Melody's Muse ✓

15. Figure Skater

Cole

"Absolutely not." Mr. Carter crosses his arms and frowns at me. "You saw what happened last night."

"Well...yes, but I was the one who took care of Mel and got her out of it," I retort. "C'mon Mr. Carter, Mel's already getting dressed to go."

I follow him out of the kitchen as he walks down the hall. His stride is quick and deliberate. Who knew trying to convince Mr. Carter to let me take Melody out alone would be this much of a pain in the ass. I just wanted to cheer her up, but Mr. No Fun over here won't let me.

"Like I said, I'd be happy to drive you two," he adds. "It's part of my job to make sure Ms. Aria is safe, Cole."

"Ok, ok," I moan, feeling like a child. "I'll text you the address."

He nods, looking quite satisfied and heads to his room to get dressed. I wander down the hall, realizing I have no idea where Melody's room is. The apartment is incredibly lavish and elegant, definitely not what I was expecting when I first got here. Two levels separated by a twisting glass staircase, ceilings higher than two storeys of my house, massive fireplaces, and an insane view of the city through the giant windows.

"Cole?"

I look around and take a moment to find Melody. She's on the lower floor, looking up at me behind the glass railings.

"Oh whoops," I mumble and quickly head back downstairs. "I was just looking for you."

She just giggles. Her laugh is so fluttery and sweet, I can't help but smile a little every time I hear it. When did I get so damn sappy? "I'll give you a tour sometime."

She leads me through the confusing hallways to the front door and bundles herself up as I tug on my boots and jacket. She pulls a knitted white toque with a fluffy pompom on, wraps a thick red scarf multiple times around her neck, slips her small hands into white mittens, and buttons up her long beige pea coat.

"Canadians and your winters." She shakes her head, voice slightly muffled through her scarf.

-----

Gone over with a Zamboni only a couple minutes ago, the freshly smoothed ice is extremely slick and glossy. I wobble a bit, my arms are outstretched and legs are stiff. Children using plastic walkers easily zoom past me. I hadn't considered the fact that it's been nearly a decade since I've skated, and I wasn't the most...adequate skater on my hockey team.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Mr. Carter outside the rink. He's leaning against the rails, chuckling at me. I glare but he just gives me a cheerful thumbs up. I'd give him a different kind of gesture if there weren't so many children in the vicinity.

Melody, on the other hand, seems to be having the time of her life. She glides smoothly across the ice, skating on one leg, doing little twirls. There's a wide, relaxed grin spread across her face, the same look as when she plays piano. She tried staying at my pace at first, but I quickly told her to go ahead at her pace. Definitely not because I didn't want to risk having her see me stumble and fall.

As she's about to lap me for the third time, she slows down and skates next to me.

"When were you planning to tell me you were a figure skater too," I grumble.

She just giggles. "I'm pretty rusty - I actually haven't skated in twelve years. My parents put me in a bunch of different extra curricular activities when I was little to see what would stick," she explains, "turns out I had a knack for skating and piano, but I eventually chose piano."