"Another date already? You guys go really fast," Anthony tells me as I wrap my birthday scarf around my neck.
"Hey it's not my fault that my love life is more successful than yours," I say, while pulling a jacket over my body.
"Hey, just saying. How long has it been since the last date?" he asks. I look at him and zip up my jacket.
"A little over a month. Jealous much?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"Surprisingly, no. I'm actually really happy for you. One day, if I get a girlfriend, I'll treat her like Ray treats you," he says. I smile at him.
"Promise?" I ask.
"Of course. Now bundle up, because it's cold outside," he says. I roll my eyes.
"Wow. No Anthony, it's totally Sahara like conditions outside. I'm going to wear a bikini and go out on a date with Ray," I say. He rolls his eyes.
"Fine. Cut the sarcasm. But still, you said that Ray told you to bundle up anyways. Plus, if you get sick, don't tell me I warned you," he says. I scoff.
"I love you, but you sound like Nonna," I tell him bluntly. He shrugs.
"Hey, both of us are worried about your health," he says, and it makes me happy that he actually cares. I sigh.
"Noted. But Ray's going to be here really soon. I need to get moving, because I'm not going to go without looking semi-decent," I say, and swiftly run out of the room. Anthony runs after me.
"Hold your horses, Sophia. You're getting insanely excited," he says. I look back at him.
"It's a date with my boyfriend. Give me a reason why I shouldn't be excited," I say.
"Well, you shouldn't be excited if I'm a police officer, and I have a gun," a voice says, and my dad is standing there, smirking. I sigh.
"Dad, you're not going to pump him with lead, are you?" I ask, slightly afraid. He raises an eyebrow at me.
"Depends on what he does to you," he says, and before I let him say another word, I run downstairs to grab my purse. My mom is washing the dishes and sees me running downstairs.
"What's the rush, Sophia?" she asks, while setting a plate down in the sink.
"Oh, there's no rush. It's just that I'm trying not to get Ray anywhere near Dad since he has a gun and a lot of bullets," I say. My mom laughs.
"That's fair, but I don't think he'd do that. He may be a lot of things, but he's not a murderer," she says. I shrug.
"I hope not," I say, and when I say that, the doorbell rings. I run to get it, and when I open it, Ray is standing there. He himself is bundled up a little bit, and when he looks at me, he smiles.
"Ready to go, Sophia?" he asks. I nod.
"Almost. I'll get my shoes," I say, and I walk over to the closet. My mom walks over to where Ray is.
"Hey, Ray," I hear her say.
"Hi, Mrs. Smith. How are you?" he asks. I can sense the nervousness in his voice because my dad is somewhere near him.
"Doing fine, thanks for asking. And don't worry. Scott isn't going to come down and pump you with lead. I won't let that happen," she says. I hear Ray sigh out of relief.
"Oh thank goodness. I was worried about that," he says, and I hear my mom chuckle. Once my shoes are on, I walk to where he's standing.
"I won't let that happen either. Come on," I say.
"Have fun, Sophia. Stay safe," my mom says.
"Of course. Bye," I say, and I walk out of my house with Ray.
"So, do you mind telling me where we're going?" I ask as I get into the car.
"It's a surprise, lovely. And trust me, it's one of the good ones," he says. I raise an eyebrow.
"Don't know about your definition of good. But I trust that it's going to be great," I say. He smiles.
"Thanks, belle. You're the best," he says. I jokingly flip my hair.
"I know I am," I say, and Ray scoffs.
"That's fair, considering the jokes I've made. You win this round," he says, and he continues to drive. While he's driving, I'm just thinking about what he could do. We could go to a fancy restaurant like last time, we could take a walk somewhere, or we could go skydiving. Ray is a really interesting person, and sometimes unpredictable. I'm excited for what he has in store.
After driving for some time, Ray finally pulls into a little complex. I look up at the building, and the title reads, "KHS Ice Arena." KHS Ice Arena? Ray's taking me ice skating. This isn't good. I can't ice skate to save my life, and I heard it isn't easy.
I'm toast. "Um, Ray?" I ask. Ray's eyes shift over to me.
"Yes?" he asks. I gulp.
"I don't know how to ice skate. That's going to be a problem," I say. He smiles.
"No, it won't. Because I'm going to teach you," he says. My eyes widen. He's going to teach me? Holy moly, this is scary and awesome at the same time.
