Twenty

The practice rink is closed at this time of night, but thanks to Kenzie's boyfriend, Luca, and his connections, he was able to leave it open for our private skate. Basically, I just need to lock up when we're done, and we can have the place to ourselves for as long as Chantelle and I want.

It surprised me when she confessed that she's watched me skate before. I'm not a household name or anything, but I guess being Joel's brother might've sparked her curiosity. I'll have to remember to tease her about it later.

She laces up her skates on the bench while I get some lights on. Just as I flip the last set of switches, the familiar swoosh of skates across ice has me turning around. In the center of the rink, Chantelle glides in a line, her long dark hair flowing down her back.

Just about every time I've seen her, she's kept her hair down. Seeing it this way isn't a novelty for me. But something about the way it moves while she skates has me entranced. As if I'm the tide, I gravitate toward her like she's my own personal moon, shining and burning bright in a darkened night sky.

No music is playing yet, but it's not needed with the way she moves like a melody all her own: smooth and lilting and addicting.

For the real surprise, I walk to the sound control room and hit the playlist I curated just for tonight. When music fills the rink, she glances around with a wide smile before raising her hands and twirling in a circle. She's nowhere near as skilled as the professionals I bump elbows with on a regular basis, but at this moment, she's more breathtaking than any of them.

And she's mine.

By the time I get my skates on and hit the ice, she's beaming at me. "How did you know indie pop was my thing?"

I skate closer and hold my hands out to her. "I didn't," I say as she grabs on to me. "Just added some music I like. Glad to know we've got that in common."

My hands find her waist like muscle memory and pull her close. Her breath entwines with mine, so tantalizing, I can't help but lean toward her. Instead of making contact with her lips, I'm thwarted when she laughs and skates backward.

"You've gotta catch me first, Forshtay."

I don't move except to pull my leg back and get into a running start position. "And when I do? What will be my prize?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

As soon as she takes off, I hurry after her, gaining speed too quick for her to get away. She tries to cut to my left, but I head her off and scoop her up in my arms. She wiggles and laughs while I adjust my grip, doing my best to stay balanced.

"I thought you were a pro at lifts," she says, breathless.

I toss her over my shoulder and skate forward. Can't let that little sassy remark make me out to be a novice. "It's harder than it looks. Besides, you're trying to escape. Usually, my partner is working with me not against me."

I push off with my right foot and do a spin, holding her legs tight. She squeals in fright or delight, I'm not sure which, but I laugh as I set her back on her feet. She wobbles a bit, but I don't let go.

"Now," I huff, nearly out of breath. "I think it's time for that prize I earned."

"Did you earn it, though?" She cocks one dark eyebrow and tilts her head back, teasing me with that tempting upturned mouth of hers. "Sort of feels like you cheated."

The music changes to a slower song, one that sets the tone, perfect for a kiss on the ice.

"I don't cheat," I say, one hand splayed across her lower back. "But I am tireless in the pursuit of what I want." I deliberately take my time, letting my eyes land on every soft feature of her face as I skim my thumb over her cheek. "And you're the only one I want."

She sighs into me, and I capture her mouth like I've been wanting to all night. It's not an innocently placed kiss like the one we shared when I first picked her up. This one is long and slow and sweet, perfectly embodying each nuanced emotion thrumming through my heart.

It's not just the excitement of the chase that has a chokehold on me with Chantelle; it's her whip-quick snark, complicated mind, and big, compassionate heart. It's all the little things that make her who she is that enrapture me, and all I can do is pour those feelings into the way I touch her, the way I kiss and tease her lips.

She runs her fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends, and I pull her tighter until she's barely on the toes of her skates. I kiss her deeply, not wanting this moment to end. She makes a little noise in the back of her throat that sets fire to my blood, but I pull back and meet her gaze.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry if I was—"

"No, I'm fine," she insists, catching her breath. "You're just—this is just—I've never been kissed like this before."

