Page 20 of Ice Melts

“Thanks!” He turned around and ran down to the dock, discarding his shoes and lacing up skates before she even reached the door to the house.

Travis stepped onto the ice, the blades of his skates cutting through the glassy surface with a satisfying crunch. The lake stretched out before him, shimmering in the golden glow of the setting sun. This was home, no matter how far his career had taken him. The air was so still it almost felt sacred, and the ice was smooth enough to reflect the sky, the bare trees along the shoreline casting long shadows that danced in the fading light.

He picked up speed, his legs remembering the rhythm as if no time had passed. The familiar push and glide calmedhim, the worries about his mom, about Sarah, slipping into the background as his focus narrowed to the here and now.

He skated in a wide arc, weaving between imaginary defenders, his movements fluid and instinctive. A grin tugged at his lips as he stopped sharply near the dock, spraying up a spray of ice. Skating always had a way of grounding him.

The creak of the dock boards made him turn. There she was, standing at the edge of the dock, the thermos he’d asked for tucked under one arm. Her skates were already laced up, and the evening light painted her face in soft hues of pink and gold.

“You’re gonna miss all the fun if you don’t hurry up,” he called, skating backward as she stepped onto the ice.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Sarah shot back, but her voice was warm, the edge of teasing that he loved.

She moved onto the ice with the practiced ease of someone who’d done this a million times, but her first few strides were tentative, as if she were testing the feel of the ice beneath her. Travis skated over to meet her, stopping just close enough that their skates nearly touched.

“Still got it?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

Her lips curved into a smile. “You tell me.”

With that, she took off, her long strides smooth and confident, leaving him standing there, blinking.

Travis laughed, pushing off after her. “Okay, showoff.”

They circled the open expanse of the lake, falling into an easy rhythm like they always had. He could see the tension melting from her shoulders as the wind played with the loose strands of her hair, and he found himself smiling without meaning to.

“Remember these drills?” he asked, grabbing a stick from the edge of the dock and tossing her a puck he’d left on the ice.

Sarah caught it with a deft tap of her stick, spinning on her skates to face him. “You mean the ones where I’d beat you every time?”

“In your dreams,” he said, but his grin widened as he set up in a defensive stance.

They fell into an old routine, trading the puck back and forth as they wove around imaginary cones. It felt like no time had passed at all, like they were back in high school, spending hours out here perfecting Travis’s stickhandling and footwork. She challenged him, just like she always had, darting around him with a quickness that made him laugh in frustration.

“Too slow, Jenkins,” she teased, slipping past him and sending the puck sailing toward the far end of the ice.

“Alright, alright,” he said, holding up his hands. “You win this round.”

Sarah skated back to him, the smile on her face so bright it made his chest ache. She was glowing, cheeks flushed from the cold, her breath coming out in soft white puffs.

“See?” she said, tapping his skate with the blade of her stick. “You should listen to me more often.”

“Don’t push your luck,” he said, but his voice was soft, filled with something that felt dangerously close to admiration.

They kept at it until the sun dipped lower, the sky streaked with shades of orange and purple. The drills turned into races, Travis letting her win more often than not just to see the triumphant look on her face. And then, as the last light of the day faded into twilight, Sarah tossed her stick aside and skated toward him with a glint in her eye.

“What?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“Remember when we used to dance out here?”

He blinked. “You mean when you used to drag me into your figure skating routines?”

Sarah laughed, and the sound wrapped around him like a warm blanket. “Come on, you know you loved it.”

“I tolerated it,” he corrected, though the grin tugging at his lips gave him away.

“Prove it,” she said, holding out her hand.

Travis hesitated, his heart thudding in his chest. But then he took her hand, her fingers cool against his, and let her pull him closer.

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