Melting On Ice

"Did you get the picture?" A shrill, girly whisper interrupted the peaceful slumber that I was in. There was a bright flash that made me groan quietly.

"Patrick, what are you doing?" I mumbled as I leaned my face into his chest, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck. This caused excessive amounts of laughter to erupt from behind me.

"It's not me." He mumbled and shifted a little as he opened his eyes. "Jacqueline?" He wrapped his arms tighter around me when I turned to see her and Jessica standing and laughing over a camera.

"This is so going on Facebook." Jessica laughed as she followed Jacqueline out of his bedroom. I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight and glanced around his room. The room, much like the rest of the house, had not changed much. It was still the same baby blue wall paint with Buffalo Sabres posters and memorabilia scattered about.

"Patrick!" Mr. Kane's booming voice echoed up the stairs.

"Uh, oh." I whispered as I tried to wiggle out of Patrick's grasp. This proved to be extremely difficult considering that he had hockey player muscles.

"Where do you think you're going?" He whispered as he leaned down and kissed me lightly, momentarily making me forget the dilemma we were in until I heard heavy footsteps start to descend up the stairs.

"I have to get back to my room." I mumbled against his lips as I started to pull away again. "Your dad is going to kill us."

"Relax." He laughed as he secured me to his side. "We're adults. He can deal with it." He leaned in to kiss me again but I turned my head in the direction of the door, awaiting the punishment. "Em, chill."

"But Patrick," I kept my eyes deeply focused on the approaching shadow. "It's your parents." I hissed the word through my teeth as I turned back around to look at him.

I started to pry myself out of my arms again, but he held on tight, refusing to let me leave. "Emma," he held my face in one of his giant hands. "Listen to me." A smile pulled on the corner of his lips as he struggled to maintain a straight face. "Calm the heck down."

"Fine," I sighed as I relaxed in his arms. "But at least let me hide under the bed or something."

He stifled a laugh as he shook his head. "It doesn't even matter. They've got photographic evidence." I chewed on my lip as I realized he was right. He kissed me again and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I silently wished to myself that I would get this feeling every time that he kissed me. Currently, the odds of it coming true were pretty good.

"Patrick?" His door opened suddenly and Patrick bit back a laugh as I closed my eyes and collapsed in his arms, pretending to be asleep. I imagined the scene through my eyelids. I could almost feel Mr. Kane's eyes as they traveled over the bed. "What's going on here?"

I felt Patrick shrug from around me. "Nothing. Could you keep it down a little though? Em's still asleep." A shiver ran through my body as I tried to control my laughter.

"Yeah, we can see that." It was difficult for me to determine the tone that Mrs. Kane used when she spoke. She seemed to be trying to be angry but it was coming off as more surprised. "Is something wrong with her room?"

"Well now that you mention it-" Patrick started but I knew that I had to stop him. I didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings.

I slowly opened my eyes as I pulled back from him. "Patrick?" I looked at him in mock confusion as I sat up on the bed. "What are you doing in my room?"

Patrick looked at me in real confusion along with his parents when I glanced over in their direction. "Um, this is my room."

"What?" I looked around the room and let my features become more and more surprised in realization. "Oh, no. I thought this would've have stopped happening by now."

"What would've stopped happening?" Mr. Kane asked me slowly as he stared at me strangely.

"My sleep walking problem." I let my voice crack at the end and I held my fist to my mouth when I closed my eyes to make it look like I was resisting the urge to cry. I shook my head and in the process I caught a glimpse of Patrick with practically his entire fist in his mouth as he struggled to not burst into laughter. "It's always been a horrible disorder for me." I stood up and starting pacing around the room. All three Kane's followed me with their eyes. "I thought I had outgrown it, but apparently not."

"We don't remember this being a problem when you were kids." Mrs. Kane said, her voice soft as she reached her hand out in my direction.

"I've always tried to hide it." I flung my arm out in front of me while I placed my other hand on my forehead. I really should have considered a career in the arts. "This is really embarrassing. I apologize." I made my dramatic exit as I swept past a speechless pair of Kanes and headed down the hall to my room. I could feel them staring at my back until I closed my door. I sighed in relief as I slid my back down against it. That was close.

I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked over to my suitcase and started to unpack when there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see Patrick's astounded face. "That. Was. Amazing." I giggled as he picked me up and wrapped me in his arms. "I knew there was a reason I loved you." I tangled my hands in his hair as he set me down and kissed me. "Sleep walking disorder." He laughed against my lips. "I can't believe they bought that."

* * *

"You have really sucky balance." Patrick laughed at me as I leaned down to pick up my coin from the hopscotch path that we had made. I shrieked as I fell to the ground and blew and annoying piece of hair out of my face.

"Excuse me." I grabbed his hand as he offered it to help me up. "I do not spend hours a day balancing on skates like some people." I shot him a look. "So I don't need balance."

"You do if you want to beat me at hopscotch." He threw his coin and easily made his way down the line. I rolled my eyes at him before bending down and writing my name on the driveway with the chalk. He sat down next to me and picked up another piece.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he rubbed the stick all over his hands. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He bit back a smile as he rubbed his hands together. I stood up with him, curious to see what he had planned. He smirked before leaning over and kissing me suddenly. He placed his hands on either side of my face, partially to hold me there but also so that he could leave chalky handprints on my face.

"I should've known." I picked up a piece of chalk and started coloring my hands with it. He started to run away from me, but I had enough time to place my hands on his back. I turned to get away from him, but he grabbed me before I could. "Let me go!" The words manage to escape my lips as semi-understandable through my giggles. He patted his hands down my stomach and around my back, making sure that I was completely covered in the green chalk all over his hands. I patted his face, laughing as a perfect handprint covered his cheek. He released me to attempt to wipe it off and I took this opportunity to refuel. I rubbed pink chalk all over my hands.

