Wonderland || Park Sunghoon

six

Sunghoon's heart was racing, beating so hard that the irrational part of his brain was sure she could hear it.

Nayeon had caught on quickly, and was already fearless on the ice. She ran into the rink and promptly fell, giggling all the while. She fell again trying to pick herself up, but after another try she managed to stand, and then off she was, skating around the rink. A bit wobbly, but she was doing it, kind of. Sunghoon couldn't help smiling as he watched her. She was a good student.

He followed her onto the ice, "do you need help?"

"Mr.Park, you're distracting me," she complained. "Go away. You're blocking Nari's view of me."

Sunghoon fought the urge to laugh. "I'm your teacher," he scolded playfully. "Be respectful."

But he did as she asked, skating away from her so that her older sister could easily see.

But Nari had problems of her own. She was clutching to the wall, looking extremely flustered as she struggled on the ice.

Looking at her, he couldn't stop the laughter from escaping. He giggled, quietly at first, but started laughing harder when she raised her eyes to glare at him.

"Stop laughing!" She complained, though she was laughing as well. "Can you help me?"

He skated over to her, still chuckling. "Sorry," he said, holding out his hands to her.

"No you're not," she sighed, taking one of his hands, then the other. His heart skipped a beat, and he had to make a conscious effort not to stare at their hands.

"It was really funny," he admitted. "You should have seen yourself."

"Being on the ice is... much harder than I expected," she admitted, holding tightly to his hands. She glanced over his shoulder at Nayeon, who was having fun all on her own. "She seems to be doing pretty well already though."

"And you'll be doing well too, in no time," he assured her, starting to skate backwards and pull her away from the wall. "But it's easier off of the wall. Trust me."

He pulled her along, and she slowly stared moving her feet, doing the work herself. He watched her face, seeing confidence slowly creep into her eyes.

"Am I doing it?" She asked excitedly, looking up at him.

"You're doing it," he said, smiling at her.

"Nayeon, look!" She shouted, getting her little sister's attention. "I'm doing it!"

"I'm doing it better!" Her little sister teased, watching Nari for a second before turning away, going back to doing her own thing.

Sunghoon laughed. "She's certainly a character."

"You should see her at home," Nari joked, shaking her head at her sister.

"I think you can try skating on your own now," Sunghoon said, reluctantly letting go of her hands.

She skated on a her own for a minute before frantically shaking her head.

"I can't," she insisted, trying to stop.

That was a mistake.

She let out a shocked squeak, tipping forward and flailing her hands.

Sunghoon skated towards her, wrapping her arms around her waist and attempting to stop her fall.

That was another mistake.

They both fell in a heap to the floor.

Sunghoon's breath hitched and he felt his face get red, or redder, because of their closeness. His arms were still around her waist, and her fingers were clutched to the fabric at his chest.

Her eyes met his and...

She bursted out laughing.

She hid her face in her hands and kept laughing and laughing.

"That was kind of fun," she giggled, struggling to get up. It wasn't working.

He got up, holding his hands out to her and pulling her off the floor.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, accepting his help and standing up slowly.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "I should come ice skating more often."

Sunghoon swallowed nervously. "I mean... whenever you want... I could help you... after lessons..."

"I'd like that," she said happily. She turned to the front of the rink, reading the clock on the wall. Her eyes widened. "I should really get home."

They started skating towards the exit. Her hand was still in his.

"Nayeon, we have to go home," she called, waving over her little sister.

"Nari," Sunghoon said softly. "Can I ask you something?"

She stepped out of the rink and turned around, her eyes watching him curiously. "Of course."

He tried to push down his nerves.

"Can we be friends?"