"Oh my god, slow down!" I scream out of exhilaration, the wind whipping past us wildly as Chris speeds through the evergreen forest on the snowmobile.
He laughs manically, as we round another corner of the snowy trail. The speed throws us off balance for a second, making the sled tip slightly.
"Chris!" I exclaim, laughing.
He hollers enthusiastically.
As we come full circle, back to the trail's starting point, Chris starts to slow down.
"You ready to get something to eat yet?" He calls from the front seat, looking over his shoulder at me.
My stomach rumbles in response, and I rapidly nod my head up and down.
He chuckles, and heads back to the lodge where we rented the snowmobile from. I take my goggles off upon arriving; Chris does the same, and he takes my hand as we head back inside the lodge.
"Did you have fun?" He asks me, his eyes gleaming.
"Probably way too much," I reply with a grin.
When we first reached the ski lodge, I was dead set on skipping out on the whole snowboarding experience. Although I had never done it before, and refused to be caught falling on my ass in front of Chris, he was very persistent on the matter.
"You have to try it at least once. And if you don't like it, then I won't make you do it ever again," he'd said to me as we waited in the checkout line to buy our snowsuits. I wanted to pay for my gear myself, but Chris, ever the gentleman, said it wouldn't be right if a man made a woman pay for her things on the first date.
The truth is, I was actually terrified to do it; but, wanting to impress him, I finally said yes when he insisted for the seventh time. At first, I fell down a lot, but by the time eleven o'clock rolled around, and we had been at the resort for an hour, I almost had it down.
Standing upright on my snowboard, that is.
Chris made fun of me for falling down so often, but I think he secretly enjoyed it because every time I did he would rush over to help me up, his hands wrapping underneath my arms as he brought me back up to a standing position.
I'm pretty sure his hand 'accidentally' glided across my ass a few times too, but I didn't mind that at all.
"I'm glad," he says to me now, smiling. He reaches for my hand, and I let him take it, my mood for the day remaining at an all-time high.
He brings my hand up to his mouth, and leaves a soft kiss on the back of it.
"Why don't we get changed out of these bulky snowsuits, and meet back here so we can grab some lunch?" He suggests.
"I don't know. I kind of like this snowsuit. I might waltz around in it all day," I joke as I put my hands in the pockets, twirling around to show it off.
Chris bites down on his bottom lip to hide his smile.
"I honestly wouldn't mind that at all," he says. "It's kind of a fantasy of mine anyway."
I stop twirling, and look at him.
He's deadly serious, and his smirk is back as his eyes graze down my body in the snowsuit.
"I'm sure in this fantasy, your dreamgirl wasn't tripping and falling down every other second," I retort with a shy smile.
"Eh, I don't care about that. It was fun," he says with a wink.
He's still staring at me, and my cheeks grow hot from his gaze.
"Okay, I guess we'd better get to it then," I say, turning to leave.
He laughs at me. "See you in a bit."
***
The food at the lodge bar isn't so bad; just your typical pub food.
I order a burger and fries, and so does Chris. He asks me a lot of questions about Audrey as we eat our meal at a booth, and I answer as honestly as I can. When I suggest that he meet her someday, he smiles at me and tells me that he'd love that.
"You're from around here, aren't you?" I ask him, as I finish off the last of my fries.
It's getting dark now; the sun sets around five o'clock, making it seem like the day is over already. It also doesn't help that we ate lunch so late.
Chris' arms are folded across his chest as he leans back against the booth, watching me intently while I finish my food. Sitting up straight, he runs a hand through his hair, and then responds to my question.
"My parents and older sister live in a small town, about thirty minutes from this very lodge."
I raise my eyebrows at him as I take a sip of my coke.
"So what? No family reunion today?" I tease, but I'm secretly hoping he'll delve into the topic a little.
Chris has rarely talked about his family. I don't think he's on such great terms with them.
He chuckles, and looks me directly in the eye.
"Absolutely not," he replies truthfully, and although it was meant to be a joke, I find myself wishing his answer had been a little different.
"What about your tattoos?" I gesture to his forearm, which is exposed on the table, his hoodie sleeves rolled up from when he had been eating his meal. "Do they have any significance to you?"
He glances at the ink on his arm, and then holds it up so I can see.
"This," he says, pointing to a small cluster of pearls wrapped around the antlers of a stag's head. "Represents my mother. I chose pearls because they remind me of her grace and beauty.
"And this," he points to the stag skull. "Represents my father. Headstrong and determined. Together, these four traits are stronger than you'd ever imagine."
He rolls his sleeve up a little more, and I reach across the table instinctively, taking his arm in my hands. Upon further inspection, I finally start to see the whole picture come together. What I thought were random lines, are actually winding branches and leaves. These branches connect more items together; a rosebush, the tooth of a sabertooth tiger, a lion's mane. Several of these parts seem to have no similarities, but when you put them all together, it's a beautiful piece of art. The pearls and the stag skull lay at the base of this great, big tree as the focal point of the entire design.
It represents his family.
I look up into his hazel eyes, his arm still in my hands. Chris stares back at me, his breathing a little ragged.
I let go of his arm instantly, not sure where our boundaries lie.
We've had sex twice already, but does he even want a relationship with me? He just got out of a horrible one himself, as did I. Maybe it's best to put things on hold for awhile?
My worries are stopped in their tracks when I feel Chris' lips press to mine, and suddenly, all thoughts of 'taking it slow' and 'waiting for the right moment' cease to exist as I return his warm kiss.
You can't always plan for the right person to come into your life at the right time. Sometimes, you just have to go with what feels right.
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CSR: While We're Young by Jhené Aiko (during Chrinessa's snow montage)
YOU ARE READING
For A Reason
ChickLit"I just thought..." I begin, flustered, not really sure where my words are headed. He shakes his head. "We can't," he states, removing my hand from his. "There are a million reasons why we can't." He runs a hand through his hair, seemingly frustrate...
