Unscripted Love • A Tom Hardy fanfic

Chapter 46

Christmas Eve, to Fiona, was always more fun than actual Christmas day. Her family spent it together, as they would the next day too, but there was an added magic in the air. No matter how old she got, Fiona always felt it.

Walking through the ticket booth, Fiona gawked at the massive, arches that shimmered with a thousand little lights. The whole place looked like a Lifetime Christmas movie. Fiona was memorised that a place like that actually existed, there were little shops that lined both sides of the walkway with what looked like a carousel down the center. Watching the lights bounce off Fiona's wide eyes, brought a smile to Tom's face.

"You are beautiful, you know that," Tom said, pulling her close to kiss her under the arch.

"This is amazing," she looked around. "Ooh, ornaments, we can get one for our first Christmas."

"Well it's not really our first Christmas though," Tom pointed out.

"Oh," she said, putting the ceramic ornament back on the hook.

"We should still get one though," Tom suggested. "Just, on our way out. There's something I want to show you, first."

Tom took her by the hand and led her along the festive path with piles of snow on both sides. Every couple of feet there were what appeared to be ice sculptures, some in the shape of Christmas characters or some shaped into the words Happy Christmas, or Peace.

The path led to a clearing between tents and shops, an icy skating rink was revealed in the center. Christmas carols played over a loudspeaker while families skated. Father Christmas, as he was known in England, sat on top of a small platform while children and adults posed with him for photos. Fiona could only imagine how magical the place looked through a child's eye.

Tom and Fiona strapped skates to their feet and took to the ice. It was Tom's idea which is why she couldn't control her laughter at how awfully unbalanced he was.

"Why…" Fiona started, tears running down her face. "Why would you suggest this if you're the world's worst ice skater?"

"I'm not the world's worst, I'm standing aren't I?" He tried to keep a straight face.

"Barely," she gestured to how tight his knuckles were holding on to the wall.

"I used to be really good at skating. I came here every year," he said as if it was somehow the ice or the skates fault.

"Oh yeah? When did you skate last?" She asked, smirking, knowing that he definitely was exaggerating.

"Probably as a teenager with a date…" Tom thought back."Maybe 15?"

"15? Tom that was almost 20 years ago! You really thought that your ice skating skills would still be on par?" She began shouting as her laughter took over again.

"They say you never forget," he joked, he was laughing just as much as Fiona.

"No that's riding a bike and quite honestly I don't want to see you attempt that either," she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Here, hold my hand."

"I'll make you fall," he looked her up and down, she was at least 5 inches shorter than him and weighed maybe 50 lbs less.

"No you won't," he finally accepted her hand and slowly moved off the wall, feet gliding against the ice.

"I had no idea you were such an avid ice skater, I really imagined this the other way around. Do you take Nolan skating often?"

"No," she smiled, coyly. "I haven't been skating since I was 12."

"Are you kidding me? What about all that 'you don't remember how to skate' nonsense," Tom let out a deep chuckle, momentarily throwing off both of their balance.