Caitlin and I had been together for a week now, still keeping it quiet from the team. The two lf us hadn't told anyone. I hadn't told Rachel or Kristie and she hadn't told Mackenzie or Alanna.

"Do you not find it hard to tell Rachel or Kristie?" Caitlin looks up at me as we lay on her bed, her chin resting on my chest.

"No, why?" I look away from my book and onto her light blue eyes.

"Because I wanna tell Macca and Lani so bad." Caitlin huffs slightly, making me laugh.

"You can tell them, just not when you're so fresh out of a relationship." I tell her, playing with her hair.

"I know, I know." Caitlin rests her head back on my chest and I go to pick up my book again, but she pulls it out of my hands.

"Hey! Don't you dare crack that spine!" I warn her as I try snatching my book back.

"I'm gonna take you on a date." Caitlin says and I stop trying to fight her.

"What?" I ask, my voice soft.

"I'm going to take you on a date, Elena Daisy Pugh. Is that okay?" Caitlin's repeats slowly for me.

I nod and pull her up to kiss me. "I can't wait."

I wanted to sit in a corner and not go out.

Not because I didn't absolutely want to go out on a date with Caitlin fucking Foord, but I had no clue what she was planning and so, I didn't know how to dress. I knew if I texted her, she'd be vague about it so, that was no use.

"Steffy!" I call the girl as I burst into her bedroom with no care. "Help me."

"What, Elena?" She looks up from her phone.

"Who you on the phone to?" I ask as I jump onto the bed next to her to look at her phone.

"Kyra."

"Hey, Kyra." I wave at her through the camera.

"Hi." She waves back at me.

"You know what, you can help me too." I say. "Okay so, If you had no idea what your friend planned to go but she said she was going to surprise you, what would you wear?" I ask, making sure to call Caitlin my friend.

"What exactly is the reason for this outing?" Steph asks me.

I stare at her blankly as I try to think of an excuse. "She wanta to treat me out." I shrug, making it seem casual.

"And who is this 'she'?" Steph raises an eyebrow.

"Caitlin. You know, my best friend? Caitlin Foord." I say, internally scrunching up my face.

"It's November," Steph reminds me and I say a quick 'oh yeah' as I think about how we're on international break in a week, "so, probably something warm. I'd say maybe that checkered skirt you have and my black turtle neck."

"Oh my God, yes. That would be great." I run out of the room, but then come back to grab her turtle next.

"Give us a fit check!" Kyra calls as I run out to get changed. I pull on the clothes with some tights and then match them with some black boots to tie the outfit all together.

I run back into Steph's room and give her and Kyra a twirl, both of them telling me I look good.

"Thank you, thank you." I bow down. My phone beeps in my pocket and I know that it's Caitlin telling me she's outside. "Right, she's here. I'll tell you where she takes me."

"Have fun!" Steph calls since I'm already out of the bedroom.

I skip down the apartment stairs, slowly beginning to regret that when I get out of breath halfway down. When I walk outside to the carpark, I see Caitlin stood outside her car, waiting for me with a smile on her face.

She was dressed in black wide leg pants with a brown ribbed half zip jumper. The brown complimented her eyes.

"Helooo." I smile at her as I practically run over and throw my arms around her neck, giving her a big hug. She laughs at me, her hands on my waist. "I didn't know you could dress in something other than hoodies and shorts." I tell her as I move to hold her face as I peck her lips before we turn away to get into the car. She opens my door for me and I curtesy to her as a joke.

"Is that a compliment?" Caitlin asks me as she gets into the drivers seat.

"If you want it to be." I smile at her, cheekily. "So, where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." A small smirk playing on her lips.

"I hate surprises as much as I hate you."

"But you don't hate me."

"Or do I?" I raise an eyebrow at her, but she only shakes her head at my antics.

As we begin driving, Caitlin let's me bluetooth my phone to the car so I can play my music. "This song," I begin talking about Starlight, "is just absolutely amazing and if you disagree I will punch you in the face."

"I didn't even say anything." Caitlin tells me, with a small glance.

"I know, I'm just telling you where you cross the line so you don't try it." I shrug. I look forward at the roads outside, trying to make out where Caitlin was taking me. We hit a speed bump and I flinched. I hadn't even realised I'd been digging my nails into my skin until we'd reached a red light and Caitlin took my hands in hers and pulled my hands out of the fists they were in, gently.

"It's alright." She tells me as we continue driving.

"I know, I just get scared in cars sometimes. I prefer being in control most of the time." I say, quietly, looking away.

Caitlin brings my head to look at her again with her hand. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, Cait."

The drive doesn't take that much longer and when we get out of the car, I realise where we are. "Caitlin." I look at the brunette and she turns around at the sound of her name. "I've never been ice skating before."

"It's fun, come on." She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the doors.

