Page 8 of Beared at Christmas
It was true. The wait between climbing up and going down was a nice break, yet it left us at the mercy of the cold.
“Shall we race down?” We’d seen other patrons do it, and, since we’d learned which lanes were the fastest, I thought it would be fun.
Brody nodded, his eyes twinkling. I couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or the cold. “I want the far-left lane.”
I knew he would pick that one. I found the one beside it to be faster. “You’re on.”
As we waited in our respective lines, I thought about how thankful I was to have someone to spend my holidays with. There was no way I would have participated in any of the activities if I’d been alone. Probably would have gone for long walks and moped around thinking about how lonely I was without Raine. Sure, the mix-up had been frustrating at first, but it seemed to work out so far. And I remained thankful it was Brody who ended up in the same cabin as me and not some other human whom I would not have gotten along with. It seemed almost fated, like we were meant to meet each other and spend our holidays together.
When we reached our positions at the top of the hill, we told one of the attendants we wanted to race. He and the other guy working on the left lanes held our tubes in position. After they ensured we held on tight, they shoved us down the hill. Brody whooped from the other side of the bank. I was sure for the first half that I was in the lead, catching the occasional glimpse of himin my peripheral vision. Then I began to spin, which seemed to slow me down and give Brody a chance to pull ahead. He won by a margin, as I reached the bottom only half a second later.
When I got up, I grabbed the rope for my tube and was ready to head back to the chalet to turn in our equipment.
Suddenly, someone yelled, “Watch out!”
I turned around to see a tuber slam into Brody. The human flew back, and time seemed to slow. I couldn’t get up fast enough to help him before he landed hard with a thump and groaned.
I rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”
He moaned with his eyes closed, otherwise not moving. “I-I don’t know. I slipped and then was launched into the air. Now, everything hurts. Ugh!”
The attendants held everyone up top, not letting anyone slide down. A relief, since I didn’t want Brody to be hit by anyone else. Then the sudden crowd around us parted to allow a paramedic through.
“What’s your full name?” She kneeled beside him and removed a flashlight from her bag, shining it in his eyes.
“Brody Hedges,” he answered in a strained voice.
That’s when I realized I knew very little about him. I knew he didn’t get along with his family because he was gay and that he was a computer programmer for a gaming company. I had no idea which one or even where he lived. He was still very much a stranger, and I didn’t know if I wanted to leave it at that or not. At the end of the week, would we depart and never see each other again? I wasn’t sure I wanted that anymore. Yet, I didn’t want to invest time in getting to know someone if he might forget all about me.
“You seem okay.” The paramedic helped Brody to his feet. “No concussion or broken bones, but you’re probably going to ache after that fall. Some ice and rest will do you good. Is there anyone here with you?”
“I am.” I stepped forward with my hand raised. “We came together.”
She glanced at Brody to confirm with him, and he nodded.
“Okay, get him home and resting.” She packed up her bag before turning back to me. “If there’s any swelling, ice for fifteen minutes. Heat and ibuprofen for aches and pains. If you have a hot tub, it’s even better. Take care of the swelling first. He doesn’t appear to have a concussion, but if he complains of a headache or appears confused or loses consciousness, take him to a hospital immediately.”
“And where would the nearest hospital be?” Something I never expected to worry about while on vacation, especially since it was only supposed to be me. “We’re here on vacation.”
She gave me a knowing smile, probably assuming more than she should have about us. “On the south end of Pinevale. You probably passed it on the way in and didn’t notice. It’s small, but they know what they’re doing there.”
“Thank you.” I nodded before offering Brody my shoulder to help him up to the chalet, dragging our tubes behind us.
Back at the cabin, I managed to get him resting on the couch with a fire going. I looked up all the signs of a concussion and watched him closely. The last thing I wanted was to have to take him to the hospital. Not because I didn’t care for him. But it was Christmas Eve, and we were both supposed to enjoy our holidays, not end up stuck in an emergency room.
That was another problem. I did care for him. Probably too much for someone I’d met only days ago. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t deny the strange pull he had on me. Not the same as Raine, because he and I had been fated mates. Plus, Brody was human. I didn’t understand why I felt anything for him at all. With a sigh, I paused in front of him to check his vision again. I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed his company, and I wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to him at the end ofthe week. We had nothing in common other than being stuck together in the cabin, so why this sudden attraction to him? Yes, he was good-looking and I was sure he would be a good fuck, but it was something deeper that kept my bear at attention.
“Would you be kind enough to go into town, or even to the lodge, to grab something for dinner?”
My heart raced at the sound of his voice, and it took me a moment to realize what he’d said. “Um… I really don’t want to leave you alone.” For more reasons than one. “What if you have symptoms of a concussion while I’m gone?”
He released a heavy breath. “I’ve had no symptoms so far, and your pacing is giving me anxiety. I’m going to leave if you don’t.”
“And where are you going to go?” The question popped out before I had the chance to think about how to respond.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Just outside to sit in the snowbank if I have to. Or maybe I’ll hobble up to the lodge, since I am really hungry.”
“Sorry.” I sat in the chair closest to the bed, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. “I just feel like I need to make sure you’re okay. Did you want to come with me into town?”
