22. Kiara / Colton
twenty-two
Kiara / Colton
Kiara
“S o… were you ever married or-or in a serious relationship?” I say into the phone, then tuck my feet under my butt and try to relax in my couch. Willow is sitting cross-legged on the floor, eating popcorn. This is the night the guy on the app and me are having our first phone call. I asked for back up, and she seemed excited to help.
When the guy—Nigel is his name—answered the phone, she kneeled up to listen briefly, but after a few seconds she gave me privacy and now she’s back on the floor, her glances alternating between me and her phone.
“Y—not really serious,” he answers. “You know how it is. Trying to find the right shoe.”
“Lotsa fitting sessions?” I blurt out, then catch myself. “Sorry, that was… huh… Forget I asked. Can we rewind the conversation?”
He chuckles. “Sure, how far back?”
Until I ruined it just now, this conversation was going well. First off, the guy has a sexy-as-hell voice, with a hint of an accent I can’t quite place. When I asked him about it, he answered, “I don’t have an accent. Where’s yours from?” and you could tell he was joking. I liked it. Humor? Check.
When I said I was a pastry chef (which, it was already on my profile, but whatever) and I pointed out his profile mentioned Foodie , he simply said he liked to eat. And then he laughed again.
Objectively, he has a good, hearty laugh. Honest. The fact that it doesn’t affect me doesn’t mean anything at this point.
And he doesn’t seem taken aback by my nosiness. Now that’s a plus.
“Your answer to whether you were married or in a serious relationship. I sensed hesitation.”
“Oh, I see. Depends what you define as serious. At some point, I’m going to want to settle down, but right now, I’m in Prattsville for only a month or so. I’m not looking to plant my roots here.”
Prattsville? Perfect. Close enough to get together, far enough not to run into each other.
He clears his throat, and there’s some background sound, like he’s with someone else. Is it weird or not? I mean, I’m with someone else. But that’s different. “What-what were you looking for?” he asks.
I frown. “Like my profile says, casual. Same as you, except I get to stay here.”
“Ouch, sorry about that.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. I love it here.” The answer comes out defensive, and without any thought. I can’t help but have a flashback of what I’d told Colton about needing to maybe leave, and how he seemed hurt, and how I’m sort of in his camp now.
“Are you from around here, then?” he asks, the inflection in his tone really cute.
“Not originally, but I call Emerald Creek home.”
“Emerald Creek?! Love that place.”
I perk up in surprise. “You know it?”
“Been through it once. Actually had an oil change at this garage… What’s it called again?”
“Wait! You went to Harper’s? Colton’s my best friend. He’s the reason this is home to me now.” I sit up, excited to be talking about Colton.
“Really? Colton Harper is the reason Emerald Creek is home?” He chuckles lightly. “Is he your ex?”
Colton
What the hell is this guy talking about? This conversation was supposed to be short and to the point and lead to a first date on the slopes. Period. Nothing else. I don’t want to know what Kiara’s answer is. I stand from the stool and pace toward the window.
But her voice fills the room as he switches to speakerphone. “Oh, no-no-no. Just a really, really good friend. The best. Salt of the earth. The kindest soul there is.”
My jaw clenches. I resist scowling at him. The guy is a new customer doing me a favor. But the fact remains, he shouldn’t be making her talk about me.
He glances at me, seeming happy with his scheming. “Huh. You sound like… you really like him.”
Her voices catches when she says, “I do.”
And I nearly lose it.
Because I see what he’s doing. And that was not the plan.
Kiara
I do care for Colton. I’m not gonna lie. But talking about him feels both right and wrong, as if by bringing him into the conversation I’m not really doing what this feels like: cheating on him.
“But he’s with someone else,” the guy states with finality in his tone.
Why would he say that? “Um. I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell, with Colt. Different woman each time.” The taste of bile invades my mouth. I have nothing to support that theory, but it’s like… I know.
“Are you jealous?” he asks, surprising me.
My heartbeat picks up. “No! Not at all. Why would I be?”
“You say you really like him. You say he’s not an ex. I’m… look. I’ve been burned before. So far I’m getting a good vibe with you. I just don’t want to be led on. If you’re holding a torch for someone else, then…”
I get the guy’s point, and I would feel sorry for him… except: “I thought you were looking for casual?”
