Page 16 of Ice Melts

Her gloved hand slipped against his neck—an accident, a moment of adjustment—but his breath caught.

She was so close.

His fingers tightened slightly against her waist, memorizing the way she felt in his hands.

For the briefest second, Sarah’s eyes met his.

A flicker of something passed between them. Something neither of them wanted to name.

Then she dropped down, landing cleanly on the ice, her skates carving neat edges into the frozen surface.

Travis let go, taking a step back.

Sarah turned to him, breathless.

"You okay?" she asked, adjusting her gloves.

Travis cleared his throat, shaking off whatever that was. "Yeah. Yeah, I’m good."

She smiled, bouncing on her skates. "That was solid. No near-death experiences this time."

He nodded, rubbing his hands together. "What can I say? I’m a natural."

She rolled her eyes but laughed, her whole face lighting up.

And for a moment, Travis forgot how to breathe.

They skated for a while longer, until their legs burned and their fingers were numb.

At some point, Sarah flopped onto a snowbank near the edge of the lake, breathless.

Travis collapsed next to her.

They stared up at the sky—a soft winter gray, flakes drifting lazily down around them.

"You ever think about the future?" she asked suddenly, her voice softer.

Travis glanced at her. "All the time."

Sarah sighed, tucking her hands under her chin. "It’s weird, right? How everything is about to change?"

He swallowed. "Yeah."

She turned to look at him, her expression thoughtful. "Do you think… we’ll still be friends after high school?"

The question caught him off guard.

"Of course," he said immediately.

She gave a small, doubtful smile. "Even if I go off somewhere far? Even if you get drafted and become some big-shot NHL player?"

Travis hesitated.

Because honestly? He didn’t know.

Not because he didn’t want to stay close.

But because this—the way he felt about her, the way she could make his whole world tilt just by looking at him—was getting harder to ignore.

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