𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 | ᵍʳᵉʸˢ ᵃⁿᵃᵗᵒᵐʸ

⁰²⁷ 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓

A week later, I was on my way to figure skating practice again. It's funny how sometimes you visit places not because they make you happy, but because being alone in the hotel room was driving me crazy.

And then there was the calorie thing. I mean, exercise is supposed to be good for that, right?

So yeah, here I was, at the rink, ready to make peace with the ice. At least temporarily.

Fully dressed, skates tightly laced, and ready to face Georgia's steely regiment, I left the women's locker room with my thoughts somewhere between "What am I doing here" and 'Let it be over quickly'.

Just as I lowered my head to check my phone,
I collided head-on with a wall. Okay, not a wall, but a hockey player - tall, wide, and obviously in a hurry.

Wearing a hockey uniform with his team's logo proudly emblazoned on his chest, he looked like he'd stepped out of one of those sports movies where the hero always scores the winning goal.

A quick dance to keep his balance, and then we faced each other. "Oh, sorry," I stammered, taking a step back. "I didn't see you."

"No problem," he said with a broad grin that made his athletic appearance even more appealing. "Happens to me all the time."

His voice was surprisingly soft for someone who looked like he could easily defeat a polar bear in hand-to-hand combat.

"Yeah, right. Must be the ice that blinds everyone around here."

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms.
"So you're one of the guys playing on the other side?" I noted, nodding in the direction of the divided rink.

"Yeah, I'm the team captain. And you're a figure skater, right?" His eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Unfortunately," I sighed. "My coach, Georgia, is a real challenge. She's so strict, you'd think she confused figure skating with military drill. The only thing missing is her fire breathing."

The guy laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. "Yeah, that sounds familiar. My mom can be quite the dragon."

His words hit me like a snowball, and my eyes widened. "Your... Georgia is your mother?"

"Well, the universe has a strange sense of humor, doesn't it?" He seemed to find my sudden panic funny. "Georgia Callagan, dragon lady and my mother. But don't worry, you're not the first and certainly not the last to say that."

"Oh God, I... that was... I didn't mean it," I stammered, wishing I could bury myself in the ice beneath my feet.

He just laughed again and shook his head. "No worries. We're even."

"Even?" I asked, confused and still embarrassed. "Why is that?"

"Well, I'm the jerk who shot the puck against your feet last Thursday. Really sorry about your nose."

"Oh," escaped me, and suddenly some pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He was the mystery puck shooter. "That explains the blood and the pain."

"I'm really sorry about that. It wasn't my intention. I hope your nose is okay?" His concern seemed genuine.

"Yeah, all back to normal. Anatomically, anyway," I replied, managing a small smile.

We stepped aside to clear the way for the other athletes. "Great. First, you almost killed me, and then I meet you and I insult your mother. We could start a sitcom."

"I'd be in that show. I'm Noah, by the way," he introduced himself with a wry smile.

"Missy," I replied, feeling the ice between us begin to melt, metaphorically speaking.

"Missy, the ice princess who takes on the evil dragon."

"Well, more like an ice princess falling on her nose," I countered. Noah laughed, a deep, warm sound that seemed to suck the coldness out of the air.

"'I'd better get on the ice," I finally said, "before your dragon... uhm, your mother devours me."

"See you later," he replied, and something in his smile told me that this would not be our last conversation.

With a new sense of anticipation for what was to come, I strapped on my skates and made my way to the rink.

Maybe the ice wasn't so bad after all, I thought as I took one last look over my shoulder and saw Noah joining his teammates on the ice.