Fan Fiction |
by Sensitivegal
i am sorry 4 the late update. hope i didnt lose any readers. i really want to apologize to jacki. sorry lar. i have been busy lately. with my parents gone abroad i'm chillin. plus the other reason is... dont kill me... i'm writing another story which is taking all my time. but i wont be posting any otha story of mines until i finished posting this one. i seriously have no idea what else to put on next. so i'm free for ideas.
Chapter Ten ‘Skating’
The month went fast for Charlene. She loved her job. It was harder and more work than when she worked at her fathers’ company. At lunchtime Edison made a habit of coming and offering to take her for lunch. She would always try to decline but Gillian would always take up the offer and she would end up going to an expensive restaurant. And after the end of the day he would give her a lift home with her riding his bike. It was the only way he gets to hold her and gets a kiss at the end.
But on one Friday over lunch Gillian brought up the conversation of what they were doing on the weekend. She wanted Edison to invite her out. Charlene said she was doing nothing. So Gillian suggested they go skating.
‘I don’t think I’ll be joining you two,’ Charlene said first to decline.
But Charlene found herself sitting at the café with Gillian in front of her on Saturday morning. She wore denim jeans with flowery embroideries at one leg only and black tube top. She had boots on under her jeans. She had her hair down with a blue hat on slightly bent on her head. ’So you’re telling me you can’t skate after you mentioned we all go skating?’ Charlene frowned.
‘I’m so sorry! I was in a love struck trance!’
Charlene bit into her donut angrily. ‘So what will you be doing?’
‘Watching?’ Gillian smiled innocently.
‘Or you could tell Edison to teach you,’ Charlene pointed out.
Gillian’s eyes widened. ‘No way! I don’t want to make a fool out of myself!’
‘Fine,’ Charlene sighed. She thought if she should take up that excuse. But she didn’t want to hurt Gillian who really liked him.
‘Let’s talk about the upcoming Company Party,’ Gillian quickly changed the subject. She leaned on the table with interest in her eyes. ‘Do you think he’ll ask me out?’
Charlene hesitated. ‘Maybe.’
‘Please, help me,’ Gillian all of a sudden pleaded. ‘He mostly talks to you. Bring up the subject or something.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Please.’ This time Gillian pouted and batted her eyes.
Charlene burst into giggles. ‘Okay,’ she held her hand up, ‘just don’t use that face!’
‘What face?’
Both Charlene and Gillian jumped at the voice. They looked up at Edison and next to him stood Nicholas.
‘Nothing,’ Charlene said. She looked at her watch then back to him. ‘You’re ten minutes late.’
‘Sorry, my fault,’ Nicholas cut in. ‘I was taking my time.’
‘Hello, Nicholas,’ Charlene said. She patted the empty chair next to her for him to take a seat. She wanted Edison to sit next to Gillian. But Edison took the seat next to her before Nicholas could make a move. He sat next to Gillian. She stared at him questioningly. He just raised his eyebrow daring her to protest. She looked away in case she kissed him there and then.
‘Are you eating that?’ Edison asked her. She didn’t have time to answer and he scooped her donut and shoved it in his mouth. Charlene gaped at him. ‘Sorry, I was hungry,’ he explained.
‘Why don’t you order something?’ Gillian said quickly when Charlene made a move to stand up. She was half up her chair and had to sit back down.
‘Sure, why don’t you fill that stomach of yours?’ Charlene snickered under her breath.
‘Are you mad at me coz I had your donut?’ he pouted.
She glared at him.
‘So can you skate?’ Nicholas asked Gillian.
‘No,’ she said.
Edison frowned. ‘Didn’t you suggest skating?’ he scratched his head thinking back.
‘Don’t worry that pretty head of yours.’ Charlene patted his head. ‘She did suggest it but she didn’t think you’ll agree.’
‘Oh,’ Edison said. ‘Well then you could learn.’
‘No, no,’ Gillian quickly rushed. ‘I’ll just watch.’
‘But you won’t be having any fun!’ Nicholas exclaimed.
‘I don’t mind,’ Gillian shrugged her shoulders.
‘I’ll keep you company,’ Nicholas offered.
‘That’s okay,’ Gillian tried to decline but Nicholas wasn’t having any of it. ‘You can company me then.’
‘So… it’s only me and you then,’ Edison sighed. His eyes were twinkling at Charlene making her turn crimson red. After meeting Edison she had been blushing most of the time.
‘Yeah,’ Charlene breathed out. She didn’t talk after that. Gillian was doing most the talking with Edison and Nicholas until they finished eating and headed for the ice rink.
‘Can’t you skate?’ Edison asked more dared in his voice than concern.
‘It’s been a while, but I think I’ll be good enough.’ Gillian wasn’t skating after she said she couldn’t and she’d rather watch. She was engaged on a conversation on the phone. Charlene looked at the rink. The last time she was on the skates was when she was a teenager. It was one thing good she did with her father; they went skating on a frozen pond. She remembered the day like it was yesterday. The laugher of herself and her father echoed in her head.
