Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 113072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
As if he could forget it.
Chase lets go of Zoe’s hand, but the energy lingers, his heart still racing. There’s something about skating with her—about being near her—that feels easy and dangerous at the same time.
A few minutes later, class is dismissed, and Chase still feels a little stunned as he sits down to take off his skates. Zoe sits down right beside him to do the same.
Before they can make their exit, Martina appears in front of them. “Zoe, I had a wild thought. You and Chase have really great chemistry. What if you two did a pairs program for the midsummer showcase?”
“Mmm?” Zoe sounds a little dazed as she looks up at the instructor.
“I know everyone is expecting you to do some ambitious program with fifteen triple jumps. And maybe that is what you want. But a pairs program would be a different kind of challenge for you. It might be very joyful for you and also show the camp that trying new things is fun. Not everything is about technical scores, right? You could do a stylish number to some upbeat piece of music. Have fun with it. Something that people at this camp do not always understand.”
Zoe gazes up at her, and Chase finds himself holding his breath. “Maybe,” she says distractedly.
“Think on it,” Martina says.
Chase ties his shoes, knots his skates together, and manages to rise from the bench at the same time Zoe does. As if they’re still skating in sync.
They trail behind the other campers as the building empties skaters into the blazing sunshine. Outside, all the bunheads turn to the left, toward the cafeteria for lunch. But Chase isn’t ready for the chaos of the lunch line. “Let’s walk this way,” he says, turning in the opposite direction, where the path loops around the building before eventually heading for the dining hall.
Zoe follows him without comment, and they make the first turn in silence. It’s shadier back here, too, and nice and private.
“What did you think?” he asks eventually. “About Martina’s idea?”
Zoe chews her lip. “It was interesting. I’ve never really tried pairs skating.”
“How come? It seems like you’d be great at it. Plus it’s fun,” he says in a massive understatement. Today it’s his favorite thing ever.
“Pairs skating…” She gives him a sideways glance, and then a smile, which somehow fizzes like a firework inside his chest. “I’m going to sound like a total bitch when I say this.”
“Doubt it, beautiful.”
“Okay. Pairs skating is for people who can’t hack it in individual competition. It’s also risky. What if you have the right partner and he gets injured? Or he retires? There goes your career.”
He stops walking and sits down on the grass, patting the spot beside him. “But at least you’d have a teammate. And teammates are awesome. I mean—I’m speaking from experience here. Team Chase is a good time. Ask anyone.”
She sits down, her expression serious. “Would you want to do this, though? Would you skate with me in that stupid showcase? Martina is right, it would take a lot of pressure off me. Nobody would expect us to be any good at it.”
Like she even has to ask. He doesn’t have the first idea what the showcase is, and it doesn’t matter. But he teases her anyway. “I dunno, Zoe. What do I get if I say yes? Something fun.”
“Um, okay…?” Her smile is hesitant. “Another pizza?”
“Like I said, we really gotta work on your concept of a good time.”
“I know,” she sputters. “Believe me, I know. I’m just a little hopeless at…”
He leans in and kisses her before she can try to find an ending for that sentence. He meant it in a suave way—taking control of the moment by throwing her a lifeline before she could say anything else self-disparaging.
But at the first brush of her soft lips, he feels his command of the situation start to slip. And when she grabs his T-shirt in both hands and pulls him in closer, the kiss takes an abrupt turn, from let me show you how it’s done to an out-of-body experience. The kiss is suddenly bottomless, and he’s pulling her into his lap. Her arms slide around his overheated body, and suddenly he has chills.
He’s done this all before, but not really. Not with Zoe. All those prior kisses in his life were like a scrimmage, but this is the big game.
And when he tastes her, he’s done for. All the varsity hot-guy mojo that usually powers him through moments like this suddenly evaporates into the warm summer air. There’s only her soft mouth under his and the thumping of his heart against hers.
He couldn’t say how long the kiss goes on. A minute or an hour. Eventually a crow caws loudly overhead, and they break apart. Startled. Staring at each other with disbelief as well as hunger.