Rejected: A love story-Chapter 134: Why would you want to impress me?

"Why would you want to impress me?" She asked softly not breaking the eye contact.

Nikolai paused, his breathing catching a little as her words seemed to jot back a memory. For a moment, all the sounds of the rink—the chatter of families, the scraping of skates on ice, the laughter of others—seemed to die out. There was just her, those big eyes looking at him, and the faint scent of her perfume. Why had he just noticed that? He wondered.

"Why wouldn’t I?" he finally said, his voice soft.

Viktoria blinked, clearly taken aback by the simplicity of his response. "I mean..." She began to say something, but her words seemed to stall on her lips. She looked away, her hands tightening around the warm cup of liquid she cradled. "I’m not exactly the same girl you fell in love with, am I?"

Nikolai looked at her with a faintly puzzled expression, leaning forward slightly. "What makes you say that?"

She exhaled, her breath forming a small mist of vapor in the chill air. "I don’t remember half of what I’ve done, Nikolai. I don’t remember us. What if... what if I’m not exactly the person you fell in love with?"

He let her words sink in for a moment before answering.

"Viktoria," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "You’re still you. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you’re stubborn enough to argue with your father about being treated like a child—you’re still you."

Her eyes met his, her expression changing.

"And even if some things have changed," he went on, "I’m not here because of who you were. I’m here because of who you are. Right now"

Her lips opened slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She simply looked at him, her eyes scanning his face for some hidden agenda, some crack in his sincerity but there wasn’t any.

"That’s why I want to impress you," Nikolai went on with a small, sheepish smile.

"Because I know how lucky I am to be here with you. And I don’t want to mess it up."

Viktoria’s cheeks flushed even deeper, and this time, she knew it had nothing to do with the cold. She looked down at her mug, a shy smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You’re doing fine," she said softly, her voice barely audible.

Nikolai grinned, his shoulders relaxing as if a weight had been lifted. "Good," he said. "Because I don’t think I could survive another fall on the ice."

She laughed, the sound light and genuine, and for the first time that night, she felt the last traces of her nervousness melt away.

They spent the rest of the evening wandering along the riverbank, while Nikolai told her stories about their past—little moments she had forgotten, like the time they’d stayed up all night talking about their dreams before they began dating, or the time she’d beaten him at chess and refused to let him live it down for weeks.

Viktoria listened quietly, letting his words paint a picture of a life she couldn’t remember but desperately wanted to. And as they walked, she found herself leaning closer to him, her arm would intentionally brush against his, when she saw he didn’t get the hint, she finally slipped her hand into his.

Nikolai looked down at their intertwined fingers, a smile tugging at his lips but he didn’t say anything.

She took in the sight of the stars scattered across the night sky.

"It’s beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It is," Nikolai replied, but his eyes weren’t on the sky. They were on her.

She turned to look at him, catching him staring, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. The world around them seemed to fade into the background.

"What?" she asked softly, a small smile playing on her lips.

Nikolai hesitated, his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly. "I don’t know if I should say it," he admitted, his voice low.

"Say what?"

That you’re more beautiful than the view," he said, his words coming out in a rush.

Viktoria’s breath caught, her cheeks flushing deep pink. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she stared at him, her heart racing.

Nikolai took a small step closer to her, his other hand reaching up to brush a wayward curl from her face. "I don’t want to rush you," he said quietly, his voice trembling.

Viktoria swallow, her heart was beating so fast she was sure he could hear it.

Nikolai hesitated, searching her face for any sign of discomfort, and any reason to step back.

When she didn’t move, he took it as a sign and his hand slowly dropped from her cheek.

"I’m sorry," he murmured, already retreating half a step. "I shouldn’t have—"

Viktoria’s hand quickly caught his wrist before he could pull away completely. Her eyes burned into his, filled with a raw need she couldn’t ignore—the ache to feel him, to close the gap her lost memories had carved between them.

"Don’t," she whispered, her voice filled with longing.

"Kiss me. Now."

Nikolai’s hesitation vanished instantly. He closed the gap between them, claiming her lips in a fierce, unyielding kiss that poured all his pent-up longing into the gesture. His lips claimed hers hungrily, hard, demanding, as if he could imprint himself on her soul.

His lips danced against hers with a tender movement that made her heart ache, each movement drawing out the emotion they’d been circling all night. She tasted the faint hint of hot chocolate on his tongue when he dared a light brush, and she returned the gesture in kind, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.

Nikolai’s hand finally rested on the nape of her neck, his thumb moving in a circular motion against her skin. He put his sincerity into the kiss, using it to communicate the unspoken emotions that couldn’t be put into words, the unwavering care that had driven him to return to her side, the hope that they might be able to recreate the life time had taken from them.

As time passed, the kiss deepened, the initial softness of the touch gradually becoming more intense. Viktoria leaned into the kiss, her body pressing against his, the desperation mounting like a wave she couldn’t control.

Her lips opened further, and he took the cue to enter her mouth. He did so with a low, muffled sound from the back of his throat. His kiss was now fervent. Their tongues touched in a passionate dance. Her hands went to his shoulders and clasped them tightly, as if afraid to let him go. His arm went around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

The heat between them was now burning, and it was threatening to engulf the restrictions they had set for themselves. Nikolai’s fingers went deep into her hair and pulled her head back to give him better access to her mouth. His kiss was hungry and showed the passion he had been holding back all night.