Love on Ice

by Olivia West

  Love on Ice

  Published by Olivia West

  Copyright © 2016 by Olivia West

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher, Olivia West.

  www.OliviaWestBooks.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About Olivia West

  Chapter 1

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  To Hannah Avery, there was nothing – absolutely nothing in all of the dimensions in all of the worlds that she could possibly think of – that ever compared to the feeling of ice skating. She was a blissful hurricane on fragile ground, never intending to destroy what was around her but instead using it as a canvas for her art. It was her addiction and she loved it with all of her beating heart. It came as no surprise to anyone around her when she vowed to become a professional figure skater when she was just eleven years old. By that time, she had already been best friends with the ice rink for five years. After all, when Hannah skated, it looked like the ice was where she belonged.

  Ever since the age of six, figure skating had been the biggest part of her life. She still remembered so vividly shaking at the mere thought of stepping onto the rink, with such an expansive white abyss staring at her… Hannah remembered learning about the concept “nothingness” in middle school, and to this day referred to her initial thoughts of the rink as comparable to “nothing.” Her little heart beat fast and her eyes bulged out of her sockets, fearing that the whiteness was going to swallow her whole if she dipped her brand-new right skate into it. But with the encouragement of her mother, she had mustered up her courage and done it. And she never looked back.

  One of the less brilliant things about being a figure skater was that the training schedule was pretty intense. Hannah didn’t mind this, though her friends didn’t always share her feelings of elation. Often, Hannah was up early and training before school as well as training straight after school. So, when she finally got home and completed her homework, she didn’t much feel like the life of the party. Her friends, in an attempt to include her as much as possible in their social lives, often were left feeling like the third wheel in the relationship between Hannah and skating. It wasn’t often you knew someone who excelled so much at something at such a young age, and try as they might, they just couldn’t understand why every time they asked if she wanted to go out and do something, her response was always, “Sorry, guys, I’m skating later.”

  Throughout high school, Hannah had practiced hard, entering all sorts of amateur competitions and winning by a landslide. Her bedroom done up in pale pink was quickly turned into a silver and golden haven; you couldn’t see anything for being blinded by the light bouncing off her medals lining the walls. As humble and modest as she was, she couldn’t help letting her mouth form into a smirk when she was standing on those podiums, and a judge placed the medals around her neck. She knew she was the best – all skaters are trained to be the best, after all – and she felt so accomplished with her feet planted on the box with “1st” engraved upon it. She may not have been able to do algebra, but she sure kicked butt at skating!

  After winning first place in one of the more well-known competitions when she was ten, Hannah had been approached by Erica Summers, a coach known for her masterful teaching style and star students. Hannah’s parents had tried to get Erica to coach her before, but Erica had been too busy to take her on as a student. But after seeing Hannah’s potential, Erica decided to make room in her schedule for her.

  And a few years later, Hannah met Francis.

  At the time, he was three years older than her, and very, very handsome. The crush she had developed was almost instantaneous, but unfortunately, he had never shown a similar interest in her. Francis was a fantastic skater, and his skill always motivated Hannah to try harder, to get better, and to become a skater worthy of being his partner.

  And now, years later, Hannah at her tender twenty-one years of age and Francis, at twenty-four, were finally a semi-professional skating duo.

  Hannah’s crush was still somewhat prevalent but she had learned long ago that he wouldn’t be interested in her, so she focused all her time and energy into improving her skating instead. She had secretly hoped that the feelings were simply high school Hannah’s puppy love, but alas, his scruffy blond hair and glorious cheekbones still put her in an annoyingly happy state.

  “Hey, stop daydreaming! Break time’s over!” Francis skated up to Hannah, who was leaning on the side of the rink. There was a light smile on his face, which indicated he wasn’t really mad at her.

  “Huh? Oh, you’re finally here! Francis, you’re late!” she chided jokingly as she pushed off the side. Her skates crossed each other in perfect synchronization as she glided around the rink, not unlike a fairy tending to her elven children up in the trees. Her light brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, flew behind her as she moved, warming up.

  Francis joined her easily, wrapping an arm around her waist in the regular pair skating position. “It won’t happen again. Let’s practice the routine.” He turned his head towards the bleachers, where Erica watched. “Music please, coach!”

  ***

  Hannah undid the laces on her pearly white skates, her butt firmly planted on one of the benches beside the cold rink. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as she had just finished a grueling practice. She hummed the practice music under her breath, theme song from the movie version of Romeo and Juliet.

