"No, thanks.My friend's waiting for me in the lodge down there," I say, pointing downhill, where I spot Maddie staring at me with her mouth hanging open.
He nods.Then hesitates."I'll make sure you get there safely."
But I don't wait.The whole nearly-running-over-a-skiing-superstar stunt was impulsive, and the embarrassment is starting to settle in.I head toward the lodge without looking back.
But his skis whisper up behind me anyway, carving close as I unlatch my boots by the rack.
"So… you'll be alright then?"he asks, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah.I'll grab a drink… non-alcoholic," I add quickly."Something to shake off the nerves."
"Okay," he says with a slight wave."Be safe, I guess."
I take a deep breath to shake off some shame and embarrassment.
Did I really do it?Did I really crash into Thomas Kern—on purpose?
"Did you just crash into Thomas Kern on purpose?"a bemused voice says in English at my side."He either bewitched you or you tried to… bewitch him."
I look at my friend to find the familiar cheeky spark in her eyes.She knows I fancy Thomas Kern and does not blame me.Honestly, all of Austria and half the skiing world fancies him; he's something of a national hero at the age of twenty-four.
"Don't be crazy, Maddie," I answer in English.Maddie speaks German well, but I like the opportunity to practice my English together.“If anything happened to him, they'd lynch me at home.That did not even cross my mind."
I am lying, of course.As a big skiing fan and a freelance skiing journalist, I couldn't resist speaking to a superstar when I spotted him training here on the Hintertux glacier.
Wouldn't miss it for the world.
She winks as she answers, "And still, you could've at least asked for a selfie."
"I didn't exactly plan it through," I lie."And it sounded like a bad idea at the moment."
It's not a total lie.Impulsivity isn't usually my thing.But I saw him, and I knew this might be the only chance to… do what, exactly?What was the plan, beyond just: why not?
But I am not the kind of girl to dwell on the past.
We stroll toward the bar to grab a coffee.I'm still shaken from the fall.We buy our cappuccinos and carry them to our table.
The Austrian skiing team is training between the gates, and we can watch them.They've installed netting to protect the national gems from tourists, perhaps after they saw our crash.
They glide down one by one, through a giant slalom course set by the coaches.
I enjoy the view as they carve smooth arcs around the gates, elegant, measured.This is training; there's no need to chase seconds and sacrifice the beauty of the turns.And yes, they're good.The best.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Maddie," I start, eyes closed, letting the sun warm my cheeks.
"You're welcome," she smirks."I told you.Skiing is shit, but you can watch these guys.They always come to Hintertux.The best conditions in Austria are to test their skills before the season starts.Worth the travel.Even for me, from Colorado."
"The skiing is not so bad this early," I argue.I have been hungry for a few good turns, and not even the wet white mush that replaces snow, not even the warm late summer air that suffocates you in the skiing gear, none of that would spoil my mood.
Not when I am at 3,000 meters above sea level, watching the rocky spikes looming over us.
"These don't care about the mush, though," Maddie gestures towards the athletes between the gates.
"No," I agree.
"Maybe we could wait two hours and use that part of the slope, once they finish."
"Maybe, but there will be ruts," I offer.
