that it’s impossible to direct falling because I’m not a freaking cat.
He doesn’t even help me get up because that’s another skill one has to master on their own, according to the coach from hell, formerly known as my best friend. After tonight, I’m giving up all rights for him.
Still, there seems to be a method to his madness because after a little while, I’m able to toddle around the rink with Gray gliding next to me gracefully.
“You’re doing great.” The bold-faced lie does little to boost my confidence.
“I’m like a baby giraffe on heels.” I flail back and forth once again. Gray moves toward me and catches me before I’m about to fall on my face.
“My hero.” I bat my lashes at him, and he laughs.
He takes both my hands in his and holds on to me, skating backward like it’s the most normal thing to do.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s try the next step like this. It’s called a swizzle. Place your feet so the blades form a V shape.”
I do as he says and earn myself an encouraging smile. I honestly think I’d do anything for Gray’s smile, so yeah, what the hell, I’ll swizzle if there’s a possibility to get more of those bad boys to appear on Gray’s lips.
“Push both feet outwards and then inwards again so that your toes are touching. Like this.” He lets go of me for a moment to demonstrate.
It turns out the forward swizzle is a great success. I bet I look pretty stupid doing it, but as far as I’m concerned, we can call an end to this skating lesson now because this is how I’m going to skate from now on.
Gray has other ideas, though, so all too soon, he has me do a backward swizzle, and then he adds something that’s called a rocking horse, which sounds kind of kinky but isn’t and that forward/backward motion is what breaks my ten-minute winning streak of not falling because my left foot does some kind of a weird wobble. As if in slow motion, I start to go down, but just before I’m about to land on my face, Gray is there, only somehow I manage to trip him with my skate, and this time it’s Gray who’s going to fall.
Ha!
Or, you know, I feel bad.
He lands straight on his ass. I feel vindicated. So much for turning on his side when falling.
The gloating thought does me no good because my balance is gone as well, so I land on top of Gray, face-planting into his stomach with an “Oomph.”
For a moment we both lie completely still. I feel Gray’s stomach rise and fall beneath me. I should get up, but I can’t seem to make myself. I’m surrounded by Gray’s scent and warmth. His body shifts below mine ever so slightly. I swear I can hear his heart bounding somewhere above me.
“Sorry,” I manage to get out. My body rubs against Gray’s as I move, which could turn a bit awkward since the thin pants I’m wearing are definitely no chastity belt.
“Let me just—” I start to slide down from his body, but my skates are making the otherwise straightforward process at least ten times more difficult than it should be.
My process is halted by Gray’s fingers digging into my upper arm.
“Can you just… not move.” Gray sounds like he’s had the wind knocked out of him for sure, so I look up to make sure he’s all right, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. He just stares somewhere above his head, his breaths coming out in shallow pants.
“Sure,” I say slowly.
I freeze in place. Oh fuck, what if I caused some sort of a life-threatening injury by falling on top of him? Maybe he’s in pain and there’s inner bleeding?
“Gray?” I ask, trying to confirm that he’s still alive underneath me.
He doesn’t reply, and it doesn’t matter anyway because in a matter of seconds, I’m too preoccupied to care because I can feel it. Something hard is pressing against my chest. I blink, frozen in spot. The sounds of the rink have quieted by the muffled buzz in my ears as my brain slowly catches up to what is happening.
All neurons and cells go on high alert immediately, and I try my hardest not to make a move and not to freak out because by now I’m about a hundred thousand percent certain I can feel Gray’s erection.
I have no idea what happens next. Do I stay in