Page 10 of Unwrapping Ember

"Ready?" he asks, still all smiles, even though the darkness in his eyes is still very much present.

"More than ready," I respond, a little too cheerfully.

Together, the two of us sneak out the back door to the snow covered yard, trudging our way through the heavily falling snow to the midsized frozen pond in the short distance. Once we get to the pond, we sit on the snow-covered bench to put our skates on, nothing but the sound of the wind and plow trucks in the distance filling the chilly night air. Koda helps me up when I finish lacing my skates, hand in hand, leading me down the path to the thick sheet of frozen ice, glistening under the bright moonlight.

"Do you remember how to skate?" he asks, laughing, as if his intention was to play a joke on me.

"Of course, I remember. It'slike riding a bike; you don't forget that shit." I flash him a smile, my purple lips shivering from the cold, but I push through, not bothered in the least.

"That's my girl," he says, and I tremble at his choice of words, squeezing his hand even tighter as our blades hit the freshly frozen ice, gliding smoothly across, hand in hand.

The world around us fades, the sounds of the wind and the creaking ice becoming a distant backdrop to the joy bubbling within me. It feels so right to be back here with Koda, sharing this moment of pure nostalgia. It's almost as if we were never separated, even though we were, and it's something I won't ever be able to forget.

We move in tandem, and I can't help but laugh as I stumble slightly, laughing at my own clumsiness. Koda’s grip on my hand tightens slightly as he pulls me back upright, his breath a visible puff in the frigid air.

“Careful! I thought you were the pro here,” he teases, the mischief glinting in his eyes matching the sparkle of the snow around us.

“There’s always room for a little gracefulness." I shoot back, finding my balance and pushing off again.

The ice groans under our weight, but it feels alive—vibrant with the laughter that spills from our lips, echoing off the trees that surround us.

As the moon casts its silvery glow over us, I feel a sense of peace wash over me. Koda and I skate in circles, chasing one another and occasionally colliding into fits of laughter as we lose our footing, celebrating the kind of carefree moments I thought I had lost.

But the exhilaration is temporary. After a few laps, I glance up at him, catching a glimpse of the shadows lurking behind his playful façade.

“Hey, Koda... you said you wanted to have some fun, but I can’t shake off the feeling that something’s bothering you,” I venture cautiously, the warmth in my chest battling with the chill creeping into my spine.

He hesitates for a heartbeat too long, silver light playing across his features, before he finally responds. “It’s just... I don’t know.” His tone turnsserious, and for a moment, the wind dies down, leaving a heavy silence between us. “Everything’s changed.”

“Yeah, it has,” I admit, allowing the reality of our past to engulf the moment. “But we’re here now. Isn’t that what matters?”

Koda nods slowly, the light in his eyes dimming as he meets my gaze. “You have no idea how fucking glad I am that you’re back. But you're also... you’re different now. I don't want to mess things up again.” The weight of his words lands heavily between us. I can feel his fear and his uncertainty, and it mirrors my own.

“You won’t,” I promise, squeezing his hand tighter. “As long as we’re honest with each other.”

He searches my eyes for a moment, and I can see him grappling with the thoughts lurking just beneath the surface.

Finally, he takes a deep breath, and a tentative smile crosses his lips. “Let’s skate a bit more. Then I promise we’ll talk, okay?”

“Okay,” I agree, albeit hesitantly, and we push off again, laughter momentarily displacing the tension.

But as we glide under the moon, I feel that conversation waiting just beneath the surface, a reminder of all that still lay ahead—both the healing and the hurt. We skate until our legs ache, until our laughter fills the night air, painting a beautiful, but fragile, picture of friendship—or something more—rekindled.

Eventually, the chill in the air starts seeping deeper into my bones, and Koda glances at me, his expression softening. “How about we take a break?”

We find our way back to the bench, the familiar weight of our history heavy on my mind. As we sit side by side, the bench creaks under us, and I gaze out at the pond, trying to gather my thoughts.

“Thank you for this,” I say at last, breaking the comfortable silence. “For making me feel like I could just... escape for a little while.”

Koda turns towards me fully, the tension from earlier resurfacing in the air between us. “You deserve it. Life’s too fucking complicated, and I want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ve got your back.”

With those simple words, the trust that had always existed between us begins to weave itself back together, stitch by careful stitch. But there was a question that I knew wouldn’t stay buried forever—what had happened to him while I was gone? And what secrets remained hidden beneath the vibrant surface we had just begun to uncover? With the night still fresh in front of us and our paths aligned once more, I gather the courage to take the plunge.

"Koda... can we talk about everything? About what happened to us back then and what’s going on now?"

The resolve in his emerald eyes flickers as he nods slowly, the weight of his past reflecting back, and I know, hopefully soon, that we are about to unravel much more than just the secrets lurking in our hearts.

"Not tonight, Ember, but I promise we'll talk about everything." He offers a reassuring smile and leans in closer, swiping the pad of his thumb across my numb bottom lip, his eyes deadlocked on mine.

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