Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

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It was apparent to Aspen that bothering Delanie had become one of Charlie's favorite pastimes. As soon as their teacher had finished his lecture, Charlie slid into the stool beside Aspen. He made sure to send her a cheeky wink as he sat down, grinning at the way her freckled cheeks flushed. At first Aspen thought he was going to talk to her, but he instead immediately turned his attention to the other girl. Delanie already looked exhausted, so Aspen was sure that an interrogation from Charlie was not what she needed in her life. But before she could decide whether or not to speak up about it, Charlie had begun talking.

"So I hear you were at our game yesterday," Charlie began, a curious glint in his eyes. When Delanie nodded, he smirked. "I don't supposed you happened to talk to a certain 6-foot tall blonde whose name rhymes with Madam?"

Delanie immediately rolled her eyes, her shoulders sagging. As far as Aspen knew, Adam seemed to be the only thing Charlie and Delanie ever talked about. Clearly, Delanie was no longer amused. "Shouldn't you hate him right now? Isn't there a big war being waged between your team and his?" she shot back, giving Charlie a tired look.

Charlie's gaze hardened as his smirk disappeared. He set his jaw for a moment before deciding to avoid the topic. "Doesn't change the fact that Adam is my friend, and that he's obsessed with you," he responded coolly. Aspen didn't know what "war" Delanie was talking about, but Charlie seemed determined to avoid talking about it at all costs.

Delanie ran a hand across her face exasperatedly. She looked as though Charlie's torment was running her ragged. In efforts to save her more trouble, Aspen reached over and placed her hand on Charlie's bicep. The boy jumped at her touch, his head immediately swiveling to look at her. When they made eye contact, his gaze softened. Though the way he looked at her made Aspen want to melt, she kept her expression firm. "I think this is a conversation for another day," she said slowly.

She wasn't sure if Charlie had gotten her implications, or if the stony look on her face had just unnerved him into compliance, but either way, he gave a small nod. He cleared his throat, his face newly flushed. He mumbled a small "sorry" to Delanie, who just sighed.

Delanie chose to focus instead on the worksheet in front of her, seemingly tuning out the two students across from her. Aspen let out a short breath as she removed her hand from Charlie's arm. The boy immediately frowned at the absence of her touch. "What was that for?" he asked.

Aspen peered up at him confusedly. "What was... what for?" she inquired, her mind drawing a blank. If he meant disrupting his argument with Delanie, then the answer certainly should have been clear. He couldn't have been that dense.

The smirk that appeared on his lips told Aspen that her interruption was absolutely not what he was talking about. His eyes fluttered to her hands, which she had since folded in her lap. He shrugged nonchalantly, "You know, next time instead of grabbing my arm you should just hold my hand." His smirk evolved into a grin when he noticed the pink flush to her cheeks. The first few times that they spoken, her banter had been so fluid that it seemed natural. More recently, however, Charlie had noticed exactly how easy it was to catch her off guard. Honestly, it was adorable.

Aspen cleared her throat nervously. She was aware of the heat that had rushed to her face, but she was hopeful that she could at least keep her voice steady. "Are you always this big of a flirt?" she asked suspiciously, her narrowed gaze intently studying his face. It was unclear if she was genuinely put-off by his joke or not.

"Honestly? No," Charlie responded earnestly. He couldn't help but notice the way she perked her eyebrows at his answer, as though she didn't entirely believe him. He let out a considerate hum before shrugging. A smile quirked at his lips. "Usually I leave the flirting to Luis. It just depends on who I'm talking to."