Carvings in the Ice

"Anna! Hey- Anna, you okay?"
Evan caught up to her as she walked, brushing a hand along her shoulder. "Hey... what's wrong? Did that guy do something to you?"
Yeah, he did something, all right, she wanted to say, but thought better of it. She brushed her hair back from her face and let the breeze rush against her flushed, frenzied skin. "I'm fine. I think," she managed to say.
"Okay... Just making sure. You look... I don't know, upset. Worried."
"I'm okay." She forced a smile onto her face. "Thanks, Evan."
He nodded, his bright brown eyes still reflecting the disappointment she saw earlier, when she'd left him alone to be with Jonathan. "Look... about earlier? I'm really sorry. It was rude of me," she continued. "You're a really nice guy, and I didn't mean to hurt you if I did-"
"Oh, no, no, you didn't. It's fine, really," he said, brightening up almost immediately. "I just thought we could, you know... hang out?"
"Hang out... gee, Evan, that's..." Gee? Gee? Who the hell was she turning into? "I don't know..."
"Oh, I didn't mean as, like, dates or anything, if you didn't want to."
"Yeah... I'm not sure, Evan. I have to focus on, like, my skating and everything." Shut up, Annabelle, shut up. "But..."
"Annabelle!"
They turned to see Jonathan jogging toward them. "Dude, can't you just back off?" Anna heard Evan say, an edge of anger in his voice. "You've done enough for tonight."
"No. No, I haven't," Jonathan replied, breathless. "Anna, let me just talk to you for a second."
"Listen, asshole-"
"Evan," Annabelle said sharply, watching Jonathan's face cloud with anger, his long hands clenching into fists. "It's fine."
She moved toward Jon, who let go of his anger when he saw that she had no intention of taking Evan's side. "Five minutes," she said. "That's it."
"Anna, I don't think that's a good idea," Evan said. Christ, who the fuck asked you? Jonathan wanted to bark at him, but she was already heading to a bench in a shadowy part of the path there. She turned to face him.
"I know what I'm doing, Ev. If you want, you can wait for me. Okay?"
He crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly mutinous. "Fine. I'll be waiting over by the dorms."
He walked away slowly. Jonathan looked at Anna. "Is he always that stubborn?"
"I wouldn't know," she laughed quietly. "Come on."

In the slightly darkened area they sat, unsure of where to go from here. "I'm an idiot," Annabelle said at last.
"No, you're not," he replied automatically.
"Yeah. I am."
Silence. Then, "Okay, you are. I mean, what's the deal? Do you think every guy is out to hurt you?"
"Man, you don't believe in pulling punches, do you?" She shook her head.
"No, I'm just asking. It's weird. One minute you're okay with me, and the next it's like I've... like, raped you or something. I don't mean that to be, like, flippant or something... I just feel like you don't trust me completely."
Or yourself. The two words hung in the air between them, their presence felt even without being spoken. Anna looked down at her lap, unsure of how to reply. Jonathan felt regret set into his gut, realizing he'd hit a sore point without even trying. "Shit, I'm sorry. That was-"
"No, you're right," she said finally, looking up at him. She bit her lip, let go, continued. "I don't trust myself or anyone else. I never learned how to, I guess. Being so busy with my skating and all... it doesn't really give you much time for a relationship, you know?"
"What about Pat?" he asked.
"Pat..." She chuckled. "He's a character. He was sweet to me. Funny. He's a great friend. But he's not the kind of guy I need." Jonathan nodded. "Have you ever felt like that?"
He thought about it for a minute, eyes looking off at some unknown point. Annabelle smiled to herself, appreciating the expression. "Yeah," he said at last. "With a girl I dated last year. She was gorgeous and nice, but... she wanted the wrong things."
"Like?"
"Marriage. Nice things. She wasn't a gold digger at all, but there were different values there, I guess. Either way, we broke up. She's dating some rock star now."
"Ah."
"Don't 'ah' me. I know what you're thinking." Jonathan smiled. "I thought it too, when I found out."
"I'm not thinking anything." She assumed an innocent expression that made him laugh. "Look, I don't judge. Whatever she was, she was. It's cool. You're not meant to be with just anyone."
"Yeah..." He ran a hand over his head, feeling the tension between them dissipate. Finally, it was becoming natural to just sit here and bullshit, let time pass with conversation and laughter. Annabelle looked relaxed for once, her hair loose around her shoulders, her full lips turned upward into an attractive smile as they talked. He briefly wondered, after a while, if it would be overstepping boundaries to put an arm around her... just so... and then she shivered. "Sorry," she murmured. "It's a little chilly over here."
"It's okay," he replied softly. The next thing he knew, he'd done it- his arm was curled around her shoulders, which looked small but were solid to the touch. She tensed slightly, then relaxed again, settling into the cushion it provided. They sat there quietly for a long moment, and then he laughed.
She looked over at him. "What?"
"What happened to five minutes?" He met her eyes, smiling. "Not that I'm complaining, but..."
He was right. She had only said five minutes. But something kept her here. Something warm and comfortable in the way he was holding her, in the gentle tones of his voice, the adorable boyishness in his smile. She didn't want to leave... it was nice here, if a little cold. And she could just curl up against him, find a place on his chest to sleep. She was sure Jonathan wouldn't mind.
But she had said only five minutes. And Evan was waiting, no doubt annoyed that she was even talking to him, let alone taking so long. But he wasn't her father- what did he care?
She looked toward the dorm areas, found no one standing there. Checked her phone. A text from Johnny. "Hey- Ev looked MAAAAD comin in. lol what happened?"
She would have to fill him in later. For now, though, she was going to have her moment.
"Anna?" Jonathan asked, puzzled. He brought a hand to her chin and brought her focus back. "What's up?"
"Nothing," she said quietly, then leaned in and kissed him.