Chapter Seven
Ulrik
In all the winters I’d been alive, I had never gone tube sliding.
Skiing, yes. Snowboarding, yes. And even sledding down some local hills.
Tube sliding was new to me. Like most of the other attractions Brody and I had planned to visit, there was a place just down the road from our resort where we got to ride down the snowy hills in inflated tubes.
The slopes were steeper than the bunny course at the mountain I learned to ski on and had a total of eight snow-packed lanes with high banks to divide them, four on each side of the walkway up the hill.
Lined with old rubber tires, the path was easy enough to climb, dragging our tubes behind us.
There was also a conveyer lift for those who couldn’t or didn’t want to walk the hill.
Unlike the other attractions we’d been to, the tube-sliding place was busy. We weren’t the only ones there for a change. Aside from wearing warm clothes, the only required equipment was a helmet and the tube we rode down on. We weren’t allowed on the hill without them.
I worried about Brody after ax throwing. The way he rubbed his arms, I expected him to say he was too sore to go. Taking time to see the snow sculptures and grabbing lunch beforehand seemed to be enough of a break for him. Besides, tube sliding worked the legs far more than the arms.
When we reached the top the first time, I stood to the side to let others pass. “How do you want to go down?”
He shrugged with a grin playing across his face. “Individually, I guess.”
“Okay. Let’s each pick a lane.” I let him choose first. There was a line for all of them.
Still, we managed to reach the front at the same time.
Lying on the tube with my butt in the center, I gripped the holds as the attendant at the top pushed me down.
It was faster than I expected it to be, and wetter, with loose snow flying up off the track.
I worried the people at the other end wouldn’t be out of the way in time.
When I reached the bottom, they had cleared, but I kept going, making it halfway up the sloped wall.
When I finally came to a stop, Brody was getting off his tube beside me.
“How did you like it?” I tried to get up and out of the way with him before the next tubers came down.
“It was fun.” He smiled, and it was nice to see the joy in his face after the frustration he’d shown earlier in the day.
“Ready to go again?” There were a lot of guests at the hill, especially kids, but it didn’t make me want to leave.
Brody nodded. “Can we go down together this time?”
I chuckled at how quiet and high-pitched his question had been as he’d wrinkled his nose. “Of course.”
Going down the hill together meant holding onto the hand grips of each other’s tubes.
The attendants let people go down in groups of up to four in the same lane, so it was not a problem for us to ride down like that.
Brody flopped onto his tube first and, once he had hold of my mine, I climbed on, and grabbed the closest handle on his.
The attendant pushed us on our way. Instead of going straight down, like my first solo venture, the tube seemed to spin us around each other on the way down.
Sometimes, we were side by side, and other times, one of us was in front of the other.
It wasn’t until we reached a lip at the bottom that it became impossible to hold on to each other.
We hit the bump and got some air before landing hard, our tubes smacking into each other before we scrambled off them.
We went up the walkway and down the hills several more times, trying every lane to see which one we liked best. Sometimes, we went down solo and other times, together. One time, we were even asked to join another group of two.
“Last time?” I asked Brody, my face slightly numb from the cold. We rode up the conveyer lift for a change, my legs cramping from climbing up the hill several times in three hours. My calves, thighs, and shoulders all ached, while my cheeks felt frozen in a half smile.
He nodded. “I can barely feel my face, and the lines keep getting longer.”
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 him in 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 of the 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?”
He shook his head. “I would rather stay here. I’m still a bit sore, but if you could get me some fried chicken, I would appreciate it. Give me your email, and I’ll transfer you the money.”
I stood, examining him once more before I left. “Don’t worry about it. What if I can’t get chicken?”
“I’ll take whatever.” He leaned forward and stuck his tongue out at me. “I’m fine. I promise you. And I have your cell number if I feel off in any way.”
“Okay.” I nodded then ducked around to the entryway. Perhaps it was a good idea to get some space from him. My bear kept putting ideas in my head about Brody that I wasn’t ready to entertain.