"Andre, you know how bad I am at skating," you sighed and sat on the bench.
"It's really cute though! You always look so concentrated."
"Because I don't want to fall again!" Still, you couldn't keep the smile off your face. This was the first time in the last three weeks that you found the time to hang out. With your studying at the local university and his hockey carrier, niether of you had time for this. Living in the same apartment didn't fix things - you barely saw each other. The only time you could spend with each other were nights when you both were too exhausted to do anything but sleeping.
Your memories flew to the first and the last time you fell on the ice - it was also the first time your boyfriend made you go skating with him. And when you found the courage to stand on the slippy ice you immediately fell before Andre could even register it. After he helped you up, you got mad at him for laughing at you and swore you'd never again go skating with him. But here you were, once again looking at the ice floor.
"It happend just once, Y/N, maybe you got better since then." Andre was smirking at you so you nudged his shoulder and took the skates from him, but he easily took them back. He knelt in front of you and held one of your foot, took off your shoe and helped you put on the skate.
"Or you'll just catch me this time." you suggested and Andre's smirk grew even bigger.
"At least you admitted you'd even try to go on the ice this time." You just couldn't be mad at him. His face, his stance - no man ever knelt before you. And then there was Andre Burakovsky - the man of whom everyone thought as of a typical hockey player. The Andre who was kneeling in front of you was your Andre, real and with his eyes filled with tenderness and love. You could see it in his face - the way he would give you everything in the world just to make you happy.
"I will. And after I do so, there will be at least one thing off of your list of 'things that you do better than me'." You both grinned at each other and Andre put the other skate on your left foot.
There was a peaceful type of quiet after that. Andre was so concentrated on tying up your skates' laces. Just looking at that gesture made you tear up - it was full of the care he gave you.
Sometimes you felt like you were holding his heart in your hands, bare and defenseless. This was one of those moments and you had to be so careful not to do anything wrong, not to hurt him in the slightest. He gave you so much - so much that you sometimes thought that what you gave him wasn't nearly enough.
"I'm done," Andre pointed out, seeing the way you were looking at him. He took your hands in his and helped you up, taking care of your unsure legs in the skates.
"Don't you dare drop me." you smiled at him, tilting your head up to look him in the face. Andre wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your body against his.
"Don't you dare break my heart," Andre whispered, his lips so close to yours. He would never ask you for more than this shabby promise. The thought made you cry a little.
"Only if you promise to not break mine." you whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"I promise, Y/N. I promise to love you as long as you want me to. I promise to make you happy as long as I'm able to. And I promise to make you as happy as my wife can ever be." At his words, you completely crumbled and your tears found their way on your cheeks.
"Don't you have to ask me something before I become your wife, Burakovsky?" you sniffed, laughing quietly. Andre smiled again, kissing your brow.
"If you skate to me, you'll have me kneeling again, Y/N. Just for a different reason." With thoose words, he took off, skating to the middle of the ice with a wide smile on his lips.
