Paintings Of Him

Chapter 18 - Different

I breathed in the cold air with a soft laugh, doing a little twirl as I tried not to fall. I had not laughed like this in a long time and felt nothing but pure contentment soaring through my veins as I wobbled on the ice. I had always loved doing this when I was a little girl, constantly coming here with Jordan and our parents until I got more and more confident.  Corbin watched from the sidelines, his eyes wide with fear as he shook his head quickly. 

"Oh, come on!" I pleaded, skating closer to him, "...you said you wanted to cheer me up, how am I meant to have fun if you don't let go of the railing like a baby?" 

Corbin sent me a glare. "I-I didn't think you would choose ice skating..."

"Aren't you meant to be good at sports? I thought you would be a natural at this..." I tilted my head, my cheeks starting to hurt from how much I was smiling as he panicked, his feet sliding outwards. 

He spat out his words fearfully. "I play football, not ice hockey."

I sighed, trying not to giggle at him as he wobbled fearfully, clutching onto the plastic railing for dear life. The rink was practically deserted, everyone choosing to enjoy the cold weather outside instead of using an indoor ice skating rink, so Corbin and I were alone. I skated closer to him with a small smirk, holding out my hands with raised eyebrows. 

He immediately shook his head. "No, No..No!"

"Come on..." I pouted innocently. "Don't you trust me? How are you ever going to learn? Come here, you can hold onto me and I won't let go!"

"Promise?" he looked up at me fearfully. 

I burst out laughing at how adorable he looked. "This is way more fun than I thought it was going to be."

"Clara!" he groaned. 

I rolled my eyes playfully before getting closer to him, taking his warm hands in mine. The idiot decided that he didn't need gloves, so I rubbed my hands over his to try and bring some color back to them. After several moments of coaxing him to let go of the railing fully, he took my hands and mumbled for me to slow down every couple of seconds. I couldn't stop laughing, assuring him that I physically couldn't go any slower. After a few moments of him getting more confident, the terrified look in his eyes reduced slightly as he gripped my hands tighter. I smiled at him reassuringly and he breathed out a sigh of relief, growing more at ease with every minute that passed. 

As soon as I let go of one of his hands, his eyes grew wide with panic again. "What are you doing? Don't let go, you said you wouldn't let go!"

"Corbin, I will be right over here" I laughed, leaning onto the railing a few steps away. "Just come and skate towards me, it is like two strides! Just move forward gently, bend your knees slightly, okay?"

He grumbled under his breath but held his hands out comically, wobbling every few seconds. Once he got the hang of it, he sped up by accident and his eyes went wide once more, his hands waving in front of him to try and stop. I had never laughed so much in my life, unable to control the giggles escaping at how adorable he was and how scared he looked at such a safe activity. After a few moments of panic, he bumped into me on the railing, his hands wrapping around me instantly as her noses bumped together. 

"You're evil" he mumbled, his forehead resting on mine. 

I grinned up at him, pulling him closer so that he wouldn't get scared. After a few moments of seeing me shiver at his cold hands around me, he leaned forward teasingly and brushed his lips across mine. 

"You want me to warm you up?" he whispered against my lips. 

After a few moments teasing me in return for taking him ice skating, he pressed our lips together and sighed softly as I kissed him back. There were no words exchanged, just soft kisses and exhales of cold air as he pressed me against the railing. I could never get over the feeling of complete happiness that soared through my veins as he kissed me, it was indescribable, even better than the first time that he kissed me as now I knew that he felt the same. I had no idea what had changed between us and when it started to feel so different to the crush I used to have, but I was not going to complain.