Aaron stayed standing long enough to see Gerald start giving Elise instructions before going to his bench to put on his skates. He hated to admit it, but even after the coffee he was exhausted. Just the night before Bryan had accused him of overworking himself, and he was right. He would either get injured again, or come down with something. Either would take him off the ice and out of the classroom.

That settled it, he wasn't going to do more than this workout and some stretching today. There wasn't going to be any jumping or fancy footwork, just what Elise was doing.

Except he had promised to show his choreography to Gerald that morning. Maybe if he just didn't bring it up, Elise would forget and he would remind her about it the next day.

While all that was going through his mind, he laced up his skates before getting to his feet. He got to the ice just in time to see Elise start trying the pattern on her own.

Aaron took a slow lap around the ice just to warm up his muscles a bit. He felt tight enough that was the first thing he needed to do to prevent another injury.

His lap ended when he was behind Elise, who hadn't noticed him moving on the ice at all. So he announced himself with a loud yawn.

"It's not so scary after all, is it?" he asked gently. He didn't want to startle her enough she would fall. Just by looking at her feet, else, it was clear just how uncomfortable she was on the ice. She had been gone long enough it was going to take time for her skating to come easily again.

"I am going to be so sore," she said instead of answering his question, focusing back on her feet.

He chuckled still watching Elise work her way through the pattern while starting his own tracing. He had practiced the drill enough that he did not need a guide to follow, but could manage it with some concentration.

"I'm just glad we are doing this now before the surface gets all eaten up by everyone moving over it. It would be hard to see the lines I'm tracing if I had all the pock marks and skate marks on the surface," she continued without any prompting.

"They used to do it outside without any ice resurfacing. At least we don't have to worry about these being judged while going over those ridges that happen on pond ice. I don't like skating outside when I don't have to, let me be inside on a mostly smooth surface any day."

Elise glared at him for a moment before looking back at her own feet. He knew she disagreed with his dislike of skating outside, but that wasn't going to make him change his mind. This was a familiar argument between them. He just hoped it helped her relax a bit without distracting her too much.

"If we are just talking skating, I love being outside, especially in a light snow. It's like being in a snow globe," Elise said glare softening into a smile. At least until she had to save herself from falling by putting down her foot.

"Damn it, Aaron, you distracted me!"

"I thought that was why I'm here: to be a distraction," he pointed out, trying not to laugh. His amusement didn't mean he wasn't worried about her actually falling. A fall might set back her recovery even with that brace on her leg.

It was easy enough for him to move in front of her, skating backwards through her pattern. He kept both feet on the ground so that he could offer her stability.

"Use me for balance while you figure it out," he offered, confused when he saw she was surprised by the offer.

Or was she surprised that he was being nice?

It wasn't like she had never seen him be nice before. In his opinion, he had been awfully nice to her since she came back, outside of a few griping comments.

"Thank you," Elise said softly as she gripped his hands tightly, turning her focus back to her feet.

When their eyes no longer met, Aaron felt like he could breathe again. It was becoming obvious the crush he had as a kid was back and turning into something more.

What was he going to do about it? Would Elise even be interested in him off the ice? Would she be completely turned off by his tendency to be so serious?

At least she would understand how much time he spent training. She wouldn't even hold it against him, since she would be training too.

The silence hung between them while Aaron supported Elise through the pattern a few times. He watched her become more confident and felt her grip loosen bit by bit.

"Elise, I have time this morning before class. Would you like to grab a coffee with me? There's a great cafe a couple blocks from here."

Immediately, her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why, Aaron Cavendish. Are you asking me on a date?" she asked, an unfamiliar tone shading her voice.

The blood rushed to his face as soon as he heard his name, let alone her question. He looked down at his face in embarrassment for a moment before meeting her gaze again. Carefully, he asked, "Do you want it to be a date?"

He almost wanted to hold his breath while waiting for her response. His emotions were at war in his chest, and for a moment, the fear of rejection was growing stronger than the rest.

"Do you have Bryan's permission to ask a hussy like me out on a date?"

Aaron blinked in surprised confusion. Of all the things he had thought she was going to say, that was not one of them. What had happened at dinner the night before? "Why would I need Bryan's permission? Wouldn't a coffee date be just between you and me?"

Aaron's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Somehow facing what must be Elise's anger made him more nervous than showing her his choreography. He was definitely more nervous than he had ever been when asking anyone else on a date.

"Good answer," Elise said, her suspicious look being replaced with her sweet smile. "Then it is a date."

Just like that, Aaron felt like he could breathe again. With a smile, he and Elise kept skating like the rest of the world did not matter.