Page 17 of Head Over Skis

My arms start flailing, my poles sticking out on either side of me as my legs start going wide. I focus on staying upright until the slope levels out, but I’m wildly off balance and I don’t know how to correct it, so I panic again and that’s when I feel my bum hitting the ground. I slam my eyelids closed and curl into a ball until I come to a stop.

When I do, I wiggle both my boots and everything feels fine, thank god, but I’m missing a ski.

‘I believe this is yours.’

Behind me, a guy stands with my lost ski hooked under one of his arms. He reaches down and I take his free hand to help haul myself back up, gingerly accepting my other ski when he passes it back.

‘Thank you. Um, how much of that did you see?’

‘Enough to assume you’re here for our ski classes,’ he says, a sympathetic smile stretching across his face.

He’s handsome, and the glistening snow around us brings out the tan in his complexion. And he’s one of the ski school instructors? Lucky me, I think, aside from the fact he’s just witnessed me falling on my ass.

‘Lottie, oh my god, are you okay?’ Tilly rushes to my side, unmistakable in her bright orange helmet, which she picked to match her hair. She made the wise decision to take her skis off and walk down the slope to get here.

‘I’m fine, only a bruised ego.’

Meghan waves off the boys, and Adam lingers to check if I’m hurt. I nod to reassure him I’m fine, and he reluctantly follows the others to the queue for another chairlift that goes further up the mountain. I feel like I can breathe more lightly once he disappears, spared from thoughts of him for a few hours. It’s not long before Meghan’s used her poles to push her way over and the three of us are together and ready to take on our first lesson.

‘All set for ski school, girls?’ she asks, glancing at us both before registering the guy who’s standing opposite. ‘Oh, hello, I take it you’re our instructor?’

‘I might be, we’ve got a few groups starting today, so could I take your names and I’ll check my list?’

‘Sure, it’s Tilly, Lottie and Meghan,’ Tilly says, and he pulls out a clipboard and starts scanning down it.

‘Ah, you guys will be with my buddy today, he’s over there by the blue Topaz Ski School flag, but I’m sure I’ll catch you at the après events during the week. Have a great first day, ladies!’

He winks at us before heading towards another group of nervous-looking skiers and I realise we never got his name, or our instructor’s. I take off my other ski and gather them both together as we walk over to the Topaz flag, coming to a halt where the rest of our group has crowded.

I can’t see him yet, but as the people in front of us move to give us more space, I catch sight of our instructor. He’s wearing light blue ski trousers with a matching jacket, but regardless of the different clothing, I know it’s him. He clocks me a second later, the easy-going smile he’s been giving every other student shifting as he takes me in.

‘Lottie?’

‘Rory?’

Tilly’s eyeballs pop out of her skull as I say his name and she puts two and two together. Meghan stares at me, confused, while only one sentence repeats in my mind.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

7

‘Hi,’ I squeak, clutching my skis in front of me like they could protect me from the wave of embarrassment I feel from running into him again.

I watch as Rory’s mouth opens, and I wait anxiously for him to say something – anything – so I can judge how to play this. But he only smirks like he finds this situation amusing. Like he doesn’t find this meeting awkward at all, just moderately surprising, meanwhile I feel even more disoriented than I did falling down the slope a minute ago. He seamlessly settles into ‘teacher’ mode and consults his clipboard.

‘So, it’s the booking for Lottie, Tilly and Meghan, right?’ he asks, glancing at my friends on either side of me.

Tilly lurches forward before I manage to stop her and I’m immediately regretting telling her anything about what happened that night.

‘That’s right. And you’re Rory, we’ve heard all about you and your d—’

I shoot her daggers and it’s enough to shut her up before she finishes that sentence. I don’t want to believe what word was going to come out of her mouth next. She freezes, mouth still forming the beginning of the word before switching course.

‘Your dog. You have a dog, right? The other instructor mentioned it.’

I sigh, still annoyed at her but thanking god she didn’t come out with anything more inappropriate. Rory seems to know exactly where she’d been going with that statement but gracefully plays along without comment.

‘I do, although she stays with my friend’s family when I’m not in London, so I guess she’s only half mine.’