Break the Ice

Getting home, it wasn't much later than when I left practice with Evan. It was still early and I had too much on my mind just to sit down and talk.

"You don't mind if I dance out here, do you?" I questioned as I looked at Evan as he shook his head from our kitchen.

"I've just got some paper work to do, go ahead."

"Thanks," I smiled as I sat up the stereo and living room before I started dancing.

I knew Evan didn't mind since I always danced with him around. It's probably why his mom made me do ice dancing for a while. Evan was never my official partner but I always worked with him on choreography. It just wasn't my thing. I felt I couldn't express myself on the ice the way I could on the dance floor. Not to mention, I didn't get along with the ice that well, especially after my first accident on the ice.

As I felt the beat move through my body, Evan looked up from his paper work every now and then as I worked on my routine stuff. I noticed him staring at a point so I motioned for him to come over to where I was.

"What?" Evan asked with a sigh as I smirked at him.

"Dance," I pushed the button to change the song to "Hungry Eyes" by Eric Carmen, "And don't tell me you don't know how to, to this song."

"Nothing gets past you," He smirked as he held up his arms as I made sure he had a strong dance space.

"Spaghetti arms," I laughed as he looked down as I pushed his chin up, "This is my dance space, this is your dance space. Chin up, shoulders back, eyes on me."

As we started to run over the dance that we've done on ice and off before, I felt Evan's arms start to go weak as they found their way around my waist as he pulled me close to him but I didn't object.

"Lift?" I whispered with a questioned as he nodded.

I felt Evan give me one last spin as I landed with my back into his chest when I felt him move to lift me over his head but like you would see on the ice to spin me around while I was arched back then brought me back down to the ground to be facing him.

Our faces were mere centimeters apart as I ran a free hand down his cheek, causing a bit of tension between the two of us as the music started to fade into the next song.

"I'm going to take a shower," Evan whispered as I nodded as we broke away from each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, it was much like the other day. I spent the day working at the dance studio, then I went to ice rink again. This time without Evan, just to meet up with Apolo.

I watched as he trained on the ice then condition which had to be brutal but he took. Once he was finished he walked over to me to sit in the seats next to me.

"Hey," He smiled, "I didn't think you'd show."

"Me?" I gave a soft eye roll, "You told me to come back and I said I would. I keep to my word."

"Well since it's still early, want to have some fun?" He smirked as I looked at him.

"Like?"

"I know you can dance but can you skate?"

"No the other pretty girl sitting next to you."

"Funny," I nodded at him as he smirked.

"I mean you've lived with an ice skater you're whole life, you had to have gotten on the ice sometime."

"Me and the ice don't get along so well," I shook my head.

"How?"

"Well," I shrugged as I looked at the ice, "When me and Evan were kids, he was into hockey but at a game, there was this kid speed skating and I was like "I wanna do that" so Evan's mom bought me the skates, the uniform, found me a coach and I started to compete."

"How old were you?"

"7," I nodded, "I stuck with it for about two years. When I was 9, it was the first competition that the whole family got to see me do. I was pretty good at it, until the accident."

"What happened?" Apolo asked as I rested my elbows on my knees.

"It came to the last lap, I was in second with this kid right behind me in third. I pushed myself to try to make it to the first spot when I slid out, crashed against the wall, then another skater who wasn't even close to me, slid skate first right into me as I was on my side. They ended up sliding past me but not before leaving a large gash from the bottom of my rib cage to my lower hip."

"Ouch," Apolo winced.

"Yeah, it's almost gone now but I had to get sown up. That was pretty much the end of my speed skating career since it worried Evan's mom too much. So she put me in ice dancing."

"Ice dancing?" Apolo chuckled as I glared.

"Yeah, I had been dancing for a while, since before I was walking so she figured I'd be a natural."

"So what happend?" Apolo asked.

"I was," I nodded with a sigh, "When Evan was my partner. But I mean, two different worlds, two different styles."

"And then?"

"I was working on this Dirty Dancing inspired routine with Evan that he had to help teach to my new partner who never worked with anyone before. The guy was a total dunce when it came to it."

"So you didn't ice dance anymore?"

"No, I did," I shook my head, "We worked for two months straight on it. A month on the choreography and a month on the lift. The lift that I swear to god, he still doesn't understand and it wasn't that hard."

"Wow."

"Yeah, what's wow, is we were practicing a day before competition with the lift and he decided that his arms were going to give out that night and ended up throwing me across the ice really hard."

"Ouch. Were you pissed?"

"Beyond belief," I sighed at the thought, "I was so bruised up and everything and aggrivated that I quiet then and there. Dancing for me was now to be done off ice and not on it again."

"Well hey," Apolo stood up, "I promise not to make you dance and I don't cut you open or drop you."

"I don't know," I shrugged as he held out his hand.

"Come on," He smirked, "It'll be fun."

"Fine."

I took Apolo's hand as I followed him out to the rink to put skates on. It was something that I hadn't done in almost 6 years, so I was a bit shaky on the ice. Apolo got to the ice first as I slowly followed him out, slipping every now and then.

Apolo chuckled as he skated over to me, "I guess you and the ice aren't friends."

"Shut up," I glared at him as I looked at my feet.

"Come on," Apolo held out his hands, "I promise I won't go anywhere."

I slowly placed my hands into his as he skated backwards, leading me out onto the middle of the ice as I started to get comfortable with the frozen water underneath me.