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Ricky turned away from the popcorn station to walk towards Gina again, with a wide smie which she reciprocated. He gave the popcorn to his girlfriend and stole a fist of popcorn to just face plant to his mouth. Gina laughed at how silly he looked.
“You look like a 6 year old” she teased and he grabbed some napkins to clean his hand from all the butter.
“I just love popcorn, you know it.”
“Soulmates.” She replied and Ricky melted a little, when she said things like that, he couldn´t help but feel butterflies in his stomach. And the same for her.
“So, I was thinking…” She interrupted his statement.
“Oh no.” He looked confused at her but she was probably already sensing what he wanted to say, she could read him like an open book.
“What?”
“Everytime you say that with the face you´re doing right now means you got a great idea that will make me suffer.” he laughed, and he was right but hey this one couldn´t be that bad.
“No?” he gasped offended “Tell me one time you´ve suffered with one of my brilliant ideas”
“Well let´s see.., the time you made me go on that big rollercoaster with the excuse of it´s not that bad and I ended up gripping on your arm.”
“That´s true, I still have your nail marks, look!” she rolled her eyes but not in an annoyed way, but a teasing way.
“See? You admit it. Or the time when we had tacos on the street and you ended up in the restroom for twenty minutes.”
“They were spicy! My stomach can´t take too much spiciness” he tried to justify and laughed at the memory.
“But this one´s an actual good idea Gi, listen…” she hated how much she loved him, she would skydive with him if it meant doing it together. She wanted to do everything she never did with him. He was her safe space after all.
“... what if we go roller skating?” Gina´s eyes opened terrified. She was fearless for a lot of things… like acrobatics, cheerleading, not very big coasters, etc. But roller skating wasn´t a fear… it´s just that she never git the chance to learn, no one ever took her so it made her excited that he would but also terrified. She knew Ricky was good at roller skating and she was… she never put on a roller skate to be brutally honest.
“Well, that´s not a bad idea but… I don´t know how to skate Ricky.” his eyes now opened wide. He assumed dancers could roller skate, it´s a similar sport right? Also Gina was great at sports, he didn´t think she wouldn´t know such an artistic one.
“Gina Porter… dancer and cheerleader doesn´t know how to skate?” he teased and put a hand to his face.
“I never got the chance.”
“God, Gi I thought you had the balance.”
“You´re so unserious.” he laughed and grabbed her wrist, the closeness made Gina stop breathing.
“So?” he asked expectant with a whispering tone, how could she say no to that?
“Fine.” he celebrated and showered her face in little kisses.
“Do you trust me to be your teacher Ms. Porter?”
“Of course I do Coach Bowen.” she gave him one last kiss on his lips to seal the deal.
.
They got into the roller skating place, a new one downtown Salt Lake City, it was incredibly colourful and it had a cafeteria with a mini stage where people could perform too. They were very impressed by the place called “Jam & Roller”, also every waiter or waitress served tables in their skates… so professional.
They reached to the roller skate renting bar, and Gina started her nerves creep in. It´s just roller skating Gina, you have great balance… you´re with Ricky, it´ll be okay.
“Gi.” He interrupted her thoughts when he noticed her distraction when the lady asking for her size didn´t get an answer.
“Oh sorry - I´m a 5”
“First time huh.” she said kindly to Gina which he cringed. “Is it too obvious?” the lady smiled.
“It´s okay, you´ll do just fine. I bet your boyfriend will take good care of you.”
“He always does” Ricky hugged her by the waist and kissed her cheek.
“Thank you so much - he quickly saw her name tag - uh… Tamara! For your service.”
“You´re so welcome, hope you have the best time.” Gina chose pink roller skates obviously, it´s her favorite color. Ricky helped her tie the strings. “This could be tricky sometimes, tell me if it´s too tight.” She pranked at him with a loud ouch but laughed right away.
“You´re very funny Gi. Very funny”
“I can hear the air quotes.”
“Good!” he smiled at her and held both of her hands. He had his skates on already.
Some people might think he learned because of skating, but tht´s not true since it´s not near as similar to skating. He actually learned when he has very little -his mom would take him roller skating along with his dad and had sunday´s full of eating, skating and singing. It´s a bit of a nostalgic moment for him since his parents are divorced now but he knew doing this with Gina would create new beautiful memories for both of them.
They headed to the rink, a colorful and wide rink with upbeat music playing on the background. A couple of teens their age were doing sort of a choreography and Ricky and Gina were both stunned seeing all the hard tricks and abilities this couple had - one of the workers noticed their impressed faces and reached to them. “They´re amazing, huh?” Ricky and Gina without looking away nodded to the unknown man that just talked.
“They´re finishing a rehearsal for a big competition. In Jam & Roller we prepare professional skaters to be come the best in the country.”
