He shakes his head.
“Show off.” I stab my elbow into his side.
He chuckles. “What can I say? I’m one with the skis.”
I look toward the harder course. You start on a higher point on the mountain, and the way down is much more difficult, not to mention scarier.
We make our way up the mountain, and then I glance down, swallowing hard. Wow, it’s really a long way down. I’m not scared of heights or anything, but the course does look terrifying.
Kylen slides his gloved hand into mine. “Hey, you can do it. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I won’t let anything happen to you. If you want to do this, I mean. It’s okay if you want to back out. No judgment here.”
We won’t be able to hold hands because we need both of our poles, but he promises he’ll ski right next to me. I know I can do this on my own, but it feels really good to have him by my side. Protected. Cared for. It feels like he’s trying to send me another message as well. That he’ll always be by my side in life, if I’m willing to have him.
I send him a sweet smile. “Thanks. I’m ready to do this with you by my side.”
He searches my eyes, as though wondering if I got his other message. With a nod, he focuses on the course. I take a deep breath through my nose and then release it through my mouth. Then I’m off.
Holy crap! This course is much faster than the easier one. It takes a second for me to get used to it and I almost lose my balance a few times. I sense Kylen skiing close, as though he’s ready to hurry to make sure I’m okay in case I do fall. It’s not safe for him to catch me, so the best he can do is ski close by and be there for me if I do wipe out.
I don’t know what it is, but just having him near me infuses me with a confidence I didn’t know I had. I no longer freak out about the speed or how difficult the course is. I push away all my worries and insecurities and just enjoy myself skiing down the mountain.
When I reach the bottom, Kylen throws his poles down and gathers me in his arms. His warm breath is on my cheek as hemurmurs against my temple, “See? I told you that you could do it. You were amazing! Phenomenal!”
I laugh as I wrap my arms around him. “You made me confident.”
“I did? Nah, don’t put this on me. It was all you.”
I shake my head. “You helped a lot, Romeo. Thanks for being here for me.”
He slowly lifts a gloved hand to my face and pushes away some hair that snuck out of my beanie. “Of course, Juliet.”
Naturally, I want to do the course again. I’m a little more courageous and adventurous this time and try to do some tricks, which results in me wiping out a few times. But that doesn’t matter. I’m having a blast with Kylen. Though he doesn’t crash once, not even when he attempts a few tricks. He’s kind of…sexy.
My eyes widen and I almost lose my balance and wipe out again. Did I just admit that I think he’s sexy? Well, I don’t know why I should be surprised at that. I thought he was super sexy back at camp, and he’s only gotten sexier over the past year and a half, both inside and out. I once again wonder what it would feel like if I were to kiss him. Would it be ten times better than how it was at camp? Because that was already out of this world.
“Nice!” Kylen exclaims when we reach the bottom. “You’re a pro at this.”
“Not like you.”
He lifts his shoulder with a cocky grin. “Just call me the ski god.”
“I willnot.”
He chuckles. “Want to take a break? Or maybe we can do something else?”
“Hmm. Do you want to try snowboarding or snowtubing?”
We decide on snowboarding, and Kylen’s friends join us as well. I have just as much fun with Kylen on this activity as skiing, and of course Kylen tries to do all these tricks to impress me.It’s kind of cute. Okay, it’s more than cute. I want to tell him he doesn’t have to try so hard to impress me because I already think the world of him, but I know he’s having the time of his life and I don’t want to take that away from him. Plus, he looks mega sexy on a snowboard.
Eventually, it starts to get late and we need to head back to the lodge. My friends and their boyfriends have already left, so it’s just Kylen, his friends, and me. The guys can’t stop gushing about how much fun they had, but Kylen and I don’t really add in to their conversation. We spend the shuttle ride back smiling at each other.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Raven
I feel like the Tin Man.
Seriously, I’m so sore. My friends and I have been crying since we got back and had dinner about how many aches and pains we feel. I don’t know how we’ll participate in the other activities tomorrow if we can barely move without feeling like our limbs will fall off.
