Chapter 1
Brenna sighed, reached for her brush and pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. She sat down on her bed and pulled on her new Nike Cross Trainers. When she had them tied, she grabbed her sports bag and left her cabin. As she walked to the rink, she wondered again what had possessed her to come on this cruise alone. She was lonely, and bored, the only thing she got any enjoyment out of was the small ice rink on board the ship. There were shows a la Ice Capades at night, but for the most part the rink was empty during the day.
She entered the rink and dropped her bag on a chair at the edge of the ice, breathing in the smell of the ice, before starting her stretches. Once warmed up she sat down and pulled her skates and guards out of her bag. Brenna slipped her pale blue guards over her blades and laced up her skates. She got to her feet and rummaged around in her bag, triumphantly coming up with a tape. Straightening up she walked over to the stereo and put the tape in the deck and hit play. Seconds later the rink was filled with the sounds of the Coyote Ugly Soundtrack. Brenna grinned, pulled off her guards and stepped onto the ice. Slowly she stroked around the ice, getting the feel of it. Once comfortable she set off on a footwork sequence in time to the music.
'Ah, this is nice. I have the ice all to myself.' She thought, stepping into a layback spin. She jumped and spun, lost in the music and the freedom the ice offered.
He adjusted the dark glasses covering his brown eyes, pulled the hat down further to cover his long dark curls and gently shut the door of his cabin. 'Where could I go to get some peace and quiet?' He wondered. He thought for a moment before the answer hit him. 'The arena. There probably won't be anyone there right now.' Satisfied with that decision, he strolled in the direction of the rink, trying to look inconspicuous.
As he reached the doors to the ice, he was surprised to hear music coming from inside. He contemplated going back to his cabin, but decided to go in anyway. There wouldn't be many people there at this time of the day. He stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind him. Seeing no one he pulled off his sunglasses and looked around. There was only one person there that he could see. A girl was standing over at the stereo putting in a tape. Stepping onto the ice she made her way to the center and took her opening pose. A few moments later the strains of the theme from "Love Story" filled the room.
Slowly she began to skate, moving softly, seeming to float over the ice. He watched, entranced, unable to take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing black practice pants and a pale blue tank top. His eyes followed her as she skated around the rink, unaware that she was being watched. She spun to a stop, the music faded, and before he could stop himself he began to applaud. She turned swiftly, startled, allowing him to see her eyes were a brilliant blue.
"I'm sorry." He appologized. "I didn't mean to startle you. I could help but watch."
"That's okay. I just didn't expect anyone to come in here." She smiled. "I'm Brenna."
"Howie." He held out his hand, which she took, intrigued by the small spark that ran down her spine.
"I know." She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. Wearing her skates meant their eyes were almost level.
"Well, I guess I've been recognized." He said sheepishly, taking off his hat.
"That's a pretty safe assumption." She grinned. "Nice to meet you. So how come you're hiding in the shadows of skating rinks?" She asked, amused.
"Trying desperately to get away from hordes of screaming fans, what else?" He joked.
"Well, I'm by myself, I still don't know why I came alone, but I did and this is pretty much all I've been doing since I got here." She gestured to the ice. "May as well take advantage of free ice time."
"I take it you really enjoy skating?" He queried, wanting to know more about her.
"I love it. The feeling when I'm on the ice is incredible. It's just this amazing freedom." She gushed, then her cheeks reddened. "Okay, now I'm getting carried away again."
"That's okay. I feel the same way about performing." He said, with his trade mark grin.
Brenna stepped off the ice and sat down next to her bag. Howie sat down next to her as she unlaced her skates and pulled them off, wincing slightly.
"Your feet sore?"
"Yeah, new skates." She massaged her foot. "They're not completely broken in yet."
"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Howie asked, his voice displaying his apprehension.
"I don't have anything planned." She shrugged. "Like I said, I'm here by myself and I'm usually kinda stand-offish, I don't make the first move when meeting new people."
"You aren't with me."
"Ah, but you made the first move." She pointed out.
"True, I did." He acknowledged. "Well, uh... if you're not doing anything... would you consider spending time with me? I'm pretty much by myself, too, AJ's with me, but he's... busy with other things." He said, sheepish once again.
"Sure. Why not?" Brenna smiled and pulled on her running shoes.
"What are you interested in doing on board ship?" Howie asked, as they got to their feet.
"I don't know. I'm open to options." She lifted her bag to her shoulder. "Oops, can't forget my tape!" She remembered and retrieved it from the stereo.
"Hmmm." Howie mused. "Are you into swimming?"
"Sounds good to me." She agreed as they exited the rink.
"May I walk you to your cabin?" Howie asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Of course." Brenna grinned. Minutes later they reached the door of her cabin.
"Uh... pick you up in half an hour?" Howie inquired.
"That's perfect. I'll see you then." She looked up and his deep brown eyes locked to her blue ones. The noise of a door shutting down the hall broke the intense eye contact.
"I'll see you in a little while then, Brenna." Howie said softly, swallowing hard.
"Okay... Bye." She said in a hushed tone, smiling softly.
She watched as he turned and walked slowly down the hallway. As he disappeared around the corner, she shut the door gently and leaned heavily against it.
"Wow." She breathed.
Chapter 2
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