Fire Always Burns - By Krista Lakes Page 0,21

there a minute ago. What time is it?" I glanced at my watch to see over an hour had gone by without me noticing it. Andrew had that effect on me. "The wine tasting has started. You want to go skate?"

"Let's eat first. I saw one of those foodie trucks on the other side of the building when I got the hot chocolate. It smelled delicious," he suggested. I nodded and we began working our way through the crowd towards the truck.

We stood in line for a couple of minutes, the smell of hamburgers and bacon filling our thoughts. When we finally got our food, we found a quiet spot off a snowbank and sat devouring the tasty meal. We sat in the snow joking and laughing until my feet felt numb. Andrew stood first, offering a hand to help me stand.

"Ready to skate? I remember you used to be pretty good," he said with a grin.

"If by good, you mean that I have a lot of skill at falling on my butt properly, then yeah, I'm pretty good," I said dusting the snow off my coat. He laughed and we headed back to the lake, stopping at the Lake House to pick up skates.

I was worse than I remembered. Within putting my skates on and taking two steps, I was down on my backside with tears in my eyes from the impact. Andrew smiled apologetically at me as he skated perfectly to my side, giving me his hand to get up. I stood up slowly, splaying my legs like a colt just learning to walk, refusing to let go of his hand. He pulled me in close to him, his body giving me balance.

"You can do this, just glide across the ice. One foot out, good, now push and move the other," he coached gently. His breath was warm on my cheek, and I had to force myself to concentrate on the ice rather than how wonderful he smelled, on how well his hands fit in mine, the way his voice sounded. I couldn't go down that road. I moved slowly, awkwardly across the ice, my legs sluggishly learning the motion. Even as I started moving across the ice more smoothly, I held his hand. In his hand was safety.

We skated the circle once, and I was feeling more confident in my ability to at least stay standing. I let go of his hand, ready to try it on my own, and pushed out ahead of him. I glanced over my shoulder, grinning at my independence, his returning smile making me blush.

I tried my best to skate gracefully, making it almost the full circle before stumbling on my skates. I felt the pit of my stomach rise up into my throat as my hands flailed at the air, my legs slipping out from under me. I never hit the ground. Andrew caught me before I fell, his arms wrapping around me and keeping me up when I was sure I was going to fall. He held me, my legs finding their way back underneath me but my knees turning to jelly. He smelled so good.

"Well, I'll let the hockey team know that you won't be ready this season, but maybe next year," he joked, holding me for a moment longer than necessary before letting me go. My heart fluttered in my chest, and I was glad it was dark enough he couldn't see the blush burning on my cheeks.

"I think I'm done for a little while. Besides, the fireworks are supposed to start soon," I said trying to regain my composure. I knew if I stayed out on the ice with him, I would fall on purpose just so he would catch me.

"Yeah, um. I'd like to do a couple laps. How about you go get us a spot? I'll come find you," he said quickly, not waiting for me to answer before taking off. I looked after him perplexed. I shook my head as I slowly stepped my way back to return my skates. I could see him zooming around the ice, going faster and faster, but always in control.

After returning my skates and getting my boots back on, I found a spot on the deck big enough for two against the railing. It was only a couple of minutes before Andrew found me, his cheeks red from the cold. He leaned against the railing, his breath frosting the night sky as we waited for the fireworks to