"O-oh, uhh..." He kneels down and peers at the the sole of her shoe. "It says a size 6, so let's go with that." Having already purchased his own shoes, he actually does know his own size for once, and he quickly relays that number to the lady behind the counter as well.
Apparently they're supposed to pay upfront, though, so Manolo quickly takes out his wallet and...pretty much empties it out for her. Twenty-six dollars. Ouch. Oh well. He doesn't sweat it too much. It's not like he was planning on spending it on anyone else but Maria anyway.
"Here," he brightly says, handing the smaller pair over. "I think there are some lockers over there by the benches."
Oh Manolo. She can't even get her purse open fast enough. With a flat grin, Maria takes the pair of boots from his hand and walks along with him to a row of benches and lockers to change out their shoes.
"I could have paid my half, you know." She bumps him with her hip to get the point across. Not that she doesn't appreciate it, but he should never feel like he has to spend more than his share in this--what they have with each other. She has a paying job, she's happy to help out.
Then she sits down on the bench and starts unlacing her winter boots.
"I know," he says with warmth in his brown eyes. "But I wanted to."
Of course, he can understand why someone like Maria wouldn't want someone paying her way all the time, so he lightly bumps her arm and adds, "Maybe you could grab dinner?" It's punctuated with a sheepish grin because, really, he didn't have to empty his wallet, but...well, here they are.
He settles down next to her and starts to pull of his shoes. The silence that falls between them as they change into their skates is comfortable, and he sneaks another look at the profile of her face, wearing a tiny smile.
"Alright," she smiles lightly to herself. They can try someplace new tonight. Maria's been keeping clipping and articles bookmarked to her phone of small vegetarian and special dietary-friendly restaurants around the city. And, hey, Manolo can't complain if she's the one paying (not that he ever would).
With both boots tugged off, her feet are set firmly on the carpeted floor. She purposefully wore her pair of toe socks that Manolo had bought for her shortly after arriving. They are bright turquoise with pink little pigs stitched all over. They were so precious, even if a little annoying to get on (she usually missed a toe and always had to sit back down and refit the darn socks). But it's worth it to wear when she can anytime they go out together. She wiggles all of her toes across the carpet to watch the piggies squirm.
When she finally looks up and sees Manolo staring, she stares back. It's questioning at first, as if she's waiting for him to say something, but then her face softens and she matches his own grin. "Thank you, for doing this with me."
Seeing those socks on her feet always makes Manolo's day. The moment he stumbled across them in a small novelty store, he'd instantly thought of her, and so he just had to get them.
The thanks is a bit unexpected, though, and his eyebrows raise in surprise. "I should be thanking you, though. I never would have thought to try this alone!"
And it was true. There was something too lonely about gliding along the ice without a warm hand to hold onto.
"Ay, Manolo." Her laugh is short and soft as she fits on her rather dangerous looking skating boots. "We need to work on your sense of adventure." It is certainly a joke, of course. This is the same man who has gone to the Land of the Forgotten and back to save San Angel and be with her. He can find adventure if the goal is right, but he makes a wonderful partner in crime, too. Maria is satisfied with her constant wing man.
Lacing up the boots takes an exorbitant amount of time. They can't be too loose or else they bend, but too tight makes her feet hurt. She has to try it twice to find a good balance. But once she does, she immediately stands up on her feet. And then falls right back down on the bench. No doubt Maria looks as startled by her fall from grace as Manolo.
The adventure comment earns a lop-sided grin from Manolo. He knows she's just teasing him. Lord knows he had no problems getting roped into whatever scheme Maria cooked up when they were children. And that much, so far, seems to have stayed the same despite their time apart.
He watches her lace and re-lace her boots. If Maria is having trouble, then Manolo isn't sure how he's supposed to manage. Of course, he's more inclined to say "good enough" and leave himself with questionable balance, but...that isn't really much better, is it.
When Maria suddenly falls back onto the bench, though, he nearly jumps out of his skin. Thankfully, she doesn't seem hurt, but he decides to check anyway. "Are you alright?"
There's a weak chuckle now that the sudden jolt has worn off.
"Fine, fine. I guess I forgot these aren't ordinary shoes." This time, however, she waits for Manolo. "How're yours? Not too loose?" She knows you well, son. She wouldn't like you cutting corners and rolling your fool ankle out on the ice.
"I don't think so?" That's not the inflection of a man who's sure of himself, though, and he lightly shakes his foot to see if the skates are at least securely fastened. "They're not falling off, anyway."
Maria rolls her eyes a bit and scoots closer. She slides her fingers between his pants and the leather of the boots. There's too much room, that much is obvious. So she unlaces them and tightens up the slack around his ankles.
