Roller Skating
“I told you I’d be here at seven.” Arkonel smiled at Ari as she opened the door. He looked down at her, finally appreciating the efforts she was putting forth. As he had watched her throughout the day, he realized just how much she was attracted to him. He doubted that the attraction would be that strong if she knew the truth about him.
“No, you didn’t.” She said, appreciating his look of surprise. He had finally noticed exactly what she was wearing. Tight jeans that outlined her ass, a tight, thin shirt that showed him exactly what he couldn’t have.
“I think I did.” Arkonel said. “But that’s okay. It looks like you’re ready.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for the amusement that tonight holds for me.” Ari said. “If you’ve never done this, watching you fall will be the most entertainment I’ll ever see.”
“You’re so nice to beginners. I’m kind of glad your major is with animals, you’d be hell as a teacher for mo – humans.” Arkonel caught himself before he said his normal term for humans. She was so caught up in examining him, he could tell his mistake had slipped by her without her notice. He supposed that in human terms, his body was what could be considered attractive. A ‘wife beater’ – he hated that phrase – underneath an open dress shirt, with cargo jeans, he exemplified the modern look without being an ass about it.
“Funny way of putting it. Why didn’t you just say teacher?” Ari looked up. She had been paying attention – sort of.
“In case you decided your life calling was to train animals.” Arkonel covered himself, and she pursed her lips, then nodded.
“I wouldn’t be spending my mother’s money, going to college, to be a dog trainer. We’re not that rich.” Ari shook her head, laughing. “Sometimes, I wonder about you.” She directed her attention into the house.
“Mom, we’re leaving! Taking my car!” She yelled upstairs, and heard a muffled shout of “Alright, be careful!” from the upstairs.
“Maybe you guys should install an intercom system.” Arkonel suggested as he held the door open for Ari.
“Good idea. Say, can we call this a date?”
“Why would we?” Arkonel asked, grinning.
“You kissed me last night.” Ari said, waiting for him as he rushed around to open her driver’s side door for her.
“Under threat of death!” Arkonel complained, shutting the door softly behind her. He had enjoyed it.
“You liked it. So did I.”
“Are you so damn blunt all the time?” Arkonel asked, laughing as she started the car. The music blasted his human ears until she reached over and turned the volume dial down to almost nothing.
“Usually. That’s what happens when you grow up in an estrogen-run household.” Ari admitted, backing out of her winding driveway with surprising ease, considering she had only been there a few weeks.
“I see. Do you even know where we’re going?” Arkonel asked her. She nodded.
“I got directions off of the internet earlier. You told me the club name, and I got the rest. Tell me, is it an insult to your masculinity that I have to drive whenever we go anywhere?”
“Not really. You should see my vehicle back home. I just don’t want to get into an accident down here, in the middle of nowhere, and make my grandmother’s car insurance go up to a point where she won’t be able to afford a car.” Arkonel kept his details vague, as he didn’t know much about cars, or driving. It looked easy enough for the humans, he could probably pull it off.
“And you won’t let me pay for anything anyway, right?” Ari asked him. “Now that we’re on a date, I mean.”
“Who said it was a date?” Arkonel asked, laughing. He wasn’t entirely sure if she knew he was joking, and he put his hand on her leg for reassurance.
“That, right there. You may be telling me no, but your hand is screaming ‘ooh! Let me go up her thigh! Let’s see how far I can go before she hits you and calls you a pervert!’ I know boys.”
“It can be a date, if it makes you feel better.” Arkonel gave up on denying it. It was a date. “You know, this is my first date, ever.”
“You’ve never dated anyone?”
“Nope.” Arkonel said. He’d slept with a lot of them, but he’d never actually just gone out for a night with someone he intended to sleep with. Not that he intended to sleep with Ariana.
“See? You were sheltered!” Ari proclaimed, triumphant. “I’m your first girlfriend!”
“Now, come on. Whose to say I wasn’t like every other arrogant male, and just slept with all the women I ever found?” Arkonel asked her. She looked at him and burst out laughing.
“Because you’re not like that. You’re a good person.”
“You may know me, Ari, but you don’t know everything about me.” Arkonel said, keeping the mood light, even though his heart was sinking. There was no way she could be his one – there was no way she would believe what he eventually had to tell her if he actually wanted a relationship with her. She would laugh in his face, and when she realized that he wasn’t lying, she would tell him that she never wanted to see him again.
“Right. But I know your type.” Ari agreed, sort of. Arkonel threw his hands up in the air, much like he had seen his father do when he was frustrated.
“I give up. You win.” Arkonel acquiesced. “You are in charge, dear lady.”
“Good thing you finally admit it.”