"Wait, you're going to teach me? I never knew you were that good," I remark. Ray parks in an empty space not far from the entrance of the arena.
"When my mom and I spent time in Estonia years ago, she taught me the basics of ice skating. I was around 2, and it was winter. She would hold my hands and guide me on the frozen lake. Ah, good memories," he says. I smile.
"That's so sweet, and really surprising. I've known you for so long, and I didn't know that you and your mom know how to ice skate. Pretty cool," I say as he gets out of the car.
He walks to my side of the car, opens to door, and says, "Well, there are some things that are kept to be found out. You'll find out how good I am today," he says, and I get out of his car.
"I'm intrigued. Let's do this," I say excitedly. Ray smiles as he walks over to the entrance.
"That's the spirit, Sophia," he cheers as he opens the door for me.
"Tied on, Sophia?" he asks as I tighten the laces on my ice skates. "Yeah, they're tied," I say, and I get up from the bench that I'm sitting on. When I stand up, I wobble a little bit due to the thickness of the blades, but it's nothing too unstable. I've walked in shoes that are two steps away from being stilettos, so this is nothing.
"You ok?" he asks. I nod.
"Doing fine. Let's go," I say, and Ray takes my hand. When we get to the ice rink, I can see people ice skating as if they've done it for years. I can see people flying up in the air like birds, and the skates gliding on the ice like it was made of hardwood.
"Wow. I don't know if I can do this," I say reluctantly. Ray gives me a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, belle. I won't let you fall. I'm right by your side," he says, and his promise makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"So sweet. But I have two questions," I ask. He nods.
"Sure. What's your question?" he asks.
"One, what are some of the basics?" I ask. He thinks for two seconds.
"Slide your skates to the side, not to the back. Keep your legs a little bit apart and your knees slightly bent. And if you fall, which won't happen when I'm around, you fall on your bottom. Just fall flat on your bottom. If you fall on your knees or your hands, then it's going to hurt a lot more. Trust me, experience," he says, and I laugh.
"Ok, question two. Show me how good you are," I command. Ray looks at me like it's a piece of cake.
"Hold on to the wall. I'll show you," he says. My hands find their way to the wall of the rink, and I grab onto it. Ray lets go of me, and he starts to skate at a surprisingly fast rate. His skates soar over the ice like it's nothing, and he controls his skates with no problem at all. My mouth is hanging open by the time he returns to where I'm standing. Some people look at him with awe painted all over their faces.
"Good enough?" he asks. I nod vigorously.
"Yes. Yes. That's perfect," I say, and he chuckles.
"Enough of that. I need to teach you. Let go of the wall," he says. With hesitation, my hands release themselves from the wall. I wobble on my feet from the slipperiness of the ice, but before my legs can give out under me, Ray's hands make their way to my waist. He presses them hard enough to keep me in place, but soft enough for the lightning bolts through my body.
"Ok, start to skate. Remember what I told you," he says. I start to move my skates to the side, and the blades slowly scratch over the ice.
"You're getting it. Go a little bit faster," he says, and I pick up the pace. Throughout the whole time, Ray keeps his hands on my waist, guiding me so that I don't hurt myself. Eventually, I start to get the hang of ice skating. Of course, I'm still a little bit shaky, but I'm not as bad as I first started.
Eventually, after one round around the arena, Ray gently removes his hands from my waist. Immediately, I start to wobble. My legs give out under me, and I fall backwards. Before my bottom can make contact with the frigid ice, I feel two strong hands catch me by the arms. My bottom refuses to make contact with the ice, and the arms pull me back up.
"See, I told you I wouldn't let you fall. Try again, but go a little bit slower," he says, and he removes his arms once again. I start to wobble, but my balance is quickly regained. In soft, gentle strokes, I move my skates across the ice, and soon enough, I'm skating. I'm doing it by myself, with Ray following up behind me.
"Nice work, belle! Try to do from this end to the other," he says, and he points to the other end of the rink. I gulp. Worth a shot. I slowly guide my skates to the other end of the rink. I slip a few times, of course, but Ray is always there to catch me if I fall. Eventually, I make it to the other end of the rink, and Ray follows behind me. He then claps when he sees my accomplishment.
"You're a fast learner, belle. I'm proud of you. Do you want to do it together?" he asks, and he holds out his hand. I smile, and I take his hand. For the next hour, we're skating around the rink, talking and having fun.
