She slowed her glide until she was beside me, skating backwards with a confidence that would have been irritating if it weren’t so captivating.
“Relax,” she said softly. “You’re too tense.”
Probably because every cell in my body was acutely aware of her proximity. I tried to do as she said, bending my knees slightly and promptly slid an inch too far, her laughter bubbled out again, warm and bright.
“See?” she teased. “Not so bad.”
“I am moments away from disaster,” I said. “You’re just being polite.”
“You’re doing better than Mr. Mackenzie last year,” she said. “He took out a whole row of children.”
Confidence wasn’t the right word for her, comfortable, maybe. Open in ways I’d forgotten people could be. I steadied myself, watching the way she skated, the way she enjoyed this place down to her bones. And a sudden thought hit me, unexpected and sharp:
No wonder Grandfather loved her town so much.
No wonder he left this place specifically to me.
Only me.
I’d brushed it off before, assuming sentimentality or stubbornness. But now…Watching Brianna laugh under glowing lights, feeling something ache deep in my chest. I wondered if he’d known exactly what he was doing.
She skated backwards again, teasing me almost.
“You’re better than you thought.”
I opened my mouth to answer and that was when her skate clipped a shallow rut in the ice. It was tiny. Barely noticeable, but it was enough and her foot slid sideways. Her arms flew out as her eyes widened in a flash of panic.
“Brianna—”
Without thinking, without a single conscious thought, I lunged forward, hands shooting out in front of me and I caught her around the waist. Her body collided with mine as her skates slid helplessly forward and instinct kicked in. I pulled her upright, turning slightly so her fall redirected into my chest instead of the hard ice and for a moment, her whole weight was in my arms.
We skidded to a stop and her fingers locked onto my arms. My hands locked around her waist. Her breath mingled with mine in the cold air. And everything else, the lights, the music, the laughter blended away into something quiet and electric. Her eyes lifted to mine, wide and startled, flecked with warm green gold under the lights.
“Got you,” I breathed.
Her lips parted, just slightly. Not in fear, in surprise, Maybe something else, something that twisted low in my stomach. I felt her heartbeat, quick, fluttery, through the layers of her coat and for a moment, the world held still.
“I—” she whispered, voice barely a sound.
My grip tightened a fraction. Not enough to frighten her, just enough to steady her, enough to steady myself. God, what was happening to me? I pulled in a breath, trying to break the spell before I did something foolish.
“You okay?” I asked softly, keeping my arms firmly around her until I felt her steady.
She nodded, too quickly.
“Y-yes. Just… wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“That much was obvious,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
Her blush deepened. Her blush bloomed instantly, warm and bright.
“I didn’t ask you to catch me.” She muttered, her eyes lowering from my gaze.
“And let you fall?” The words came out soft.
She blinked up at me and something unspoken hung in the cold air between us.
A spark. A shift.