A broken skater

A Story by Winter

One smooth stride, she gracefully glided across the ice. A cold playful breeze nipped at her cheeks, leaving a rosy hue to her skin. Her long blond hair flew fluttered in the breeze. Her silver blades scratched against the thick frozen lake. Sparkling snowflakes join her in her dance like little white fairies, flitting and floating around her.

Slow strides, a small spin, the metal of her skates glimmer with each movement. The ice scraped beneath her feet, leaving flecks of powder in her wake. Her body moved with the wind. Eyes closed, she felt her skin prickle at the cold fingers of the winter air carrying her over the vast, frozen lake.

Every glide brought her deeper into winter paradise further away from the darkness that plagued her. The once frantic beating rattling within her quivering chest slowed into a soothing pulse. Her once sporadic tornado of thoughts dwindled to calm, even waves, gracing the shores of her mind. Her breaths, long and heated, left from her lips as a thin mist.

The sound of another pair of skates gliding across the frozen lake reached her ears. She opened her eyes, catching a flurry of brown and black overtaking her. The skater spun around, revealing the devilish smile that she had fallen in love on his lips. She twirled and twisted her body and watched as the male skater mimicked her moves but in a more ornamented and elegant way.

Slowly, the two skaters circled each other, trying to out-dance the other. Their bodies spinned around with speed and grace, leaving a trail of powder across the ice. Every movement had its own unique meaning to it, complimenting the other. Soon, they were inches apart, gazes locking. She could feel the warm feathery touches he left.

Warm, soft fingers gently curl around her own, and a hand rested in the curl of her hip. Her mouth curved into a smile as she felt his chest pressed into her back as he guided her across the frosty plains. Shimmering like the finest silver beneath the winter light, his silky hair brushes against her flushed cheeks as his lips skimmed over the shell of her ear.

"Steady my dove," he whispered.

She decided to let everything go. Right here, right now she was living. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore; she allowed him to take her anywhere he pleased on the frozen dance floor. He went right, she went right. He sped up, she sped up. The warmth between the two grew stronger by the seconds, heartbeats growing steadily along with it. Their dance was perfect everything from their breathing to their feet moved in sync. He guided her across the icy floor. Every moment, every angle seemed to be planned in advanced. Nothing felt forced; she felt like she was dreaming. They continued their dance for awhile more and finally they came to a halt. She opened her eyes, meeting a pair of crystal blue eyes. The man pressed his nose against hers, giving an Eskimo kiss.

"I love you," he whispered, voice filled with affection.

"Love you too Nikolai," she whispered back, nuzzling his neck.

Nikolai smiled at her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of cool pine and winter on his coat. His warmth bled through his coat and her skin. She felt a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. A pair of chapped lips was pressed against her forehead.

However when she opened her eyes, she was met with a vast empty frozen lake. Her winter paradise came crashing down on her like a tsunami, darkness that plagued her swallowed up everything she once loved. The memories of his death rushed back, shattering her fragile heart into millions of pieces. He was no longer here to skate with her, no longer here to share her passion, no longer here to love her. He was long gone. Shimmering tears flowed down her cheeks as she looked up to the sky, seeing the stars glittering brightly in the winter night sky.

"I miss you Nikolai," she whispered in a lonely broken voice.