"Not pink!" He whined as I slapped him in the leg from my squatting position.

He slapped my butt as I started to stand, leaving a hand print on my shorts. I opened my mouth at his smirking face. "You're gonna get it now!" We ran up and down his driveway, shrieking like little kids when ever we got close enough to each other to leave a handprint on the other ones clothes. I could hardly stand up, I was laughing so hard. Both of our bodies were completely covered in chalk. I followed Patrick into the backyard in his attempt to escape me. I was so distracted in catching him that I didn't notice when he stopped suddenly and I crashed right into him.

He laughed slightly as he steadied me on my feet. "You okay?" He whispered as he smirked at me. I nodded slightly as I rubbed my hand over his face, adding another color to his rainbow consumed features. He smiled before grabbing my wrist and pulling it down to his side to get me to stop.

"Patrick?" I looked up at Mrs. Kane who was holding a wine glass in her hand and talking with the guest that were standing on their back deck. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Having a chalk fight?" Patrick glanced at me for confirmation to make sure that was what we were in fact doing. I shrugged and nodded simultaneously, sending a mixed message. I stifled back a laugh as he ran his fingers through his curly blonde locks, leaving a green, chalky stripe down the center of his head. I ruffled his hair to get it out, forgetting that my own hands were covered in chalk, worsening the situation. A girl that looked about seventeen, dressed nicely in a sundress, examined us curiously. "Olivia!" Patrick pulled me along with him to greet her. "I didn't even recognize you!"

He reached his arms out to hug her but she put her hands up to stop him. "I just bought this dress Pat. I don't need you getting it dirty already." She smirked at him and had the same twinkle in her eyes that he always got when he did that.

"Where's Jimmy?" He asked, referring to his closest cousin, James.

"He's coming later." An older looking version of her answered from her seat beside Mrs. Kane. "How rude of you Patrick. You didn't even introduce us to your friend."

He wrapped his arm around my waist as he pulled me forward. "This is my girlfriend, Emma." I bit my lip and waved awkwardly as they all smiled at me politely. "Em, this is my cousin Olivia and Aunt Karen."

"We know her." Olivia said and I squinted my eyes as I searched my memory. I had met her at a few family functions before that I had been invited to but that's about it.

"Oh that's right." Karen shook her head slightly and laughed. "You're the same Emma that Erica and Livi used to play with!"

"Yep." I nodded my head and smiled slightly. Patrick raised his eyebrows at me, surprised I remembered and I shrugged to show him that I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"Why don't you two get cleaned up?" Mrs. Kane suggested as she looked us up and down. Patrick nodded before grabbing my hand and leading me away from them. I heard Mrs. Kane sigh slightly and I remember the handprint on my backside that she was probably looking at.

Patrick led me around to the side of the house and I shrieked unexpectedly when he sprayed me with the hose. "What?" He asked, smirking at my scowl. "I'm 'cleaning you up.'"

"Yeah." I took the hose from him. He jumped back a little when I sprayed the icy cold water at him. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Not so funny now, is it?" I giggled as he tried to pry the hose from my hands, getting us both soaking wet in the process. He held the hose between us as he leaned in to kiss me. Melting from his touch, my grip loosened from around the hose. He used this opportunity to snatch it from me and get me soaking wet. "Hey, you cheated!" I screamed as I ran towards the house while he followed me with the hose.

"Sorry Em." He threw down the hose when I reached the porch. "All's fair in love in war."

* * *

"Hold still." Erica commanded me as I leaned my back against the couch in their living room. I flinched again as she pulled another strand of my hair back into a braid.

"So how long have you and Patrick been dating?" Olivia asked me as she blew on her nails in an attempt to dry them.

I shrugged. "Couple weeks." I adjusted myself on the sleeping bag. Someone (a.k.a Mrs. Kane) had come up with this brilliant idea that we should have a girls night in the living room. I knew she had only used this as an excuse to make sure that I didn't "sleep walk" into Patrick's room again.

"Don't act like you haven't been counting the hours." I stuck my tongue out at Jessica as she smirked at me from her place on the couch.

"Ooh, has he kissed you?" She leaned forward from her seat, over anticipating my answer.

Jacqueline snorted from her place next to me. "Has he? I don't think that they can even last five minutes without kissing each other." I blushed slightly as Erica dropped another braid down into my face.

"I think it's cute." Erica said, grabbing another chunk of my hair. "It's good to see him so happy."

"That's probably because he just won the Stanley Cup." I said, attempting to change the topic from my love life.

"Nope." Jessica smiled as she made her nail polish selection. "It's defiantly you." I smiled at this realization.

"Girls," Mrs. Kane called down the stairs to us. "Time to hit the hay. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" I asked Erica as she slid into her sleeping bag next to mine.

"We're having a party for Patrick." She closed her eyes as she wrapped the blanket around her body. "You'll get to meet the rest of our family."

"Including Grammy." Jacqueline laughed slightly as she said this.

"I don't know." Jessica propped herself up on her elbow so that it would be easier for her to join the conversation. "Patrick will do anything to stop that from happening."

"Why?" I looked at them questioningly.

"Because she is so embarrassing." Olivia groaned as she placed her head in her hands. "I mean, I love her to death, but I am never taking my boyfriend to meet her."

"Why?" I asked again, not fully understanding. "I'm sure she's not that bad."

Erica laughed under her breath as she turned her body away from me. "You'll see."