“Ready?” Lyra asked, raising both eyebrows.
“Ladies first.” I gestured toward the hill with my arm.
“But this hill should be nothing to you. Can’t you show me how it’s done?”
“Right,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Just, uh, grab your poles and hold those at your sides.”
“Like this?” Lyra said, placing her poles into the crunchy snow below.
“Sure.”
I have no fucking clue.
I was a smart dude. I knew I could figure this out. Searching my brain for what seemed like the natural use of the poles and the skis, I just went with it. “And then use them to push off from the ground, then just, you know, glide down the hill. Keep your knees bent, you know, nimble and stuff.”
“Okay, makes sense.” Lyra took a deep breath in through her nose and blew it out her mouth. A slight breeze drifted through her chocolate brown hair and my dick twitched.
What the fuck?
“Dev. Dev, hello!”
Lyra startled me out of my daze. In disbelief, I stood at the top of that paltry hill, my mouth hanging open and my eyes blinking rapidly.
“You look like you saw a ghost. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat. “I—I’m fine. I just, uh…forgot about something I needed to do for work. I should probably get back soon.”
“We don’t have to do this, you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Dev, it’s so obvious.”
“What?”
Lyra removed her sunglasses and tilted her head, pursing her lips in pity. I hated pity. “You’ve never skied before, have you?”
The jig is up, Dev. You idiot.
“Don’t be ridiculous; of course I have.” My tone was clipped, defensive.
“Look, you’re a smart guy, Dev. But you’re a terrible actor. You’ve been lying through your teeth since we got out here. You’re more scared than I am!”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. And I’ll prove it. Watch this.”
I plunged my poles into the ground and pushed off as hard as I could. Within seconds, I was flying down that hill, my heart completely in my throat as the wind blew right through me. I was halfway down the hill when my speed picked up rapidly, and I was sure I was going to crash right into the fence near the lodge. Quickly, I dug my poles into the snow as hard as I could and pivoted to the side. I stopped just a few feet before the fence.
Thank God.
“See! I told you I knew what I was doing.”
“Don’t be an ass!” Lyra yelled from the top of the hill.
“Now it’s your turn, come on!” I yelled back up. She stood for a moment, hesitating. And during that moment, the kindergartener came gliding down the hill.
“C’mon, this kid can barely talk, and he’s leaving you in his dust.”
“I’m six.” He said, looking confused…and a little pissed. “I know how to talk.”
I patted him on the head, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “Of course you can, buddy. Good job on the hill.”
“Thanks,” he said before grabbing the rope. “I think your friend is scared.”
She’s not the only one.
“Yeah, I know. I’m trying to get her down. Any tips?”
“Tell her you’ll get her some cocoa. That’s what my mommy does.”
I chuckled before yelling up again. “Did you hear that, Lyra? I’ll get you some cocoa. You just gotta come down the hill.”
“Make a pizza when you want to slow down,” the kid yelled. Lyra stared at him in confusion. The little guy pointed his skis toward one another in a triangle. And I chuckled when I realized he was making a slice of pizza with his damn skis. “See? Make it with your skis! And if you want to go faster, make them French fries.” He then straightened them out again.
“Thanks, little guy!” Lyra yelled before digging her poles into the snow and gliding down the hill. Despite the terrified look on her face, she actually did a nice job. She didn’t go nearly as fast as I did, but she was surprisingly graceful under pressure. She stopped a few feet shy of me, an enormous smile on her face.
“I did it!”
“Good job,” I said with a laugh.
“What a rush! Let’s do it again.”
Shit.
Even though I survived the first time down, I had no desire to ever do that again. Ever.
“I don’t know. Maybe you shouldn’t push your luck. Let’s get you that cup of cocoa.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t wanna stop yet! The sun is out and I just kicked that hill’s ass.”
“I don’t know if I’d say that.”
“Whatever. Let’s do it again!”
“Fine. But then it’s cocoa time. It’s freaking cold out here.”
“Wimp.”
“Watch it, woman.”
We made our way up the hill once again. My heart climbed its way up and into my throat once again as I dreaded the trip back down.
“You can do it,” Lyra said, patting me on the back.
“Of course I can do it. I told you, Lyra. I’ve been doing this for years. I was just a little rusty, that’s all.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Lyra said, shaking her head. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“I’ll go down even faster this time, and you’ll be eating your damn words. And then you’ll owe me the damn cocoa.”
“Be my guest,” she said, gesturing toward the base of the hill.
Irritated, I shoved my poles into the snow and pushed off as hard as I could. The wind picked up behind me, pushing my momentum even more. I flew down that hill. I yelled, pretending to be excited, exhilarated, all that shit. But really, I was scared shitless. And that fence came at me quicker than it did the last time.
Holy shit. I’m gonna crash.
“Dev, watch out! Use your poles!”
“Pizza!” a little voice yelled. “Pizza!”
Taking Lyra’s advice, I stabbed the snow with my poles, trying to slow myself down, but it was too late. Before I had a chance to angle my skis together like a slice of pizza, the fronts of my skis crashed right into that fence. The harsh wood sent me flying back into the snow. I landed with a resounding thud on my left side, my knee and foot throbbing. I placed my hand on my knee and rolled to my back, looking up at the sky, my heart still pounding and my ego completely shattered.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Lyra asked above me. Lyra, the first-time skier who obviously came down the hill with no problems at all and was standing above me with concern on her face. My ego was no longer shattered…it was fucking pulverized.
“Yep, totally fine,” I said.
Lyra extended a hand. “Here, let’s get you up. Can you stand?”
“Of course I can,” I snapped. Lyra didn’t deserve vitriol, but that didn’t matter. I was mortified, and I had no one else to take it out on. “It’s just…it’s been a while since I’ve done this…and I think there’s something wrong with this ski. I mean, it just feels messed up.”
“Probably because you fell on it.”
Daggers shot from my eyes as I glared at her.