Why Don't We date already? | oneshots

ice skates and pizzas

I watched several skaters jump and spin on the ice. Snowflakes fell as the scratches on ice could be heard. I stuffed my hands into my coat pockets, having given my gloves to Zebulon earlier.

    "Excuse me," one of the ice skaters said haughtily, standing in front of me. Only then did I realize I was blocking one of the exits.

    "Sorry," I said apologetically, immediately walking back from the gate. She slid it open, her ice skates somehow moving gracefully across the layer of foam or something that prevented the skaters' blades from dulling. I turned back to the ice, making sure to stay out of the way of the gate.

    The skater who had just left the rink came back on, her skates immediately hitting the ice. She raced around the rink a couple times before turning and skating backwards. I don't remember exactly what happened, because her movements were so quick, so impeccably timed that she seemed to be part of another world. Her tight, red dress skirt flared around her as her blades flashed in the winter Minnesota sun. She created several large loops in the ice with her skates before jumping up, spinning several times before landing on the ice, her arms and head held triumphantly above her shoulders.

    "Yalenchka! Yalenchka!" a little boy who suddenly appeared next to my elbow squealed, waving his arms. He was so small, he could barely see over the fence that lined the rink. "Yalenchka!"

    "Do you want me to lift you?" I asked the young boy, smiling down at him. He looked up at me, tendrils of brown hair curling beneath his hat.

    "Yes please," he nodded vigorously. I lifted him up and sat him on the fence, holding his waist as he continued to shout, "Yalenchka!"

    The girl who had passed me earlier, came over-- Yalenchka. "Jack, what are you doing?"

    "Corbyn said to say hi," Jack shrugged innocently. "He also said that I'll get hot chocolate too."

    Yalenchka rolled her eyes, which widened as she noticed me. "Oh, sorry about Jack." She lifted him into her arms as he squirmed around. She booped his nose, saying, "I'm going to tell my dear brother Corbyn that he isn't allowed to give you hot chocolate, you squirmy little marshmallow," before turning her attention back to me. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I was about to come over myself."

    "It was no biggie," I shrugged. "I have a little brother as well, so I know how to deal with them."

    "Sorry for being a bit, uh, blunt earlier," she said, her accented English standing out against my own.

    "Could you make it up to me if I took you out?" I asked before she could say anything more, letting a smal smile play on my lips. Her cheeks flushed a hint of pink, but she seemed to remain unflustered.

    "Probably later in the day," she replied. "The rink closes at nine."

    "A night one, then," I grinned. "Meet me here?"

    "Sure," she said, setting Jack back on the fence. "Give him to my brother for me, will you?"

    "I can go back to Corbyn by myself," Jack pouted, crossing his arms.

    "Sure you can," Yalenchka said, kissing his cheek. She pushed herself off the fence and back onto the blades of her skates. "See you..."

    "Jonah," I replied. "See you, Yalenchka."

*****

    "So, where do you think we're going to eat?" I asked Yalenchka, who strapped herself in the passenger seat before answering.

    "Nice move," she smirked. "Honestly, anywhere suits me."

    "Pizza?"

    "If you're talking Pieology, then yeah."

*****

    "Jonah, your pizzas are ready!" One of the workers shouted, setting the still-steaming pizzas onto the bar that separates the kitchen from the dining area. I grabbed it and took it back to where Yalenchka was waiting.

    Her blonde hair, the undercurrents darker than most, was pulled out from its usual skater bun and cascaded down her shoulders. Her hazel eyes lit up with excitement and hunger as I placed her pizza in front of her, sliding into my seat with my own a few moments later. She immediately took a bite, the deliciousness evident on her face. The red of her nail polish matched the red of her lips from the cold. She opened one eye and paused her eating. "Enjoying the view?"

    My cheeks nearly flamed, but I tried to keep my cool. "I just don't understand how corn on pizza is good. With olives, no less. And bacon. And tomatoes. And arugula."

    "It's better than your choice of toppings," she retorted, watching as I took a bite. "How you can enjoy that, I'll never get."

    "It's delicious!" I defended my choice of pizza toppings. She just shook her head, taking another bite. We spent the rest of the night talking and eating, occasionally joking around and laughing.

    "You've got something on your cheek," Yalenchka said, smirking. I immediately wiped my face, trying to get at it. "Nah, you completely missed."

    She took a napkin and wiped the side of my face. She sat back down, tucking her skirt under her legs until she suddenly looked back at me. "Are you blushing? Is Jonah Marais blushing?"

    I had no response to that, so I just stuffed my face with the rest of my pizza. She just smiled, shaking her head. We cleared the table soon after.

    We walked under the streetlamps, talking as we made our way around downtown (or at least what served as downtown for Stillwater, Minnesota). I glanced in her direction as she talked about her favorite artists. She was wearing a puffy jacket as I was and skinny jeans, showing off her muscled legs. I placed my arm around her waist as the air grew colder still. She stiffened at the gesture, but soon melted into me, her shoulder perfectly fitting under my arm.

    We soon made our way back to our car. The whole time, I was just noticing things about Yalenchka that drew me to her. She was passionate about her art form, like how I was about music. She talked a lot about incorporating pop music into her routines. I told her about my dreams to make it big in the music industry. "Maybe one day I'll be skating to your songs," she had grinned. We talked about our younger siblings. I learned that Corbyn was her twin and that Jay was five. I told her about Zeb, Svea, and Esther. She was just such a....independent person, I guess? It's hard to explain. Like, she was creating her own path through the field of ice skating.

    I dropped her off in front of her house.

    "Thanks for the pizza," Yalenchka said, climbing out of the passenger seat as I held the door open for her.

    "Welcome," I replied. "Thanks for coming."

    She shrugged. "There was free food involved."

    "Of course," I pretended to scoff. She laughed.

    "I assume I'll be seeing you?" she asked.

    "If you want to," I responded, hugging her goodbye. I stared into her eyes. Damn, they were pretty. Her long lashes blinked up at me as I felt her arms wrap around my neck. Our faces drew closer, our noses aligning. Just a couple more inches...

    Just as our lips were about to touch, I felt Yalenchka pat my cheek. "Maybe next time, Jo." She spun out of my grip and waved as she ran to the front of her house.

    I grinned like an idiot as the door swung shut.

*****

I might start updating like once a day instead of twice bc I'm running out of prewritten chapters lmao

This is probs my fav oneshots