The two arrived just as the party was beginning to start. It was like a G-Rated dance club, where all of the dancing and sex with clothes on was limited because everyone was on roller skates or roller blades. The club was dark, except for the strobe lights and disco ball in the center as people skated around, and around. There was an open bar to one side for those that wanted drinks – non alcoholic ones, that was. Drunk people roller blading was a little too much liability for the owners of the club.
“We should get our skates!” Ari yelled into Arkonel’s ear. Ark was trying to shut off his immortal senses as best as he could – the emotions and energies swirling around the club were intense. Mostly light hearted, but still intense to the point where he would be distracted.
“Where?” He asked. He had never been there before, either.
“I think over there!” Ari pointed to a corner with normal lighting, and Arkonel nodded. He could see rows and rows of skates behind the counter. They maneuvered around the tables littered with shoes, people and skates, making their way to the corner with relative ease.
“Size?” The man asked, directing his question at Ari, and Arkonel tried to remember what shoe size his human body wore. He thought a nine or a ten.
“Seven.” Ari responded, smiling. “It busy tonight?”
“No, this is actually a light night.” The man, Roger, according to his name tag, responded. “Usually its packed to the brim. You guys are lucky – there will actually be room to skate. What about you, sir? Size?”
“Never done this before. Let’s try a nine.” Arkonel said, guessing. The man handed him his skates, they thanked him, and they went to try and find a spot in the crowd of people to sit down and try their skates on.
Ari slipped hers on with ease, buckling them down and then almost falling off of her chair laughing at Arkonel when she saw he hadn’t even taken his shoes off. He was trying to fit them over his shoes.
“No, take your shoes off.” Ari admonished him gently, then took one of her skates off to show him how to put them on. “I guess you were telling the truth when you said you had never done anything on blades or wheels. How have you lived in New York?” She asked him.
“I’m not really sure.” Arkonel admitted. He should have been an original Greece native for more than five years. That would explain him better. And he knew that he had to take his shoes off. He watched Ari do it. He had just been too entranced by her.
“Are those too tight?” She asked him when she secured his skates for him. He had given up.
“No, I think they’re good.”
“Okay, now watch how I stand up. You’re going to be very unbalanced, and unless you hold onto something, you’re going to fall on your ass.” Ari warned him. She grabbed onto the table in front of her and pulled herself up, then made sure she was balanced before letting go to stand, in perfect stillness, atop rows of wheels.
Arkonel decided that if he was going to inhabit a human body, he might as well do it with the full human grace. He didn’t pick himself up with any of his immortal abilities. He held onto the table, just like Ari did, and pulled himself up. Too far. He fell forward, flat on his face.
“Are you okay?” Ari asked in between laughs as she bent down to help him. She looked at his situation. “You are hopeless. Okay, get on your knees, and put one leg in front of you. Just like this.” Ari demonstrated by getting on one knee, her other leg with the blade on the floor.
“Now, use the table again, just not so hard. Use it as like, I don’t know, a lever, so you can keep your balance.” Ari demonstrated, rising gracefully to both skates.
“You can do it.” She encouraged him as he reached up for the table that had sealed his fate the first time.
Arkonel used a little magic – he admitted it to himself, but he didn’t want to make a complete ass of himself for the second time in a row. He made cushions of air around him and picked himself up in the exact same manner that Ari had, made sure his balance was solid enough and then released the air.
“Now, see, that wasn’t so hard?” Ari asked, choking back another laugh. Arkonel glowered at her.
“For you. How many times have you done this stuff?” Arkonel asked.
“Just a few. It’s a motor skill, though. Once you learn it, you never really forget it. Its kind of like any sport or hobby. Your apparent ability for tree-climbing, for example. I couldn’t have scaled the tree that you jumped out of when I met you. I’m still not sure how you did it.” She scrutinized him for a moment, then returned to laughing. “Do you want to try moving, or is that just too much for your frail body?”
“I am ready to try moving, Mrs. Teacher.” Arkonel mocked her a little bit, the first time he really had that night. She reached over and smacked his arm.
“Now, don’t get mouthy young man, or you’ll be punished.” She joked with him, and skated back a few feet.
“Oh, really?” He asked her. “Guess I’ll have to continue, then.”
“I’ll leave you right there, and you can learn how to skate, all by yourself.” Ari warned Arkonel with mock superiority. “Actually, I just might. Watching you fall one more time would be hilarious.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll see me fall if you teach me, too.” Arkonel admitted. Getting up was the only part he was going to use his powers to help with. He decided that immediately. Every thing else, he wanted to learn. He might as well have fun on duty.
---
Previous Chapter: Reality Check
Next Chapter: Trouble On The Home Front
Home: Go To Title Page