Page 83 of The Breakaway

After an hour and paperwork that rivalled signing over my first-born child, Rob and I stood at the top of the bunny hill, surrounded by a sea of first-time skiers and their patient—or not-so-patient—parents. Kids in oversized snowsuits wobbled on their skis like newborn deer while adults tried to explainto them the physics of gravity and friction through food descriptions. “Pizza! French fries!”

“Do kids not understand triangles or straight lines?” I mumbled, and Rob smirked.

“A little testy.”

I rolled my eyes and lowered the goggles he’d lent me. Rob wore his sunglasses and a toque. He looked unbearably hot, so I focused on my legs, which currently felt like they were encased in concrete.

I looked down at the slope before us, which didn't seem steep until I imagined myself pointing my skis south. "This is it?" I asked, trying to mask my trepidation.

Rob nodded. "This is it."

I swallowed hard. "Great. So, what do I do first?"

He grinned. "First, you have to learn how to stand up straight." He moved behind me, placing his hands on my hips, and even through my coat and ski pants, I shivered. "You want to keep your weight balanced. Don't lean too far forward or backward."

I nodded, trying to focus on his instructions rather than the fact that his hands were on my waist. He let go and stepped back. "Next, we’ll work on your snowplow. Make a V with your skis and press the inside edges into the snow to slow down."

“Thank you for not saying pizza,” I muttered, and Rob held back a grin.

I attempted to do as he said, but my skis seemed to have a mind of their own, sliding out from under me. Rob caught me before I could faceplant, his arm wrapping around my middle. "Nice. Good try.”

My heart raced, and it had nothing to do with my near-fall. I took a deep breath and tried again, this time managing to create a semblance of a V. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, we practice moving." He positioned himself next to me, his skis parallel. "Just a little push off with your poles, and let gravity do the rest."

I gave a tentative push, and my skis started to slide. Panic set in as I picked up speed, and I instinctively leaned back. Rob reached out, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop. "Remember, stay balanced. Trust your body."

"Trust my body?" I muttered, more to myself than him. It was hard to trust something that seemed hell-bent on throwing me to the ground.

After a few more attempts, I managed to glide a few feet without falling. Rob whooped and pumped his fist in the air.

My cheeks burned, and I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the fact that I was sweating under my layers. "I'm basically a pro."

He laughed. "Irrational confidence. I love it." I snorted, and he moved in front of me. "Now, I want you to try following me. I'll go slow, and you just mimic what I do."

I nodded, my heart pounding. As he started to move, I pushed off and tried to keep up. My legs wobbled, but I focused on Rob's movements. He shifted his weight, and I did the same, my skis miraculously staying under me as we made smooth, wide arcs across the hill.

We reached the bottom, and I tried to stop but ran into Rob instead. He laughed, catching me. “That was awesome.”

My breath came in short gasps, but I grinned, the adrenaline rush making me giddy. "I didn't die.”

“You didn’t die.” Rob chuckled. He reached up and lifted my goggles to look me in the eye. "You ready to try it again?"

A few moments later, we sat on the lift, the metal seat cold against my legs. I gripped the safety bar, my knuckles turning white. "This feels like a terrible idea."

Rob laughed, then moved side to side, shaking the chair. I squealed and smacked him, which only made him laugh harder. “Ow! We’re not going to fall.”

“You don’t know that!”

He grabbed my gloved hand. “I do know that. We pulled all kinds of shenanigans on these things when we were kids.”

I gripped him like he was my seeing-eye dog. “You said you were an instructor?”

He shrugged. “I taught my friends.”

My jaw dropped. “Rob Thompson. Did you lie to me?”

His grin widened. “I promoted a convincing narrative.”

---