The music swelled and they executed a perfect lift, but the tension between them was chilly cold. Romeo's face fell, his eyes clouding with hurt and frustration.
As they descended from the lift, his grip on Karenina's hand tightened, and locking his eyes on hers, he repeated himself, "I know I can be controlling sometimes. It's just because I care about you so much…"
"Stop gaslighting me," her gaze flashed with anger, "and we are skating! I don't want you to interrupt our core balance on ice!"
"Please—"
"I'm busy," she looks at him with a mix of pain and rage.
But then, in a sudden burst of emotion, Karenina's hand slipped from Romeo's and she glided away, her skates carving an solitary path across the ice.
She dropped to one knee, her free leg extended behind her, and her arms outstretched, as if embracing her freedom she'd momentarily claimed. The ice seemed to shimmer beneath her, reflecting the turmoil of emotions warring within.
