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Tall pine trees fly past us in the truck, and it's then that I realize we've left the city. They line the small two-lane road as far as I can see, their branches covered in November frost.

"Where are we going?" I ask, spinning the rings on my fingers nervously. The fidgeting doesn't do as much for my anxiety as it usually does, and I let out a defeated sigh.

"You'll see," Alex replies, but his cryptic answer does nothing for the ever growing knot in my stomach.

I still can't believe that he witnessed my meltdown. It's embarrassing enough that it happened in public in the first place, but why did he have to be there? My eyes feel sticky and puffy from all of the crying, but Alex didn't seem to care about any of that. He took my panic attack better than anyone before, even Hazel. Of course I love her, she's the closest thing I've had to a best friend in a long time, but she also got the brunt of my anxiety freshman year when we were roomed together. She learned to distance herself from me when I get too upset.

On most instances it takes close to a full half hour for me to completely calm down, but for some reason when Alex pressed me so close and wrapped me up so tightly in his arms, it helped. I was able to focus on his breathing and slowly level mine out to match his.

I decide that since he went through all of the trouble to calm me down, he at the very least deserves an explanation. I glance sideways at him, trying to read his expression. He seems at ease.

Alex is slouched in his seat with one hand on the steering wheel while his other arm lies on the headrest behind me. There's no better time than now. I'll be too tempted to run if it's not in a place that I can't leave, and I certainly can't jump out of a moving vehicle just to avoid talking about my past.

"I have really bad self-esteem issues," I blurt out, turning my head to the window to hide my face.

"Most women do, I've noticed," Alex responds cautiously.

Stupid. Now he probably thinks I'm just some girl who wants to be told she's pretty by everyone in order to feel better about herself. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's just not me. Compliments make me feel uneasy.

"N-no I don't just mean a bad body image." I inhale deeply and let the words rush out, "My father abused me. He used to get drunk and reflect upon the fact that I killed my mom, his wife, in childbirth and how it was all my fault. How everything is my fault. He would wait until I got home from school and beat me. Sometimes it would happen in the middle of the night when he came home from working a night shift and he would drag me out of bed by my hair." I reach up to twirl a piece of my hair and a sad smile pulls at the corners of my lips. "It didn't used to be this long, you know. After I turned twelve I shaved my head until the day I graduated high school. It kept him from using it against me." I had been teased countless times for having a buzz cut throughout my teenage years, ridiculed by most of my peers as they called me disturbing names.

Finally, I turn my head back to steal a peek at Alex.

His eyes are sad, but the rest of his body emits an aggressive anger that I know he's trying to keep bottled up. The muscles in his cheeks are pulled taut against his clenched jaw, and his fingers are nearly white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. It should startle me, being so close to his rage, but it doesn't. I know that Alex isn't angry at me, but rather for me.

"Is the fucker at least in jail?" he hisses from between his teeth.

"He was a cop," I explain. "Do you really think his cop buddies wouldn't bail him out?" It's the same line my father used against me to keep me quiet, and it sounds just as bitter coming from my mouth as it did his.

"Jesus fuck."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," I mumble. It wasn't my intention to get Alex to angry, I only wanted to give him some background information as to why I freaked out and made a fool of myself earlier.

"No, I'm glad you told me," Alex says softly. "I'm just so sorry that you had to go through all of that. You're father is obviously a prick, and he doesn't deserve an amazing girl like you for a daughter."

His kind words wash over me with a flood of emotion. I never would have guessed nearly a month ago that I would be sitting with Alexander Woods in his truck rambling about my past, nor would I have ever thought he would be so understanding.

"Thank you, that means a lot," I tell him earnestly, heat flushing my cheeks.

When I look out the window again I find that we've entered a small town. There's still a lot of trees in the mountainous landscape, but they break apart every now and again to make way for buildings and houses. Alex follows the road further into town before pulling into a parking lot. I realize that he's brought me to an ice rink.

He reaches into the back seat of the truck and I hear the sound of a zipper as he rifles through the contents of a gym bag.

"This can't be where you guys practice, it's far too small," I say, peeking up through the windshield at the rundown, brick building.