"Too tight?" she asks, testing it for herself with her fingers.
Manolo's smile turns a bit sheepish when she ends up having to undo the laces herself. He can't deny that her way of doing things leaves his skates feeling much more secure on his feet, though.
"No, I think that's...perfect, actually," he answers, finding himself charmed and maybe a bit distracted by how small her hands are. It's strange to think that he's the only one in this rink who knows how lethal they can really be.
"Good," she agrees, giving his knee a quick squeeze. "Let's go." Maria offers her hand to Manolo when she slowly and carefully stands up the second time. It's more than a little awkward trying to balance her weight on two thin points of pressure, but her center of gravity has been well mastered thanks to her martial arts training.
She's more concerned about how she will ever get Manolo onto the ice.
Manolo takes her hand and follows her example, wobbling to a stand and jutting out his other arm in an attempt to maintain his balance. "Woah, hahah..."
He looks over to the entrance of the rink and gives her an optimistic smile. "It doesn't seem too far. We can do this."
Famous last words, maybe, but that doesn't deter Manolo who begins to lead the way with unsteady legs.
"Yes. We've got this." If nothing else they can certainly balance each other out if need be, Maria keeping her hand on Manolo's arm. If Maria's struggling she sure doesn't show it! Her sights are on that stage of ice!
And when they get to the nearest entrance, she only pauses for a moment before pulling her skirt up cautiously and placing a skate down on the slick slab of ice. The left follows swiftly, and she's there standing on the ice slowly drifting away from Manolo.
"Ohh haha..." Her laugh is pure delight. "This isn't so hard!" Famous last words, indeed.
He reaches out for her as she seemingly floats away, and his face lights up at that beautiful laugh. Honestly, he could just stand and watch her from there. Before she can get too far, though, he decides to take a crack at it himself, stepping out onto the ice.
"Hey, wait for me," he says with a light laugh of his own, and before he either of them can add anything else, he's gliding toward her -- but his eyes grow wide the second he realizes his poorly-thought plan didn't take into account how he's supposed to stop.
With a soft chuckle, she slowly turns her body around to meet Manolo. Now that they are both out on the ice, Maria is excited to hold his hand and skate with him. It sounds very... romantic, and she extends out her right for him to take. Then she extends both arms out because Manolo has that look on his face, and his skates certainly show now signs of slowing down.
"I can't--I can't stop," he blurts, a clear thread of panic running through his voice now. "Maria, look out!"
What else is she going to do, though? Manolo squeezes his eyes shut moments before his body painfully plows into her, and they both go tumbling across the ice together. "Ooof--!"
Ohhh dear. Maria has enough time to get into a defensive stance, but it does little to help her on skates. She goes down with him, squawking most unladylike. She lands on her backside, which is fortunate, though her wrist hurts a bit when she reflexively caught herself. Other than that (and a nice bruise the next morning on her butt), no harm no foul.
So she reaches for Manolo instead. "Are you alright? Manolo?"
"Ugh...I'm fine..." Manolo's elbows and knees hurt, but it's not any worse than some of his less-than-stellar practice sessions in the bullring. Concern etched into his face now, he looks up at Maria and grasps her hand.
"What about you?" he anxiously asks. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Once she's sure he's fine, Maria cracks a smile and starts laughing softly. "I'm alright, I'm fine," she assures, holding tight to his hand as she prepares to find her footing again under the flowing fabrics of her skirt.
"Here, let's try this again." Keeping her core tight, she rises back onto her blades without pulling on Manolo. Now they can worry about him. "Ready?" she asks, bracing her weight low to keep him balanced while he gets his legs under him. Teamwork!
That alone makes Manolo feel a lot better about this whole thing, and he nods before clutching onto her steady hands. He's focused, moving slowly and carefully as he shifts his legs back under him. It was a miracle Maria didn't get hurt during their collision just now. Manolo doesn't want to test their luck a second time.
Thankfully, he succeeds, and he meets Maria's large brown eyes. Whether it's from nerves or the sheer delight of having her so close, he can't say...but, his shoulders still start to shake, and now he can't stop laughing to save his life.
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doublechaser2015-12-05 05:24 am
no subject
Apparently they're supposed to pay upfront, though, so Manolo quickly takes out his wallet and...pretty much empties it out for her. Twenty-six dollars. Ouch. Oh well. He doesn't sweat it too much. It's not like he was planning on spending it on anyone else but Maria anyway.
