Spinning Out: Take Me to Your Heart

A Sudden Invitation

"Hey, let's get married."

Kat and Justin were sitting in the tiny restaurant where they once enjoyed the juicy steak back to that day, the day of their first "mingling practice". Exactly the same booth seat, with the same tomato sauce bottle on the table. But now it's night time. The interior looked darker than in day time while the shadows from the street lights outside scattered on the floor, building a surprisingly emotional atmosphere with some soft music.

They were just back to Canada after touring around US and Europe with their signature Romeo & Juliet skating dance. Six months ago, they earned their first ever tickets to the 2022 Olympic Games after placed first in the Canada's National Double Skating Championships -- Yes, they were not placed in their first attempt in 2020, when both of them sucked and lost their balances in the rink. Only after two years of day-night practice and intensive trainings, they finally got their places. And more fantastically, their partnership developed after these years awarded them an extraordinary connection with the ice -- they took home a silver medal for their home country. An Olympic silver medal, a dream they have circulated in mind for as long as they could remember but never thought of achieving for real. And just after the competition, they received numerous invitations around the world on performing their winning long programme on different rinks. So they were finally here, after nearly three months of exhausting performances and interviews.

"What? What did you say?" Justin took a sip of his orange juice, tilted his head from the table and asked.

"I said let's get married." Kat was looking at the moving vehicles outside the restaurant, with her side facing Justin. Her words were uttered in flat tone.

"Wait, are you speaking to ME right now?" Justin looked at Kat but couldn't detect her emotion.

"Who am I supposed to speak to except you in front of me?" Kat moved her head back from the window and faced Justin with her beautiful green eyes.

Gosh, is she in her mania again?

"You know I take medicines every day so I am not on any crazy manic state. I'm serious." Kat drank her water and spoke like a proposal was nothing but just an invitation to a movie.

Justin was sitting straight and looked at Kat in silence.

Why does he look like this? So he has never thought of marrying me after almost three years of relationship?

"I..." Kat tried to break such an awkward moment but was being interrupted.

"When did you start having this thought? How come I didn't sense this from you?" Justin finally replied.

What would he do if he sensed this from me? Would he just dumb me and say goodbye?

"I...I don't know. I only have this thought in my mind these few days and I thought I ought to tell you."

Kat has never been so embarrassed. She knew Justin could be a bit mysterious and childish sometimes, but all she knew was that after all these challenges between them, on skating, on family, on her bipolar disorder, this man was still standing beside her. He was the first man in her life, knowing all her secrets but still decided to stay. She knew she can no longer leave him and thought that they shared the same wish on proceeding their relationship to the next stage.

Yet, now his expression was so complicated that she wondered if she has spoken something humiliating or inappropriate. Even if Justin wasn't ready to get married yet, this shouldn't be his reaction right now.

"Sorry...I was quite shocked. I can't believe you are proposing to me at this time and said that you want to marry me. We just finished our tour today and everything is so sudden. I..." Justin murmured with a smile while trying to avoid eye contact with the girl sitting opposite to him.

"Am I a joke to you right now? Am I your girlfriend or we are just skating partners, right from the start until this moment? Are all the feelings I felt from you my own imagination and you, didn't mean to love me anymore?" Kat attempted to control her tears but obviously failed. To be honest, she didn't expect an immediate yes from Justin, but his facial expression just hurt so much.

She thought this man was her destiny the moment he told her that he would never let her fall. She thought she finally found someone who understood every piece of her and accepted her past. She thought no matter how cool and miserable she could be in others' eyes, she could just be that little woman who wished to be treasured by the man she loved.

"Kat, what are you saying? You got me wrong, I didn't..." This was the first time Justin saw Kat crying like this. After all, it was apparent that he was totally helpless in front of a teary girl, especially when this was his girlfriend.

"I need some time alone. Don't follow me." Kat stood up, picked her bag, opened the front door and disappeared.

The echoes of chimes from the door awakened Justin. His mouth was still opened in an attempt to say something. But Kat was gone, and now he realised he probably said some weird things that he didn't mean at all.

Justin Davis, aren't you used to be a well-known playboy in the town who speaks perfectly flirty and impressive words to girls? What did you do just now?