Page 84 of The Tattoo Artist

It really hurts.

Right now, I was just reading the blurb to my own book.

“Let’s recreate a memory!” I say with a playful smile, leaning against him.

My hands trace a path over his biceps, feeling the strength beneath my touch, and then wrap around the back of his neck, drawing him closer.

“You always wanted to go ice skating, but we never got the chance,” he whispers, a hint of longing in his voice as he pulls away slightly, heading to the cupboard to retrieve a pair of skates.

I raise an eyebrow playfully. “How come we never got the chance?”

A gentle smile plays on his lips as he looks back at me.

“Because we were too busy fucking.”

“Just sit on that rock.” He instructs me, I look ahead at the frozen lake and shake my head.

“No, no Ares I can’t ice skate.”

“You can.” I shake my head as he sits me down before kneeling in front of me, he slides of my shoes and slips on the skates before he tightens it.

“What if I fall?”

“I’ll catch you.” He speaks, looking me in the eyes.

“What if you don’t get there in time and I fall inside the cold water?”

“I’ll always get there in time.”

After he does my other skate and his own, he stands up and offers me his hand. I grab onto it, and he heads to the ice, but I stop-I can’t do this. I have never touched the ice in my life, because of the movies I’ve watched alone in my room. The ice always breaks! It aways cracks and the person falls through unable to get out. I do not want that to be me. But I want to do this, I wanted to feel the thrill of things, so why is it when the opportunity comes- I cower?

“You can do this angel, come on.”

Yes, I can do it.

And I will do it!

Grow up Alexandra Jones!

I trust you Ares.

I tighten my grip around his arm and cautiously step onto the ice, my heart pounding with nervous excitement. Taking another step, I cling onto Ares as if my life depended on it. He stifles a chuckle, and I feel my hands sliding up to his coat, seeking support.

“I’m going to fall,” I admit, my voice trembling slightly.

“You’re not going to fall,” he reassures me with a warm smile. “Think about it like this: you’re the paintbrush, and the ice is your canvas.”

His analogy elicits laughter from me, helping me relax my grip on him. “Okay, maybe I won’t fall,” I say, trying to convince myself.

Feeling a bit more confident, Ares begins to have some faith in me. Faith that shouldn’t exist. Because I know for a fact that if he lets go, I am falling. And suddenly, just as I anticipated, he speaks, “I’m going to let go of you now.” Ares gradually pushes me away, gliding a bit further back on his skates.

“No! No don’t!” I look around me, staring down at the ice. “Ares! Please!”

Panic rises within me, and I instinctively separate my legs slightly to steady myself. Closing my eyes to focus, I take a deep breath before carefully attempting to skate towards him, my movements hesitant at first.

“See, you can do it,” he encourages, his voice gentle and encouraging.

A sense of accomplishment fills me as I manage to move a few inches forward. I can’t help but smile; I’m actually ice-skating! Gaining a bit more confidence, I decide to push myself a little further, but the momentary lapse in focus causes me to lose my balance. With a small shriek, I slip and fall onto my back on the ice.

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