Chapter Text
"Excuse me!" You said as you passed between some people, stumbling a bit before skating away as quick as possible. Your heart was racing, air hitting your face as you picked up speed, trying your best to get within range, "How are you so fast!?" Max yelled as he looked over his shoulder at you, seeing how you were getting closer and closer, "Why are you so slow?" You asked back, reaching your hand out to touch him but he moved away to the side last second, making you miss by a few micrometers.
Max stood still, you stood still right in front of him, watching his every move. He wanted to fake you out, that, you could tell, but you weren't falling for it.
A step left, immediately switching to right before going left again. Right when he made a break for it, you dashed forward, he let out a shriek, not quick enough in dodging, your hand made direct contact with his shoulder before skating away, laughing, "You're it!" You called out as you made some distance away from him. "Get back here!"
Your eyes widened seeing him skate full speed at you, scrambling away, you avoided a close call. Letting out a laugh of semi-fear. You could hear him behind you as you two circled around the rink, avoiding people that were on the ice as well, "Go, go, go!" Someone said from a group of girls you passed, "He's right behind you!" Yelled another.
Moving your foot, you started skating backwards, facing him. It was then that you saw how close he was to tagging you, "Oh, so now you're getting cocky?" He asked, tilting his head. Instead of answering, you just stuck out your tongue, spinning around a bit to skate forward once again.
Bending your knees some more and leaning forward, you picked up speed. Max copied exactly what you did, approaching rapidly. All you heard was your heartbeat pounding in your ears, the soft whistle of wind and the girls cheering for you to get away. Your blood was running hot beneath your skin, all your focus on staying away from him for as long as you possibly could. More people started getting off the rink, giving you two more space as he chased you down. The sounds of voices spread from the girls to other groups, couples and kids watching on the edge.
This was the fastest you've ever skated, despite the fact that you haven't skated since you were... What, a kid? You were surprised you could even reach such a speed without running into anything, but when the rink was practically half empty, it'd be basically impossible.
What you didn't think about beforehand was how much energy you'd lose from circling around the rink so many times. You were losing speed, your breath heavy. You looked over your shoulder, no longer seeing Max on your tail, which was weird. Did he get tired and get off to take a break or something? He would've told you if he did...
"Watch out!"A girl called out to you. Whirling your head around, you were met with Max creeping closer, a gasp escaping your lips as you tried skating back, but he rushed forward, pouncing onto you.
He made sure to steady you so that you didn't fall, his hands moving from your wrists to your waist to keep you balanced, his chest against yours. Your eyes were closed as you laughed, trying to catch your breath the best that you could. You would've tagged him back, but you were too exhausted to, especially with how long that lasted.
You two were still gliding on the ice, pressed against each other, your hands found their way to his shoulders, feeling the firm muscle beneath the sweater he was wearing. You opened your eyes, seeing him smiling at you, "You caught me." You said quietly but loud enough for him to hear, "I'm glad I did..." He whispered in return, making you shiver. Your eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips, wanting to lean in and just go for it.
"Awwwwwhhh! How cute!"
"You're the cutest couple I've ever seen!"
You and Max glanced over at the group leaned against the wall, looking directly at the both of you. You'd completely forgotten you weren't alone, your face flushing as you let go of him, taking a skate to the side, "W-We're not-" You stuttered, unable to get the words out.
"You got a good one! He's perfect for you!"
"I-..." You looked over at Max, who was bright red, his eyes wide while his hand covered his mouth, the other clenching into a fist, stuck by his side. "T-Thank you..." You took the compliment, your voice dry. You felt Max's eyes on you, keeping you from looking at him as you took his hand, "We should get going, yeah?" You asked hoarsely, not able to look him in the eyes, "M-Mhm..."
Once you were no longer in view, you let go of Max's hand, your face still burning hot, "Sorry, I didn't mean to- Why did I say that?..." You ran your hands down your face, "N-No, it's fine! I should be the one saying sorry, I... Ididntmeantograbyoulikethat..." Max stammered. You didn't get a singular word he said in that last part, but judging by what he was saying before, you got the gist of it. The puzzle was easy to put together.
"Like what?" You asked, trying to seem oblivious even though you could still feel his hands on you, the ghost of his touch lingering, slowly fading away. "You- Never mind." He didn't want to elaborate further. That'd just make everything even more embarrassing than it already was.
You and Max took the skates off, returning them to where to the front before heading to the car. Not a word had been said that whole time, mostly because you didn't know what exactly to say, not after that whole... Situation.
Luckily, the stagnant vibe shifted once you made it to the store.
"So, what are we getting exactly?" Max asked, keeping his hands in his pockets, "Gingerbread houses and cookie dough." You answered, your eyes focused straight ahead. How could you bring yourself to look at the guy when you literally went along with the idea that you two were dating? That poor group of girls.
"We could also get some snacks." He added, "You're hungry again already? Big back." You commented playfully, bringing yourself to throw a glance at him. He looked back with a raised brow, being met with that damn smile on his face that made your knees go weak, "Yeah, well, you took a lot of energy out of me earlier."
Giving him a look, he thought for a moment before he realized what he said, "Pause!" You chuckled, "I'm just messing with you, I know what you meant." You said, nudging his shoulder. Wandering around for a fat minute since the store was unnecessarily big, you guys got snacks first before finding where the gingerbread was, having to walk all the way to the other side just to get the cookie dough.
"Finally." You sighed, tossing the packet in the basket, "Is that it?"
"Should be..." Max said, looking in the basket to see if you guys needed anything else, "Actually, there is something else," He started, his gaze now on you, "It takes two hours for you to get home, right?"
"About," You made a gesture with your hand, "Why?"
"You can spend the night at my place so that you don't have to drive in the dark."
You opened your mouth so say something before closing it. Was he being serious? He was extending the length of your day with him until tomorrow? That's another check in the imaginary list you'd come up with in your head. You weren't about to lose such an opportunity.
"Are you sure? I didn't bring any to sleep in."
"You can borrow mine, I don't mind." He proposed, messing with his hair, "If you want. I just don't want you driving out so late..." He quietly admitted. You looked away for a moment, biting your lip before bringing your attention back to him, "Sure then." You agreed.
"Okay, now this comes back to what I was saying before," He said, leaning against the cart, "Since we're here, why not get some gifts for Christmas? We go out separate ways then meet up again at the entrance."
"That's a good idea actually..." You thought out loud, even though you already had one for him. "What time should we meetup?"
"How about 20 minutes?"
"That should be good enough." You said, looking around. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy considering this place was huge, yet you believed you could do it. You had an exact, clear idea of what you wanted to get him, as well as a few others too.
"Alright," Max stood up straight, rubbing his hands together, "I'll see you later."
"See ya'!" You said back, walking in the opposite direction of him, switching to jogging, which turned into running. Your eyes were set on the signs as you searched for a specific section before stumbling upon it.
There were many option to choose from, so you took our your phone, looking for the best one. You weren't going to seem like you weren't trying, you needed the best one, considering what it was going to be used for.
You knew you had some time before you needed to get going, so with a few scrolls and pressed, you found the perfect one, grabbing it off the shelf.
Now all was left was to get the rest...