We wait in the short queue until we get our skates and sit down to tie them. "Caitlin, I'm scared." I grab her hand, squeezing it. "What if I break my ankle or something, I can't afford that. I'm a professional athlete, my job is to not break my ankle."

"Relax, I'll be right by your side." I watched Caitlin tie her laces, her fingers moving quickly and expertly. There was something comforting in the ease with which Caitlin handled even the smallest tasks.

She pulls me up and we walk around the entrance onto the ice rink. Caitlin steps onto the ice first and I look at the ice with an uncertain look, but when I look back into her eyes, I know I'm in safe hands.

"Ready?" She asks me while offering me a hand.

I take it, my heart skipping a beat at the warm, firm grip. "I hope so."

I step onto the ice and immediatelly go onto the railing around the edge of the busy ice rink with my other hand. The initial wobble in my legs was enough to make my laugh nervously, afraid to go any further. "I told you I'm no good at this."

Caitlin squeezes my hand. "You're doing great. Just relax and let me lead."

Slowly, we make our way around the rink, Caitlin guiding me with patient, encouraging words. With each lap, I slowly grew more confident, though I never actually let go of Caitlin's hand.

"See? You're getting the hang of it," Caitlin says, her tone a mix of pride and affection. "You're practically a natural."

I give her a skeptical look. "I wouldn't go that far."

We continue skating, the rhythm of out movements becoming more synchronized as I get the hang of what's going on. The world around us seemed to fade, the other skaters and the music becoming background noise to our quiet conversation and shared glances.

"Watch out!" Caitlin suddenly warns, but it was too late. My skate caught on an uneven patch of ice, sending me stumbling forward. Caitlin reacted instantly, catching me by the waist and pulling me close before I could fall flat on my face.

For a moment, we froze in place, the cold air and the sharp scent of the ice surrounding us. My breath hitched as I found myself pressed against Caitlin, our faces mere inches apart. I could see the playful glint in Caitlin's eyes soften, replaced by something warmer, deeper.

"Gotcha," Caitlin mumers, her voice barely audible above the chatter amongst the rest of the rink.

I felt a rush of warmth despite the cold, my heart pounding in my chest. "Thanks," I whisper back, unable to look away from Caitlin's gaze.

We stood like that for a heartbeat longer than necessary, the world around us forgotten. I feel the urge to close the distance, to lean in just a little closer, but before I can act on it, Caitlin's gently setting me back on my feet, clearing her throat as she does.

"You okay?" Caitlin asks, her tone returning to its usual lightness, though there was a hint of something more lingering beneath the surface.

"Yeah, just... clumsy," I reply, my voice shaky as I tried to compose myself.

We continue skating, but the dynamic had shifted. The easy banter was still there, but now it was tinged with a subtle tension, an awareness of the moment we'd almost shared.

As we skate side by side, I can't help but steal glances at Caitlin, wondering if she had felt it too. The near-kiss hung in the air between us, unspoken but very much present.

After a while, we decide to take a break, leaning against the railing to catch our breaths. The rink was starting to clear out as the sun began to set, but neither of us find an urgency to leave.

"That was fun," Caitlin says, her breath visible in the cold air as she looks out at the ice. "You're not too bad for someone who claimed to be a disaster on skates."

I laugh softly. "I had a good teacher."

We fall into a comfortable silence, the kind that only comes from being truly at ease with someone. I feel Caitlin's arm brush against mine, a simple touch that sends a jolt of electricity through me.

"Thanks for bringing me here," I say after a moment. "I needed this."

Caitlin turns to me, her eyes soft. "Anytime, Els. I'm glad you came."

We linger there, watching the last of the skaters glide by, both knowing that something had shifted between us today. The date had started off as casual, a way to spend time together without drawing attention, but it had turned into something more. Something neither of us was quite ready to define.

"Ready to head out?" Caitlin finally asks, breaking the silence but not the connection that had formed between us.

I nod, though a part of me wishes we could stay in this moment a little longer. "Yeah, let's go."

As we walk out of the rink, our breath visible in the cold night air, Caitlin suggests getting hot chocolate from a nearby stand. We sit down on a bench outside, warming our hands around the cups while talking quitely. The conversation flowerd easily, but the weight of what hadn't happened on the ice still lingered somewhere between the two of us.

When we reached my apartment, I could feel myself growing exhausted after the busy evening. "I had fun. We should do this more often." I tell Caitlin as I get out of the car.

"Definetly." Caitlin replies as she waves me off and I walk up to my apartment.

I couldn't stop replaying the whole day in my head. From Caitlin picking me up, to being able to skate, to nearly falling and Caitlin catching me and lastly to the fact we almost kissed in front of everyone. I think a part of me knows we won't be able to keep this private for any longer, but for now we had to. We both didn't want Caitlin to get harassed online for getting into a new relationship so soon and I don't think I'm completely ready to make my dating life public for the world to make up stories about either.

We'd work it out.