Alex laughs as he slings a pair of ice skates over his shoulder by the laces. "Our home games and practices are at the rink on campus. This is just where I come to get away from it all. It's the closest place where I can just...skate, I guess. Without a crowd and without my coach up my ass."

"I've never...I've never ice skated before," I admit sheepishly. Great, I'm going to ruin it for him.

"Not a problem, I'm a great teacher," Alex replies with a wink. "Come on, it'll be fun. I promise."

I follow him inside, trailing behind at a comfortable distance. There's a small arcade near the entrance that holds old-school machines, and a concession stand that sells candy and rents out skates.

Alex walks right up to the counter and begins chatting with the guy behind it. I look out to the rink to find that there's only a small handful of kids out there while their parents watch in amusement from the benches.

"What size shoe do you wear?" Alex suddenly asks.

My brows pull together in confusion. "Seven, why?"

He turns back to the guy at the counter who pulls down a pair of white skates and hands them over to Alex who then passes them to me.

I point to one of the kids on the ice with a skating walker. "If I'm going out there I'm going to need one of those too."

Alex shakes his head with a chuckle. "You have me, Mabes. I'm not gonna let you go."

The man behind the counter laughs. "Your girlfriend doesn't know how to skate, Woodsie? I'm surprised."

Girlfriend? My eyes widen at the comment, but Alex just plays it off.

"It makes me look more impressive," he jokes with a shrug, pulling a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet.

The man just shakes his head at the money. "I'm not taking your money. You and your boys just better make it to the Frozen Four this year."

"I'll try my best," Alex replies, slinging an arm over my shoulders and leading me over to an unoccupied bench.

He makes quick work of shedding off the boots on his feet and replacing them with the hockey skates. I take my time lacing mine up, being extra cautious to make sure they won't slide off my feet, but also stalling due to being nervous about standing up in them.

"You'll do great," Alex says as though he's read my mind. "I'll be here the entire time so you have nothing to worry about." He gets to his feet and hold out his hand palm side up.

My teeth clamp down on my lower lip as I stare back down at my feet. The blades are so thin that I fear as soon as I put my weight on them my ankles are going to roll, but thankfully, as I use Alex's hand to stand, I only wobble slightly.

✖️✖️✖️

Alex wasn't kidding about being there the entire time. I stay close to the boards as I glide across the glassy surface while he skates backwards effortlessly beside me. He possesses a grace that I certainly lack here, and I find myself watching his oddly elegant movements in awe.

"You can't stay there the whole time," he teases, holding out both hands towards me.

"Oh yes I can," I say with a giggle. He was right about it being relaxing. When I'm out here on the ice with him nothing else from earlier today is even on my radar. It might have to do more with the fact that I'm entirely focused on not making a fool of myself by landing on my face, but I still find it enjoyable.

Alex skids to a halt and then comes closer, grabbing me by the hips before pulling me into the center of the rink. I let out a surprised squeal and try to head back for the boards, but he doesn't let me go.

"I'm going to fall," I cry out, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket.

He shakes his head, laughing, and reaches up to intertwine his fingers with mine. "I've got you," he whispers, his warm breath tickling my ear. He leans back, tugging me along with him as he skates lazy circles. "You're doing great. Let the skates do the work."

I do as instructed, stepping only to continue gliding. Alex watches my feet with an amused expression, and then lets me go once I've gotten the hang of it.

"See? You're a natural." He stays close to my side as I circle the rink, watching my every move carefully.

I feel safe in his proximity for some reason, and it startles me to find how easily I've been able to trust him. I don't doubt for a second that he'll be there if I falter, and I'm not just referring to skating. I get the feeling that he's dependable, and it fills my chest with warmth.

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Mkay so a cute ending buuuuut that shit about Mabel's past, man...

On another note....
This story hit just over 200 reads this week, and I just have to thank those of you who continue to stick around! Remember to comment/vote/add this story to your reading lists if you're interested in viewing more.

Updates will happen when I'm most active on Wattpad, which happens between Thursdays and Saturdays (those are my days off work).
1-3 chapters will be posted on those days ❤️