My brows pull tight as I search her eyes. I might not have kissed her with the same sort of intention at Archer's, but it certainly wasn't a chaste peck. "What do you mean?"

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips before she admits, "Lex and I…" She trails off, suddenly looking regretful. Like she wishes she wouldn't have said anything.

I cup her face with a thumb on her chin. "Hey, it's okay. You can tell me anything." As much as I don't want to know the details of how she kissed Lex, I do want to support her, for us to be open with one another.

Her hazel eyes turn lighter somehow, brighter, just before she admits, "Lex and I never really made out like this. I was afraid…" The muscles in her neck ripple on a swallow. "I always overthought our interactions. Any time we'd start to get carried away; I'd pull back."

It's hard to envision what she means since she's been the complete opposite with me. "You've never done that with me. Not once."

She looks down at my chest, still running her fingers through my hair. "I know. That's what's so weird. With you, it's like…like I can't control myself. I just…give in to what my heart wants and don't let the thoughts interfere."

"What thoughts?" She meets my eyes, silently deliberating. "What thoughts, sweetheart?"

After another swallow, she says, "My intrusive, obsessive thoughts. The ones that make me wonder if I'm doing it right. Or if you're really as into me as I am you. The ones that tell me I'm a horrible friend to Ronnie for keeping my secret from her and not you, the ones that say if I tell my parents about my writing, they'll kick me out and refuse to support me."

Tears gather in her eyes, and I can't help but wrap my arms around her. "Hey, come here. Shhh. You're okay, Chantelle."

"It's just…" She sniffles. "The thoughts don't come as much when I'm with you." She holds on to me, clinging to the back of my sweatshirt. "Even when we were fighting. You took my mind off of everything." I smile into her hair and squeeze her tighter.

"It's awesome that the thoughts disappear when we're together," she continues, "but it's also worrisome. Like why don't I worry about what you're thinking when I kiss you? Why don't I worry that I'm messing something up?"

I run a hand down her hair, breathing in her sweet strawberry scent, and rest my lips against her temple. "Maybe it's because I don't give you a reason to." She sniffles again, then leans back to look up at me. "I don't know how Lex treated you because we haven't gotten that far yet," I say. "But I can guess your security in the relationship wasn't his first priority."

She blinks, and I wipe away a stray tear before continuing. "Maybe you held back with him because you weren't sure of him. Maybe something felt off, but you couldn't pinpoint what it was, so you were afraid to let him in."

The slant of her brows tells me she's considering what I've said, but I don't stop there.

"Maybe it's also because from the beginning, you've seen me, Chantelle. I haven't been able to hide from you, nor do I want to anymore." A laugh leaks out of me as I toy with a strand of her hair. "You've kind of seen me at my worst. And I'd like to think that I've seen you at your sassiest."

She lets out a snarky snort, and I laugh, placing a kiss on her forehead. Gazing into her eyes, I twine a tendril of her hair around my finger and infuse all the seriousness I possess into my voice. "And maybe it's because we're free to be our real selves together. Your heart knows it's safe with mine."

She inhales a shuddery breath, then releases it. "I want to believe that's true. But I haven't always trusted my intuition. I get things wrong…a lot."

"We all get things wrong, Chantelle. Mistakes are a part of life. But we can't let our fear of messing up again keep us from something great." I gaze down at her, hoping she feels every word I'm about to say. "And you and me, together? That's something really great."

She presses forward and kisses me, stealing my next breath. Her warmth rolls over me, and I close my eyes, so grateful to get to be with her. "Will you skate with me?" I ask when the song changes again.

"I'd love to." She moves back, holding both of my hands, and we take off together. Before long, she convinces me to teach her a lift, and we take the next hour trying to master it. She catches on quick, like I knew she would, but we're also able to laugh at the screw ups when we fail.

And at the end of the night, when I'm kissing her goodbye, I thank God once more for bringing us into each other"s lives at the exact right time.