Mistletoe

Ice Rink

        I tightened the laces on mine and Luke's skates. He had never been skating before, so he wasn't at all knowledgeable in how to properly tie his skates. He looked at me, smiling stupidly as he propped his foot on to my knee. I expertly tied the laces like I had done so many times before. We were at a small, outdoor skating rink that many people were completely unaware of in London. Because of its unpopularity, the place was always uncrowded, making it one of my favorite places in the world. Today - or was it evening now? - it was empty. We had the entire rink to ourselves. There was a slight hush over the rink. The only thing we could hear was our breathing and the soft hum of music coming from a little shop next to the rink. 

For a few short hours, I taught Luke the art of skating, and despite his efforts, he still fell every time. I would giggle in response as he stood up, using the wall as support. Eventually, when we were taking a break on a few benches. Snow had begun to drift down slowly, landing in Luke's soft, blonde hair. He grinned foolishly as he saw the snowflakes that landed in my own hair. 

"You look really beautiful right now," he blushed. My face flushed in response, my smile revealing my teeth. 

I felt uncomfortable at the compliment. I didn't understand how he could think that of me, and I wasn't quite sure how to feel about this. Nobody had ever given me a compliment like that. "Thanks," I said, unsurely. 

An uncomfortable silence surrounded us. Then, when dark finally fell over the city, the christmas lights outside the shop became the only source of light. I saw a spark of excitement reach Luke's vibrant eyes as he started to look like a small child on Christmas morning. His eyes opened wide and two dimples showed on his cheeks, his straight, white teeth forming a perfect smile. 

"C'mon!" He shouted as he got up and went back over to the ice. He was careful to step lightly onto the rink, and he held onto the wall for support. Meanwhile I indulged myself in skating freely for a few moments. I went to the center of the rink and spun around. I twirled and did figured eights on the ice. After a few minutes I glided back to Luke, his eyes wide in amazement. 

"You're incredible," he stated bluntly, his voice still making his shock evident. I blushed once again, and held onto his hand. "Do you trust me?" I asked him. 

He gave me a half smirk, and replied. "It depends on what I'm supposed to trust you with." With that, I took his other hand as well, leaving him holding on to me for support. 

"You know, Beth, you have a real talent for stripping me of my masculinity," Luke laughed as he put a little more weight on my hands, trying to stay upright. 

"Luke, you're doing great. I think it's adorable that you've never skated before," I responded, joining into his laughter. 

A slight pause followed my comment until his voice filled the silence. "Where are we going anyway. You know, I really liked my wall." 

I just shook my head and grinned. "Just trust me, Luke." 

I looked up at Luke, his eyes looked terrified, but the rest of him was glowing with ecstasy. I saw his slightly scrawny knees trembling slightly, and his hands were twitching in my own. He looked exhilarated as I lead him to the middle of the rink. When we reached our destination, I stopped us. For a second we just stood in the rink, Luke towered over me, his hands rested on mine as he used me for balance. We stared into each others eyes, and it was then that I realized how much I really cared for this boy. A few short hours ago we had been complete strangers, and perhaps by fate, we have become closer than I had been to anybody in a long time. I felt I could trust him with my life, and I felt as though we could take on the world. Love may be a strong word, but so were my feelings for him.