JAE

The cold of the ice rink could be felt from where Jae and Harley sat with their skates. He had brought his old ones that still fit, and were much better than the rentals, anyway. While Harley bent over her knees as she secured her rentals, Jae watched her. He thought about how their last date had ended, and what he could do to make this one better. Jae liked being around her, and he didn’t want their connection to be cut off because of some misunderstanding.

She sat up, sighing, with a slap to her legs. Harley looked at Jae, and though she smiled she looked a bit apprehensive.

“You ready?” Jae asked as he stood up. 

Instead of walking off and expecting her to follow, he offered Harley his hand. She stared at it for a second, mouth open, but took it with a smile and a nod. 

“Yes,” she told him. “Hopefully I do better this time.”

Jae led her to the rink, leaning in before he stepped onto the ice ahead of her, “well, I can give you some pointers if you want.”

Harley’s eyes seemed to light up when they met Jae’s. He steadied himself then helped her onto the ice. She wobbled a little, but it didn’t take her long to find some balance. They skated along, and Jae made sure to go at her speed. He looked down at her, and Harley was focused on her feet as she moved on the ice.

The rink was empty aside from the two of them. Jae wanted to be able to get to know Harley better, and was grateful for the opportunity. Harley seemed more reserved than she had been in the past, and he wondered if that was because of the ice or because of him.

Jae spun so that he was facing her instead of beside her, and Harley gasped as her hands flailed. They weren’t empty for long before Jae took them into his own. She gripped his hands tightly, but Jae didn’t mind. He smiled as Harley laughed despite herself, and a grin spread across her lips.

“You’re fast,” she told him, meeting his gaze.

“Well, let’s see if we can get you to be fast, too,” Jae said. He noticed how Harley’s eyes fell, so he decided to add, “or at least more comfortable. The speed will come eventually.”

Jae skated backwards as he pulled Harley along with him. He made sure to go a little faster than she had been skating, but not so fast that she would lose her balance. As they came towards a turn, he saw Harley’s body twitching backwards and he was careful to keep her steady.

“Don’t lean back,” he coached, “try to keep your knees bent and your weight forward.”

Harley bent her knees and adjusted her weight, just like Jae instructed. She laughed, “I swear I knew how to do this a while ago.”

“It’s okay,” Jae said, “we all start, or re-start, somewhere.”

Harley looked at him as they moved along, “how long have you been skating for?”

Jae looked at their hands as he thought of his skating past. It’d been a while since he was a beginner, and sometimes it felt like he’d always known his way around the ice. But his memories hadn’t completely left him, and he could recall moments in his childhood when he was afraid, and sometimes even uninterested in getting on the ice.

“My mom started taking me to classes when I was ten,” he started, “which was later than some pro kids. And, unfortunately, I was in a class with some of those kids.”

Harley gave him a sad smile, “let me guess. You got picked on.”

“Unfortunately. And not just for my skills. The class was full of white kids, and I was the only Korean kid,” he shook away the feelings of being ostracised as he went on. “Anyway, I got good, eventually. So good that I got invited to this great high school to be on their hockey team. And then I got into a University in the US on a sports scholarship.”

“So, how’d you go from college athlete to...” Harley trailed off, and Jae smirked at her. “I somehow have no idea what you do, and this is our third date.”

Jae was happy to see Harley more comfortable with him, and he could feel how that affected her skating. Her body seemed lighter now, less tense, while they cut across the ice. She didn’t seem to need his support as much, so he decided to move so that he was next to her again. He let go of her hands, and his hands felt cold now that he wasn’t holding her up.

“I’m an I.T Consultant. I work with a couple companies remotely, and I don’t work the traditional hours in the day. At first it was tough, cause I was working a lot. But I have a good balance now, and I don’t feel like I’m dying when I’m done anymore,” Jae told Harley as he kept pace with her.

She simply nodded, and her fingers brushed against his knuckles a few times. She opened her mouth to say something, but apparently decided against it as they moved in silence. When her fingers touched his hand again, Jae reached out to do the same. He let his index and middle fingers tickle the side of Harley’s palm, and he didn’t miss the way her breath caught when he did.

Jae did that a few more times as their skating got slower, and eventually took her hand in his. He didn’t know who initiated it, but their fingers intertwined soon enough as they now cruised on the cold surface. Jae looked over at Harley and he couldn’t help but smile when he caught her looking at him. Her eyes averted from his, quickly finding the floor. She must have been distracted because soon enough she was falling forward.

“Shit!” Harley did her best to catch herself, but her body had a mind of its own. 

Just holding her hand wasn’t enough, Jae decided, and he pulled her by the waist into him. He held her there until her feet steadied, and their heavy breath warmed each other in the freezing room. Jae surveyed Harley to make sure she was okay: no sprains or pulls.

“You okay?” Jae asked. Without thinking, he ran a gentle hand over her face and body. He stopped at her hips, holding them steady as he watched the woman in front of him.

Harley nodded, but her breathing was still heavy. Her dark skin was flushed, and a few beads of sweat sat at her temples. Jae wasn’t convinced until she met his concerned gaze, her mouth still open as she caught her breath.

Jae’s own breathing slowed as his eyes pored over every inch of Harley’s face. Soon, they were on her mouth, perfectly pout, and her full lips. He loved the contrast between the top and bottom, and couldn’t understand how he had gone this long without tasting them. His gaze flicked up to her eyes, in a way asking for entrance. Harley whimpered as he held her close, and Jae needed nothing more to close his mouth over hers.

Her lips felt warm and soft on his, and she let out a soft moan when he sucked on her bottom lip. Once Harley’s mouth was open, he licked her top lip for permission. It felt early, and he wondered if he was moving too fast. But he wanted to taste all of her mouth, not just the outside. Harley stuck out her tongue, which told Jae he could explore where he’d like. Their tongues danced together in a frenzy as their breathing laboured. Jae ran his along the roof of Harley’s mouth, finally letting her breathe when another moan escaped her.

They stared at each other, their eyes slightly hooded as they caught their breath. Her eyes stayed on his lips, eventually coming up to meet his, and Jae felt like he’d melt in front of her. Jae gave Harley a few more, slower kisses before he guided her off the ice. He didn’t know for sure where they were headed next, but he wanted to do more kissing. Preferably on solid ground.

“You... have a way with your mouth,” Harley whispered as they walked back to the locker area. 

Jae raised his brows, and wondered if the double entendre was just in his head. His hand travelled to the small of her back as he said, “thanks.”