Suddenly, I Am Rich

Their lunch went better than either of them expected.

The food was good, comforting, flavorful, and worthy of every bite. But more than that, the company of the two of them felt nice.

They laughed between bites, exchanged small stories, and even teased each other a few times over the way they ate. Chloe, unsurprisingly, ended up ordering dessert, while Gray watched with faint amusement as she devoured it like she hadn’t just finished a full plate of pasta.

[$129 has been deducted from your balance.]

[$5.95 has been refunded.]

After paying the bill, they stepped out of the restaurant with satisfied stomachs and light conversation continued between them.

The late afternoon sun had mellowed now, casting long shadows across the sidewalks as they made their way to their next destination.

This time, Chloe took the lead.

She had already made the arrangement on her phone earlier. After a short drive, the two arrived at the city’s indoor ice-skating rink. The building was large and sleek, its glass windows revealing the cool white glow of the rink inside.

Unlike the typical recreational rinks packed with families or teenagers, this one looked more modern and refined. Above the double doors, a sign read ”North Arcadia Skating Center.”

Chloe walked ahead, and Gray followed closely behind.

As they stepped inside, the air turned noticeably cooler. The scent of cold metal and polished ice filled the space. The lobby was clean and minimal, with a long reception counter at the side and benches lined along the wall.

But what surprised Gray the most... was how quiet it was.

There were no crowd and no skaters in the rink.

The place was empty.

”Wait,” he muttered and frowned. ”Where is everyone?”

Chloe looked over her shoulder. The corner of her lips rose to a smile.

”I asked for a private session.”

”You what?”

”I reserved the whole rink,” she said like it was no big deal. ”The owner’s a friend of my dad. I texted him earlier, and he said there were no scheduled practices today. So he said we could use it until the evening.”

Gray unbelievably stared at her.

”You... reserved a whole rink?”

”What? I’m the best. I already know that.” Chloe chuckled and smiled. She shrugged her shoulders teasingly with a cheeky look.

”You’re really unbelievable,” Gray just shook his head in disbelief.

”I know, right?”

And with that, Chloe headed toward the benches by the side.

Gray stood still for a second, just looking at her as she started unbuckling her boots.

”Wait,” he looked around and squinted his eyes. ”How are we even supposed to skate? We don’t have skates.”

Chloe looked up at him like she had been waiting for that question.

”Oh, don’t worry. I already bought a pair for both of us.”

Gray blinked again. ”You what?”

”Yup,” she said, lifting a finger in the air. ”Size ten for you, right?”

Before Gray could even react to how accurately she guessed, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed across the lobby floor.

A young woman in a staff uniform appeared from behind the reception counter, carrying two pairs of ice skates in her arms.

”Miss Chloe?” she called politely.

”Yes?” Chloe raised a hand.

The assistant walked over and handed them the skates with a smile. ”Everything has been prepared as requested. The rink is all yours for the evening.”

Gray looked down at the skates in his hand, then up at Chloe.

”You really planned all of this?”

Chloe smiled sweetly.

”Of course. You said yes. So I figured I’d make it special.”

Gray let out a quiet laugh, still not quite used to being on the receiving end of this kind of treatment. He shook his head with a chuckle.

”Come on, Gray. Change your shoes so we can start.”

”I will, Ma’am.”

They both laughed as they sat side by side on the bench, starting to lace up their skates.

The ice was colder than Gray expected.

The moment they stepped onto the rink, a chill shot up through the blades of his skates and right into his ankles.

’Fuck...’ He gripped the edge of the wall tightly, brows furrowed as he tried to keep his balance.

Chloe, on the other hand, was already gliding forward with ease.

”Come on, it’s not that hard!” she called out, skating backward while facing him. Her cheeks were red from the cold, and her breath formed small puffs in the air.

Gray, still hugging the side like it was a lifeline, narrowed his eyes.

”Says the girl who reserved a private rink. I’m betting you’ve done this more than once.”

”Only three times,” she said with a shrug, then added with a grin, ”Well, four now.”

Gray cautiously pushed away from the wall, arms stretched out for balance. For a brief moment, it looked like he had it.

One foot glided forward. The other followed.

Then—

His knee buckled slightly, his skate caught, and...

”Whoa—!”

He flailed, spun half a circle, and nearly crashed to the ice. Fortunately, at the last second, he was caught by Chloe, who skated up just in time to grab his arm.

”Gotcha!” she beamed, holding him upright.

Gray was quiet for a second, then exhaled sharply.

”I almost died.” He exaggeratedly uttered.

”You did not.”

”I saw my life flash before my eyes.” He shook his head.

They both burst out laughing.

Chloe tugged him gently forward, skating backward again while pulling him along. ”Just follow my lead. Don’t overthink it. Come on.”

”I don’t think I have a choice,” Gray muttered, as he noticed their position. They were already in the middle of the ring, and he was holding onto her for his dear life.

Little by little, he got the hang of it. He stopped wobbling as much and he slowly found his balance. Every time he stumbled, Chloe would catch him or poke fun at him, depending on the severity of it.

They did laps around the rink. They were slow, he was wobbly, but the two of them were full of laughter. Gray loosened up after half an hour. He was able to let go of her as he did his own thing.

Chloe twirled once and nearly slipped, making him laugh so hard he lost his balance again.

”Tsk. That serves you right,” Chloe jokingly rolled her eyes.

It was a mess. A fun and chaotic mess.

Eventually, they stopped near the center of the rink, their cheeks red from laughter and cold.

Gray was breathing hard, trying to recover from his most recent near-fall.

”Okay,” he said between breaths. ”I take it back. This was fun.”

”Told you.” Chloe smiled, her hands folded behind her back as she leaned closer to him. ”You didn’t believe me.”

”I didn’t think I’d survive it,” he shrugged his shoulder while brushing a bit of frost off his sleeve.

”But... I guess you were a good teacher.”

Chloe laughed. Her laughter blended with the faint sound of the rink’s cold silence. She lowered her gaze for a second, then looked back at him. Her eyes were warm and her cheeks were still flushed from the cold.

”You’re not bad yourself,” she said softly.

Gray tilted his head, noticing the way her voice shifted. There was less teasing now.

”Thanks. I know I’m good.” Gray uttered, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness.

Neither of them moved to skate away. They just stayed there in the center of the empty rink.

”Thanks for saying yes today,” Chloe murmured, her hands tucked into her sleeves as she looked up at him.

”Of course. I also wanted to go out.” Gray smiled.

That made Chloe smile again.

And then, without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t long.

It was just a light kiss.

But it was enough to make the cold around them feel a little warmer.