by Bee Daniels
"Okay," Abigail said as she rose from the bench, holding onto the railing. "Let's go, lover boy. We'll be back, Mel."
Melanie nodded, watching as Noah helped Abigail out onto the ice. She smiled, seeing that Abigail was already struggling with her balance as Noah helped to keep her upright. But after watching them for a while, Melanie felt an overwhelming sadness take over her. She turned around on the bench, no longer wanting to watch them skate because of the uncomfortable feeling it put in her chest. She shouldn't have come here.
"Excuse me, miss."
Melanie looked up to see a man standing in front of her. He had dark brown hair cut low, and he was very muscular. She quirked a brow as the man stared at her with interest. Melanie stared back at him, wondering if she had met him before. He didn't look familiar, but there had to be a reason he was staring at her now expectantly.
"Do I know you?" Melanie asked, unsure with a small frown.
The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry. It's just that I saw you from a distance, and I thought you looked very pretty. But seeing you up close, you're more than pretty. You're beautiful."
"Umm," Melanie said, unsure of how to respond to that. She didn't exactly think she was going to get hit on at the skating rink today, especially with her sulking about right now. And though, based on physical appearances alone, she guessed she could say he looked well enough, right now Melanie wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone. "Thank you for your compliment, but..."
"It's okay," the man said. "I don't expect anything in return. I just wanted to tell you that."
"Oh, okay. Thanks again," Melanie said, awkwardly, waiting for him to leave. She glanced back at Noah and Abigail, and they were still skating with Noah helping push Abigail forward.
"Do you know how to skate?" The man asked.
Melanie turned back to the man, surprised he was still there. "No. I've never skated before."
The man laughed. "I can tell."
Melanie arched a brow. "How can you tell?" she asked, curiously.
"You're not on the ice," he said, smiling. "By the way, I'm Gerald. You?"
"Melanie," she said, having a feeling that this man would not be deterred, even if she showed no interest.
"Do you want me to teach you how to skate?" he offered.
"Aren't you doing something?" Melanie asked as she glanced around him. "Are you here with someone else?"
"I'm here with a few friends, but they wouldn't mind if I teach a beautiful woman how to skate," he said, and Melanie snorted.
"What about an ugly woman?" Melanie asked.
Gerald's brown eyes sparkled with amusement. "There's no such thing as an ugly woman."
When Melanie didn't respond, his smile brightened as he pushed his hands deep in his pockets. "The offer still stands."
Before Melanie could tell him no, she felt a presence looming behind her. When she turned around, she was startled seeing Noah behind her.
"She's good," Noah said. He was still on the ice, and the only thing separating them was the board. "I'll teach her."
Gerald blinked, surprised to see Noah there before his gaze hardened. Realizing this wasn't going to result in something good, and that though, Gerald seemed like a nice guy, it was a possibility that he wasn't as nice as he was presenting himself to be. And she also knew that Noah wouldn't back down from how she had seen him on the ice. Melanie stood, holding the board behind herself, and Noah moved behind her, holding her waist to keep her upright. The feel of Noah's strong presence behind her made her feel things that she shouldn't feel right now. His big hands gripping her waist, and his strong chest behind her back made her feel incredibly warm.
"Thanks for your offer, but my friend will be teaching me," Melanie said.
Gerald continued to hold eye contact with Noah.
Noah bent his head and whispered in her ear, "Let's go." She shivered, flowers blooming in her stomach. Melanie felt like she was cast under a spell, and the only thing she could do was nod. Gerald became a blurred vision before her as Noah guided her out onto the ice. In her stupor, Melanie didn’t even realize she was on the ice with Noah’s hands firmly on her waist or that he had turned her around, so she was facing him. But once she did, terror immediately took over her with the fear of falling.
"Relax. You're going to make yourself fall panicking like that," Noah told her. Melanie held Noah's shoulder with a vice-like grip as they stood off to the side of the skating rink so they wouldn’t get in the way of other people.
"Where is Abigail?" she asked, looking around until her eyes landed on her friend, who was skating with a very handsome man. Abigail was all smiles, clinging to him as he showed her how to skate. Though, Melanie had to admit her friend seemed to be on the dramatic side with the way she kept clinging to the guy like an octopus, though the guy seemed to enjoy being needed. Melanie chuckled in disbelief. Her friend was truly something else.
Noah laughed too. "When she saw him, she said she needed to look single, and I wasn't helping her image."
"So, is that the only reason you came to get me?" Melanie asked.
Noah bit his lip as he looked down. "She told me after I decided to get you."
Melanie found herself looking down as well, unable to look at him. She wanted to say something cool or nonchalant. She wanted to keep their conversation as neutral as possible so it wouldn't spill into something she didn't want to touch. But Melanie found that she couldn't hold her tongue.
"Why did you help Abigail first?" Melanie asked, and she hated how weak she sounded. But once the dam burst, more questions started to flood out. "Why did you hug her and not me? What did you tell Jemma about me? Why is nothing the same between us anymore?"