  “Good job today.” Erica sat down on the bench. “You guys really nailed that triple Salchow. Before today, you guys always were just the tiniest bit out of sync on that but you’ve really made it great now. If you keep that kind of pace going, I think we have a real shot at winning Snowball this year.” Erica smiled warmly. Erica rarely gave out compliments without adding another critique on the end for good measure, but this time, she was really impressed. The two skaters both took a heavy but barely noticeable sigh of relief.

  “I think we have a really good chance too.” Hannah smiled shyly as she tugged at the hair tie, allowing her long tresses to cascade down her back. Snowball was an annual statewide competition and an incredibly big deal. Several big-name coaches and sponsors always attended, and the winners of Snowball would become internationally recognized, as well as sponsored by big companies. Hannah had always dreamed of being one of the top skaters in the professional world, and winning Snowball would be an important step on her journey to the top.

  “Good job, Han,” Francis said, grinning as he undid his skates next to her. “We can make it all the way. I believe in us. It all just takes a little practice.” He said it in a carefree manner, but Hannah knew that underneath the loose go-with-the-flow attitude, he was serious about winning. That’s what made him such a good partner.

  Hannah often found Francis practicing his jumps alone in the rink, hours before practice was supposed to start. She was just as dedicated, arriving as early as he did, sometimes even earlier. But no one could compare in the way that Francis obsessed over skating, day and night. It was all he could think about. Not even Hannah knew about the way he would wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble b
reathing, because he was thinking about the next mistakes he would make on the ice, and what Erica would say.

  “Alright, guys, I’m off. See you next practice!” Erica grabbed her bag, swung it over her shoulder, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and walked out of the rink.

  Francis tapped on Hannah’s shoulder as soon as Erica was gone, and gave her that smile that had melted her heart for so long. “Hey, Hannah, can I ask you something?”

  Her heart beat a little faster. Is he going to ask me out? she wondered. But that was wildly unlikely. “Yeah, of course,” she replied, slipping off her skates, putting on the protective covers, then finally stashing them in her special skating bag that her parents had bought as a commemoration of her first competition.

  “I really want to try a new move. I know we’ve only done single and double throw axels… But I want to try a triple. I think it would really boost our marks in the competition.” He was willing to do whatever it took to win.

  A triple axel throw was actually the most difficult throw in pair skating, and was rarely performed in competition, but it wasn’t impossible, and had been pulled off before. It involved the male partner throwing the female partner, allowing her to spin three times in midair until finally landing on the ice.

  Hannah was hesitant and her face showcased her unease at the proposal. “Um… It’s such a dangerous move, are you sure we’re ready for it? I know that we would get a lot more points, but I think we can still win with a double…”

  Francis’s mouth twisted into some sort of frown. He placed his hands on Hannah’s arms as if to shake her into a change of heart. “That’s true, but it will be much easier if we manage to pull off the triple throw axel. I think we can do it. I really do.”

  Staring into Francis’ eyes, she felt bad for refusing to try the new move. She knew how much he wanted this, and to be honest she wanted it just as much. She wanted to please him. With a lot of extra work, perhaps she would be able to land a successful triple axel after all? Snowball was two and a half weeks away, so there was a little time. “Alright, fine.”

  His face lit up. “Great! I’ll come earlier next practice. If you do too, we can practice it on the ground first.” It was common for figure skaters to practice their jumps and moves on the floor first, to get a feel for them, before moving onto the ice. Thank goodness that’s a thing, Hannah thought, because it made the possibility of injury much more unlikely. Francis actually wanted to try this particular throw without Erica, as he had previously suggested this move to her but she had rejected it, believing it to be too dangerous. He was certain that Hannah would be up to the task, and wanted to try. He thought it best not to mention Erica’s objections to Hannah.

  “Sounds good to me!” Hannah checked her watch. She had a dinner planned with her best friend, Anya, at one of the popular new restaurants at eight o’clock. Hannah and Anya loved to try new foods, which was the reason they had become such close friends in the first place, despite their five-year age gap. It was seven o’clock now, and she still had to get home to change before going out. “Okay, I’ll see you soon, Francis! I’ve got to get going. Bye!”

  As Hannah walked away, she thought about the triple axel, and just how she was going to pull it off. The task seemed more impossible the longer she thought about it.

  Chapter 2

  Hannah waited in line at the local coffee shop, Java Bean, for her morning tea. She usually didn’t buy tea, instead choosing to brew her own, but she had run out of tea leaves that morning. Hannah hadn’t had as good a sleep as she would have liked, and was feeling too tired to forgo the caffeine. She planned on running some errands before meeting up with Anya for brunch, and she wanted to be somewhat awake for it.

