Jake Understood
Page 33

I feel it too, Nina.
Her statement had an ominous undertone. Whatever happens. I’d known for a while that she suspected I was hiding something. The difference now was that our relationship was at a level where it would be impossible to go much longer without telling her. I still needed to figure out when and how.
She repositioned her head on my shoulder. Being close to her like that for a prolonged amount of time was taking its toll on me. At one point, I leaned in closer and breathed in the clean scent of her hair. Then, she turned her face toward me. Our mouths were just inches apart, but I knew if I kissed her like I craved, I wouldn’t be able to stop, so I turned my head away. Getting physical with Nina was not an option right now.
When the mood became too tense for our tired minds to handle, out of nowhere she asked, “Have you ever ice skated?”
“That’s a random question.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Rockefeller Center around Christmas time, like I’ve always seen in the movies. I don’t want to go alone, and I know the subway ride and crowds are gonna make me anxious. Would you go with me?”
Was she kidding?
“I’ve never been on ice skates in my life. I’m positive I’d fall flat on my ass within seconds.”
“I’m pretty good, actually. There was a rink near my house growing up, and I’d go there a lot. I could teach you.”
“I’d fall on you and crush you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“Nina, you know I’d do anything for you…but that…I just don’t think…”
“I’ll tell you what...I have two more exams before the end of the semester. These are the hardest ones. You know that. So, the chances are slim that I’ll get A’s. If I don’t, then you know the deal. I have to let you take me on an excursion. If I do, you let me take you ice skating. Come on, it’s only fair.”
She was right. Those last two exams were going to be killer. The odds were in my favor.
I rubbed my chin and reluctantly said, “Okay, deal.”
***
“Put these on.”
Nina returned from the skate rental booth and handed me my size twelves.
I still couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this. She had received an A minus on her most recent exam. When she first broke the news, I tried to get out of the ice skating by arguing that technically an A minus wasn’t an A, but the look of sheer disappointment on her face eventually caused me to cave.
So, the following Tuesday, we found ourselves at the rink at Rockefeller Center. It wasn’t as crowded as it might have been on a weekend, so that was a plus. Pretending to be sick, I left work early that day so that Nina and I could venture into the city for my Ice Capades debut.
The weather was clear, cold and sunny. It was an otherwise perfect day except for the fact that I was about to make a complete fool out of myself in front of the girl of my dreams.
Standing up on the skates made me feel about ten feet tall. Nina took my hand as I struggled to balance myself.
“Now, what you have to do first is get used to the feel of the blades on the ice. Gently move your feet back and forth like this.” Nina skated in front of me and demonstrated the move. “Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.”
I mimicked the movements, but my eyes apparently decided that watching her beautiful ass cheeks move back and forth was a lot more fun than paying attention to the foot technique. Nina was wearing fleece leggings that clung to her body, and holy hell it was hot. Needless to say, I ended up falling on my own ass as a result.
Two kids barely older than toddler age whizzed by me and laughed.
Great.
To make matters worse, now Nina was helping me up. “You need to dig into the ice, Jake. As soon as you lose that grip, you’ll fall.”
“I know. I just got a little distracted.”
By your fucking beautiful ass.
Gradually, I got my act together, and we practiced the back and forth technique for several minutes until I was able to move on the ice.
“Now, the next thing I’m going to show you is a basic movement called a swizzle.”
“A whatchamacallit?”
She giggled. “A swizzle. Watch.” Nina’s legs opened and closed in slow, gliding motions. “You push your skates apart and let them slowly come back together. Just like this.”
If I thought the other stuff earlier was making me crazy, seeing her legs open and close like this made my imagination run wild.
She continued to demonstrate as my eyes stayed transfixed on her body. “Open and close. Open and glide back together, see? That’s called a swizzle.”
Swizzle.
Me like swizzle.
That was the last thought I had before a heavyset man plowed right into me, knocking me on my ass again.
“Oh my God. Jake!” Nina yelled as she spun around.
“Sorry, man. You alright?” the guy asked as he reached out his hand and helped me up.
I needed to get the hell out of these ice skates before I completely lost every bit of coolness I’d ever built up in Nina’s eyes.
“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine,” I said.
“Did you not see him coming toward you?”
“I was focusing on your swizzle.”
Is that what they’re calling it now?
“Okay, take my hand. You need to practice. We’ll skate together. You’re gonna come forward in a swizzle, and I’m gonna move backwards. Hold onto me.” I started moving my feet in the way she’d demonstrated. “That’s right,” she said. “Apart and together. Apart and together.”