"Here," he brightly says, handing the smaller pair over. "I think there are some lockers over there by the benches."
no subject
"I could have paid my half, you know." She bumps him with her hip to get the point across. Not that she doesn't appreciate it, but he should never feel like he has to spend more than his share in this--what they have with each other. She has a paying job, she's happy to help out.
Then she sits down on the bench and starts unlacing her winter boots.
no subject
Of course, he can understand why someone like Maria wouldn't want someone paying her way all the time, so he lightly bumps her arm and adds, "Maybe you could grab dinner?" It's punctuated with a sheepish grin because, really, he didn't have to empty his wallet, but...well, here they are.
He settles down next to her and starts to pull of his shoes. The silence that falls between them as they change into their skates is comfortable, and he sneaks another look at the profile of her face, wearing a tiny smile.
no subject
With both boots tugged off, her feet are set firmly on the carpeted floor. She purposefully wore her pair of toe socks that Manolo had bought for her shortly after arriving. They are bright turquoise with pink little pigs stitched all over. They were so precious, even if a little annoying to get on (she usually missed a toe and always had to sit back down and refit the darn socks). But it's worth it to wear when she can anytime they go out together. She wiggles all of her toes across the carpet to watch the piggies squirm.
When she finally looks up and sees Manolo staring, she stares back. It's questioning at first, as if she's waiting for him to say something, but then her face softens and she matches his own grin. "Thank you, for doing this with me."
no subject
The thanks is a bit unexpected, though, and his eyebrows raise in surprise. "I should be thanking you, though. I never would have thought to try this alone!"
And it was true. There was something too lonely about gliding along the ice without a warm hand to hold onto.
no subject
Lacing up the boots takes an exorbitant amount of time. They can't be too loose or else they bend, but too tight makes her feet hurt. She has to try it twice to find a good balance. But once she does, she immediately stands up on her feet. And then falls right back down on the bench. No doubt Maria looks as startled by her fall from grace as Manolo.
no subject
He watches her lace and re-lace her boots. If Maria is having trouble, then Manolo isn't sure how he's supposed to manage. Of course, he's more inclined to say "good enough" and leave himself with questionable balance, but...that isn't really much better, is it.
When Maria suddenly falls back onto the bench, though, he nearly jumps out of his skin. Thankfully, she doesn't seem hurt, but he decides to check anyway. "Are you alright?"
no subject
"Fine, fine. I guess I forgot these aren't ordinary shoes." This time, however, she waits for Manolo. "How're yours? Not too loose?" She knows you well, son. She wouldn't like you cutting corners and rolling your fool ankle out on the ice.
no subject
See? Good enough.
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"Too tight?" she asks, testing it for herself with her fingers.
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"No, I think that's...perfect, actually," he answers, finding himself charmed and maybe a bit distracted by how small her hands are. It's strange to think that he's the only one in this rink who knows how lethal they can really be.
no subject
She's more concerned about how she will ever get Manolo onto the ice.
no subject
He looks over to the entrance of the rink and gives her an optimistic smile. "It doesn't seem too far. We can do this."
Famous last words, maybe, but that doesn't deter Manolo who begins to lead the way with unsteady legs.
no subject
And when they get to the nearest entrance, she only pauses for a moment before pulling her skirt up cautiously and placing a skate down on the slick slab of ice. The left follows swiftly, and she's there standing on the ice slowly drifting away from Manolo.
"Ohh haha..." Her laugh is pure delight. "This isn't so hard!" Famous last words, indeed.
no subject
"Hey, wait for me," he says with a light laugh of his own, and before he either of them can add anything else, he's gliding toward her -- but his eyes grow wide the second he realizes his poorly-thought plan didn't take into account how he's supposed to stop.
no subject
"Uhmm...."
no subject
What else is she going to do, though? Manolo squeezes his eyes shut moments before his body painfully plows into her, and they both go tumbling across the ice together. "Ooof--!"
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So she reaches for Manolo instead. "Are you alright? Manolo?"
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"What about you?" he anxiously asks. "You're not hurt, are you?"
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"Here, let's try this again." Keeping her core tight, she rises back onto her blades without pulling on Manolo. Now they can worry about him. "Ready?" she asks, bracing her weight low to keep him balanced while he gets his legs under him. Teamwork!
no subject
That alone makes Manolo feel a lot better about this whole thing, and he nods before clutching onto her steady hands. He's focused, moving slowly and carefully as he shifts his legs back under him. It was a miracle Maria didn't get hurt during their collision just now. Manolo doesn't want to test their luck a second time.
Thankfully, he succeeds, and he meets Maria's large brown eyes. Whether it's from nerves or the sheer delight of having her so close, he can't say...but, his shoulders still start to shake, and now he can't stop laughing to save his life.