Trouble with love

Part 23 small steps

The couple had made their way to a nearby bus stop, and onto a bus to go to wherever it was Takagi-san had in mind, all the while, Nishikata was feeling more and more distraught. 'Damn, why can't I just say it? We're already a couple in everything but name, why can't I tell her I love her?' Nishikata though, as he sat with his arm around Takagi once again.

'What the matter, Nishikata?' Takagi-san thought as she stared at him concerned. 'I know you want to say it ... but somethings stopping you.' She glanced over towards the window. 'I could just say it myself ... but it feels like he needs to get something off his chest ... I'll wait a bit longer and let him figure it out.'

The bus soon came to a stop, and the two of them got off and the two found themselves in front of a roller rink. "So this is where you wanted to go?"

"Yup." Takagi-san replied "It's been forever since I've been to a place like this one, and even longer since I've been here specifically."

"I don't think I've ever roller-skated in my life." Nishikatasaid, only realizing after the fact what he had just said. 'Oh ... crap.' He glanced at Takagi-san who had a mischievous smile on her face, almost like she was planning something. 'I just gave her ammo to use against me, didn't I?'

"Don't worry, I'll teach you." She said, almost a little too happy.

'Yup, I messed up.'

The rink in general was an outdoor rink, and there were a lot of people already there. "Looks like we're not the only ones to have this idea." Nishikata stated.

"Yeah, but it's the perfect place for couples." Takagi-san said as she grabbed his hand and began dragging him over to the rental stand.

They both picked out a pair of skates, and made their way over to a bench to change into them.

"So it's not that difficult when you get the hang of it, it's all about balance."

"Yeah, sure." They got their skates on, as well as helmets, elbow and knee pads, and gloves, and turned to each other expectantly.

"Well, here goes nothing." Takagi-san placed a hand on the bench as she made her way to her feet, somehow not losing her balance at all. "Looks like I still got it."

'It doesn't look too hard.' Nishikata thought as he also placed a hand on the bench. He tried to push his way to his feet, but his feet quickly gave out from under him, causing him to slip and fall back onto the bench.

"Need a hand?" Takagi asked.

"I should be okay." Nishikata said as he tried again, this time more prepared for the uneasy footing. He was able to slowly make his way to a somewhat standing position, but as soon as he removed his hand from the bench, he slipped and was forced to grab the bench again to keep himself from falling on his rear.

"Here." Takagi-san said as she held out her hand. Nishikata reluctantly took it, and began making his way to his feet once more. "It takes some time to get the hang of, and you will most definitely fall down a few times."

"Yeah, I've seen it on T.V." Nishikata was now standing, looking as if he could fall over at any moment. "I think I've got it." He let go of Takagi-san's hand, and almost instantly became unstable, forcing him to grab it again.

"Your center of gravity needs to be above your base to keep from falling over, though that causes your center of gravity to exert a force on your base, pushing it away. That's normally not a problem seeing as there's usually enough friction between one's feet and the ground to prevent that but ..."

"Not when there are wheels on the bottom of my feet."

"Exactly! In fact, skating is almost exactly like walking, only more difficult."

"Okay." He slowly let go of her hand, only this time, he didn't lose his balance. "I ... I think I may have it."

"Then let's see." She began making her way to the rink, and Nishikata followed slowly, taking a step forward and quickly correcting his balance, giving him just a little momentum.

"I ... I think I got it." He took another step, gaining a little more momentum, but also nearly toppling. "I ... need to get my body used to keeping balance like this first ... yeah, that's it."

He continued like that, until he caught up to Takagi-san. "Wow, you're catching on fast."

"Yeah, like you said, it's just a more advanced form of walking." He slowly continued to build up speed, until he came closer to the first turn and realized that there was a problem. "Wait ... how do you turn?" He began to panic, and started flailing around as he tried to step to the side, ultimately falling back onto his rear. "Ow!" He exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Takagi-san asked as she lent him a hand again. "It takes a lot of getting used to."

"You don't say." He said as he took her hand and got to his feet again.

He resumed his movement, this time taking it slow, so he could get the hang of turning. After some time, he felt like he got the hang of it once more, and began picking up a little speed. "I think I have it now."

"Are you sure?" Takagi-san asked.

"Positive."

She held out a hand and smiled. "Then let's go."

Nishikata grabbed her hand and smiled back. "Let's."

They began skating around the rink, hand in hand, enjoying the wind as it rushed past them. "This is fun." Nishikata stated. "We should do this more often."

"We should." Takagi-san let go of his hand, then moved in front of him before turning around to face him.

"Okay, now you're just showing off."

She smiled as she held out both hands. "Maybe a little." Nishikata took her hands and smiled as they continued to skate together. "You know, if someone from school saw us-"

"They would think that we were a couple?" Nishikata looked to the side as he blushed. "Well ... that wouldn't be the wrong idea now would it?"

"For today." Her smile faded as she let go of his hands and turned back around.

Nishikata' insides began to go cold, as he tried to open his mouth, but failed to say anything. 'Damn it! Why can't I tell her?! This should be simple!' He sighed and looked away. "Hey ... Takagi?"

She turned around to look at him. "Hm?"

"I ... you want to get something to eat?"

She smiled. "Sure ... but ... I think there might be a problem."

"What problem?" She smiled and waited as Nishikata looked around, quickly realizing that he was traveling a bit faster than he was comfortable with. "Um ... how do I stop?"