Work Text:
December 2009
“So, when you’re not hanging out at the ice rink freezing to death, what do you do?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Rory smiled, even as her teeth chattered. “But I’m actually a journalist. I work at The Times.”
“Wow, that’s a big deal.” Jess nodded, sipping his hot chocolate.
“I guess it is,” she agreed, shivering some more, even in her thick coat, hat, and gloves, plus Jess’ scarf that he had loaned to her. “And you? You’re not a professional ice skater, are you?” she joked.
“What, you don’t think I could be?” asked Jess smirking hard.
“It’s not that, I just can’t picture you in the sequins and spandex.” Rory giggled into her drink.
“But apparently you’ve been trying,” Jess countered, loving how easily she blushed from stuff like that. “Actually, I’m an editor mostly, cleaning up manuscripts before they go to print at this small publishing house I know in Philly. I write too, but don’t expect to see me on the bestseller list any time soon.”
“I’m sure you’re better than you think,” Rory told him, watching him over the rim of her cup. “I mean, if you edit other people’s writing, you must know what you’re doing. Besides, when I was working at the Yale Daily News, it was usually the people who were the most modest about their articles that were actually the best writers.”
“You went to Yale?” asked Jess with wide eyes. “That’s... I mean, not just anybody gets into a place like that.”
“Well, I guess I’m not just anybody.” Rory shrugged, shivering from more than cold when Jess met her eyes then.
“Pretty sure I knew that already,” he noted, drinking down the last of his hot chocolate and then sighing. “Well, this was great, but I have to get back, and honestly, this was kind of disappointing.” He noticed Rory’s expression and backpedalled fast. “The drink, not the company,” he promised. “It’s not done much to warm me up. I think that’s going to take actual movement,” he said, looking out over the rink then back. “How about you?” he asked Rory then. “Think you’re brave enough to venture out there again?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I think I proved to be pretty poor in the whole skating department the last time.”
“You did fine, when you had some help,” he reminded her. “Come on, I promise I won’t let you fall,” he said, putting out a hand for her to take. “You trust me, right?”
Rory thought about it for a few seconds as she abandoned her empty cup. Even though it probably made her a fool after only one knowing this guy for a week, she met Jess’ eyes and smiled, putting her gloved hand into his own.
“I trust you,” she confirmed.
“Then let’s go,” he said, smiling back at her as he led her closer to the rink to get skates.
Before long they were out on the ice, Jess’ arm wrapped tightly around Rory, their hands clasped together as they glided around and around. Maybe the hot chocolate hadn’t warmed them up, but Rory wasn’t certain it was the movement of skating that worked either. She was pretty sure that it was just being this close to Jess that had her feeling as if she were glowing from the inside, and she hoped that never changed.