Dnaleri

Ch-8

He took a deep breath and went forward with his plan to show Rebecca a good time. He opened her car door for her, making her giggle, and kept a polite conversation as they drove to the ice rink.

‘I hope she likes this idea...’ Jacob thought as he joked with her, saying that he was fairly clumsy on ice. She giggled and demanded how he was planning to catch her if she fell, as he’d promised. ‘She seemed excited, but we haven’t gone anyway since she was attacked.’ He glanced over at her as he answered, “I will always catch you, even if I fall in the process.” Even in the darkness her smile was bright and made his energy buzz. She had no idea how beautiful she truly was. The young man swore if he ever found out who had hurt her, that he’d better pray to God for mercy.

When they arrived, he helped her out of the car and escorted her through the parking lot, down a quiet sidewalk, towards the golden glow of lights in the distance. Gentle snow fell in the otherwise still night air, sparkling golden under the street lights. As they drew closer to the rink, the sounds of music and laughter became discernable as well as the excitement in the air.

“Oh wow…!” Rebecca breathed as they rounded the high wooden fence. The rink was aglow with warm lights and light snow was falling, giving a fairytale look to the area. Rebecca didn’t hide her delight and seeing her smile made his energy flare to life.

“What do you think, Rebecca?” Jacob asked gently. “Is this okay?”

“It’s absolutely beautiful, Jacob!” she replied, excited like a child. She then grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the rental shop. “Come on, let’s get some skates already!” Jacob burst out laughing, telling her to slow down.

They spent the night laughing and racing around the rink, breaking only to have a cup of hot chocolate or coffee before continuing on. Rebecca eventually commented on how she was surprised how well Jacob was doing, considering he’d stated he was clumsy on ice. Almost instantly, his skate found a deep crack and he tripped, falling back onto his ass.

“Shit! Are you okay?!” Rebecca cried, reaching for him. Jacob laughed.

“You jinxed me!” he replied, getting up. After a minute to regain his confidence, Jacob turned to her as he held her hand asking, “Do you trust me?” She smiled brightly.

“Of course I...” Jacob didn’t let her finish, using his momentum to spin her around as he held her hands. “Wait, Jacob..!” she cried in protest. She swirled on one skate in a half circle, now facing him. Her skates slid out from under her and she gasped, fearful of hitting the ice hard. Instead, his strong hands wrapped around her and caught her, just as he’d promised. Rebecca gasped again, but in wonder as she stared up at the handsome man holding her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” he whispered. Her heart pounded in her chest but not from fear.

“I guess so...” she muttered. They stood looking at each other for a moment, surrounded by the beautiful golden glow of lights and glittering snow. It was absolutely perfect for the young woman who had very few moments that were.

Before they knew it, it was closing time and everyone started to exit. They were the last people there, the night silent except for their voices.

“God, I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun!” Rebecca laughed, hugging his arm. Jacob felt delighted that she was comfortable enough with him to do that.

“Me neither.” He replied softly, clasping her hand. “I’m surprised though, you were very good at skating.” Rebecca’s smile faded slightly.

“Yes, I used to skate a lot before….” Seeing her saddened made him stop and turn to her. Tears were welling in her eyes even as she tried to hide them.

“What’s wrong?” Jacob took her hands tightly.

“It’s just, I have things in my past that I’d rather not talk about.” She looked up at him earnestly. “At least for now.” Jacob understood. “Could you give me a minute, I just need to catch my breath.”

“Alright, I’ll go warm up the car.” As he turned towards the car a voice asked,

“Have fun ice skating?” And before she could react, Rebecca was grabbed from behind and her arm twisted behind her back. She cried out in pain only to have a hand clasp over her mouth. Jacob pulled out a knife, but almost dropped it when he saw who it was. The hulking figure holding Rebecca firmly came out of the shadows, the moonlight catching his blonde hair and the evil glimmer in his hazel eyes.