Once all of her questions were out, Melanie cursed under her breath. Why had she said all of those things? Melanie tried to figure out what she was going to say to get herself out of this situation. But no words came to mind. She wished she could run, but there was no escape on the ice. All she could do was stand in front of Noah, holding onto him as she waited for him to respond.
"Let's skate," Noah said, finally breaking their silence, and Melanie arched a brow until suddenly Noah twirled her around till her back was pressed against his chest. Melanie felt breathless with Noah's body cloaking her own. When she felt him move forward, her eyes widened. This wasn't what he had done with Abigail.
"What are you doing— oh my gosh!" Melanie exclaimed as Noah pushed her forward.
"Move your feet, Mel," Noah told her, and though Melanie was overwhelmed by everything, the warmth of Noah contrasting with the cold air rising from the ice, the way his body was pressed against her as he guided her, yet still, she followed his word and moved. For a while like that, they skated, and Melanie couldn't believe that she was actually skating.
"You better not let me go," Melanie warned him, afraid that this would end like the first time someone rode a bike, where someone pushed you and let go. She definitely did not wake up this morning planning to fall on her ass and embarrass herself in front of everyone.
"If it were up to me, I would never let you go," Noah said, and Melanie bit her lip, feeling blood rush to her cheeks.
"I took Abigail first because she was the one to ask me to do this, and I thought it would be unfair of me," Noah told her as he continued to guide her around the rink slowly, and with him holding her, it felt like she was floating on ice. "But honestly, I thought if I took you out here first, I would end up spending my whole day with you, and I didn't want to be an asshole to your best friend and ignore her."
Melanie hated that she felt relief in her chest when he told her that, but she couldn't help it. It felt like the balloon of worries that had blown up inside of her was slowly deflating as Noah answered the questions to her worries.
"I hugged her and not you because I'm trying to control myself. You said you wanted us to remain as friends, and I want to respect that. But a hug with you is different from a hug with her. I
can barely control myself just being near you. How will I be able to control myself if I touch you?
"What I told Jemma isn’t important, but if you want to know, I told her the woman I liked was coming, but I was nervous because I didn’t know how to be around you now. Jemma was just surprised that there was a girl out there who I couldn’t charm. By the way, she's just a friend."
"No need to tell me," Melanie huffed, embarrassed. Had her jealousy been that obvious? "It's not like I cared."
Noah chuckled, and she could feel the rumble of his chest.
"You're hilarious, Mel," Noah said before he stopped, and twirled her around again until she was facing him. Before Melanie could ask what he was doing, Noah pressed her against the board near the edge of the skating rink, crowding her space until there wasn’t an inch between them.
"What?" Melanie asked.
"Nothing is the same between us anymore because—" Melanie looked away, afraid of confronting what was so clear. She exhaled deeply, trying to regain herself, wondering if she had always been this childish in her relationships before. But then again, she had always followed a set of rules, had an easy checklist to follow that let her know whether to carry on with a relationship or not. But with Noah, there was no set guideline. She didn't know what rules to follow. But what Melanie did know was the truth now, what she couldn't ignore anymore.
"We can't be friends anymore, can we?" Melanie asked softly, though she knew the answer already.
Noah pressed his forehead against hers, and she breathed in his scent, comforted by his warmth despite her fears.
"No, I don't think we can be," he told her honestly, pressing a tender kiss against her cheek that made her melt. "I woke up this morning, and the only person I wanted to spend my day with was you."
Melanie hoped that they could return to the way they had been before. But that kiss had changed everything. There was no returning back. Pre-kiss, Melanie was comfortable around Noah. She could laugh with him and joke with him without any problems. She had found someone she connected with. But post-kiss, whenever she was around Noah, she felt like her skin was on fire. She was aware of everything he did. Her heart raced, and her fingers tingled with a desire to touch him.
Though she desperately wanted to go back, she realized what Noah had already known— there was no turning back. Just being in his presence filled her with a desire to do more than just laugh with him. She wanted more.
This was so unfair.
"Why can't you just find some pretty young girl to date?" Melanie whined. It would all be so simple if Noah were the one to give up. If she was the only one who had feelings, then she could handle them. But how could she handle them when Noah looked at her with those blue eyes that so clearly desired her.
"I already found her," he said, and she bit her lip, trying to stop her heart from racing.
"I bet you took a bunch of girls here to make them fall for you," Melanie said and frowned when she thought about the possible many ice-skating dates Noah had before.
Noah laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she couldn't help but smile. She loved it when he did that, though she would never admit that to him.
"Actually, you and Abigail are the first. I've never taken any other girls ice skating before. Never cared to, and it's too much work trying to teach them the basics. The only reason I took Abigail because it would give me an excuse to spend time with you."
"You don’t want to teach other girls, but you don't mind teaching me," Melanie said, giving him a look that showed she thought he was full of shit.
Noah grinned. "I don't mind teaching you at all."
"I still think we should just be friends," Melanie said stubbornly. There were so many reasons why they shouldn't be together. Every time she thought about being with him, she couldn't help but think about all of those reasons. She knew it was best for them not to be together, but she also knew the truth— Noah was like a magnet Melanie couldn't pull away from because if she could, she would have ended everything already, including their friendship.
