Monthly Bonus Content #3—'Ice-breaker' (Farah Winter Special) (Patreon)

If I ever doubted what time of the year it was, the overload of coloured lights, decked out fir trees, and stalls groaning under the weight of a hundred crafts would definitely let me know it’s Christmas.

“Ah, I love it!” Farah exclaims, hands clutched to her chest as she whirls around beneath the twisted ornament garlands. The fairy lights seem to shine brighter in gratitude of her appreciation.

I smile. “It’s kind of hard to hear you.”

“Huh?” she asks, looking at me with a frown.

I gesture to the thick woolen scarf wrapped up all the way to her nose. Her amber eyes glimmer over the top as they reflect every ounce of Christmas spirit on display at the Square.

She tugs it down slightly with mitten-encased hands. “Well, if you’d let me come out in what I wanted to wear, then it wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

“You vamp—” I stumble on the word before clearing my throat, stepping closer to bundle the faux-fur hood of her coat further around her. “You members of Unit Bravo all feel the cold way worse than the rest of us non-members.”

She angles closer to place a quick kiss on my lips and winks. “Nice save, babe.”

“Now, seeing as you insisted on us coming tonight— very vocally, I might add,” I say, meeting her gaze as she offers a grin that breaks down my resolve as quickly as it had the day she’d ask if we could come here. “What is it you want to do?”

“Hmm.” She elongates the thoughtful noise as she taps her chin with her mitten and stares about the space.

There’s certainly a lot of choice. Christmas stalls have been set up with all kinds of crafts for sale, a long table has been set out with different glazed and baked goods to try, and there’s a few festive games to check out.

But Farah’s eyes widen on the sign that blazes with a big LED red arrow.

“I wanna do that.”

I purse my lips as I look past the sign to the temporary ice-skating rink beyond. How they managed to fit it into the Square is a Christmas miracle in itself.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

She leans in close, nestling up to my side with a spreading smile. “Not much of a skater?”

“I live in a tiny town where the most entertaining thing all year is the winter skating rink. I’ve got my hours in over the years,” I reply with a cock of my head. “I was thinking more of you.”

“Oh, I tried it a couple of times near the lake at home.” Her face pinches in painful memory for the briefest moment before the softness of her gloved hand wraps around mine and tugs. “You can teach me. It’ll be fun!”

I follow willingly with a shrug. “If you say so.”

--

The ice rink shimmers with a fog of sparkling mist that hangs above the spread of false ice. It swirls and dances around the legs of the skaters as they fly through it, whirling around with skill and speed. A huge Christmas tree has been set up in the centre, awash in giant ornaments and shimmering tinsel.

I step onto the slick surface of the rink and muscle-memory kicks in, keeping me upright and balanced where a few people around me are wobbling on their thin blades.

“Are you ready?” I ask, spinning on the spot to get further used to the feel.

Farah places a foot onto the ice, not seeming to have an issue at first, at least until her second blade meets the slippery ice. Her feet see-saw back and forward before she tips into me, almost sending us both crashing backwards.

I clasp her close, her arms wrapping around me tightly, and we eventually find an equilibrium.

“Lucky I’ve always got you to catch me, babe,” she murmurs against my ear before drawing back and smiling at me.

“I thought you’d been skating before?” I ask, propping her back up onto her feet. She balances with sudden ease considering her previous topple.

She shrugs, rubbing her hands together as the chill seeps icily over the both of us when we’re apart. “It was decades ago.”

“Alright,” I say, pointing down. “Well, take it easy. You might recover from bumps and bruises instantly, but me…not so much. So let’s just start with going forwards. I’ll skate backwards a bit and be your target.”

“If you’re my target, I’ll be sure to hit the bullseye,” she purrs.

I want to groan or roll my eyes, but the cheesy line instead brings an instant smile to my lips as a light bubbly laugh falls free.

I wave a hand and shake my head. “Stop distracting me with all your—”

“Adorableness? Lovability? Mountains of charm?” she suggests.

I do roll my eyes this time, but my smile only widens. “All of the above and more.”

It’s her turn to fluster this time, tugging her scarf up further as she laughs. “You’re gonna distract me now.”

I take off backwards, glancing over my shoulder to make sure I don’t bang into anyone. “Follow me.”

“Anywhere you want, babe,” she says. But she takes a moment, holding out her arms either side and skittering forward a little on uncertain tracks.

“No, don’t get lower, stay upright. Try to—oof!”

She flops into me again, arms flinging around my neck to hold herself upright as she almost folds over. Once more, my grasp around her keeps her on her feet as we balance our bodies together to stop from falling.

She draws back, keeping her hands on my arms and gazes at me. “I wouldn’t mind this becoming a habit”

“We’ve been together for months. I think us this close is a habit by now,” I reply. But even so, my body rushes with an excited heat that never seems to cool when I’m around her. Through thick layers of clothing, her touch still seems to brush as though it’s against bare skin, and I always yearn for more of it.

She traces her fingers down my cheek before holding my chin, her thumb lightly rubbing at the corner of my lips. “A lifetime like this with you wouldn’t even be close to enough.”

I stutter a breath, my fingers grasping tighter against her to draw our bodies flush.

It’s still not close enough.

And then her gaze suddenly whips away and flashes over my shoulder as her mouth falls open.

“Oh! I’ve totally got to try that!” she calls.

I blink, yanked out of a moment that had left me breathless.

“What?” I croak, looking over my shoulder at a woman with a leg pointed straight out behind her as she wheels around deftly on one blade.

I suck in a breath with a wince. “Considering you can barely go one step forward, maybe we should stick to—”

And then Farah is off. She flashes around the rink, disappearing behind the tree for moment, building up momentum. Then she lifts a leg with the grace of a ballet dancer and spins with such agile elegance that it has everyone staring in awe.

She splays out her arms, eyes closed, smile on her lips, enjoying every second of the moment.

Eventually, she twirls to an easy stop with a flourish of her arms.

A round of applause takes up about the space, so she takes a well-earned bow before sliding—without one hint of an unbalanced wobble—towards me.

I fold my arms and arch a brow. “Just a couple of times, huh? Decades ago, hm?”

She rests her hands on my arms and dips forward to kiss my pouted lips. “Guess I’m just a natural talent.”

I let out a breath of a chuckle, taking her offered outstretched hand before we take off to skate side-by-side.

Envious glances bite as frostily as the winter breeze against my back as we skate on. Farah certainly draws the eye of everyone around, I can almost see the amount of people daydreaming that they might be in my position with her.

But not once does Farah look in their direction. Not once does her focus stray.

Her gaze stays locked on mine with a glimmering smile, as though I’m the only thing in the whole world that matters.

And it’s impossible to think of a better Christmas. It’s even more impossible to imagine I could ever be happier than in this moment with her.