There weren’t many people around. ‘You sure you’re up to it?’ Edison’s voice penetrated her memories.
Charlene looked over. ‘No problem. Look, here comes Nicholas with my skates.’ Nicholas had joined them as Edison thought it was a great idea. She nodded over her left. He wasn’t skating though. She took a seat at the bench and quickly laced up. Her feet felt uncomfortable as she wiggled her ankles.
Charlene’s first steps on the ice were tentative. Then she relaxed her knees and quickly built up a rhythm of pushing and gliding, an easy rocking from one skate to the other. She circled in a wide arc near the entrance to the rink, picked up speed and skated back to the center of the ice rink where Edison stood in the face-off circle.
Edison watched as she approached. ‘Not bad.’
‘I’m no Sonja Henje, let alone Wayne Gretzky but it’ll do.’
After half an hour of gliding and chasing they stopped at the center. ‘I’m so hot!’ he said.
He did look hot. And not in the hot as in hot. ‘Ditch the jersey then,’ she said nonchalantly.
Edison held the uniform top by the V-neck. ‘This?’
‘That’s right.’ Charlene made a throwing motion with her hand.
‘You’re the boss.’ Edison slipped it over his head, leaving only the tight black T- shirt – and very little else – to the imagination.
An ‘ohmygod!’ was audible from where Gillian was standing by the boards. Then a clump. Charlene looked over and saw her bending to retrieve her cell phone.
‘Just think what could happen if I went further?’ Edison dipped a hand under the bottom edge of his T-shirt and started to lift.
Charlene caught a glimpsed of his granite-smooth stomach muscles. She swallowed with difficulty. ‘No, I think you’ve gone far enough. I wouldn’t want Gillian to end up face forward.’
‘I’m fully qualified at CPR. Gillian would be in good hands.’
And she was sure that Gillian would be only too willing to take a dive to test his claim. Which, come to think of it, was just what she had in mind originally. So why did she find herself wanting to see Edison practice his life-resuscitating skills on her, instead of her best friend? Down, girl, down, she admonished,
‘Hold that thought. You can play doctor later when I’m not around.’
Another half an hour went by. This time they were showing off some of their moves they leaned to do. They took turns to glide around while the other one watches. Nicholas and Gillian were the judges, shouting and numbers randomly. But after awhile the two were engrossed in a conversation not bothering at the other two. Charlene didn’t mind. She didn’t want them to see, especially Gillian that Edison was flirting openly with her.
She loved the flirting because she found herself flirting back unconsciously. She glided around him in circles as it was her turn to show off. She blew kisses at him as she leaped at the air and twirled and landing gently like a feather. He smiled at her, amused. Charlene smiled back at him. She was gliding back now. She felt something when she found Edison set off on her tail his eyes not leaving hers.
‘I have to tell you something.’
‘Tell me what?’ Her back bumped into the crossbar of the net with a jolt.
‘I tried to tell you.’ Edison put his hand on her back and massaged the point where she had banged into the bar.
Charlene tried not to think about the further pain he was causing.
‘I’m beginning to think you need me more that you realize.’ He slowly rubbed her shoulder blades.
Charlene’s head shot up. ‘Just because I banged into the net doesn’t mean I need you.’ She wished that were true. She was feeling that she needed him. ‘And you can stop rubbing now. I didn’t do that much damage,’ she added.
‘Ah, you don’t know how much damage you’ve already done. In any case, there’s something else I need to tell you.’
‘Something else?’ She felt a strange letdown when Edison removed his hand.
‘Yes, not only do you ride a motorcycle, you also skate backwards. As it turns out, these are two of my requirements for a wife. And I must say, you pass with flying colors.’
‘You’re joking, right?’
Edison grinned over his shoulder and started to glide away only to stop and return in a long slow arc.
‘Yes?’ She scowled as he slid in close. Again, too close.
He lifted one hand.
She watched his hand come close to her face. Then closer. ‘You want to tell me what’s going on here?’
With a gentle swipe of his index finger, Edison brushed the corner of her mouth. She flinched. Felt her lips tingle and her tongue turn dry. Gulping was impossible. Inhaling only slightly more doable. He had to know how awkward she was feeling.
Edison smiled broadly. He knew. ‘Powdered sugar.’
Charlene’s eyes widened. ‘Powdered sugar?’
Edison brought his index finger to his mouth and slowly tasted it. ‘Yup, definitely powdered sugar. Must have been that donut you were eating when I first rolled up.’ He looked down one eyebrow slightly cocked.
She wanted to say that he ate the other half. But the woman in her was paralyzed.
‘And by the way, Charlene Choi,’ Edison said lazily over his shoulder as he skated off for a second time. ‘That was no joke.’
Charlene slowly brought her hands to her face and touched the corner of her open mouth. Her skin was hot, incredibly hot. She couldn’t possibly be blushing. She never blushed. But then she’d never been touched by a demon on skates, either.