Camera Shy

C- 35- speaking the wrong language.

The date is going perfectly. As we are escorted on a behind the scenes tour, Reece tells me various sea life trivia and the way he tells it, not just with words but also using his body language, making cute fishy faces and flapping his arms the way turtles do, all I can do is smile. I'm loving every part of this date. Afterwards, we head to the gift shop and pick a souvenir for ourselves and one for each other. Reece parts away from me briefly when he is noticed by fans. He signs some autographs and poses for pictures.

After that we head through to the back entrance, back to the bike.  As he places the helmets and protective gear back on, he smiles at me.

"So ready for part two?"

I let out a low laugh at his excitement and nod, "Can't wait."

He places a small kiss on my lips before pushing my visor down. We ride off to our next destination and the roads are calmer than before.

I've always hated the idea of riding on bikes, an unwarranted fear of getting hurt. But with Reece, I just feel safe, and I know, as we ride along and I observe how he stays focused and maintains full control, that if any danger presented itself, he would keep me safe.

As we drive down a quieter road, Reece parks his bike and takes my hand. We head through an alley and, as soon as I see the building, I can't help but smile.

"Ice skating?"

"Yeah, you up for it?" He asks, unsure.

"Umm, yeah!"

I let go of his hand and start running towards the main entrance. I hear him laughing as he tries to keep up.

We head inside, sign in, pay, and head to the changing rooms and within fifteen minutes, we're both ready with our heavy skates on.

As soon as we get to the rink, I head straight onto the ice without thinking and start gliding along. I turn to take Reece's hand and realise he is still at the gate, smiling at me with raised eyebrows.

I head straight back for him and give him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, I got excited."

"Are you kidding! I loved seeing you skating off, so confidently.... That's not the awkward Jamie I first met." He jokes.

"I went skating a lot as little kid. My mum felt I was too young, but dad always took me on the weekends. Before he changed, he was a good dad."

"Your dad, huh. I'm sorry if I have brough back hard memories." He gives me a soft smile.

I move closer to him and kiss his lips lightly.

"You have reminded me of great memories. My dad would watch as I glided across the ice, and he looked so proud. The first time he took me, I looked at the ice with pure fear. Then he took my hand and walked me onto it and said, 'The fear you are feeling right now will hold back if you let it. Whenever you feel that fear Jamie FACE IT!'"

"For an asshole, he was a smart man." Reece smiles, looking nervously around the rink.

"Ready to skate?" I ask.

I offer my hand and he takes it, slowly moving onto the ice.

"It's been a long time since I've skated. Hazel used to drag me to our local rink. I always sucked but she was a lot like you." He chuckles.

"So, you never did tell me your story about Michael!" I say, trying to distract him from his nervousness, as we circle around the rink.

He starts to laugh.

"He married one of my exes. I dated Cassie for about two months and things were going well. She was very grades focused, which made our relationship a little difficult because I wanted to learn and play more instruments, and she wanted me to study harder and go to college and then university. We went to a football match to support Michael. His team won and we all went out after to celebrate. They got on like a house on fire and I knew that they instantly connected and that they were better suited for each other than her and I were." He shrugs, smiling.