Page 66 of Nodus Tollens
Damn him.
“I can kiss you now, Blue. All you gotta do is say the word.”
Though he was grinning as he spoke, his tone was in earnest. I had a feeling he would drop this race in a second, if it meant I wouldn’t skate and he would get to kiss me.
“Then that means I would have to forfeit.” I frowned.
No way was I doing that.
“Guess so, Blue.”
Narrowing my eyes in his direction, I shook my head.
“No way am I forfeiting. You’ll have to earn that kiss, hockey player.”
In all honesty, I didn’t care if I won or lost. I wasn’t a competitive person in the slightest, but for once, I felt a rare, once-in-a-blue-moon feeling creep its way through me and expose itself in a smile. I was having fun. A lot of fun, and I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to go back to reality. I wanted to stay here in this moment with him, where I was just a girl, and he was just a boy. Where life wasn’t complicated, and everything could be forgotten for a few fleeting hours.
Hayes held my stare, then finally let out a deep sigh.
“Alright, let’s see what you got then.” He grinned while readying himself beside me, causing me to quickly react and do the same.
“Okay.” I breathed. Staring in front of me, I searched for a path to take, one where I wouldn’t accidentally run into someone and cause a scene. But with everyone continuously moving about, it was nearly impossible.
“Ready?” He glanced over at me with a side eye and a dimple peeking out.
Forcing myself to nod, I swallowed the thick nodule in my throat. “Yup.”
Laughing, he set his eyes forward. “Alright, I’ll do a countdown.”
I bobbed my head in response.
“Three…two….one….Go!”
Hayes took off. Like a flash of lightning, he was gone before I could even push off my right skate. I only had a brief visual of him before he turned into a blur, and though I wanted to watch him work his magic out on the ice, I had to keep my eyes focused in front of me. With my arms out to steady me, I was going as fast as my feet could carry me.
Without the chance of me busting my ass, that is.
Weaving in and out of a group of kids and an elderly couple, I smiled wide as I glided around them with zero hitches. Not even a wobble or a slip, I skated past them smoothly.
I was definitely going to lose. There was no doubt about that, but holy shit… I was skating. By myself, and I wasn’t falling. I was still on my two feet, skating like I was a natural, and I felt on top of the fucking world. The wind flowed through my hair, the chill of the ice working its way up my legs. Now I understand why Hayes played. The rush was exhilarating.
Intoxicating.
A happy squeal had worked its way up my throat, but I held it in as I rounded the turn that would lead to our finish line. Peering ahead of me, I noticed that Hayes was already waiting for me with a cheeky grin spread across his handsome face. Looking entirely too good, standing there with his back against the glass, I felt a sudden rush of anxiety spike through me.
Don’t fall.
Don’t fall.
Don’t fall.
I repeated the mantra in my head as if that would be my saving grace in not falling and embarrassing myself. It seemed to work the closer I approached him, and for some reason, I decided to get cocky.
Why? I don’t know. Maybe it was the pride in his eyes or the admiration I sensed pouring out of him that made me feel more confident, but slowly lifting one foot, I pushed it out behind me. With only one blade holding me up, I slid across the ice with my arms spread out and a blooming smile across my face. At first, Hayes’s eyes widened like he wasn’t expecting to see me doing something so reckless when he knew I was a clutz.
Even I was shocked by what I was doing.
He looked torn between being amused and worried, and then, suddenly, his eyes shifted to the side, and whatever he saw caused his face to turn to full panic mode, which caused me to fumble my feet.
