As the night wore on and the crowds at the rink thinned, Deeks skated up to Sam, Callen, and Eric with a mischievous grin.

"All right, gentlemen," he announced, clapping his hands together. "Since we've all mastered the fine art of staying upright, I say we take this to the next level."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"A good old-fashioned race," Deeks declared. "One lap around the rink. Winner gets—bragging rights, I guess? And maybe some respect."

Callen smirked. "From who? You?"

"Obviously," Deeks said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now, are you in, or are you scared?"

Sam crossed his arms. "You really want to embarrass yourself like this?"

"Trash talk. I love it," Deeks grinned. "Means you're in."

Eric, still slightly wobbly on his skates, sighed. "This is a terrible idea."

"Which means you're also in!" Deeks declared triumphantly.

Callen rolled his eyes but gave a small nod. "Fine. One lap."

Over by the barrier, Kensi and Nell watched as the guys lined up at the far end of the rink, preparing for their so-called race. Kensi folded her arms, smirking.

"They're such boys," she said with amusement.

Nell laughed. "They really are."

Kensi nudged her lightly. "You do realize they're trying to impress us, right?"

Nell frowned, looking at her. "Us?"

Kensi's smirk widened. "Well, Sam's probably just in it for the competition, and Eric's in it because he was bullied into it. But Callen?" She glanced at Nell knowingly. "He's definitely trying to impress you."

Nell blinked, completely caught off guard. "Callen? No, he's just—he's just doing it for fun."

Kensi let out a short laugh. "Sure. Whatever you say."

Nell turned her attention back to the ice, suddenly more aware of Callen than she had been before. He was adjusting his stance, focused but relaxed, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. And for just a second, as he glanced in her direction, she swore she saw something in his expression—something that made her stomach flip unexpectedly.

Kensi just chuckled beside her, clearly enjoying Nell's reaction.