“It was awesome! I hope I get the hang of it so I can actually enjoy myself,” I tell him.
“You will, Snowflake, it just takes practice,” He says.
Snowflake. Somehow, such a silly little nickname only sounds good when he says it.
We make it to the top and hop off the lift. It’s harder getting off a lift with a snowboard than skis.
“Alright, this time don’t hold my hand. Try to go as far as you can without stopping. I’ll be right behind you,” he says while I’m sitting down, strapping in my other foot. I notice he never has to strap in because his board is different - it locks around his ankles after he steps in. It reminds me of stepping into skis. Must be nice.
I stand up. Here goes nothing. I start off slow and steady, feeling Aspen just feet behind me. I’m maintaining my balance, just trying to get as far as I can without falling. So far, I’m doing much better than before. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it.
Out of nowhere, there is a small dip in the snow that gives me momentum and I start to pick up speed.
Oh no. I’m out of control. I see someone in front of me, but I can’t stop myself in time. And this time, Aspen isn’t there to catch me.
If I die today, just know it’s because I tried to be cute and athletic at the same time.
10
Aspen
Everything was going great while I was teaching Genevieve how to snowboard until she picked up too much speed. She ended up running into someone and busting her lip. She didn’t shed any tears, which surprised me. I feel like most girls would, but Genevieve seems tough. Like many people don’t get to see her cry.
All I want to do is guarantee and assure her safety for the rest of my life, seeing her hurt makes me hurt.
God, what am I even saying? We barely know each other. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting more. Wanting all of her. And maybe that’s what terrifies me the most—that she could walk away before I ever get the chance to prove I’m worth sticking around for.
We go down the rest of the way slowly until we reach the bottom of the mountain. When we do, we unstrap and I guide her to the medical department. I carry both of our boards over to the racks and leave them standing up while we go inside. I didn't make her go to the actual office because she insisted she was fine, but the gash in her lip is deep enough that a professional might say she needs stitches. I head in the office and grab the supplies I need so I can fix Genevieve up myself.
I come back out with the supplies and bring her over to a table where she sits on while I clean her up. Her lip was bleeding a ton, so I press a wipe to it and hold it there. Her mouth’s open letting me do my thing, but her eyes? Her eyes are saying everything. Those beautiful green eyes. I wipe all the excess blood until she’s cleanedup well. I apply an ointment the nurse gave me and I do so carefully, making sure I don’t hurt her as I do so. Her gash looks bad, but she’s roughing it out in front of me. I can tell she’s putting up a front.
“How does this feel?” I ask Genevieve, rubbing the ointment on gently, scared that any quick movements will hurt her even more.
“Uh huh,” is all she can manage while her mouth is open.
I hold her bottom lip and softly graze them with the pads of my fingers. These beautiful juicy pears I was just making out with last night, and now they’re wounded.
I place a soft kiss on her lips, she winces with my touch.
I grab the ice pack the nurse gave me and set it on her lip, grabbing her hand to place over and hold it steady.
“Better?” I ask.
She nods her head in a yes motion.
“You’re safe now, Snowflake,” I assure her as she looks up at me with doe eyes while holding the ice pack to her mouth.
I don’t want her to feel that pain again. I hope she’s not scared to continue riding now. We just started and I was having way too much fun teaching her.
“You okay to keep riding? Or do you want to call it a day?” I ask her.
She ponders my question for a moment and then removes the ice pack from her lip. “Let’s keep riding, but only a few more laps so I can get back to Lana. I sorta left her this morning with no explanation and then threw my credit card at her and told her to get whatever she wanted,” she says.
I laugh. “Well, I feel honored that you ditched Lana for me,” I tell her.
“You should be,” she says flirtatiously.
***