He clears his throat. “And I am. I’m just a bit territorial. That okay?”
M-hm. Territorial in a casual relationship? That could be fun. From what I’ve read, it can only make the sex hotter. “Sure. Yeah. It’s—I was a little confused, is all.”
“Tell me more about Emerald Creek. How is it home to you?”
“Oh, that’s… that’s a long story but…” I glance at Willow. I’ve never shared the details of my life before Emerald Creek to anyone, except briefly to Colton, and that was just the other day. And under emotional pressure to explain my weirdness. “Bottom line, I was down on my luck and they… they took me in. Treated me like one of their own. I found a job and a place to stay, and basically… you know.”
There’s some ruffling on the other end of the line, then he says, “No, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, this is my home now.” Hell if I’m going to open up to a perfect stranger. “How ’bout you? Why are you in the NEK for what—a month?”
He seems to hesitate. “Uh, just needed to get away from it all. Recharge.”
“You hiding from something?” I ask, laughing a bit to make him at ease. Suddenly the idea of going out with a perfect stranger isn’t so appealing anymore. I know nothing about this guy. I glance at Willow, and she gets closer to my phone, trying to listen in.
“N-no. Why would you say that?”
“I dunno. The NEK, the casual but territorial, the hesitation over being married or not, the foodie who just likes to eat. Just trying to get a picture here.”
“Ah! I didn’t know this was going to be a phone interview,” he says, releasing that infectious laugh again, making me relax. “Nah. You’re reading too much into all this.”
Colton
My heart stomps. Shit. She’s gonna hang up on him. There’s no way. Fuck. Why didn’t I remember to tell him not to say that? That’s the one thing that drives her crazy. Well, among other things. But that, I should have thought of.
I make the universal sign for cut and grab a piece of paper off the stack of invoices on my desk. The guy gets the idea that he messed up, maybe because he sees me panicking, or maybe because Kiara is chopping his ear off. I don’t know. I can’t tell. The blood wooshing in my ears is too loud to hear her voice.
“What I meant to say,” he says slowly, “is… how can I put it?” He looks at me, a little panicked.
I turn the paper over and scribble, I’m here to do some reading. That should work, right? Pretend he got his words mixed up or something. He came to the NEK to do some reading. Not much else to do around here in the winter except snow shoe and ice-fish. The dude doesn’t look like he’d be able to hold a conversation about either of these very common Vermont activities.
He glances at the paper and rolls his eyes. “You read too much!” he blurts.
Kiara
My jaw drops open. Is this guy for real? I put my hand on the phone’s mic and stare at Willow, trying to come up with a summary for her.
She throws a popcorn in her mouth. “What?” she asks, her eyes dancing.
“I can’t believe him!”
She scoots closer. “What’d he say?”
I move the phone further from her. “First he says I’m reading too much into his story.” I pause for dramatic effect, rolling my eyes.
“Ouch,” Willow says. “In his defense, he doesn’t know your aversion for the expr—”
“And then,” I add, not wanting to hear her defense of the douchebag I’ve already decided I’m not interested in, “he says I read too much.”
She tilts her head like a curious puppy. “Hm? Ask him what he means.”
“Dude, I’m just gonna hang up.”
She shoots her hand out toward me. “No-you’re-not,” she replies instantly.
What does she care? “I’m not interested!”
“You can’t make a decision like that on a-a-a—”
A hunch? I abso-fucking-lutely can. I bring the phone down and aim my index at the red button.
“Wait!” she yells, then adds in a regular tone. “Just tell him he doesn’t read enough.” Whispering, she adds, “let’s have some fun. See how bad he really is.”
“And maybe you don’t read enough,” I say, looking at Willow and smiling. Excitement courses through my veins. I feel like a teenager again and am vaguely ashamed yet outrageously entertained by the whole thing. I put the phone on speaker.
Colton
“And maybe you don’t read enough,” she says. I can hear Willow giggling and whispering in the background. This is a shit show of epic proportions. It’s going to blow up on the proverbial fan and Kiara will be pissed. Majorly pissed. Does Willow even realize her job is on the line if Kiara finds out?
With the desperation of a man who has nothing to lose, I grab an invoice from the top of the pile, turn it over, and start scribbling as legibly as I can.
This is my last chance at saving not only this disaster of a scheme, but, this time, my friendship with Kiara.
