At Last
Shae-Lynn�s POV: I sighed as I walked through the door of quiet little apartment. As much as I loved training in Lake Placid, it did get very draining being so far away from my family. I know I shouldn�t complain�.Lake Placid is beautiful! I�m lucky that I was able to get one of the athlete apartments that overlooks the mountains. Training here has done nothing but miracles for Vic and I. However�it does get a little lonely. I dropped my bag down by the door and quickly changed out of my skating clothes and into the comfort of my sweatpants and a long sleeved tee-shirt. I didn�t have anyone to impress, I might as well be comfortable! I pulled my hair into a quick pony-tail and headed to the kitchen to find some food. After finally making the incredibly difficult decision between the frozen pizza or the boxed macaroni and cheese, I decided the pizza would be faster to make so I popped that into the oven. I had a whole ten minutes to wait for the pizza to be ready so I plopped myself down in my living room and went to turn on the TV. Just as I was reaching for the remote, a blinking red light caught my eye. �A message!� I exclaimed to no one in particular. I pressed the message button and settled back onto the couch to listen to the first message. �Hello, we�re calling to announce an exciting new offer!� exclaimed a too chirpy voice. �Have you ever considered working from the comfort of�� �No thanks,� I said sarcastically and cut the message off. The second message began to play. �Hello, We�re calling for Miss�.Miss Bane?�� �I hate tele-marketers!� I said, feeling pretty frustrated. They can never, ever pronounce your name right, as if Bourne isn�t an easy enough last name to pronounce. �Hey Sweetie!� exclaimed the final message. �It�s Mom and Dad. I�m just calling to say Happy Birthday! I�m sorry we couldn�t be there but I know you�re probably having a great time up there, doing something. Anyway, give me a call and we can chat. Love you! Bye!� If only she knew the blast I was having. Frozen pizza and, if I�m lucky, I might find a made for TV movie! I wiped away the lone tear running down my cheek and silently reprimanded myself for allowing myself to cry. I had nothing to cry about. I was doing what I loved, which was skating and I was happy in Lake Placid. I have made tons of friends but many of them either went on small trips or went home. Vic and I decided to would be best to stay in Lake Placid to train for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. It�s just times like this I wish I could be with my family�or anyone� Victor�s POV: I pulled my coat tighter around myself as I hurried towards the front of the Lake Placid Athlete�s Apartment complex. The night truly was a beautiful one. The sky was clear and the stars and moon were completely visible. Even though it was January and had just snowed earlier in the day, it was surprisingly warmer than to be expected. I checked to make sure I had everything and entered the building. Today was an important day. It was Shae-Lynn�s birthday. I had a feeling that she assumed everyone, including me, had forgotten because she seemed a little sad at practice. Since many of our friends had gone away, there would not be many people around to be with her today and there was no way I was going to let her spend the day alone. I know that she was kind of sad that she couldn�t go home to be with her family around this time, and I felt a little responsible for that. I just wanted to make today as special as possible for her. I reached Shae-Lynn�s door and knocked. �Vic!� She squealed. �What are you doing here? I thought you mentioned that you were going to be with a friend tonight,� I smiled. She looked pretty confused but incredibly happy. One thing I loved to do, ever since we were young and first paired up, was to make her smile that incredible smile she has. There really aren�t any words to describe it. When Shae smiles, her entire face lights up, her beautiful brown eyes sparkled, and you can see total happiness on her face. �Last I checked, Shae-Lynn, you were one of my closest friends,� I said with a wink. �Besides, do you really think I forgot what to day is?� She beamed and threw herself into my arms, almost sending me falling down the stairs. � Thank you so much, Vic,� She said quietly into my ear. Her warm breath slightly tickled my ear and, for a second, I felt my heart skip a beat. Whoa, that definitely has never happened before. �Get a hold of yourself, Vic,� I said to myself. She pulled away, smiling faintly. �So, you do want to come inside?� She asked with a slight laugh, gesturing to her apartment. �Sure,� I said and entered the apartment Shae�s POV: This is probably one of the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. But, then again, this is Victor. Victor is quite possibly the most selfless person I know. He�s constantly looking out for everyone�s well being and doing so many things for others. I love his personality. He has this quiet demeanor but, when he is comfortable and opens up, he is a riot. He�s an amazing guy. �So,� I began as I closed the door. �What�s in the bags?� Victor laughed. �Pretty curious huh? Well, I�ve been over here enough to know that you basically only cook the essentials,� �Hey!� I exclaimed in mock anger. �Shae, what�s in the oven?� he asked with a gleam in his eye. �Ok, fine,� I said throwing my hands up, pretending to be frustrated. �It�s frozen pizza,� �Well, you can throw that out. I made your favorite before I came over,� He reached into the bag and pulled out a medium sized Tupperware container that was filled with my favorite meal ever, Fettuccine Alfredo. �I�m so excited!