Chapter 23 Just a Normal Day. Right?
Amelia POV
Today was supposed to be simple.
Just a fun outing.
Fresh air.
Movement.
No embarrassing moments.
No running into Dominic in hallways.
No accidental chaos.
Just a peaceful afternoon at the skating park with Noah.
At least... that was the plan.
Noah was practically bouncing with excitement when we arrived.
His small hand was wrapped tightly around mine like always. Ever since yesterday he had decided that holding my hand all the time was necessary.
Bodyguard behavior.
"Skate!" he said excitedly.
"I know," I laughed. "We're going to skate."
Clara and Sophie were behind us putting on their skates.
Ryan and Sebastian had come too. Somehow this little trip had turned into a full group outing.
Ryan looked very relaxed about the whole thing.
"Important question," he said while tying his skates. "How many of you actually know how to skate?"
Clara raised her hand confidently.
Ryan squinted at her.
"You hesitated."
"I did not!"
Sophie smiled nervously.
"I might fall."
Sebastian glanced at her calmly.
"I'll stay close."
Sophie smiled softly at that.
I helped Noah put on his tiny skates.
"You ready?"
He nodded very seriously.
"Hold."
Of course.
He grabbed my hand again.
Then we slowly stepped onto the rink.
Noah was adorable.
Very determined.
Very focused.
And surprisingly balanced.
"Good job!" I told him.
He smiled proudly.
Meanwhile behind us...
Chaos was starting.
Clara POV
I stepped onto the ice very confidently.
Ryan was watching me with obvious amusement.
"You look very confident for someone who almost tripped walking here."
I glared at him.
"I skate perfectly."
Ryan smirked.
"We'll see."
I pushed forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Three...
My skate suddenly slipped.
"Oh!"
Ryan's eyes widened.
Instinctively I grabbed the closest thing to me.
Which happened to be Ryan.
He lost his balance immediately.
"Wait..."
Too late.
We both fell.
Ryan landed directly on top of me.
I blinked up at him.
He blinked down at me.
Our faces were very close.
Very, very close.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
My heart suddenly started beating faster.
Ryan wasn't smiling anymore.
Which was weird.
Ryan was always smiling.
Then I muttered,
"You are heavy."
Ryan let out a small laugh.
"You're the one who pulled me down."
I opened my mouth to argue.
But at that exact moment...
Our lips brushed.
Everything froze.
For a second neither of us moved.
Ryan looked shocked.
My brain completely stopped working.
Then we both pulled away quickly.
Ryan stood up immediately.
"Okay."
He cleared his throat.
"That... happened."
My face was definitely red.
"Yes."
Neither of us mentioned it again.
Even though it was impossible to ignore.
Ryan POV
I tried to act normal after the fall.
But my brain kept replaying that moment.
Clara's face inches from mine.
Her eyes wide.
Her lips brushing mine.
I had kissed people before.
But that moment felt different.
Unexpected.
And now Clara wouldn't look directly at me.
Which was interesting.
Very interesting.
So instead of teasing her like usual...
I stayed beside her while we skated.
Just in case she slipped again.
Sophie POV
I stepped onto the ice carefully.
Very carefully.
I had already accepted the fact that I would probably fall.
Sebastian stayed beside me like he promised.
"You can hold the rail," he said gently.
I nodded.
"Good idea."
I took a few slow steps.
Everything felt slippery.
Then suddenly my foot slid forward.
"Oh..."
Before I could fall, strong arms wrapped around me.
Sebastian caught me instantly.
One of his arms was around my shoulders holding me steady.
I froze.
His chest was right behind me.
One of his hands was still holding my arm.
"Careful," he said quietly.
My heart started beating faster.
"I'm trying."
He didn't let go right away.
He waited until I was completely steady.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes."
But neither of us moved.
I could feel how close we were.
I suddenly felt warm.
Then I laughed softly.
"I definitely would have fallen."
Sebastian said simply,
"I know."
Something about the way he said it made my heart feel strange.
In a good way.
Sebastian POV
I wasn't worried about skating.
I was watching Sophie.
She moved carefully.
Slowly.
Trying very hard not to fall.
When her foot slipped I reacted immediately.
I grabbed her before she hit the ice.
The moment she leaned back into my arms...
Something strange happened.
My chest felt tight.
Not uncomfortable.
Just different.
She was warm.
And when she laughed quietly...
I realized I was smiling.
Which didn't happen often.
Back to Amelia POV
Meanwhile Noah was doing surprisingly well.
"Look!" he said proudly.
I clapped.
"You're amazing!"
He grinned.
Then he grabbed my hand again.
Very firmly.
People around the rink were watching us.
I noticed a few phones pointed in our direction.
But honestly I didn't think much about it.
People take pictures everywhere.
Maybe they were filming the skating rink.
Or the park.
Or their friends.
Noah kept skating beside me proudly while holding my hand.
Behind us Clara and Ryan were still arguing.
Sophie and Sebastian were skating slowly together.
Everyone looked happy.
And for a moment everything felt peaceful.
Normal.
I had absolutely no idea...
That some of the people taking pictures were actually journalists.
And those photos they took today...
Were about to be everywhere tomorrow.