Kiara
“Or maybe I read between the lines,” he says in a suave voice.
Willow jerks back into the couch, clasping her hands on her mouth, giggling excitedly. “HOT!” she mouths silently.
I have to say, he got me there.
He continues, talking super slow. “Maybe I’m only here for a month… to get away from it all… and I’m ready… I’m ready to meet someone who’s not… not like anyone else I’ve been with… before. Someone real… and honest… and no bullshit. Maybe… maybe that’s what your profile said to me… between the lines… and… and your voice… between the words… and your answers… between my questions. Are you that person, Kiara?”
Colton
I sense her hesitation on the line. Did I go too strong? I scribble another line.
Kiara
When I don’t say anything, he adds, “I just want to connect with… with someone real, and for a short time.” He takes a deep breath, like a man who fucked up and knows it. “Is it too much to ask?”
I’m not sure what to answer, so I stay silent, listening to the ruffling of papers on his side of the phone call. I’m waffling between the feeling that something is off, and the attraction I feel from his words alone.
“Tell you what,” he finally says. “Do you like snowboarding?”
I roll my eyes and press my palm on the phone so I can talk to Willow. “He wants to go snowboarding,” I whisper.
Colton
I can’t believe I let him go so long before bringing up a first date. Snowboarding. Safe. Public. There’s no reason for her not to go for it. I’ve finally reached the end of this disaster. My nerves are so shot that at this point I don’t care if she hangs up or not.
I’ll find another way to make her see we belong together.
But with Willow clearly in the room with her, there’s no reason she won’t encourage her to go for it.
Kiara
Willow stifles a giggle and motions me to keep talking.
“Why’d you want to go snowboarding?” I mean, I’m all for it. Little to no conversation. I’d avoid chairlifts—these could lead to long conversations and awkward physical proximity—and opt for gondolas, pretending I needed to warm up a little. It’s rare to be alone in a gondola. The presence of other people would drastically reduce the awkwardness of having to get to know each other. No dressing up and trying to look pretty. So, for me? Perfect.
But why would a guy want that? Is he some kind of loner who’s awkward around women? I’m looking for a man, a real man, with experience. Someone who can, you know, pop my cherry in an expert manner. I’m willing to go through all the crap if it leads to that.
I know I’m not experienced, but I don’t think snowboarding—the baggy clothes, smelly socks, matted hair, not to mention the physical exertion that generally leads to me falling asleep before dinner—ever led to one losing their virginity.
“I just thought we’d… do something fun, have lunch together. Don’t you like snowboarding?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Scared you can’t keep up with me? I’ll wait for you.”
The guy is lucky he’s got a sexy voice. I hate that I don’t find the strength to tell him off. To be honest, I’m curious what kind of person he is. Sometimes he can say the most outrageous things. Other times, he’s spot on. Covering my phone with my hand again, I whisper for Willow’s benefit, “I think he might have a split personality.” Then I ask him, “D’you know where Red Mountain is?” and stick my tongue out at Willow, who’s rolling her eyes. She firmly believes the research the guys did on this dude is solid and I have nothing to worry about.
“I’ll figure it out,” he answers, a smile in his voice. “Saturday?”
Inspiration hits me. “Can’t do Saturdays. I can’t do days, really. How ’bout tomorrow night?”
There’s a slight pause, and for a few seconds I’m both hoping and dreading he’s going to bail on me. Tell me he has poor night vision or some shit. “Tomorrow’s perfect. Four o’clock at the main lodge?”
“Six.” That’ll give me time to get ready. And then we’ll get into the later hours of the day, which will be more conducive to warming up with… a drink at the bar. And more if we gel. Screw smelly socks and such. Night skiing shouldn’t make me too gross. It’s too fucking cold to break into a sweat.
“Six it is. I’ll be wearing a… a light blue ski jacket.”
With the weather we have coming, there won’t be many people in the main lodge at six. Just the die-hards, and they won’t be standing around. “I’ll find you from your picture. I’ll be the—”
“You’ll be the most beautiful woman in the room,” he cuts, getting me another eye roll. “See you tomorrow.”
He hangs up before I can answer, and I have to say, I kind of like it. I’m jittery from the phone call and confused by the different things he said. I can’t get a read on the guy, but overall I got a good feel.