Author's Note: Well it's definitely been a while since I updated this story and I really shouldn't be writing at the moment as I have exams in a week but oh well... I seem to always get hit with inspiration right when I should be studying for my exams. Anyway, enjoy!

"Again," Nick calls after her skates hit the ice and she trembles a little unsteadily before righting herself.

A small huff of breath escapes her as she circles back around, accelerating quickly before vaulting herself into the air, arms tucked in as her body spins. It's quiet except for the sound of her skates cutting the ice.

"Good," Nick says with a nod of his head to her as she balances well on her landing, finishing cleanly.

A small victorious smile pulls at her lips, with Nick being such a hard coach to please, his approval always makes her chest swell just a little. Skating over to the edge of the rink he places a gentle hand on her shoulder as she leans against the edge.

"You did good today kid," he tells her with a gruffness to his voice though she knows he's a big softie underneath, "now go cool down and then get your ass off to school. I'll see you this afternoon."

She rolls her eyes at his brusque manner as she heads over to do her cool down routine before going to the change rooms to follow his orders and get herself ready for school.

Pulling her braid free as she walks out of the change room she smiles as she sees Natasha waiting for her in the reception area.

"Hey," she smiles at her friend giving her a brief hug. "What are you doing here?"

Natasha smiles back handing her a brown paper bag and takeaway cup.

"Just finished up a ballet session near by and thought I could give you a lift to campus," her friend smiles as they walk out together.

"Thanks Nat," she looks at her friend appreciatively as she takes a sip of the green tea her friend had gotten her. "I didn't know you were back at ballet yet."

Nat shrugs her shoulders casually as she fishes her keys out of her pocket and unlocks her car.

"First session today, I'll see how I go."

Melinda nods along as she eats the breakfast her friend had so kindly bought for her.

"So how was training?" Nat asks as she starts up the car and backs out of the parking space.

"Good," Melinda says after swallowing the food in her mouth. "Nick actually gave me a compliment today."

Her friend mock gasps well aware of the gruff nature of Melinda's coach after the many recounts with which she had entertained them with.

"Must've been really good," Natasha smirks, flicking her eyes over to Melinda in the passenger's seat before back to the road.

"Yeah," Melinda nods thoughtfully before taking another sip of her tea, "just hoping I'll be good enough to make the cut."

"Mel," Natasha gives her a very serious look, "if you aren't worthy of going to the Olympics than I don't know who the hell is."

Her friend's solid belief in her makes her smile and a warmth spread through her. She's so lucky to have such good friends.

"So any idea about what's happening with this second date of yours?" Natasha asks after a while, breaking the momentary lapse of silence they had fallen into.

A small smile pulls at her lips just at the thought of seeing Phil again tonight.

"He's taking me to see a movie," she says lightly, "that new action one that came out."

"Oh," her friend says with interest, "I want to go see that one too. It looks good."

Melinda nods along in agreement, she and Nat have quite similar tastes in things usually. Freeing her seatbelt as her friend pulls up at the front of her college, she presses a brief kiss to Nat's cheek before opening the door.

"Thanks for breakfast and the lift," she tells her gratefully as her friend waves her off and tells her to have a good day.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," Nat calls out the car window at her before driving off leaving Melinda rolling her eyes at her ridiculous friend.

Plus, there are a ton of things that Nat would do that she wouldn't.

The rest of her day seems to drag on as she sits through her lecture and has to constantly remind herself to pay attention. It seems like she spends most of her time watching the clock rather than listening but then finally she is free. Spending some time at the library to study and work on her assignments, the day finally seems to pass time faster when she manages to focus her mind on her work. Her afternoon is then taken up by more training, and Nick seems to be in a happier mood after her good performance from the morning. He even lets out a short if very brief chuckle at one of her jokes which she tells him. She's made it her mission to tell him at least one joke a week to try and get him to laugh, though she hasn't succeeded in making him actually laugh. The closest she's got so far is a brief chuckle and even then she's not sure if it's because he's actually amused by the joke or just amused by her continual persistence to try to get him to laugh. Soon though she is on her way home and can't help the nervous excitement that bubbles up in her at the prospect of seeing Phil in just a couple of hours.

She opens the door with a slightly nervous smile tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"You look lovely," he tells her warmly causing a warmth to spread through her chest.

She's wearing a loose dark blue sweater and slim form fitting black jeans and flats, not too casual but comfortable enough to last through a movie.

"Thank you," she ducks her head causing the soft waves of her hair to fall over her shoulders as she reaches over to pick up her purse before locking up her apartment. "You look nice too," she tells him with a hint of a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. He's dressed simply but nicely in tan coloured chinos and a light blue tee which brings out the blue in his eyes. He lets out a short laugh at that making his blue eyes twinkle with amusement.

"Thank you," he replies running a hand almost self consciously through his hair.

They make general chit chat as he drives them over to the theatre and a feeling of ease settles over them as they become comfortable being in one another's presence once again. He grabs them popcorn and drinks as they get their tickets and she hugs the bucket of popcorn as he carries their drinks in as they take their seats and settle themselves in. The movie is long and packed with gunfights, car chases, explosions and amazingly choreographed fight scenes. She's on the edge of her seat right up until the very end and can't help the small breath of relief she lets out as the hero of the film makes it out to live another day, though likely not without scarring both physical and mental she thinks to herself.

