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timothée june 16
as we make our entrance into the rink, my hands grip onto the railing in hopes to keep myself stable. i can't begin to imagine the embarrassment i'd feel if i were to fall, especially in front of rosie. i raise my eyebrows from my thoughts; why did i care what she thinks?
a group of little kids, near the age of eleven i assume, have been making laps around us. i even heard one of them laughing at me.
a girl with a yellow t-shirt sticks her finger out towards me and snickers, "what a loser." her friends all begin to giggle with her, even rosie!
"i can't believe you're laughing with them!" i remark at her, glancing at the girls as they speed off.
rosie lifts her hand to her mouth, trying to hide the smile that has appeared. "sorry, i didn't mean to."
playfully, i roll my eyes as i shake my head. i must admit, it is kind of funny. i'm sure i'm a sight right now, my long legs barely able to keep me up.
"you need to let go," she says as she, effortlessly, slides past me, interrupting my pondering mind.
in response, i scoff. "that's easy for you to say."
rosie's mouth turns upwards into a small grin. she comes closer and seems to hesitant for a few seconds, before holding out her palms towards me, "grab on."
i glance down at her hands. "w-why?" mentally, i want to slap myself for asking such an idiotic question.
she appears a bit anxious, nervously biting at her bottom lip. my eyes briefly look and for some reason, i find myself wondering what it would be like to kiss her again. "do you want my help or not?" she asks me, this time sounding irritated.
"yes." i answer, finally grabbing onto her hands and allow her to pull my body.
we remain this way for a while, the two of us going in circles around in circles the shape of the rink. i had told rosie that i wanted to stay close to the edge, in case of falling. fortunately, i haven't had to endure the embarrassment of that happening yet. key word: yet.
"it's not that bad, right?"
i, awkwardly, shuffle my legs forward and backwards as we continue to move, very very slowly. for the quickest second, i glance at her before looking back down at my feet. "i guess." i tell her, trying to concentrate.
rosie laughs softly. "you're overthinking it."
"what do you mean?" i ask her, furrowing my eyebrows.
"you're really tense," she says, referring to the tight grip i have on her hand. "you need to relax your body. i'm gonna try something, okay? don't freak out."
all of a sudden, she takes her hand out of mine and starts to skate backwards, so that our faces can look at each other's. i feel myself begin to panic, looking at her for some kind of help as my feet threaten to bring my entire body down.
"timothée," rosie's voice is soft and gentle. "just look at me."
hoping that'll help, i stare straight at her face. she's got a reassuring smile on her face, one that surprisingly manages to calm down the jitters inside of me. the multi-colored changing lights shines against the side of our faces— first red, then blue, green and purple.
rosie's wavy, coiled hair cascades down her shoulders and there's a single curl that has fallen over her left eye. i wish to reach out and push it away, but even i know my boundaries. that would, surely, be considered as overstepping.
all of a sudden, the same group of little girls zoom past us. the girl with the yellow t-shirt bumps into my leg, whether it's on purpose or not, i'm unsure of. my feet stumble to stay still, which makes me feel like a cartoon character who's running but not going anywhere.
"oh shit!" i exclaim, reaching out to grab something in hopes of stopping my fall. except, i'm not awfully smart about my decision because the nearest thing is rosie's hands.
her eyes grow wide as she realizes what's about to happen. "no, timothée-" our bodies are falling, one on top of the other. my back is laid flat out against the shiny, wooden floor and rosie is pressed upon my chest, her face between my neck and shoulder.
we're quiet as we stay stuck in this position. there's an unfamiliar ache that rises up my back as my tailbone throbs in pain, the weight of rosie crushing me. i'm fairly thin and bony, so anything more than 50 pounds is heavy for me. our legs, both equally long, are tangled around each other and instinctively, my hand is placed on the small of her back holding her; i must've done this at the beginning of our fall.
"ouch," i decide to break the silence, awkwardly chuckling as rosie lifts her head up. "that hurt, not gonna lie."
she doesn't say anything back as she shifts her body, placing her hands onto my chest as she pushes herself up. when she's on her knees, our eyes meet.
"i think that's enough skating for one day."
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