On Thin Ice
Writing Prompt: Write a scene that takes place at an ice rink.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tom?" Lexi asks sceptically, tying up the long white laces around the precariously high shoes. Beneath them are strips of metal that Tom tells her are called skates. Apparently they enable the wearer to glide around on the ice. They don't look very safe.
Tom is grinning while tying his own laces with one hand. The other hand is resting around Lexi's shoulders casually, whether for his benefit or for her own stability she doesn't know. "Are you kidding? This is a great idea!"
"I'm still not sure about this," worries Lexi, attempting to stand up and losing her balance immediately, her arms flailing in the split second before she manages to grab the barrier for support.
They are currently on solid ground next to the rink; over the bar there is a large oval of white gleaming ice where people are moving on similar footwear to hers. Some seem to be sharing her qualms about actually getting on the ice; they are gripping on tightly to the bar that surrounds the perimeter, faces frozen in an expression of grim concentration. There are parents with quite young children coaxing them along the ice. There are some older boys zooming around the rink performing various stunts and conversing in loud careless voices across the room. Couples lost in their own little worlds, holding hands as they skate. And enviably thin pretty girls skating gracefully around the rink, effortlessly, barely wobbling on their thin metal skates. One tiny blond haired girl meets Lexi's eyes coldly. Lexi lowers her eyes quickly to her skates, her cheeks automatically burning with heat.
Tom, luckily, doesn't seem to notice. He's climbing to his feet, looking perfectly at home in his gear. "Ready to get on the rink?" His eyes are lit up with excitement.
Lexi casts a last wary eye over the uncomfortably thin looking surface of ice before nodding, still unconvinced but curious despite herself. "Okay..."
Tom grins. "Then let's skate!"
The taller girl follows Tom unsteadily to the opening in the barrier, struggling not to trip over on the thin blades and not, whatever she did, to grab Tom's arm. She'd never live it down. Tom steps onto the ice and slides quickly forward with no apparent sign of trepidation. Lexi takes a tentative step forward and finds both feet slipping forward too as she slides into the middle of the ice, nearly losing her balance in the process. Originally she had intended to start off holding the barrier, but that seems harder said than done.
"You 'kay?" Tom asks loudly over the chatter of the rink.
"How do you stand up in these things?" Lexi asks him loudly in return, struggling to keep upright. Her feet don't seem to be helping matters much; they are slipping all over the place on the slippery surface. Oh God, don't fall. Don't fall.
Tom demonstrates, bending his knees slightly and moving one foot at a time an inch or two forward so he travels in that direction, albeit slowly. Lexi mimics this motion, suddenly acutely aware of her gangly limbs, and manages to get into a makeshift rhythm so she stops slipping about so much.
Tom grins sideways at her. "Better?"
"Much," Lexi agrees.
A couple holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes skate smoothly around Lexi and Tom, chatting in lowered voices. Lexi wonders if they are supposed to hold hands too. Is that what couples do? They are technically together now, and it's not as if they hadn't held hands before, but to do it here seems very public. Open. As if she, Lexi, is publicly admitting she needs him, a wizard halfling.
Moments later, that internal dilemma is solved as one of Lexi's skates gives way underneath her without warning and she slips sideways, a cry of muffled alarm emitting from her parted lips. But before she can hit the ice Tom grabs her arm, pulling her close to him. Very close, in fact. And his arm slides around her waist steadying her once again on the ice.
"Steady," Tom murmurs with a light chuckle in Lexi's ear. Lexi smiles despite herself back at him, grimacing slightly in annoyance.
"I'm not sure I'm any good at this."
"It's your first time on the ice," Tom assures her. "No one's automatically amazing at it the first time. Well, apart from me, obviously. It takes practice."
"Suppose so," Lexi agrees, slightly mollified. Tom pecks her lightly on the cheek, smiling widely and slipping his hand into hers. It feels natural there. Right.
"Ready to try again?"
"Yeah. Let's do it."
And Lexi does feel like she's enjoying herself after a while, with Tom's cheerful voice in her ear and their entwined fingers by her side. The chatter in the ring seems less distracting now, more background noise. The ice seems less treacherous and slippery with the supportive shoulder brushing Lexi's every so often. Even the achingly pretty petite girls racing around the ring flashing condescending looks don't really bother her now; Tom isn't sparing them a second glance.
And Lexi's laughing, laughing at Tom's weak attempts at humour, laughing when they both slip and slide and fall on top of each other, laughing as they try to pick themselves up off the ice for what feels like the twentieth time. It feels good to laugh. Feeling free: freer than she has felt in a long time.
At last they make their way over to the barrier, hands clasped tightly together and both full of adrenaline. Lexi's short hair is messy and sticks up in random clumps and she feels as if she has about a thousand different bruises, but she's happy. Happier than she remembers ever feeling with her controlling brother watching over them all the time. Here, at least for a while, no one's judging her.
"Enjoy that?" Tom asks.
Lexi grins. "Are you kidding? That was terrifying!"
"But - fun, right?" Tom asks with a hint of a frown.
The eighteen year old girl smiles even wider. "It was amazing. When can we do it again?"
Tom laughs at her enthusiasm and bends down to take his skates off. His happiness is infectious and Lexi can't wipe the goofy smile off her face. Not that she wants to.
As Lexi's fiddling with the last knot on her skate, she realises that Tom has stopped laughing and is staring at her intently, his eyes faraway and misted over. She meets his eyes, her own suddenly widened in worry. "What?"
Tom smiles softly. "I just never thought I'd see this Lexi. The carefree, fun-loving, happy Lexi. The beautiful Lexi."
"Neither did I," confesses the girl.
"And I'm so glad I did," Tom tells her sincerely. And his lips brush hers softly.
When they finally pull away, Lexi manages to pull the skate from her foot and pulls her worn old pink trainers back on. Tom grins, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Back to my place for pizza and a film?"
Lexi smiles back. "Sounds good."
A/N) This is prewritten but I only just got round to posting it. Hope you like it!