Page 130 of Hate You Most

Dakota walked across the floor with fast steps. She was already in hard guards and laced skates. She wore a thick blue jacket thrown over her training clothes, her hair pulled back loosely and flushed cheeks from the cold air. The sight of her made something in Viktoriya’s chest soften instantly, like the whole rink had shifted in temperature by a degree.

“Well,” Dakota called lightly, placing a hand on the boards and removing her hard guards with the other. “I thought you were supposed to wait for me.”

Viktoriya arched her brow and skated backward a few feet, stopping just long enough to look at her. “I was waiting for you.”

Dakota laughed and stepped onto the ice. “That’s what you call this? I saw your axel, idiot!”

“I was just… reflecting.”

“That’s a dangerous activity for you.”

“It is only dangerous when you are here to interrupt me,” Viktoriya exclaimed.

Dakota's expression brightened in a way only she seemed to really notice. It didn't happen when they were around other people, only when they were alone, and only when Viktoriya was purposefully annoying her. It was the look Viktoriya loved most of all.

“Rude.”

“Just accurate,” she said.

Dakota skated farther across the rink. Dakota reached out and brushed two fingers lightly along the side of Viktoriya's long sleeved shirt.

“I didn't think you’d be out here brooding, you know, with the whole world on your shoulders.”

Viktoriya gave her a dry look. “I am not brooding.”

Dakota glanced around the empty rink. “You are literally alone at an ice rink at midnight.”

“It is called training.”

“By yourself?” Sanchez asked.

“Yes.”

“Without any music?”

Viktoriya lifted her chin. “Music is distracting.”

“You are so full of lies.” A smile spread across her wife's lips.

Viktoriya’s eyes narrowed. “And you are late. I was waiting for you, but getting dressed took you like twenty minutes.”

Dakota continued to smile. “I brought snacks!”

“You did?” Fuck. How could she ever stay mad at her? If they ever had children, Viktoriya would stand no chance. Dakota would get whatever she wanted with a smile and a bag of snacks. She almost asked what kind she'd brought before realizing that had been the entire point. Dakota was trying to cheer her up.

She held up a yellow bag triumphantly, then looked deeply pleased with herself when Viktoriya’s expression shifted into a smile. “See? I knew I could get a smile on those lips.”

She’d brought M&Ms.

Viktoriya rolled her eyes and skated away. Dakota followed her, and for a few minutes they moved together in a loose circle around the rink. The cold air around them turned each of their breaths visible for a second before vanishing.

Dakota nudged her shoulder. “You’ve been quiet.”

Viktoriya glanced over. “You say that like I am never quiet.”

“You’ve been quieter than usual.”

“I was just thinking.”