"I think we should be more," Noah said as he skated backward, tugging her along with him. Melanie let Noah guide her across the ice, and she trusted that he wouldn't let her fall.
"I'll think about it," Melanie murmured. Noah halted to a stop.
"What did you say?" he asked.
Melanie sighed. "I'll think about— Aww, put me down!"
One moment she was on the ice, and next, she was in the air with Noah holding her up. Noah swung her around, and Melanie yelped, telling Noah to put her down. But he didn't. He continued to twirl her, filled with happiness, and Melanie found that his happiness was contagious because she felt it too. She felt like she was on a rollercoaster that she had been dragged on by force, but now that she was on it, she would try to enjoy every minute of it. She would try to enjoy being on Noah's rollercoaster.
***
After spending another two hours at the skating rink, Melanie left with Noah in his truck, while Abigail went home to take care of her father. Melanie and Noah were now in front of her apartment, still inside of his truck, making out. Since the moment Melanie told Noah she would think about it, it was like a lock on a door had been opened, and though Melanie knew in the back of her mind she should be worried if she'll ever be able to close it again, on the other hand, all she could do was live in the moment right now.
"Maybe we should take this upstairs," Noah suggested in between kisses as his hands roamed up and down her thighs. She sat in his lap, shamelessly grinding against him as his tongue mapped her own. Noah's suggestion came as no surprise to her because it had been one that appeared in her mind since the moment he came to drop her off. Filled with the desire to be with him, Melanie wanted to throw caution to the wind and take Noah upstairs, where they would have space and privacy to do more things. But she also knew that if they went up to her room, there was no way it would only result in kisses.
Melanie pulled back, escaping Noah's hold. "Will we only kiss?"
"Yeah," Noah said, his eyes low-lidded with lust with a lazy grin.
Melanie punched his arm lightly, and Noah laughed. "Okay, maybe we'll do a little more. But a little more is fun. I can show you how fun it can be."
Melanie wanted so badly to give in, but she also knew it was best not to. She said she would think about it, which technically she hadn't been doing before. She had immediately written off the idea of being with Noah from the beginning. But now, she would really have to think about what she could be with Noah. But how would she be able to do that with his tongue in her mouth?
"I'll take a rain check," she said, ignoring the disappointment on his face. She gave him a quick peck feeling bad, but of course, Noah wouldn't let it stop there, turning it into another make-out session again. And being the weak person Melanie was when it came to Noah, she fell into it, enjoying their kiss, until she had no choice but to pull back, breathless.
"You sure you don't want to take this upstairs," Noah asked, pointedly stroking her back. Melanie tried to ignore the sparks of lust that shot through her every time his hand stroked her body.
"Yeah," Melanie said, but then Noah kissed her neck, and she wasn't so sure anymore. Wait. Why did she not want to take Noah upstairs? Oh, yeah. She needed to think.
Melanie pushed Noah back reluctantly before she climbed off his lap. "It's for the best," she said, more to herself than him.
"Is it really?" Noah asked as he brushed her hair back. Melanie fixed her clothes back in place and nodded.
"I told you I would think about it, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"That's what I'm afraid of," he murmured, and Melanie frowned.
"Well, if that's the case then I won't think about—"
"I'm joking," Noah quickly said, wrapping her into his arms. "Take all the time you need."
Melanie giggled, amused by him. She leaned her head back against his chest, enjoying being near him, and for a while,
they sat just like that, without words. They were just finding comfort in being near each other.
"I really hope you think about it," Noah told her, kissing her cheek. "I really want to be with you."
The thing is that deep down inside Melanie wanted to be with him too. But every time she thought about a relationship between them, all she could see was darkness in front of her. It scared her. It felt like she was heading down a foggy road, and she couldn't drive forward with the same precision she had while driving down a clear road.
"I'll really think about it," Melanie promised before kissing him. "I will."
Noah cupped her cheek, smiling as he looked in her eyes. She loved it when he looked at her like that. "Now, hurry up and get inside. I don't think I can hold back when you look this beautiful."
Melanie rolled her eyes. "Good night, Noah."
"Good night, Melanie. Dream of me," he said with a wink, and Melanie had a feeling he imagined her dreaming of an erotic one.
Melanie walked inside her apartment building, and she waved her goodbyes to him, but Noah didn't pull off. It wasn't until she had gotten into her apartment and looked outside her window that he did. He had waited to make sure she had gotten safely inside of her building. It was the little things like that that made her want to hold on. It was the little things like that that made her want to believe they could be together. But Melanie wasn't so sure.
CHAPTER
32
MELANIE
“T
HIS IS SO EXCITING!” ABIGAIL SAID AS SHE PUMPED HER FIST IN THE AIR. The hockey arena was filled with that same cheer as everyone watched the exciting game between Weston's team and their rival team, Hawkins. Apparently, for a long time now, Weston’s team and Hawkins had been long-time rivals, and everyone at the game tonight thought it was important that Weston won to claim their pride after last year’s loss. Noah had been talking Melanie's head off about it for a while now, and though Melanie wasn't a big hockey fan, she promised that she would come tonight so she could support him.