fragile

26

"I can't do this."

Colton held her hands in his, tightly.

"You can. Trust me."

Mira shook her head furiously.

"I can't move in these. I'm gonna fall," she said, staring at the ice covered floor.

He chuckled, his eyes roving over her pinched, worried face.

They were at an ice rink. He had taken her there after watching a movie with it as a setting and her confessing that she had never been to one in her life.

So, he made it his mission to make sure she experienced it and enjoyed it, too.

Most people were skating around in a circle, gliding through easily.

Mira was struggling but Colton was genuinely patient with her, encouraging her silently with words and a smile.

She felt like she was nothing but a burden, though, and her mood was quickly dissipating.

Mira gently pried her hands away from Colton, ignoring his questioning look.

"I'm just gonna go stand on the side. I'd rather watch you skate than fail endlessly."

She went to leave when he grabbed ahold of her wrist, gently. Looking back over her shoulder, he was staring at her with his eyebrows pushed together and lips in a thin line.

"I want to skate with you, Mira."

"You know I ca—"

"You haven't even tried."

"I was trying this whole time."

Colton brought her closer to him. "I'm right here, helping you. I'm not gonna leave you."

Mira held her breath; it sounded as if he was promising her about something else.

He held her gaze before she looked away, awkwardly.

"You're not the only one struggling, you know," he said after a second. "I mean, look around you."

So, she reluctantly did.

And he was right.

There were lots of people who looked like they were first-timers; some tried to skate forwards and fell, others had to hold onto the side as they skated or got help from someone else.

"I guess you're right," Mira said, under her breath. "But you're good at skating, right? An amateur like me must be ruining things for you."

Colton looked at her as if she had grown two heads.

"I'm good because I used to come here all the time. You know the old saying 'practice makes perfect' right? Well, it applies here, too. Besides, I like teaching you — it's fun for me. And, I get to see you fall, so what more could I ask for?"

Mira laughed. "Are you sure it's okay, though?"

"Hell yeah, I am."

Colton let go of her wrist and held out both his hands. A grin framed his face as he watched as she reached out and placed her slender, darker hands in his larger ones.

He found himself admiring the contrast of the colour of the their skin and how beautifully perfect it looked together.

It was a thought he probably would never have had just years ago.

How life worked was fascinating.

Colton's grin softened to that of a reassuring smile.

"Now, you ready?"

Mira smiled at him. It wasn't just in her imagination; Colton was promising her about something that wasn't just about ice-skating.

From his words before, she knew that he was promising her that he would always be there for her.

No matter what.

And her heart, the thing she had thought she had closed off for life, began to swell up and beat a hundred miles per minute.

Mira knew right then, just from his actions and his earnest eyes from the whole time she had known him, that Colton was a man of his word and meant everything he said.

"I guess I am."