Off The Ice - Will Smith
prompt: when a single mom wants to restart with her 2 year old in San Jose and meets the person who would change her life forever.
warnings: mentions of toxic relationship
I didn’t think starting over would feel this quiet. Not peaceful. Not calm. Just quiet. The kind of quiet that makes your thoughts louder than they should be.
“Tessa, baby, we don’t eat crayons,” I sighed, crouching down in front of her.
My two year old looked up at me with wide eyes, bright and innocent, a piece of red crayon dangerously close to her mouth.
She smiled. Actually smiled. Like she wasn’t seconds away from making me question every life choice I’ve ever made.
I gently took it from her. “Food is in the kitchen. Crayons are not food.”
She giggled like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. And just like that, the weight on my chest loosened a little. That’s what she does. That’s what she’s always done. Even on the worst nights, especially on the worst nights.
San Jose was supposed to be a fresh start. No memories. No yelling. No walking on eggshells. No him.
I exhaled slowly, standing up and glancing around the small apartment. Half the boxes were still unpacked, toys scattered across the floor, and my life felt like it was sitting in limbo between “surviving” and “figuring it out.”
A knock on the door snapped me out of it.
“Come in!” I called.
The door swung open and Liv walked in like she owned the place, iced coffee in hand and sunglasses still on even though it was late afternoon.
“Okay, I’ve decided something,” she announced.
“That’s never a good start.”
“You,” she pointed at me, “are going out tonight.”
I blinked. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, already turning back toward Tessa. “Liv, I just moved here. I have a toddler. I don’t even know where the nearest grocery store is-”
“And that,” she cut in, kicking the door shut behind her, “is exactly why you need one night off.”
“I have nights off. I go to sleep at 9:30 instead of 10.”
She stared at me.
“Be serious.”
“I am being serious.”
Liv walked over, gently scooping Tessa into her arms. “Hi, princess,” she cooed. “Is your mom being boring?”
Tessa immediately nodded like she understood the assignment.
“Traitor,” I muttered.
Liv grinned. “Your mom is coming over. She already said yes. You’re going out with me, you’re getting dressed, and you’re going to act like a 21 year old who didn’t just emotionally survive a toxic relationship.”
My chest tightened slightly at that.
“I am fine,” I said quietly.
Liv’s expression softened, just for a second. “I know you are. But being ‘fine’ isn’t the same as living.”
I looked down at Tessa, who was now playing with Liv’s necklace. Living. I didn’t even remember what that felt like.
By the time my mom arrived, I was still standing in front of my closet, staring at clothes that didn’t feel like me anymore.
Too tight.
Too revealing.
Too… before.
“Just pick something,” Liv groaned from behind me, already dressed like she was about to walk into a movie scene.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing.”
“You’re putting on an outfit and letting men look at you.”
I turned. “I don’t want men looking at me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Then you’re putting on an outfit and letting one specific man look at you.”
“Liv-”
“I’m kidding,” she laughed. “Relax. You don’t have to do anything. Just come out. Breathe. Exist outside of being ‘mom’ for a few hours.”
That hit harder than I expected because she wasn’t wrong.
I nodded slowly. “Okay… fine.”
An hour later, I barely recognized myself. Not in a bad way. I felt like a version of me I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“See?” Liv said, grabbing her keys. “Hot.”
“I look like I’m trying too hard.”
“You look like you’re about to ruin someone’s life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
The bar was louder than I expected, music pulsing, people laughing, glasses clinking. It felt like stepping into another world. One I used to belong to.
“Drink?” Liv shouted over the music.
“Yes,” I said immediately.
“Good answer.”
We pushed through the crowd toward the bar, and I slid onto a stool, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as I tried not to feel completely out of place.
“You okay?” Liv asked, leaning closer.
I nodded. “Yeah. Just… adjusting.”
“Give it ten minutes. Someone’s definitely going to hit on you.”
“I hope not.”
She smirked. “I don’t.”
Will POV:
She didn’t notice me right away. But I noticed her the second she walked in.
I leaned back slightly in my seat, eyes locked in her direction.
“Dude,” Macklin nudged me. “You’ve been staring for like, a full minute.”
“I haven’t.”
“You literally stopped mid-sentence.”
I didn’t respond. Because for some reason, I couldn’t look away. It wasn’t just that she was pretty. It was the way she looked hesitant. Like she didn’t belong there and something about that pulled me in immediately.
“Go talk to her,” Macklin said.
I scoffed lightly. “I don’t just walk up to random girls.”
Macklin raised an eyebrow. “You’re a professional athlete.”
“And?”
“And you absolutely walk up to random girls.”
I glanced back at her. She was laughing now, head tilted slightly. Yeah. I’m definitely going over there.
Y/N POV:
I felt it before I saw him. That weird shift. Like someone’s attention just lands on you.
I turned slightly, and he was definitely looking at me.
Light hair. Confident posture. The kind of presence that made people move without realizing it.
And he was walking straight toward me.
“Liv,” I whispered, grabbing her arm.
“Don’t panic,” she whispered back, already grinning. “This is your moment.”
“I don’t have a moment.”
“You do now.”
Before I could respond, he stopped right in front of me. Up close, he was even more intimidating. Not in a scary way. Just sure of himself.
“Hey,” he said, voice calm, easy.
I blinked.
“Hi.”
Smooth. Really smooth. He smiled slightly, like he noticed my nerves but wasn’t going to call me out on it.
“I’m Will.”
“Y/N.”
There was a brief pause.
“Can I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the empty stool next to me.
I hesitated. Just for a second. Because this right here was exactly the kind of thing I used to fall into without thinking.
And I wasn’t that girl anymore. But also I wasn’t her for a reason. I exhaled softly.
“Yeah. You can sit.”
And just like that everything started changing.
