From Rags(43)
Author: Suzanne Wright

As they had ventured out to rent some ski equipment and arranged a beginner’s lesson, Jaxxon had soaked it all up; the ambience, the ethos, the views, the comfort and the idyllic blend of mountains and snow and the beautifully blue sky. Little by little all the tension had left her body and been replaced with excitement and anticipation. Though Anna had been skiing before, she didn’t consider herself above intermediate level and hadn’t wanted to leave Jaxxon so came along to the lesson. After going over the basics with them, the instructor decided they were ready to try the Bunny Hill. Although they had fallen a few times the instructor thought they were brilliant because neither feared falling so were quick learners.

“If he smiles at you one more time I’m going to whack him with my ski pole,” said Anna, gesturing to the Ian Beale lookalike in front of them. “He’s severely creeping me out.” She shuddered, and it wasn’t from the cold temperature. “Not that I’m at all complaining but why did you slap his helmet?”

“He said he loved my voice and asked if I worked for a sex hot line.”

Anna gasped. “The cheeky git!”

“Want to see me ski backwards?” he asked.

“Nope,” replied Jaxxon as Anna said, “Not even a little bit.” He didn’t seem deterred, not even when their instructor, Todd, directed an impatient glare at him. Jaxxon might have snapped at him if she hadn’t been distracted by the cute sight of a bunch of kids snowballing-to-death a man dressed up in a reindeer suit, or at least she was assuming it was a bloke. She remembered the time she had been in a military type snow fight with Leah and Roland and –

She let the thought stop dead right there.

The Bunny Hill, Jaxxon soon discovered, was a small slope that had a chairlift to take them to the top. As they waited in the loading area, she saw that Anna was nervous. “What’s up?”

“I don’t like these things. There was a rope tow when I last used a Bunny Hill. Then the first time I went to a beginner’s hill and used a chairlift I couldn’t pluck up the courage to push myself off.” And then she had been embarrassed as shit when someone from Ski Patrol stopped the lift and helped her down.

“That’s because you didn’t have me to bitch-slap you into moving your arse.”

Anna laughed. “It might actually come to that.” Even with Todd’s encouragement, Anna found herself fidgeting apprehensively. Side by side, she and Jaxxon waited for a chairlift to come around and then, holding both poles in one hand, smoothly sat on it, allowing it to take them up. Like Jaxxon, she kept the tips of her skis pointing upwards as they moved up. “Bugger, bugger, bugger,” she chanted nervously.

“Anna, do you really want to go home and tell Warren you got stuck on a moving couch?”

That was all the motivation Anna needed to straighten her shoulders. As she had told Jaxxon, it kind of intimidated her to know that Warren was an Olympic medal winner. She had never been into sports, and even though she was a celebrity the same as him she wasn’t doing a job that meant she represented her country or that people looked up to her. Mostly people just drooled over her. She didn’t want Warren to think that that was all there was to her; that they couldn’t enjoy the same things. And after him telling her that he loved skiing and would love to take her himself some time, she was determined to get some good practice in so that she didn’t make a fool of herself. Anna told Warren about the holiday but swore him to secrecy; he was not allowed to tell Connor a single detail. He swore he wouldn’t. In fact, it didn’t take much convincing. He seemed to like the idea of Connor being subjected to a little torture. Those boys loved winding each other up. Only one thing concerned her: Warren was a very crap liar.

“Remember,” said Jaxxon as they neared the unloading station, “point your skis forward and push away as the chair goes around.” After wincing at the sight of the creepy sod on the chair in front making a daring jump off the chairlift and ending up colliding with another skier, the pair glided off the lift and to the side, clear of the upcoming chairlifts.

Anna made a rejoicing sound. Funny how being set on impressing your boyfriend could make you face your fear. At last they came to the slope, and just in time to watch the creepy bloke do an elaborate toss over and become closely acquainted with a tree. She flinched at the spectacle. “Do you think that was an attempt at suicide?”

Jaxxon shrugged. “If it was, it was ill thought out. Someone should have told him a run-up is always advised. On a lighter note, it’s our turn.”

“Right, you go first.”

Remembering all that the instructor had told her, Jaxxon ensured her hands were through the straps on the poles which she held at her sides, she bent her knees and leant forward slightly, careful not to lean too far forward or else her skis may get all squirrelly. Then she assumed the ‘pizza’ position; her skis pointed together and heels pushed out, making a wedge with an open point.

She drunk in the view; admiring the enormous mountains and hills and trees and the way it looked as though a soft white marsh-mellow blanket covered everything. After taking a moment to appreciate the weird, nerve-wracking yet exciting feeling of being poised on the edge, she slowly began sliding down the slope. To pick up a little speed, she narrowed her pizza position, loving the liberating feeling that came with the descent. Knowing that she could so easily fall was unsettling but at the same time made the whole thing exhilarating. All of a sudden she felt invigorated.

As Jaxxon reached the bottom of the slope she widened the angle of her position which finally brought her to a smooth halt. But she didn’t express her delight with herself until Anna reached her side, also having executed a smooth slide down. They giggled like a pair of kids in a playground; overwhelmed by exhilaration and relief and a delicious adrenalin rush.

“Well done,” praised the creepy bloke appeared out of absolutely nowhere. “You’re both naturals at it. Looked like goddesses the way you did that so gracefully.”

And then he made the biggest mistake of his life: he attempted to touch Jaxxon. Having reached her limit with the randy bastard, Jaxxon leant toward him slightly. “Do you see this pole? If you don’t stay out of my face, I’m going to rip you another arse hole with it. Understand?” He gulped and nodded before awkwardly skiing away.

Anna sighed in relief. “Thank the Lord for that.”

After a few repeats at a smooth glide down the Bunny Hill, Jaxxon and Anna tried doing turns during their descent. When Todd eventually decided that they were ready to try a beginner’s hill, they went for a little something to eat and drink to boost their energy levels before then hitting the other slopes.