‘The track?’ She’d envisioned gliding across the snow though the fir trees.
‘Yes, it’s a specially prepared trail for the skis, it makes it a lot easier especially when you’re learning.’
‘Where did you learn?’ Mina was intrigued.
‘My mother was Norwegian, so she taught me when I was younger. I think that was part of the attraction of coming to live in Switzerland. We always went to Norway in the winter on holiday to see my grandparents.’
‘Are you Norwegian, then?’ There was no trace of an accent in his voice, she’d assumed he was English.
‘Half and half. My dad is English. My folks live in Surrey just outside Guildford. I’ve been living off and on in Geneva for the last few years. What about you?’
‘English through and through. I feel a bit dull in comparison.’ She’d always been the live wire at home, but here she was starting to realise that she really hadn’t done that much with her life. ‘Everyone here seems so cosmopolitan.’
‘Doesn’t necessarily make them interesting. I don’t think you’re the least bit dull.’ His eyes held hers for a moment and she wondered if he was thinking of that impulsive kiss on the train. Then sheknewhe was as his gaze dropped to her lips and he gave her that warm lopsided smile. ‘I know you have a sense of adventure.’
She felt the blush stain her cheeks and turned away.
‘It’s beautiful here, and these boots are so much more comfortable. I had a great time yesterday but I swear I’ve got bruises on my shins.’ Hefting her skis onto her shoulder, she focused on watching where she was going as they crunched their way across the snow.
Here in the valley, the snow undulated gently across its surface, a heavy blanket curving and softening the landscape. The wide expanse of unmarked snow, except for the twin tracks that cut through the trees, made Mina feel as if they were the only people out here. There was an incredible silence, the sounds absorbed as much by the snow as by the thick layer of last year’s golden pine needles beneath the closely planted firs. And there was the almost toothpaste freshness of the air, which she hoped she’d never take for granted while she was here.
‘First thing you should know is that, unlike with downhill skis, only the toe of your boot clips into the ski, so you use your feet to propel yourself forward.’
‘I feel like I could go dancing in these boots.’ She did a quick pirouette, nearly taking him out with her poles and skis balanced across one shoulder.
‘Oy,’ he said, laughing as he ducked. ‘No waltzing today. But I know what you mean. It’s part of the attraction of cross-country. Don’t get me wrong, I love the thrill of careering down a slope, but I like this because I have a sense of being in control. Once you get into a rhythm, it’s a bit like running. It just feels as if I’m using my body. But then sometimes I think nothing beats snowboarding. I can never make up my mind.’
‘How was the snow park yesterday? I’d quite like to have a go. I had lessons at the ski centre at home.’ Much to Simon’s disdain. Snowboarding apparently was for teenage boys and dropouts. In fact, whathadshe seen in Simon? He was a stuffy old man at times. She pushed him out of her thoughts. ‘I used to be pretty good on a skateboard, though.’
Luke laughed. ‘I could have guessed that about you. Did you hang about the skatepark with all the boys, looking cool in a beanie hat?’
‘You must have been there.’
‘It was the only cool thing to do when you were about fourteen, where I lived.’
Mina laughed. ‘And boy, did we think we were cool, talking trucks, wheels, decks, and bearings. Now I look back, I realise we were a bunch of four-wheeled nerds. Thank goodness I grew out of that. After that it was clubbing and partying. I bet you were one of the cool guys then, too.’
‘Of course,’ he said with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, but before Mina could explore the quick sense of unease she felt, he was nudging in her in the ribs, his usual cheeriness and enthusiasm radiating from him like an aura. ‘Look, these are the tracks. There’s an entire network of them through the Goms valley. And there are some specific trails, easy, middle, and difficult, so you can choose how far you go and how hard you want to push yourself. Today I’ll just teach the basics.’ He went on to explain the principles of movement, how to stop and how to use the lightweight poles.
Mina realised she’d unwittingly touched a raw nerve, even though he carried on talking in his usually friendly, open manner. If she hadn’t been so in sync with him, she might not have picked up on it but she was – frighteningly so. It was as if all her senses were tuned into Luke frequency. In his presence she was so aware of him. The cold puffs of breath that came out of his mouth, the way that he’d tempered his long strides to match hers, and the path of his thoughts that seemed to run parallel to hers. Because they were similar, she told herself. He was like her. They would make great friends, but he was not the man for her. And she was not to think ofthatkiss. He was too like her. Too impulsive. Too spontaneous. Too much fun. She didn’t want to be like that anymore. Couldn’t be like that anymore. He could so easily derail her plans. When she returned to England she wanted to have everything worked out. She wanted to know where she was headed in life and how she was going to get there. They were big things to think about in only a week and a half.
Surprisingly, as Amelie had said, he was a very good teacher. Not once did he make her feel that he’d really rather be whizzing ahead and doing his own thing.
‘That’s it, poles in opposition to the legs. Yes. Nice rhythm.’ After an hour, although her legs were beginning to feel tired, she felt she was getting the hang of it, and they were moving along the track smoothly, Luke slightly ahead of her but looking back frequently.
Every now and then he would hop off the track and let her pass him to watch her progress.
‘You’re doing brilliantly. You’re a quick study.’
‘Just concentrating.’ She beamed at him. They got on so well and he was so easy to be with, it was difficult sometimes to remember that she was supposed to be keeping her distance. ‘But when it comes together, it’s great.’
‘You’ve really got the hang of it. How are your legs? Especially after yesterday.’
They’d been out for just over an hour and a half now and she was starting to feel it in her thighs, but she said, ‘Fine,’ not prepared to admit to any weakness. Besides, she wanted to keep going and perfect her technique.
‘OK, we’ll take the trail up to the tree line and there’s an intersection up there that takes us back to the village.’
For the next ten minutes she had to push hard as they were going uphill. Although it wasn’t steep, it was like running uphill and took a lot more effort and a lot more puff. She could feel herself breathing heavily but she was keeping up and from the clouds of steam up ahead, Luke was working just as hard.