� I exclaimed, not caring if I looked like the biggest child in the world. Vic understood. �Why don�t I help you warm things up?� I led him to the kitchen and, as I did so I noticed my reflection in the mirror. �Oh god!� I shrieked. �I look terrible!� Vic rolled his eyes. �Shae, it�s only me and you look fine,� I shook my head. �Listen, you went through all this trouble, the least I can do is put on something other than sweats with my hair piled on my head. Why don�t you just take care of things here, I�ll be right back,� Vic laughed and shook his head. �Ok, Shae-Lynn, if you must,� With that, he walked into the kitchen to begin to fix dinner. I went to go into my bedroom to change but then I paused and glanced back at Victor. He was getting the food ready, pulling out many different Tupperware containers and walking around the kitchen. He seemed warm and, while wiping his brow, he took off his jacket and threw it on a chair. Wow! I guess I�m heavier than I thought! Even with his long sleeved shirt on, it was very clear how strong and built his muscles were. I soon found myself almost transfixed by him. Things I always over looked, like how clear and beautiful his eyes wereor the features of his face, were now very apparent to me. �Whoa! Snap out of it Shae,� I thought to myself as I turned and walked quickly to my room. �He�s just your friend, that�s all.� But was it? Victor�s POV: I pulled out the food that I had just heated up and put it on the table. I quickly made sure that everything looked ok. The Fettuccine Alfredo was just warm enough and the fresh rolls looked pretty appetizing. I had also thrown together a quick salad. Everything looked ok to me. All that was missing was Shae-Lynn. I sat down and waited for her to come out. I don�t know why this was all so important to me. I mean, in the past, I always wanted to do something special for her on special days such as birthdays and holidays. This was different. I thought back to earlier in the night when she gave me that hug and how, for the first time in so long, I just felt alive again. �That looks delicious!� I heard a voice say. I looked up and had to catch my breath. Shae-Lynn looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing her usual, happy smile. She wasn�t dressed up at all. She was wearing a casual cream colored sweater with regular blue jeans and boots. Her blond hair looked silky and spilled over her shoulders into very loose curls. She wasn�t wearing too much make-up either�just a little eye shadow, mascara, and lipgloss. To me, she looked absolutely radiant. I knew right then and there that the feelings I was having for Shae-Lynn were much deeper than I thought. Shae�s POV: �Hey� said Victor wearing a huge smile. He stood up and pulled my chair out for me. �You ready for a first class meal?� he asked with a fake rich accent I giggled at his attempt at humor. �You bet. Thank you so much for doing this,� I said looking deep into his eyes. �You don�t even know how much this means to me. Things can kind of get lonely around here and I really was convinced I�d be alone today,� I began to feel a little embarrassed about what I had just said so I allowed myself to cast my eyes down. I felt a hand grab mine gently and I felt my heart begin to beat faster. I looked up and Victor was looking intently at me with loving eyes. �Shae,� he said. �I just wanted you to be happy. I would never forget anything so important about you. And, I understand how you feel. It does get kind of lonely here. We are so far away from our homes and families. But, hey! I�m here and I�m always willing to hang out!� He smiled sincerely at me. Looking into his eyes, I knew. Suddenly, the way I felt about Victor wasn�t just how you feel about your skating partner or even your best friend. The way I was feeling about him was the way you feel about some one you love. Wait�I can�t be falling in love with Victor. Things like love take time, don�t they? Man, I was *beyond* confused! Our hands were still clasped and I felt him gently rub my hand with his fingers. I smiled at him. �You�re on,� I said gently squeezing his hand. With that he grinned and we both dug into our food. I glanced over at him as he happily ate his food and sighed quietly. Maybe I was feeling something new for Victor. Even though I was a little nervous, I couldn�t wait to find out what it is. Victor�s POV: I glanced up and caught Shae-Lynn�s eye again. �Wow, does she have great eyes,� I thought to myself. Where was this coming from? �Stop it!� I ordered myself. �You know she isn�t interested in you like that. You�re just going to end up ruining something that is already great,� People always give Shae-Lynn and I a hard time and always tease us about us having the potential for being �the perfect couple�. Every time, Shae and I would laugh it off and Shae-Lynn would go on and on about what a nice guy I was but it was just a brother-sister type love between us- nothing more. I�d be a liar if I said that I never wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship with Shae-Lynn. A man would have to be an idiot not to see how drop dead gorgeous she is or what a good personality she is. She�s probably the only woman besides my family that I feel 100% comfortable with. The thing is, I always knew that nothing could happen because 1. She was in a relationship at the time or 2. She referred to our relationship as a �brother-sister� type relationship. So, I always let those thoughts slip away from my mind. However, right now, Shae wasn�t in a relationship. She ended her two-year relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Steven Cousins about six months ago and hadn�t been seeing anyone seriously since. Suddenly the sound of Shae-Lynn putting down her silverware broke me out of the thoughts I was having. �This was delicious, thanks again,� she said with an almost dazed smile on her face. I looked at her a little confused. That�s strange. She�s never looked at me like that before. I hope she was feeling ok. It would be great if I gave her food poisoning or something. It would be like, �Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy throwing up every hour!