Chapter Three:
If it's okay with you, then it's okay with me.

December 22, 2003.

Maybe her father was right. Maybe her growing reliance on this stranger wasn't healthy. She contemplated staying home - it wasn't like they had invited her to be a part of their night, she just happened to be there, to overhear the conversation - but she had this overwhelming need to be there, to see him again. She felt like she was a part of his daughter's ice-skating journey, felt just as proud of the girl's growing confidence as she was sure he did. She found herself wondering: was Gram's tuna casserole really that bad? She had never wanted to know so much about people she had never officially met. She wanted to know everything about them. She wanted to know them. And so, she had decided that tonight would be the night she took that step and introduced herself.

As she made her way to the glass panel fencing that separated the skaters from the onlookers, she searched the faces that circled the rink. Unfortunately, her father-daughter duo were nowhere to be found.

It was after 9pm; she had told herself on the drive over that she was probably too late, but that didn't make her any less disappointed. She knew her chances of ever seeing them again where... slim. And that was if luck were on her side, which it didn't seem to be right now. The city had eight million residents, and she didn't even know if that included her mystery duo; they could have just been visiting for Christmas.

She gave the crowd one more scan - her hopes still entirely too high - and let out a frustrated huff when her luck didn't magically change.

She turned around, in a hurry to leave.

"Oh," she gasped as she almost collided with someone. She put her hands up protectively, palms pressed gently to a strangers chest to try and stop herself from walking right into him. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking-"

Her apology halted when she felt a hand on her waist, another under her elbow in an attempt to support her as she swayed a little.

"Are you okay?"

Finally, she forced herself to look up at the face of whoever she had just - in her haste - almost knocked over, only to find herself face-to-face with exactly who she had been looking for.

"Uh- I'm, yeah." She fumbled over her words as her mind screamed for her to say something, anything. "H-hi," she stuttered.

She physically recoiled from his touch, dropped her hands to her sides as she realised she was still holding onto him. No part of this was going to plan. Not that she had a plan but if she did, good God, it would be nothing like this!

But the man just smiled: a big, bright smile that crinkled at the corners of his hypnotically blue eyes.

"We hoped we would see you again," he said. He looked down, to the girl at his side, and nudged his daughter's arm playfully. "Didn't we?"

"Told ya she would come," the girl said confidently to her father.

Heat rushed to Kate's cheeks as embarrassment washed over her. She had, apparently, been about as subtle as a sledgehammer over these past few days.

"I'm so sorry," she blurted out, ready to offer a million explanations - but only one came to mind. "Watching the two of you, it just- it reminded me of my father. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Did he die?" the girl blurted, her candidness taking Kate by surprise. But she could see the sincerity in the girl's eyes; the sorrow and empathy that swirled through the curiosity.

"Alexis-" the girl's father began to scold through gritted teeth.

"No, it's okay," Kate assured the stranger. She looked at the girl, lowered herself to be at her level. "He's still here. I just don't really get to do fun things with him anymore."

The girl - Alexis - pursed her lips as she processed what Kate had told her.

"Because he's too busy?" she asked after a few seconds.

Kate smiled softly and nodded. "He's very busy. And so am I... most of the time. That can make it really hard to do fun things like skating, so when I do have a little bit of free time I like to watch other people do the fun things I can't do."

She furrowed her brow and rose to stand upright again.

"Sorry, that's so..." Her words trailed off as she tried to find exactly what she meant.

Creepy?

Weird?

Pathetic?

"Sweet," he offered the alternative; a word she liked so much better than anything she had come up with.

She smiled appreciatively, readied herself to leave before she had a chance to embarrass herself any further.

"Would you like to join us?"

Her heart began to race as it sunk to the pit of her stomach.

She didn't skate - not anymore. Not since that night (almost five years ago to the day) with her mother.

"Uh, no," she said firmly. "Sorry, I don't skate."

"My dad can teach you," Alexis told her. "He taught me. He's really good, I promise. And he doesn't let go until you say you're ready."

Kate couldn't help but smile at the girl's glowing review of her father's teaching skills; she really was adorable.

"No pressure," the man assured her. "It's just- I've seen you watching the skaters and you seem like you're just itching to get out there on the ice."

Truthfully, she did miss it. But she couldn't.

She shook her head. "I'm just an enthusiastic observer," she lied.

"Maybe next time," he said with a smile.

"We'll be back tomorrow. Will you skate with us then?" Alexis asked.

The man put his hand on the girl's back to garner her attention. "Pumpkin, not everybody likes to skate," he excused. "You didn't like to skate until the other day."

"That was just 'cause I hadn't tried it yet!" Alexis looked back at Kate. "Have you tried?"

"I have. And I have to work tomorrow night, so I couldn't come even if I wanted to," Kate explained. "I'm sorry."

"Do you work on Christmas Eve?" the girl asked hopeful. "You can just watch again."

"You'll be here on Christmas Eve?" Kate asked in return.

"Uh-huh." The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Before our big Christmas dinner."

Kate smiled. "Then I'll be here, too. And maybe - if it's okay with your dad - I can have a hot cocoa waiting for you when you're done? Only if it won't spoil your big Christmas dinner."

Alexis's eyes lit up and she turned to face her father. "Please, Daddy? Please!"

"I think that sounds wonderful," he agreed.

"Perfect! I'll see you then." She held her hand out between them. "I'm Kate, by the way."

He smiled, took her hand in his and shook. "Rick."

PROMPT:

Hot cocoa