AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was inspired to write this story after watching a match at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women`s curling championships. Curling is a great sport but I understand not everyone gets it, so I tried not to use too much jargon or make it too much of the focus. This is my first attempt at a genuine, romantic, redemptive love story. As always, please read and enjoy.
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Her form was perfect.
The concentration etched on her face. The strength uncoiling from her body as she powered out of the hack. The graceful follow-through as she extended her arm and let go of the rock.
The way her tight pants framed her ass as she delivered each practice shot.
Perfect. Every time.
He sighed as she delivered another rock and watched it settle into the rings, stopping right on the button. He wondered how things had come to this point in his life.
Curling was a major part of his life. He didn`t have a natural talent for the game; he was only ever good enough to play in the Sunday night beer leagues. But he was a friendly presence around the curling club, and the president appreciated his dedication enough to give him a job as a maintenance man on the grounds. He took to his position with relish, and over time he was given more responsibilities, eventually becoming the key assistant to the head icemaker.
Despite being around the game for so long, he loved it more than ever. He enjoyed the mental aspect of the sport, trying to match wits and strategy with the teams as he watched games unfold, whether it be at a local bonspiel or the championship matches on TV.
But most of all, it was the people. Curling athletes were the most down-to-earth of any sport, of that he was fully convinced. He attended several championship events and met the best players in the world, and all of them were genuinely nice, regular people. In no other sport would you see the athletes mingling so much with the fans, even having a beer with them, yet this happened in curling all the time because the whole community was so tight-knit.
He preferred to watch the women compete. Women generally relied less on sheer power and more on nuanced strategy and intricate shot-making, and he enjoyed that aspect of their game. And yes, if he was being completely honest, he found most female curlers to be very attractive. In his mind it was the perfect combination of athleticism and girl-next-door looks they possessed that he found irresistible.
But no one captured his attention more than Kellie, who was without a doubt the best curler this small town had ever produced.
Kellie usually wore her straight black hair in a ponytail when he saw her, which was nearly always at the curling club. Her brown eyes were focused and intense, and they were framed by functional yet stylish wire-rimmed glasses. This gave him a secret thrill, as he had a thing for women in glasses. Her breasts were no more than a handful, but they fit her body shape very well. Her hips flared out ever so sweetly, giving her a curvy, womanly frame that was very pleasing to his eye. He never saw her in dresses or skirts, only pants, so he didn`t have a good idea what her legs looked like when bare, but he was sure they were very strong and powerful after years in the sport.
But he thought her best feature was her ass, by far. It was tight and firm, two fleshy globes that he saw countless times when she was bent over, preparing herself to deliver yet another rock to its target. It looked great clothed, so he could only guess at how tremendous it would be in the nude. Many times when he was at home during the night, surrounded by nothing more than his own thoughts and fantasies, he asked himself if he had seen a better butt in his life. The answer was always the same. It was Kellie`s. Her ass was the best, the most rounded, the most succulent, the most desirable.
The most remarkable thing about Kellie, in his opinion, was it appeared she had no idea how sexy she was. No idea at all. If anything, that just made her more attractive to him, as if he were in on a titillating secret no one else knew about.
He thought about Kellie a lot more recently, if that was possible, and it was kind of making him crazy. He envisioned her slowly stripping her clothes and seductively walking towards him. He imagined how her legs would feel wrapped around his torso while they embraced as lovers. He wondered how soft her skin would be when he caressed her ass cheeks. He saw himself driving his...
"Brad!"
He sat up in a jerk and looked up. It was Russ, the head icemaker, his boss and, for all intents and purposes, his best friend. "Jeez, Russ, you scared me half to death! I`m sorry, did you need me..."
Russ softly chuckled and waved his hand in a dismissive though not unfriendly gesture. "It`s OK, we have some time yet." He sat down and cocked his head towards the ice. "Watching Kellie again, I see."
Brad softly nodded. "Yeah."
"You like her, don`t you?"
"God help me, I do."
Russ chuckled again. "You know, as good a curler as she is, I don`t think she`s good at mind-reading."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you should ask her out."
Brad bowed his head. "I don`t know, man."
"Come on, you sound like a scared grade schooler."
"What if she says no?"
"What if she says yes?
Brad sighed in exasperation. "I just... I don`t know."
Russ put a friendly hand on Brad`s shoulder. "Well, I may not know much about love, but here`s what I do know. You can`t slowly waste away pining for her, it will drive you insane. Ask her. If she says no, it will hurt but at least you`ll know where you stand. If she says yes, then... who knows?"
Brad rolled Russ`s words around in his head. He knew his friend was right, of course, but acting on his romantic desires was always something he struggled with. He watched Kellie make another practice shot, thinking about recent well-publicized events in her professional curling life. He thought she could use some moral support and some love. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be that source of support and love. He also thought if the time was not right now, it never would be.
Finally he said, "You know Russ, you`re right. I will ask her."
"Good for you! You`d better get down there, her practice ends in 5 minutes."
"But what about work?"
"Don`t worry. I can handle things the rest of the afternoon, there isn`t that much left to do. Now go on, Brad, before you get cold feet!"
Brad shook his friend`s hand and patted him on the back. "Thanks Russ," he said. Then he left the lounge/observation area and hurried towards the ice.
