my crying, but I fail miserably.

"Nora," he opens the box to reveal a beautiful oval shaped diamond sitting on a silver band encrusted with small rose-colored diamonds, "will you marry me?"

"Yes" I say before the words are even out of his mouth. I bend down to meet his eye level and kiss him fiercely. The kiss is filled with tears and when we pull apart he puts the ring on my finger.

Suddenly something hits me, "Wait, is this why you wrapped my finger in string last week?" He laughs, "Yeah, I needed your ring size. I'm surprised you didn't connect the dots." He kisses me again and we both stand up. Nikolas picks me up and we embrace for a quiet moment before Gigi comes running out.

"Ahh my best friend is getting married!" She screams with Sebastian coming out behind her. I run up to hug her and she wipes the tears off my face. "I knew waterproof mascara was the way to go." Everyone laughs while Nikolas tries to subtly wipe his own tears away. Sebastian hugs me and Nikolas.

"I'm so happy for you guys." We spend the next hour taking photos with the bridge in the background before the sun completely goes away.

Later that night, Nikolas and I are sitting on the couch and I can't stop staring at the ring. He puts his arm around me and I say, "How did you know this was exactly what I wanted."

He grimaces slightly, "I may have hacked into your pinterest account." I sit up quickly in faux-shock, "What?"

"Hey! It's not my fault your password is my name. You must be obsessed with me." He says confidently.

I lean back into his arms, "Maybe a little." He smiles and tilts my head up to kiss me. The kiss grows more heated by the second and I whisper, "Bedtime?" He nods with a knowing smile and picks me up to carry me to the bedroom.