  As Java Bean was a fairly popular coffee café, there was a long line for drinks. Hannah waited patiently, looking at her phone. Her cute (and mildly expensive) shoulder bag hung on her body; she always took care when she wore it, as it was easily hooked onto other people’s possessions.

  She was just minding her own business, when someone walked past her and she felt a jolt on her body as her bag was pulled forwards by the zipper from someone’s coat. “Hey!” she called out. “Stop!”

  The person stopped, and turned around.

  Hannah was hit by stunning crisp green eyes, a crop of luxurious dark hair, and a playful smile. She almost gasped in surprise. Wow, he was gorgeous! He gazed at her expectantly. Then she remembered her bag.

  “Oh, my bag is hooked on your jacket!” She pointed at the zipper, and he reached down to untangle it.

  “Sorry, I don’t do these kinds of hookups,” he smirked as he spoke in a flirty manner that instantly turned her off. It was clear in his eyes exactly what other kind of hookup he had in mind. No matter how attractive he was, it was annoying when men had too much of an ego and just assumed all women were going to sleep with them.

  “You wish,” Hannah muttered under her breath as she headed back to her place in line, apologizing to the person who had originally been behind her.

  The man passed her again on his way out. He was holding one of the carryout boxes, and she assumed he had been picking up an order. He caught her eye, and shot her a wink and a smile; she didn’t return it at all. In fact, it made her shudder.

  Though he had gone, he lingered in Hannah’s thoughts for a brief moment more as the line moved ahead. He was strikingly attractive, but the large ego he had shown was just too much. Hannah pushed him from her mind as she stepped up to the cash register. “Hi, one medium black tea, please.”

  ***

  Hannah arrived at the rink, fully stretched out and prepared.

  Hannah had made sure to exercise plenty earlier to keep her body loose and limber. Having a flexible body was essential to making successful jumps, and Hannah wanted to make sure she was as prepared as possible for the triple axel throw. In her apartment, she had already done some practice jumps. She hoped the people in the apartment below her weren’t too annoyed!

  Hannah hummed a song as she walked. She was in a very good mood after brunch with Anya. The taste of the delicious spinach quiche she had ordered still lingered on her tongue. Her sleek brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, like usual.

  Hannah slipped into the women’s changing room. She changed from her thick winter coat and scarf to her practice leotard. Her snow-white skates replaced her favorite black flats. She always felt a surge of affection whenever she put them on, and delighted in the fact that she was going to be skating soon.

  After locking her personal items away, Hannah headed to the rink.

  It was empty, as many of the skaters that frequented this rink were in school at this time of the day. There were many budding teenage skaters that Hannah liked to watch skate, for they were so nimble on the ice, but they weren’t here now.

  She pushed open the big door and stepped onto the ice.

  Her body soon grew warm as she glided around the rink, doing circles, spins, and step sequences. She practiced her spins, particularly the triple axel. She was delighted to see that she could still do the spin gracefully and land perfectly. But it was much harder when it was a throw.

  “Hannah!” She heard a call and turned around. She saw it was Francis, at the edge of the rink, preparing to skate out and join her.

  “Hey!” she called back.

  “Are you prepared for the throw?” he asked as soon as he was beside her. “I’m excited to try it!”

  “Shouldn’t we try it on the ground first?”

  “Yeah, of course. Sorry, I got ahead of myself!” He laughed. “Let’s go.”

  The pair made their way out of the rink. They slipped off their skates and stood in their thick socks on the black floor. “Okay, here we go.”

  “Let’s start with a single,” Hannah suggested.

  Francis nodded before he put his hands on her waist and threw her into the air, watching her spin her body once in a tight whirl. She landed on the ground, feet flat, planted firmly.

  “Okay, o
n to double,” he told her, going through the same motions, this time watching Hannah spin two times before she landed smoothly on the ground once more.

  “Now for the hard one.” Hannah grimaced as she prepared herself, taking steadying breaths.

  Francis threw her as high into the air as he possibly could. Hannah felt the rush of adrenaline. Then she spun, one, two, and three… before she stumbled on the landing. “Crap,” Hannah muttered to herself as she steadied. “Sorry, that was a horrible end,” she called out, louder.

  “It’s okay! Let’s just practice again.” Francis grinned.

  Fifteen minutes later, Hannah had finally been able to make a great end pose.

  “Are you feeling ready to try it on the ice?” Francis asked as he led her back to the rink. “We’ve got a couple minutes before Erica gets here, we can try it out and see if we can do it.”