Page 75 of Ski You Later
He just nods back to me, slowly sipping his wine as a mischievous look dances across his face. “Why my name?” I ask again, leaning forward across the table as if that’ll help me hear his response faster.
Biting his lip, he seems to consider something before looking back at me. “We’ve known each other for a very long time, Rhodes. I’ve watched you be a kind soul in a sport that pushes competition and cruelty. I always thought as we grew older, you would adapt the traits of all the mean girls surrounding you, but you never did.
“I was happy to see you on the roster because I wanted you on my team again. I wanted to be around youand I wanted to watch a girl that refuses to crumple under the weight of her problems. But I learned that you had a fresh break up when you joined the team, and I’ve been patiently waiting for the moment you felt ready to date again.
“It wasn’t until this season when Xander and Landon sat me down and made me buck up. They told me how I wasn’t going to get you by standing around and staring at you all the time, so we made a plan to get you to date me,” he says this with embarrassment, but all I can feel is my heart growing three sizes. “Eventually, you and I just ended up making our own deal, and everything needed to be altered. Long story short, while you agreed to a fake relationship, I did nothing of the sort. I’ve wanted you from day one, and I’m going to do anything to hold onto you now.”
This man never fails to make my eyes water, and this is no exception. I blink and the tears streak down my face. “That was the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” I blubber out, my voice sounding embarrassingly loud in the middle of the restaurant.
He chuckles as he squeezes my hand and brings it to his mouth. “It’s all true, Langley. I’m honoured to be here across from you, and I’m going to protect you from now on.” He holds me tight, placing a chaste kissto my palm before putting our hands back in the middle of the table.
I can’t help the small noise that comes from my throat, and the only reason I’m not jumping across this table to hold him is purely because of proprietary reasons.
“Was my turn good enough?” He jokes sweetly, his eyes now having a reflective sheen as he looks at me.
I brush the wetness from my cheeks and look at him dubiously. “It’ll do, Huxley.”
His chuckle brings me immediate joy, and he seems to visibly relax in front of me. It’s as if this information has been sitting on his chest and he’s finally able to breath freely. “Okay, Langley. Your turn.”
“Let me think, something about me,” I say with a distracted tone. “I love to draw,” I admit, shrugging one of my shoulders and avoiding eye contact.
“That’s cool. What kind of art style?”
I’m shocked that he would ask that, but I don’t waste time answering. “Mostly pencils, but if I have the time, I like to experiment with acrylics. I don’t know, it’s always been kind of personal for me. The only one who’s ever seen my drawings is Aurora, and she says they are really good. But she’s my best friend and has to say that,you know.” I gesture towards him with my glass, and he looks back at me knowingly.
“I have a feeling they’re wonderful, Langley. I’ve never seen you do something half assed. If you put your heart into it, then it’s probably the most genuine drawing I’ll ever see.” He lightly taps my glass with his, as if he’s not just spouting out kindness to me today.
We start to ask each other lighter questions, and we go back and forth as time flies. It’s no surprise that his set menu looked divine, and conversation flows as the dishes come and go. He tells me more about himself and his character traits, describing how he can be grumpy and a control freak. To help him out, I pretended to be shocked by this news. It’s not like he keeps getting elected as the team captain because he’s disorganized.
Eventually, the waitress clears away our plates that had the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten, and Roman asks if I want to stay longer. With an enthusiastic nod from me, he orders another round of drinks and places his elbows on the table.
“You’re in a fancy place, Huxley. You could get kicked out for behaviour like that.” The drinks make my words pour out of me without a second thought and I relish in the wicked smirk he sends my way.
He shrugs in response, and the way he sways slightly in his seat indicates that he’s feeling the same as me. “I think the owners like me, so I can get away with it,” he says dismissively.
“Do you get along well with them?” I ask curiously.
“My parents?” He asks confused, and then relaxes as I nod. “Yeah, you can say that. We aren’t terribly close to be honest. But they have a lot of responsibilities and various projects that keeps them busy. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss them, but they are always at the races, so at least I can see them there.”
I sense the atmosphere turns somber, and I extend my hand towards him. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Roman, it’s that he’s very loyal. His parents not being around is probably harder for him than he’s letting on, but he’s not going to disrespect all their hard work by complaining about it.
He takes it without thinking twice, and mindlessly spins the ring on my middle finger. “We didn’t have too much growing up, but my parents had an unparalleled love for ski racing. They put us in as soon as we turned three, and basically worked all the time to make sure we stayed in the sport.
“Thankfully, we all grew to adore it as much as they did, and the rest is history. As we got older, their side projects started really taking off, and there was so much conflict with our schedules. But, after all of this, they’ve never missed a race, and I’m so grateful for them.” He finishes his speech with a smile on his face, and it’s almost like talking about these feelings helped him figure them out.
Squeezing his hand, we sit comfortably in the silence, and I know it’s my turn to share something important. This boy has done nothing but open himself up to me all night, and I think I’m finally ready to do the same.
With a big sip of my drink, for confidence, I place the glass down and talk before I can second-guess myself. “I have a complicated relationship with my family. If we are talking direct family members, then that’s a lie. I love my parents and brothers more than they could ever know. My parents do nothing but show me constant support, and my two older brothers are my best friends. But, if we are talking about my mom’s side of the family, it gets a lot messier.”
I take another drink of wine, and my hands start to clam up as I recall all these feelings. Roman remains leaning back in his chair, as his face remains open andunderstanding. But it’s his hand locked around mine that I use as a lifeline. I breathe deeply, remembering that this is all in the past, and no one is making me share this.
“Jasmine has always been a real piece of work. My mom and aunt had us within the same year, so we’ve been together our whole lives. That also meant I’ve had to deal with her personality my whole life. Even though I couldn’t care less about fighting her, she always ensured that I would lose, no matter what.
“She had to have everything I did, whether it was a new doll or a new outfit, it would be the end of the world if she didn’t get it. Later in life, I learned the hard way that this also included men.” My voice is resigned at this point, but Roman’s gentle squeeze of my hand makes me keep going. “After I caught the two of them together, I just fled. I blocked his number, social medias, and all of his friends. It wasn’t until a couple of months later when Jasmine announced that she had a new boyfriend, and by that point, I was so over it. The only thing that really got to me was this whole wedding situation, the idea that he’s going to be reintroduced to my entire family as her boyfriend, and I just couldn’t do it.”
I hang my head in shame and say the rest in a small voice. “It was pathetic and petty of me to make thisdeal with you, but I’ve just had enough, and I wanted to push back.”
Within a minute, the sound of a chair scraping fills my ears and Roman’s on a knee in front of me. His finger guides my head up, and I look into his understanding eyes.
