Page 18 of Stuck on the Slopes

“I believe you.” While his voice was still even, his tone lacked its usual sarcastic bite.

I hit play, letting the intro roll. As the comedians settled into their seats on the screen and the movie began, Juniper and I sat in silence until the shot panned over the ski lodge in the snowy mountains, when Juniper said, “Holy shit, I’ve been there. We used to ski and snowboard at that resort all the time when I was a kid.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah. They’ve got some great beginner trails, and you get to ski for free until you’re a teenager. They’re down in Durango.”

“You’ll have to let me know how accurate this movie is as far as that’s concerned. I feel like these shitty movies are even better when you’ve been where they filmed them.”

“Did you see any from Orlando?”

“There’s one that was filmed at UCF. It’s a trip. Think ninja movie meets 80s rock band flick.”

“If I don’t hate this,” he said as he shifted his body to sit diagonally on the couch so he now almost faced me, “you’ll have to show me that one too.”

It felt like a promise. “It would be my pleasure.”

We watched the movie in relative silence, except for us laughing along to the commentary or Juniper pointing out fun facts about the lodge where the movie was filmed. It felt wrong to crack more jokes as he recounted his experiences, so I just listened, soaking up every word he said.

It was the first time I’d heard him speak with no trace of sarcasm, bitterness, or disdain.

Then, when the film took a break to show the fictional adventures of the comedian’s crew, Juniper said, “You wanna know something crazy?”

“Crazier than the loose plot threads?”

I couldn’t tell if he chuckled or scoffed as he shifted in his seat again. He cracked his hip. “Probably.”

“Lay it on me.”

“I don’t miss it. Snowboarding, that is.”

“No shit?” While this was a big confession from him, I also sensed that my not knowing much about him as a professional athlete was why he was telling me this to begin with, so I did as Sarah said: play it cool.

“Yeah. Sure, I had a great time during my run. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But looking back? It’s almost like I didn’t have any sense of identity beyond that. It sent me into a quarter-life crisis when I realized I didn’t know who I was when my board and gear were taken away, but now that I’m feeling better adjusted, it’s admittedly nice.”

“I’m glad you could get there. You’ll have to teach me your secrets,” I said. “I got pretty lost in work, too. It’s easy to do that.”

“Next time you get in your own head, let me know. Sasquatch and I will take you for a hike. I stick to all the easy trails so I don’t risk triggering a flare-up. You should be able to handle it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Isn’t Florida flat as fuck?”

“For the most part, yes. Especially compared to here.”

“So, forgive me for assuming some incline and altitude changes might be challenging for you.”

“I’m pretty familiar with the stair machine at the gym, thank you very much!”

He laughed. “Alright, alright. But my offer still stands.”

Another promise. “I’ll take you up on that sometime.” We turned to the screen as the plane on television crashed into the mountainside, triggering the titular avalanche. “So long as that doesn’t happen.”

“Parks Service is pretty good about posting avalanche warnings, so we should be able to dodge ‘em.”

The conversation lulled again as we watched, picking at our snacks and cracking the occasional joke. As Juniper shifted to pull the heating pad out from under him, his body inched closer to mine. There was no way it was intentional, but it didn’t stop my breath from hitching. Juniper let the pad rest by the arm of the couch and didn’t bother to pull away from me. Our elbows brushed against each other now every time we’d reach for a snack bowl, and I caught a faint whiff of the earthy, warm notes in his aftershave.

After a few more minutes, I continued riffing along, and Juniper eventually joined in, commenting mostly on the poor acting and lack of sense from the characters. I felt hyper-aware of every breath both of us took and noticed how he’d lean into me whenever he laughed. The next thing I knew, I wasn’t watching the movie anymore.

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