Page 61 of Lorran
That wasn’t right.
She held her arms out, letting her body balance and adjust to the boots. They worked through magnetic levitation and air pressure. Even if she fell, she was an inch off the ground. The worst that could happen was a bruised behind.
“This is just like roller skating,” she said, not knowing if that was true. She pushed off, and she sailed forward half a foot.
Oh. It reallywaslike roller skating. She hadn’t been in ages. The last time she went was a church field trip, and that was pre-invasion. After, when the world patched itself together and places like roller rinks opened again, Wyn had to cart around a canister of oxygen. Sports and physical activities became a thing of the past for her. Hunting with her dad only happened because it involved sitting in a blind for hours, waiting for deer to wander their way.
Still, her body remembered how to move. She glided past Lorran, still clinging to the half wall, and did a lap around the rink.
“I guess I’m still laughing at you,” she said as she finished her lap, pulling up to a stop.
“I am a highly trained warrior,” he huffed.
She hummed in agreement. “Punching, stabbing, shooting. Sure. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the center of the rink.
“Do not.” His feet shuffled back and forth, doing nothing to slow their progress.
“Use your whole body, not just your feet.” She moved backward, facing him and holding his hands. “Relax. Lean into it. There ya go.”
The wobbliness disappeared, but he lurched forward, bending forward as she pulled him. They moved in a large figure eight. Speed made staying upright easier. Colorful lights flashed and danced around them.
“You are going too fast,” he warned. Blue and gold squares of light moved across his face.
“Going too slow makes you fall. You’re getting better,” she said, and he immediately stumbled, tightening his hold on her hand. Okay, a little better. “Relax. Did you ever do winter sports? Skiing? Skating?”
“Ice fishing.”
“Walking on ice probably took a minute, huh?” You’d never find her behind out in the freezing cold, but whatever.
Gradually, Lorran’s rigid posture melted into something more fluid, and he moved easier. He’d never be a roller disco champ, but that was fine. Neither would she. In the center of the rink, she broke free of his grasp. He waved his arms but stayed upright.
Wyn skated back and twirled. The room spun, a riot of color and music with static fraying at the edges. Her head continued to spin even after she stopped, and she felt herself tilting.
A strong pair of arms caught her.
Lorran held her close. With their height difference, she had to crane her neck back to look him in the eyes. They sparkled, full of mirth.
“Having fun?”
“I am enjoying this part.”
He pushed, and they spun in a slow, wide circle. Music and lights swirled. Her arms went around his neck, and his arms went around her waist.
Call her shallow, but she liked how his body made her feel. All her life, she’d been tall. At six feet, people made one of two comments: how’s the weather up there, or some snide remark about good birthing hips. Oscar had been two inches shorter than her. While he never said anything about being the short one, Wyn unconsciously slouched when they stood side by side.
How wonderful to be the smaller one in a pair, to stare up and feel herself be surrounded by strong arms. On the ghost ship, Lorran picked her up and carried her like she weighed nothing. She didn’t have a chance to revel in the sensation, but now, with static tinged music and garish lights, she loved it.
She loved him.
It was way too soon to think something like that, but now the notion wedged itself in her brain. Attraction and friendship? Yes, they had that. Whatever this was—lust, infatuation, love, or even a delusion brought on by alien fungal spores—it warmed her right down to her soul.
“Lorran,” she said.
“Yes, my mate?”
Damn if the way he said that didn’t make her shiver.
“I think you should kiss me now,” she said.