“That´s pretty cool” Gina smiled to the man behind him and finally Ricky looked at him too. A kind black haired wide smiley faced man high fived the couple when they reached to the rink entrance.
Gina blushed in embarrassment to even talk to them… they were doing tricks while she could barely stand up straight gripping on her boyfriends arm with those skates. Trust the process, Gi.
“Hey! Are you guys new here?” the other man who seemed very charismatic finally talked to them.
“Yeah we´re just here for fun…” he looked at Gina who didn´t seem to be having a lot of fun. Ricky´s arm felt sore already but he didn´t mind - in fact he acknowledged how cute she was, and he loved her touch so why would he be bothered?
“”I´m Simon by the way.” he extended his arm to shake Gina´s and Ricky´s hands.
“And I´m Ambar. Hope you have a great time in this rink. It´s been kind of our home for a few years now.”
Gina smiled as well as Ricky. “Well, I´ve never skated before so I´m a mess.” they all laughed but not in a teasing manner.
“It´s okay Gi, I told you I´m gonna help you and we´ll have a wonderful time.”
“You roller skate?” Simon asked Ricky at his last statement.
“Well, do I skate? I can be on rollers and speed skate but that´s it!”
“Pretty good.” Ambar replied to Ricky. “You´re safe in his hands…” she paused expecting for Gina to say her name. “Gina” Ambar smiled - “... You´re in safe hands here Gina, don´t have to worry at all.”
“That´s right. I´m rink assistant so I´ll be here if you two need me.” the guy from earlier stated. “Thank you” Ricky and Gina both replied at the same time and Gina saw his nametag… “Pedro!” he skated away and so did Ambar and Simon.
“Nice to meet you guys.”
.
“You´ve been doing great, Gi. You can let go the bars now.” Gina stared at him, not a calm stare but a blank one.
“Don´t look at me like that, come on! You´re Gina Porter! You´re the most fearless person I know.” she melted at his compliments, she knew what he was doing and god was it working? Yes.
She let go of the bar and grabbed Ricky´s hands, that somehow felt safer. She breathed in and out and they skated around the rink, eyes locked on each other. Her posture was starting to feel more confident. The Ricky effect scared her and embraced her at the same time.
She was not thinking about the skates, she was thinking about how beautiful he looked, how much she loved him. How cute he is with her and careful, how he always pushes her to do new things when he´s so scared of change.
“What?” he noticed her heart eyes and he wasn´t any different but decided to know her reasons.
“It´s just… I - thank you.” that surprised Ricky a little.
“Thank me? For what?” she sighed and they cornered to the corner of the rink.
“For trusting in me and always pushing me to do things I´m scared of.”
“You do the same for me, it´s the least I can do for you.”
“I love you.” Ricky jumped, he wasn´t expecting those three words coming out in that certain moment. Everytime they did was special and this wasn´t any different. Maybe it´s the fact that he wanted to create new memories off the sad ones he had in his childhood - she didn´t know that and still managed to do just that.
“Ricky are you crying?” a tear or two formed in his eyes and Gina melted wondering why that had made him so emotional. His tears were contagious cause she formed her own on her eyes now. Wow, what´s happening?
“I just… thank you.” He now thanked her.
“You can´t steal my quotes Bowen” she teased a little and he laughed sniffing and wiping his tears. Gina held his cheeks and kissed one of them softly.
“Now, don´t do that or I´ll kiss you here on the spot.”
“Mhm I don´t know if I want to stop.” she replied with a cocky tone and Ricky laughed again.
“Whoa, did an emotional moment turned into a flirting one? You´re rubbing off me Porter.”
“I got emotional cause I have such nostalgic memories with me and my parents roller skating as a family” she serioused and instantly hugged him when he continued “And you saying all this made me happy, new core memory with my person, the one I can always count on.”
“Don´t say that or I´ll kiss you right here on the spot.” she teased then continued “and I got emotional to see how cute you are with me, I melted a little (a lot)... Ricky, you will always be my person.”
Ricky couldn´t help but instantly kiss her, miraculously Gina didn´t fall when he threw himself to her lips - she smiled in the kiss and they both thanked they were the only ones in the rink in that moment.
Gina tried to deep in the kiss a little more but forgot her feets was on rollers, she intertwined her fingers on his hair and pulled away and fell. Ricky falling with her causing him to be over her. They laughed so loud they thought they´d be kicked out the building by now.
“Sorry for that” she teased.
“You know, this is the best fall I´ve ever experienced.” he kissed her again and again until he showered her face in small kisses and laughter coming out both of them.
“Sorry to interrupt.” another girl who seemed very kind and that she would kill anyone roller skating walked in.
“I´m Luna. I just wanted to make sure you´re okay!” Ricky and Gina stood up quickly and nodded. “We´re fine, thank you Luna.”
“Hope to see you here again soon!” Ricky and Gina headed out the rink as they waved goodbye to her.