Page 17 of Unfix Me

“Come on,” he called.

I jogged to catch up to him, then settled at his side. He held the door open for me and I was met with loud music. Once we were inside, I tried to take in everything that was going on. There were two ice rinks here, one on the left and one on the right. They were close enough together that you could see what was going on in each.

We walked through a small arcade section, which was full of teenagers and men who acted like they were still children. I eyed a motorcycle game, wondering how I would do on it. The man on one of the bikes was laser focused and when he angled himself to turn, he was nearly sideways.

“Want to play?” Kai asked. He was so close to my ear that I jumped.

“Uh, no. Just looking.”

“Come on. We can bet on it.”

I licked my lips, glancing from him to the game. Finally, I shrugged, and he smiled brightly. He took my wrist and tugged me over to it. I pulled away, trying not to seem rude, and since his expression didn’t change, I assumed I’d succeeded.

He pulled out his wallet and produced a blue card with the name of the building on it. After he tapped the small screen at the bottom of each spot, he motioned for me to get on.

The motorcycle I got was green, lighter than Kai’s eyes. I shook that thought away and squeezed the handles. Once we’d picked our specs, the track appeared. With each second it counted down, I felt a buzz of excitement.

“If I win, you have to skate,” Kai said just before ‘Go’ appeared on the screen.

I jumped into action, determined to pass him. The idea of actually putting on a pair of ice skates was one I didn’t want to become a reality. If I’d remembered to tell Kasey that I’d changed my mind about going tonight, I might’ve been more willing so that we could do it together. I was an idiot, though, so here I was. Alone.

When I made a sharp turn, I squeezed my legs tighter against the bike. I was so far to the right that it felt like I was going to fall. Kai did the same, leaning in my direction, and I caught a whiff of his juniper scent. He flashed me a grin before he refocused on the game. And, hell, he was good at it.

He passed the finish line and threw his hands in the air with a triumphant whoop. I came in third, which I would have been proud of if the circumstances were different.

“Let’s get you some skates,” he said.

The entire time I followed him, I tried to think of a good excuse.

I have bad ankles.

I have an inner ear disorder that messes up my balance.

I’m going to make a fool of myself in front of you.

In front of everyone. Not just him.

After I gave the clerk my size, he handed me a pair of skates. We headed toward the left side of the building and came to a rope that blocked it off. Kai unclipped it and ushered me inside.

“Uh, are we allowed in here?” I asked.

“This one’s reserved for us tonight.”

“Oh. That must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Not really.”

“Sen!” West shouted. I was half afraid he’d come pick me up again, but he was on the ice. “You coming in? The water’s warm, buddy.”

Kai laughed. “He’s such an idiot.”

He dropped onto a bench and pulled a pair of sleek black skates from underneath. They didn’t look like the ones I’d rented. He laced them up expertly, then glanced at me. He must’ve seen that I was struggling because he knelt down in front of me and reached for my skate.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly.

“Stop being so skittish. I don’t bite.”

Reluctantly, I moved my hands. His long fingers somehow moved gracefully, like this was a dance instead of simply tying some laces.

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