close to you | carlos sainz

one

"delgado, why are you still wobbling?" carmen's voice echoed from the edge of the ice, tinged with concern as she covered her lips. "we've been working on this for weeks, vale. come on, let's go again."

valeria let out a frustrated breath, gliding back to her starting position in a sleek black figure skating dress that moved fluidly with each stride. she slid into place beside andrés, her fingers slipping into his as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"stop getting in your own head, vale. you know i'll always catch you," andrés murmured softly from behind her, his voice calm and steady.

"easy for you to say," she muttered under her breath.

with a deft move, she spun on her blade to face him, skating backward for a few moments, her eyes holding his, before she turned back around. as her waist found his palms, she steadied herself, feeling his grip tighten, strong and sure.

and in a heartbeat, he hoisted her above the ice. her legs snapped into a brief graceful split before her body rolled mid-air in a flawless triple twist.

she landed back in his grasp, their movements seamless as he lowered her gently. without missing a beat, they flowed back into their routine, steps synchronized in a perfect mirror of each other.

applause echoed through the empty rink as carmen clapped, a faint smile replacing her earlier concern. valeria and andrés glided back to her, chests rising with the effort, faint breaths visible in the cold air.

"much better. not perfect yet, but we're getting close," carmen said, her pride showing through the soft grin that lit her face. "all right, let me see your triples before we wrap up for today. it's been a while since you've done them."

valeria arched an eyebrow. "triples? we can do quads, why would we wanna go back to triples?"

"because i'd like both of you in one piece before the championship," carmen replied dryly.

for all her warmth, carmen's tone had a steeliness whenever injuries were at stake. there was no room for debate in her world when it came to those.

andrés and valeria exchanged a resigned glance, then skated off to get back into position. their figures blurred across the ice as they pushed off, bodies moving as one, every motion perfectly synchronized.

in a shared breath, they launched themselves into a triple spin, landing in unison, each on the opposite skate, steady and graceful.

from the sidelines, carmen's whoop of approval bounced around the rink. "still got it, kiddos!"

valeria snorted. "you know you'll never beat the old-lady accusations, right?"

"i'm thirty-nine, give me a little credit!" carmen rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she handed over their skate guards when they reached the rink's edge.

valeria and andrés clicked their guards on, stepping off the ice and into the hockey benches. they unfastened their skates, sliding them into their bags as carmen leaned casually over the barrier, tapping her nails along the edge.

"we're still on for tomorrow evening?" she asked, gaze flicking between them, her tone deceptively casual.

"do we have a choice?" andrés gave her a dry look, earning a snicker from valeria.

"if there's a devil spawn here, it's definitely you," she muttered. "but of course you don't have a choice. i was just reminding you that you'll be seeing my face again tomorrow," she added with mock innocence.