I'm having the time of my life at this moment, because he's being such a sweetheart to me. I slip more than a few times, but Ray always catches me with his strong arms, and he helps me get back up.
It reminds me of all other times during our relationship. Whenever I was skating on ice, and whenever I was falling, he was always there to pick me up. Our date reminds me exactly of that, and it makes me feel fuzzy inside.
He's made all our dates so memorable. I don't care if we haven't had many. He's made them as fun and memorable as he could manage. And I treasure him for that.
Eventually, we're really tired and sweaty. We've been skating around the rink for so long, and we're tired.
"Wanna go home, belle?" he asks. I nod.
"Sweet. Let's go," he says, and we exit the rink. We take our skates off and return them to the front desk. Then, we get into his car and drive back to Santa Ana.
"Did you have fun, belle?" he asks. I nod.
"I had so much fun. And I learned something new! I loved that you taught me how to ice skate. Thank you so much," I say. He smiles.
"Anytime, belle. I'm willing to teach you so many more things. I'm an open book," he says. I smile.
"Gosh, you're so perfect," I say. He chuckles.
"It's compliment night. Thank you, belle," he says, and we continue our drive back home.
Eventually, we stop in front of my house. Ray opens my car door, and he helps me out of the car.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye again, belle. I'll see you later," he says. I smile.
"See you later, Ray. But I can't leave without something," I say, and I lean in closer to him. Ray catches on, and he presses his lips onto mine. The contact causes tingles inside of me, and I almost turn into a puddle of goo. Gosh, what would I do without him? Eventually, he releases my lips, and with closed eyes, he rests his forehead against mine.
"Gosh. Wow. I wish I could do that forever," he says. I snort.
"Don't worry. I wish that as well," I say, and he gives me a warm smile.
"Belle, can I ask you something?" he asks me. I nod.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" I ask. He smiles.
"My aunt Danicka and my mom's Czech cousins are visiting over spring break. They're going to be up in Long Beach for spring break because my cousin lives there. I was wondering if you would like to meet them," he says, and excitement stirs up inside of me.
I've met Danicka before, back when I was in the 9th grade. Danicka is the brunette version of Ramona, and is so kind and down to earth. She's always treated me like her own, and she grew an instant liking towards me when she met me for the first time. Meeting her again is going to be awesome, and I express my excitement to Ray.
"Aunt Danicka's coming? Ray, I'm so excited to see her! And I'd love to meet your cousins," I say. He smiles, and a slight flood of relief washes over his face.
"Oh, that's amazing, Sophia! My aunt told me that if I could, then I should bring you. She really wants to see you," he says. I smile.
"I can't wait to see her. Can you convey that?" I ask. He nods.
"Of course. She'll be happy to hear that. For now, I have to go. I'll see you later, belle," he says, and he plants a fluttery kiss on my cheek.
"Bye, Ray," I say, and he gets into his car and drives away. I walk into my house, and my mom is sitting at the table, writing something down in a notebook. When she sees me, her head pops up.
"Sophia! How was your date?" she asks. I nod, while still beaming from it.
"Awesome! Ray taught me how to ice skate. Oh, and his aunt Danicka is visiting over spring break," I say. My mom's eyes widen.
"Danicka's visiting! Wow, that's amazing! Are you going to see her?" she asks. I nod.
"Ray invited me to see her and his cousins up in Long Beach. Is that okay?" I ask. She nods.
"Of course! Just make sure you've done your chores by then and your grades are good. Otherwise, you're not going," she says. I nod.
"I'll make sure of that. For now, I'm going to bed. Night, Mom," I say, and as I run up the stairs, my mom yells, "Night, Sophia!"
I throw myself on my bed, and I can't hide my excitement. Even though it's months away, I can't wait to see Ray's family again. All I have to do is wait and let the fun stuff come on its own.
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Not as long as "The First One," but it's still a date! And something that I adored writing for you guys. Were you surprised by Ray's ability to ice skate? Let me know in the comments section.
Hey everyone! How are you all? I promise you guys, this is the last fluffy chapter for a while. I'll stop making you guys melt into a puddle. I don't think I'll have another chapter with this kind of fluff for another whole cycle.
That's pretty much it. Hope you guys liked this chapter!
Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Sunday with a new chapter of I Never Imagined! Have a great week!
Love you guys,
Shree