Straight Circle

Chapter fifty-one

JENNIE

The one specific thing that Lisa's hide from everyone is her passion for ice skating.

It used to be her reason to live, but since her accident, she stopped talking about it. Ice skating means a lot to her because it used to be the thing she loved more than herself. Jisoo and Chaeyoung don't even know that she won at least twenty ice skating competitions when she was younger. I understand that a part of her was broken when she found out that she couldn't ace in that field anymore, but it shouldn't be a reason to keep this all to herself.

Life can be hard and cruel, but it can also be exciting and fun. Lisa is not alone in this.

We've got her back.

Elijah and the girls care so much about her. I'm here and I won't make the same mistakes that I did in the past. There was a time, I was blinded by my parent's words. Everything seemed clear to me, except it wasn't. They made me believe that the most natural thing was a sin. Even though I always wanted the best for Lisa, at some point, my ignorance had hurt her.

Loving someone shouldn't be illegal and thank god, I realized that.

"Oh, crap." I blurt out as we walk to the ice rink where some people are already skating with ease.

It is the largest outdoor skating rink in the town, but also the most popular because a lot of professional ice skaters like to come here before a competition to practice. Galia Ice Rink offers a stunning view of luminous trees surrounding the field and a bunch of Christmas decorations.

Part of me is not surprised to see so many people gathering here, but another part of me wishes the rink was less crowded. Chaeyoung suggested me to privatize the ice rink, but I don't think Lisa would be pleased. I feel like it would make her think that I don't want to show myself publicly at her side. I'm not ashamed to be standing next to a gorgeous model like her. Holding hands is still new to me, but I will soon get used to it.

"It's always crowded here, what did you expect?" Lisa looks at me with a mocking smile spread on her perfectly plump lips.

"A less crowded day...?"

A soft chuckle escapes from her lips and I find myself blushing furiously at the cute sight of her. Putting a step on the cold ice brought back old memories. When I was younger, I used to skate with my family from time to time, but I never got to the stage of sliding on the ice without falling right after.

I put another foot on the ice, but I immediately lose my balance. I let out a small squeal, but her strong arms wrap my waist from behind.

"I've got you," she says softly, her mouth close to my ears.

My heart misses a leap when I hear her voice. I had never thought that it could be that husky and deep. Oh boy, I was wrong all along. She pulls me out of my thoughts when she pushes me forward gently so I can stand up by myself.

I clench my jaw and turn my body so we can face each other. Lisa is taller than me and I tend to use wedge shoes to be on the same height as her. But right now, I can't cheat so we can easily see the difference in height.

"As you can see, I'm not good at this," I tell her while my hands are holding the sleeves of her coat. "No, let me correct myself. I suck at this."

She flashes me a bright smile before saying, "It's been years since I set a foot on an ice rink. I'm not confident enough in my skating abilities anymore. If you suck, I'm not any better than you. We're both on the same level now."

I doubt that. She stands perfectly straight on the ground without the slightest difficulty. It clearly shows how comfortable she is on the ice and she doesn't even realize it.