� Not too suave. I gave her a big smile. �Well, your birthday�s not done yet!� She looked almost bewildered. �It�s not? This was enough, really Vic,� I shook my head. �Nope, I�ve got a present for you and we�ve got some ice cream cake waiting for us in the fridge.� She laughed and held her stomach. �That sounds great but I�m too full right now,� I couldn�t agree more. That pasta was pretty filling. �Me too. Why don�t we take a walk to kind of burn all this off,� She gave me a confused look. �Um, Vic, hate to break it to you but it�s January and we�re in Lake Placid, New York,� �So?� I said shrugging my shoulders and getting up from the table to walk to her side. �Well, don�t you think it�s going to be a little cold?� I offered her my hand and she took it was a small smile on her face. �It really isn�t that bad out. Plus, have you ever seen the lake on a clear night like tonight? It�s beautiful, you�ll love it! Come in,� She shook her head, her smile getting bigger. �You�re crazy, you know that? Ok, you're on. I�ll grab my coat and we�ll go.� She squeezed my hand and went off to find her things. I watched her walk off with a smile on my face. There�s something about that girl that is so unique. She�s amazing. Other girls would complain that they were too tired or something to go out. Not Shae, she�s up for anything. That is especially true if she�s never done something. That pushes her even more to try them. �God,� I thought to myself. �I�m really getting in pretty deep here.� �I�m ready,� I heard Shae announce. I looked up to see her bundled from head to toe with her heavy winter jacket, a scarf, mittens, and a hat. I laughed at her appearance and went over to join her. I was getting in pretty deep but I was enjoying every minute of it. Shae�s POV: �Yeah right, Kraatz,� I said with a laugh as we walked quickly away from the center of town. �It�s not cold, not cold at all!� Victor looked over at me with his eyes sparkling happily. �You�re tough, Shae-Lynn,� he said wrapping his arm around me and giving me a tight squeeze. �You can handle it,�. �Sure,� I thought to myself. �As long as you keep holding me as close as you are, I can definitely handle a little cold!� What was happening to me? In the course of three hours, all of a sudden, I was suddenly so aware of how interested in Vic I was. Everything about him fascinated me- his laugh, his smile, his sense of humor, his kindness, his interest in the outdoors�everything. It didn�t seem to matter to me that I was out in the freezing cold in the middle of January late at night. I was with Vic and honestly having one of the best nights of my life. �Yeah, it isn�t that bad,� I said honestly, glancing over at him. �I�m having fun.� He tightened his grip around me and made no attempt to move his arm. �Good, I�m glad. We�re almost there, don�t worry,� We walked another ten minutes with Vic�s arm wrapped securely around my shoulders. Then, he stopped and stepped in front of me. �Ok,� he said. �We�re here. You ready?� I smiled at his boyish excitement. It�s so rare to see a grown man so excited about something as simple as a lake. �Yeah, let�s see,� I answered back. He grinned and moved out of the way. I had to stop and catch my breath. The sight before me was breathtaking. The lake was totally frozen over and covered with a fresh blanket of clean, white snow. Since the snow had begun to melt a little, all the trees were covered with a thin layer of sparking ice. Best of all, the night was so clear that you could see every star in the sky and the moon shone brilliantly above up. I looked over at Vic with tears in my eyes. �This is so beautiful,� I began before a tear came down my cheek. He looked very confused. �What�s the matter?� He asked with a slight laugh as he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. I smiled and laughed quietly. �No, I�m not upset or anything,� I said pulling back to look him in the eyes. �This is just so�so wonderful! You have made this one of the best days ever. I don�t know how I can ever repay you for this,� He reached over and pulled me back into his arms. �Shae-Lynn, you don�t have to repay me. You are one of the most important people in the world to me. I just wanted to make you happy, that�s all,� I sighed happily and buried my face into the crook of his neck and took a deep breath. Wow, he smelled really good! God, I was being such a teenager! �I really need to get a hold of myself,�I thought as I allowed myself to sink deeper into his arms. Victor�s POV: I felt myself grow bolder and bolder on our trip down to see the lake. When I put my arm around Shae-Lynn, she made no attempt at all to pull away. In fact, she leaned on closer to me. I had to take that as a good sign. Now, I found myself holding her close to me in my arms. My heart was beating rapidly and I had never been happier. I felt her snuggle in closer to me. �She must be cold,� I assumed. After all, why else would she be trying to get closer to me? I rubbed her arms to try to keep her warm, then I remembered one of the reasons why I took her to the lake in the first place. I reluctantly pulled away from her. �So, do you want your present now?