OFF LIMITS

CHAPTER TWO - Chicken Wings & Daiquiris

KAT

Does he think I don't see him staring at me? He's been eyeing me for a solid half hour, and he's not being subtle.

I came to the bar because I'd been craving these chicken wings all day. They were the first thing I thought about when moving back to Vancouver became a reality. I'll be able to eat my favorite chicken wings. And to add to the satisfaction, I won't feel guilty for eating too many carbs because I'm not skating anymore.

I'm not skating anymore.

That's why I'm here, fueling my body with sugar and carbs. It doesn't matter what I put in my body anymore. I can eat whatever I want.

Yeah, that's it. If I focus on the bright side of my situation, I won't beat myself up so much.

Pros of not skating anymore? Chicken wings from Cheers & Beers; Daiquiris from Cheers & Beers, and I'm close to my dad and sisters.

Cons of not skating anymore? Not skating anymore.

Figure skating has been a structural part of my world for as long as I can remember. My memories are filled with ice skates, rinks, choreographies, and costumes. I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't skate. Sometimes I think I was born knowing how to move on the ice. My mom somehow managed to pass on her skating knowledge to me by osmosis when I was in her womb so that I could skate as soon as I could walk.

I was always supposed to stop at some point. I just didn't think it would be at the peak of my career. In my mind, I was going to compete until my knees couldn't handle the jumps anymore, and I would keep skating for as long as my body allowed it.

My body still allows me to skate. My mind is the problem.

I'll have to convince myself that chicken wings and daiquiris are better than skating. They absolutely sufficed in making my night better, that's for sure. Now that I finished them, I already miss them. I may miss them more than I should because without a plate of chicken wings in front of me, ignoring those piercing blue eyes staring at me is becoming more and more difficult.

He's been watching me for a while. If he wasn't cute, I would be completely freaked out. Mainly because I saw him watching me with a lot of attention as I ate a chicken wing. Who watches someone as they eat chicken wings? This dude, apparently.

I didn't notice him when I first came in. People were sitting between us, and I was too focused on getting to the bar and ordering my chicken wings to notice any human beings around me. But suddenly, there he was, giving me all his attention. The only moment he's looked away from me since he noticed me is when he looks at his phone. Maybe that's his girlfriend texting him?

Secretly, I hope that's not it. Because he's really hot. Like the kind of guy you actually believe cannot be real. He has this whole 'I don't care, but I care' vibe to his appearance. His hair is in that phase where it's a bit too long with a mullet sort of vibe but looks so good, and he's dressed casually, but you can tell he put thought into his outfit.

And, of course, the blue eyes. I could see them all the way from here. Bluest blues of all the blues and very fixed on me.

'Figure skater Kat' wouldn't entertain this idea at all. She has no time for casual sex. Staying up all night with a sexy stranger is not part of her schedule and will only cause her to slack tomorrow when she practices.

But I'm not 'figure skater Kat' right now. I'm just Kat. Just Kat, who's having the longest dry spell humanity has ever seen.

You know it's terrible when your eighteen-year-old sister is getting her freak on more than you. She's in her first year of university and has a boyfriend, so it makes sense she gets more action than I do.