He should be watching the movie, he knows that he really should be, but watching Melinda's reactions is far better than watching watching the actual film itself. She nibbles on her bottom lip during the tense moments filled with suspense and shifts forwards in her seat during the intense fight seats. Those seemed to be her favourites though, the fight scenes, which surprises him because she seems like such a gentle and adorable girl that he wouldn't have ever predicted her being one to enjoy violence, even if it is stylised. She turns to him with a happy and satisfied smile as the credits of the film scroll by on the screen and the lights gradually come back on.

"I take it you liked the movie?" He asks with a smile of his own.

She nods her head in confirmation.

"Even better than I expected," she adds.

"Well I'm glad you liked it," he can't help smiling at her.

Gosh just being around her makes him want to smile.

"Did you like it?" She tilts her head a little to the side in the most adorable way.

"I did," and the way she smiles at him at that makes him feel all warm inside.

He picks up their empty popcorn bucket and drink cups as they stand and make their way towards the exit. Throwing the rubbish into the bin near the door he feels her smaller hand slip into his as they slip out of the cinema and onto the street. Giving her fingers a gentle squeeze, he feels her squeeze back, a small slightly apprehensive smile on her lips. A smile forms on his lips and his eyes are filled with a tender warmth as he looks at her.

They walk the streets together hand in hand, just talking and learning more about one another. Stopping by a food truck on the edge of a park, they pick up something to eat as they stroll through the trees and shrubbery surrounding them.

"I used to climb a lot when I was a kid," Phil tells her with just a hint of nostalgia looking up at one of the large trees beside them.

"Really?" she turns to him raising her eyebrows in interest.

"Yeah, spent half my life up a tree," he laughs remembering his fond childhood memories spent in the branches of the large tree in his backyard.

"So I gather you're a good climber then?" she asks him with a playful glint in her eyes that he thinks will most likely lead to trouble.

"Yeah… I was," he says warily.

"Well let's see if you still have it in you," she smirks before untangling her fingers from his and walking over to the tree he was just looking at.

"Wait, Melinda-"

"Don't worry Phil, I'm an excellent climber," she smiles over her shoulder at him as she grabs hold of a branch near the bottom and pulls herself up.

He watches her, impressed, she climbs with such ease and grace he just knows that he's going to look like a clumsy idiot if he tries to climb up after. Settling herself on a branch she peers down at him from her high up position.

"You coming?" she tilts her head in that adorable way again and how can he refuse.

"Alright, alright," he grumbles to himself earning a delighted laugh from her way up above him.

You're going to regret this, a voice in the back of his head tells him as he hauls himself up onto the first branch. Ignoring it, he reaches for the next branch and the next and the next and soon he finds himself sitting up beside Melinda. Well, not so bad after all he thinks to himself.

"Little bit rough, but not bad," she tips her head at him jokingly critiquing his climbing ability with a teasing smile as he settles himself beside her, holding onto the tree tightly.

"It's been years since I climbed a tree," he looks around him taking in the view, "wow, it looks amazing up here."

"Yeah," she says softly beside him looking at the lights of the city out in front of them.

When they finally decide to come down from the tree he realises the important rule that he had known as a child but suddenly forgotten as an adult until now. It's always harder coming down than it was going up. Melinda doesn't seem to have any trouble at all as she nimbly works her way down, jumping off the last branch and landing with a soft thud. He watches her wishing he had the same level of grace and agility but he's really just glad that he managed to make it down without landing on his arse or breaking something. She laughs at him in amusement as he dusts himself off checking that he doesn't have any bark or leaves sticking to him. Running his hands through his hair he pauses as she moves closer to him as he lowers his hands. Gently she runs her fingers through his hair, brushing down the errant strands that had been sticking out.

"All better," she says with a smirk before noticing how close they are.

He smiles at her warmly, unable to help the way his eyes drift down to her soft pink lips. Clocking the shift in his gaze her body sways closer to his as she allows her hands to wander down from his hair to the nape of neck. The way he is looking at her sends jolts of electricity down her spine and the air between them feels like it's charged with a thousand bolts of lightning. Tilting her face up to him she lets her eyes flutter shut as he leans down towards her. The feel of his lips against hers is just as good and maybe even better than she remembers from their last date. He's gentle yet firm and she loves the feeling of his hand grasping her hair as he holds her close, his other hand resting on her waist as she lets her finger toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. He sucks gently on her bottom lip before they finally separate, but stay close together, foreheads resting against one another as they catch their breath. She presses another kiss to his lips too briefly, leaving him wanting more before she steps back out of his space and takes his hand to lead them out of the park. He follows after her with his heart thumping rapidly in his chest and can't quite keep the goofy smile off his face as he lightly squeezes her fingers interlinked with his.

A/N

So... I hope you liked it. Please leave me a comment, maybe a prayer too, I'm going to need it for my exams. Feedback is always welcome :)