Page 71 of To Love or to Lose
“What position would that be?” Jameson raises the ball of snow. When I don’t respond he holds it up higher, aiming it at my face. “Huh?”
“Losing.” I pose with fake sympathy lacing my voice.
“Aw.” He smiles again, this one much more mischievous than the last. “That’s my least favorite.”
I feel a chill run directly up my spine. I struggle to keep my composure due to Jameson’s sexual idioms. “It’s the only one you’ll ever be in with me.”
He takes a moment to respond, like I finally stumped him for once in my life. But that doesn’t last long when I remember that he is holding a snowball—one much larger than the one I had thrown his way.
The realization hits me too late. Well, it hits me the same time the colossal snowball does.
I jerk my head back to avoid the impact, but the snow only hits the side of my arm. There is a momentary sting from how hard he threw it, but other than that, there is no other sign a snowball has even hit me.
Winnie would probably say something along the lines of ‘Thank you, puffy winter coat.’I prefer crediting Jameson’s inability to throw.
“Are we seriously going to have a fucking snowball fight from our hotel balconies right now?” I almost laugh at the idea, but Jameson looks completely serious as he reaches for more of the snow building on the far end of his railing.
I guess that answers my question.
I back up on my own account, my tailbone hitting the farthest edge of the banister. In a hurried pace, I reach against it to form another snowball. Readying myself for a Jameson Beaumont ambush, I turn slowly, waiting for a snowball to come hurdling.
“You know why we make such great competition, Alderidge?” My last name rolls off his tongue like he’s begging me to yell at him for it.
“Why is that,Kent?” I know his middle name bothers him just as much, thanks to Logan.
“Because.” He packs the snowball tighter in his hand, looking like he’s ready to open fire. “Neither of us are ever willing to lose.”
I roll my eyes. “You may not be willing, but you better start preparing yourself for the inevitable.”
“I think we have two different perceptions of the inevitable.” I know his perspective, and it includes both of us standing on that stage giving a speech at graduation.
“And I think you are dreaming up some pretty fanciful notions.” I launch the snowball from my grasp, landing it directly on the top of his right shoulder.
He doesn’t hesitate to respond, quickly propelling his own snowball at me.
I attempt to dodge it quickly, but my depth perception has failed me yet again. I lean to the right, thinking the snowball is headed for the left side of my face, but instead, I veer myself straight into the line of fire.
The snowball makes a loud ‘SMACK’ as soon as it hits me dead in the face.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
“Holy shit,” Jameson gasps. .
The pain intensifies in the bridge of my nose and in my eyes. The snowball barely broke on impact, making the collision much harsher than any of the previous ones.Of course, this one would hit me in the face; just my luck.
I use my knuckles to rub away the snow I feel underneath my nose. I look down at my hand, the whole back of it coated in red.
I am bleeding.
My face is bleeding, and my eye and nose are continuing to pound in pain.
“Jameson.” I look up, my eyes beginning to water—obviously from the cold, nothing else. I am notcryingin front of Jameson, I refuse. “That was fuckingice.”
“Oh God.” He grimaces when his gaze shifts to my blood-covered face. For a split moment, I think I may have earned just ahairof remorse from him.
“Oh, yeah, that makes me feel a million times better.” I throw my arms in the air, trying to rid myself of the blood coating my upper lip.
There were definitely shards of ice in the depths of that snowball.
