Ice Queen

"I don't want you to fall just because you're stuck trying to keep me going," she said, giving him a side-long glance. "I know you can do better than this."

Dorien was silent for a moment as they skidded along the ice. He began to slow them down a bit, gradually coming to a halt.

"I've already fallen..." he said finally, moving his fingers down her forearm and taking her gloved hand in his. He leaned into her, his face a mere inch from hers.

"...about as much as anyone can. You know the worst part about falling? Doing it alone."

With his heart beating furiously beneath his coat he leaned in further to kiss her.

The kiss was still a surprise, even though in some way she'd seen it coming for weeks. Maybe ever since he gave her the chemistry set, or even earlier. She would have stood on her tiptoes to make it easier, but she was pretty sure if she tried that, they'd both end up on their backs, and not in the fun way. She kissed him back with as much enthusiasm as she could manage, though, putting her free hand against his cheek.

"This is stupid," she said when they finally drew apart. "Lovely, but stupid."

"Which part? The part where we're both drug dealers? Or the part where we're literally from completely different worlds? Or the part where we're freezing our asses off on a frozen lake with knives strapped to our feet?"

Dorien grinned, looking into her grey eyes.

"Because none of it really makes much sense if you think about it, but that's life. I've learned that sometimes you just have to roll with it."

"All of the above, plus more," she said. "And we're sliding, not rolling. And I still think this might be a disaster."

She paused, clumsily pulling herself closer to him so that she could wrap her arms around his waist, looking up at him. "But let's find out."

"If it helps, we can call it a practical experiment," he said with a grin, before leaning down and kissing her again.

Across the river, the group of kids giggled again at the two older people kissing, but Dorien never even noticed.