� Her face lit up and she nodded her head almost frantically. I had to laugh at her antics. �Ok, let�s sit over here,� I led her to a small bench where we sat, overlooking the lake. �Here you go,� I said handing her a small package. �Thanks,� She said and carefully began to open it. That is one thing I don�t understand about girls. Whenever I get a present, I don�t care how nice the wrapping is� I tear it open. Girls are so careful, like tearing the wrapping paper is the worst thing a person can do. She opened the box and the only word to describe her face would be utter surprise. �Oh my god,� She said softly. �Vic�� A few months ago, Shae and I were at the NHK trophy and we were just walking around town before we competed. Shae noticed this very delicate gold necklace with a small diamond pendant in the window and she mentioned how much she liked it and how it reminded her of one her mother has. Then, she joked about how she might come back for it when she actually has money. After that, we left and went back to the rink to compete. What Shae-Lynn didn�t know was that I went back to the store and I bought the necklace. I knew how much she was missing her mother and I knew that I could give it to her on some type of special occasion. It just seemed right. �Do you like it?� I asked uncertainly. Her face lit up. �I love it,� She said quietly. �This is the necklace that we saw at the NHK trophy. How did you get it?� Her big brown eyes began to sparkle happily as she took the necklace out of the box. I took the necklace for her. �Let me help you with that,� I said as she turned and I began to attach the necklace behind her neck. �I went back to get it after you mentioned how much you liked it. I figured that since it reminded you of your mom, it might make living here a little easier. There, all done,� She turned back around and looked into my eyes. �Thank you so much! I love it,� She said sincerely. She smiled a faint smile and I knew I had never seen anyone so beautiful in my life. The moonlight was reflecting in her eyes and bouncing off her hair. She looked perfect. Our eyes locked and, suddenly, any doubts about the way I felt about her, the way she felt about me, vanished. I knew, just from looking into her eyes, that she was feeling the same way I felt about her. I leaned in slowly and she began to do the same. Slowly and tentatively, our lips touched in a soft, feather-light kiss. Shae�s POV: Our lips touched softly and he gently kissed my lips. We both pulled away gently and gazed into each other�s eyes for almost an affirmation of what we had done was right. I was happy to see a content look begin to cross Vic�s face. I smiled back and we both leaned back in. Our lips met again, this time, they moved confidently against each other. His hand reached up to gently caress my cheek as I pulled myself closer to him by wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, running my fingers through the hair on the base of his neck. Suddenly, our chaste kiss seemed to become more passionate as we both felt the need to deepen the kiss. I felt his tongue close to my lips. I opened my mouth and allowed it to enter to find mine. I had never kissed such an amazing kiss before in all my life. It was so real, so passionate, so loving and gentle. Time seemed to stop as we passionately, yet gently, explored each other�s mouths. We slowly pulled away, sneaking in tiny, quick kisses before pulling away completely. I felt breathless. �Vic�� I began trying to find the right words. He looked worried. He must have taken my pause to me trying to tell him that I wasn't interested. �I�m so sorry Shae-Lynn,� he began. �I thought you wanted that too. I didn�t mean to�� �Stop,� I said, not caring if I was interrupting him. �I wanted that just as much as you did. That was the best kiss I have ever kissed in my life.� He grinned and leaned in to give me another quick kiss. �Me too,� he admitted, the smile on his face growing by the second. He pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I sighed, happy and content with the world as I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. Vic�s POV: I don�t believe that she felt the same way I did. There are so many questions that I have for her but, they can wait. Right now is about us being together. Suddenly, I knew that there was still one thing I had to do�not only for her but for me as well. �Shae-Lynn,� �Mmhmm?� She answered lazily. I took a deep breath. �I think falling in love with you,� She sat up straight at that moment and looked at me with surprise and happiness on her face. �I think I'm falling in love with you too, Victor,� She said, looking shyly down at me. �I was afraid to say something because I was afraid you would think it was too soon. Hell, I thought it was too soon when I began to feel it. But, with you, I know�I just know it�s right,� �I know it�s right with you too,� I said honestly, pulling her closer to me and cupping her face as I gently kissed her lips again. This was right. I know that in our lives, Shae and I will have our ups and our downs but, right now, I was fully convinced that things could work between us. I knew that together both on and off the ice, we will have nothing but happiness. At last, things were finally right for both of us because we were together. THE END!
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