and we fell

Chapter 29

ALEC

It's our second day together on the trip and today, Foxy gets to choose what we're doing. I ask her at breakfast table and after thinking about it, she answers:
"There's something I want to do, yet I don't know if you'd agree."

I chuckle and reply: "I would do anything you want to do, Foxy. Name it and it's yours."

She takes a deep breath, being very nervous, and says: "I want to go ice skating."

I tense, knowing I've never been ice skating before. However, I don't want to crush her dream and agree: "Sure, let's do that."

Foxy lets out a cheer and throws herself into my arms. I kiss her and immediately feel better about this idea.

~

Thirty minutes later, we're both ready and in my car, heading to the ice-skating rink. I called earlier and after promising a pretty big sum of money, they borrowed the whole ice-skating rink to us. Foxy doesn't know how much I had to pay for it, otherwise she'll call me crazy and wouldn't want to go anymore. And she seems pretty excited about this. Overly excited.

"I can't believe we're doing this." she says, holding one of my hands while I drive. I turn to look at her and smile.

"You really love ice-skating, don't you?"

She nods and as she notices I make no sign of reaction, she gets the hint: "Have you ever been ice-skating?"

I blush embarrassed and Foxy gasps.

"Never?" she asks surprised. I only shake my head, not wanting to give it away out loud. Foxy looks at me confused and asks: "Then why did you agree?"

"You wanted to do it." I explain. "And besides, how dangerous can it be."

"Very", she quickly replies convinced. "Once, when I was little, my parents took me and my brother Karl ice-skating. He fell and broke his nose. He had to be taken to the hospital."
I flinch and she notices, since she curls her fingers with mine: "You'll be fine, however. I can teach you."

"Will you do that?" I ask her amused. She nods proud. Then adds: "I am going to expect a payment though."

"And what's that?" I continue asking in the same teasing tone. Although I've just given out a pretty big amount of money for us to be able to ice skate, I wouldn't mind giving out any larger amount just to see her happy.

Her answer doesn't refer to money however: "Kisses. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal", I reply and quickly bend to her to meet her lips. She giggles and pulls me closer. This has been by far the best deal I've ever made.

~

"You seem to be getting a hang of this", Foxy tells me as I'm with my ice skates on, gliding on the ice. Her compliment doesn't last much however. Since I fall. On the ice. In front of her. If I tried to look cool before, this didn't match the vibe at all.

Foxy gasps worried and comes help me up. Even Darrel, who normally doesn't give a shit about me, rushes our way and analyzes me to see if I've broken something. When he sees I'm unharmed, he nods and skates back behind us, to be in our shadow.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Foxy asks, now holding my hand and skating together with me. I seem so dumb. Yet I get to hold her hand, so that's a bonus point.

"I am. That move was dumb, however. Not the Prince Charming you might want me to be."

Foxy stops surprised and looks at me honest: "I don't want a Prince Charming, Alec. I love you. You may not be a prince, but you're mine. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

I pull her closer and wrap my arms around her to kiss her. She smiles and pulls me even closer.

As we continue skating again, she looks down afraid and after a while whispers: "May I ask you something, Alec?"

I nod, a bit afraid of what might be coming. Foxy takes a deep breath and asks: "Why did you use to keep your hair long?"

I didn't expect that question. So, I lie as an answer: "I just liked the length. I could put it in a bun."

Foxy read right through me, however. She continues, her voice shaking: "Was it because of the scar?"

I freeze and every muscles tenses in me. As I realize I can't lie her any longer, I nod.

She lifts herself up on her toes and goes with her fingers along it: "Will you tell me how you got it?"

I didn't want to tell her. Yet she deserved an answer: "It was my sweet sixteen present."

Foxy gasps and I didn't need to tell her more for her to understand. With her hand, she draws a heart around the long scar that covers the side of my neck. I freeze. I couldn't accept having the most beautiful person in my life coming close to the one thing that makes me the ugliest.

I can see a tear rolling down Foxy's face and I quickly cup her face to wipe it out with my thumb. "Foxy, listen to me. Please don't cry. Just because I'm broken doesn't mean you have to be too. Please don't cry."

She lifts herself up again and kisses my scar. She then lifts herself higher and kisses my lips. "You're not broken, Alec." Foxy whispers to me. "You really aren't. Your scar is a part of you. And I love every part of you. You're not broken. You're the one who makes me feel whole."

I lose it and pull her closer to me. I don't know how I could have ever deserved this girl. I guess I didn't. But if she chose me, I damn well plan to make her feel the most loved person on this planet. Because she is.

"Do you want to let your hair grow longer again?" she asks me whispering. I shake my head and take her hand, going with it through the locks hanging on my forehead.

"I don't." I answer. "How could you ruffle it then?"

She starts crying and kisses me. I lift her up and she wraps her feet around my waist. She holds on to me as if I were her safety net, when in reality, she's mine.

"You're not broken, Alec. To me, you're not broken. Don't you ever forget that." she whispers between kisses. For the first time since the day she left, tears started rolling down my face. She notices and starts wiping them out, as I wipe out hers. What she doesn't know, is that this time, they aren't tears of sadness. But tears of joy. Joy that I found her.