Chapter 24 Liam
Liam
It’s cold out today, but not unbearable. The high is probably in the upper twenties, and I’m comfortably warm, thanks to my heated morning with Damon. My skin is still warm with the hum of desire flowing through my veins.
The higher I go on the mountain, the fewer people there are, and I’m getting kind of nervous that I won’t have anyone to go down with when a familiar face greets me in line for the lift.
Mountains out west can be overwhelming to navigate, but I’m actually having fun choosing where to go and figuring out how to get there.
You have to ski to one section in order to get over to a certain lift that will take you to mid mountain, then you have to ride another one to be able to access the slope that has the lift you really need at the bottom of it.
It can take half an hour just to get to the terrain you want to ski, even if there are no lift lines.
“Hey, man. Liam, right?” Vox asks, smoothly gliding his snowboard forward as we become next in line.
After having already met him once, I don’t feel the same level of pressure I did the first time we met. So, thankfully, my words come easily.
“Hey, Vox! Yeah, that’s right.”
He fist bumps me. “Mind if I share your chair?”
“Not at all, my dude.”
We push off to the line and wait for the chair to scoop us up.
Vox lowers the bar and props his board on the foot pegs.
“How’s your day been?” he asks. He’s just being friendly, making small talk, but I burst into laughter anyway.
When he looks at me like I’ve lost my marbles, I tone it down.
“Sorry, man. Let me tell you about my day.”
I recount everything that’s happened since he kissed me at Meltdown last night.
“Oh, fuck, man. I don’t know whether I should say I’m sorry or you’re welcome. I was just having a little fun with a guy of my own. I didn’t mean to cause you and yours any trouble.”
I shrug. “Looking back, it’s been building for a while. You did us a favor. But, like, can I ask you something?”
“Go for it,” Vox says, adjusting something on his helmet as we slowly make our way toward the summit.
“How do you date a guy?”
His eyes find mine, and it’s his turn to laugh. “Same way you date a girl, I reckon. We’re all just human, you know? Some like to be wined and dined; others like a rough fuck in the woods. What’s your guy like?”
I smile, picturing Damon.
“He’s uptight, a total control freak, a computer nerd, smart as hell, not a risk taker, and hates heights, but loves the view and the feeling of accomplishment he gets when he faces his fears.”
“Sounds like you know him pretty well.”
“Most days,” I admit.
“Okay, so trust your gut. Give him a safe adventure that he doesn’t have to plan, but knows the details of, so he isn’t, like, riddled with anxiety.
If you need a suggestion, there’s a restaurant up here called Summit.
” He looks at me with a flat look in his eyes.
“Original, right? Anyway, at night, it’s accessed by a heated gondola.
It’s by reservation only, and they’re usually pretty full, so I’d check before you head down if you’re interested.
They’ve got a helluva view, and a killer menu. ”
“That sounds perfect,” I admit. And then, in an attempt not to be a selfish prick, I ask, “How’d it go with your guy last night?”
“Exactly like I thought it would,” he says.
“Meaning?”
“He got up and stormed out a few minutes after I kissed you,” Vox says, leaving me staring at him with a puzzled look on my face. The lift house is coming into view, so I know our time is limited.
“And that’s what you wanted to happen?”
“Yep.”
“Sounds kind of cruel,” I point out. I mean, yeah, I kissed Vox in front of Damon, but I was trying to be supportive, not shove it in his face.
“Nah, I was just making a point.”
“Which was?” I ask, oddly invested in his relationship…or not relationship, I guess.
“To make him admit he wants me.”
“And did he?”
“Nope,” Vox says with a smile.
“Then why are you acting so smug?” I laugh.
“Because he will. He just thinks he can’t…or shouldn’t. We haven’t known each other long, not personally at least. But I’m just getting started, and I always get what I want. He may not have said the words, but his abrupt exit told me everything I needed to know.”
“Bro, I’m so confused,” I tell Vox as he raises the bar and prepares to exit the lift. “Why shouldn’t he have a thing for you?”
“Because he’s my coach, and that’s a big no-no,” he says with a wink. “Have a good run! And don’t forget your reservations!” he yells, pointing to the right, where an absolutely incredible structure sits. Made entirely of wood, stone, and glass, this place screams Damon Landry.
God, I bet they even do that thing where they pour your wine, you sniff and swirl it, and then pretend like it’ll do, even though it’s the best fucking thing you’ve ever tasted.
There are no ski boots allowed inside, so the ma?tre d’ is outside in one of those puffy, full-body down parkas. I almost feel sorry for him, but when I look over my shoulder to see if Vox has taken off, I get a load of the view behind me for the first time, and holy shit.
You can see for miles. Hundreds of them.
Snow-capped peaks of mountains in different ranges are visible from up here.
The base village is barely identifiable.
It’s high up here. Like really high. But the mountaintop itself is so wide and flat that you don’t feel like you’re at risk of falling or being swept down the mountain.
No, I feel an odd mix of being powerful and powerless at the same time.
As I approach the guy working the reservations list, I realize he also has two commercial-grade propane heaters behind him. The tall kind they use to heat patios in the winter. Yeah, he seems just fine.
I’m way out of my element here. Reservations are using Damon’s thing, and I don’t really know what I’m doing, so I stutter my way through, figuring this would be a great place to celebrate our last night and all the good news I’ll hopefully be sharing.
“Um, could I get on the list for a table for two for Saturday night?”
“I’m sorry, sir, our next available reservation is three weeks from now.”
“Oh.” My heart falls. Damon would have loved this place. And then, an idea hits me. “Could I get on the cancelation list?”
He scoffs, leading me to believe they don’t get cancelations often.
Before he can turn me down again, though, someone comes to a stop next to me.
“Yo, Freaky Zekey, how’s it hanging, my man?” Vox says, slinging an arm around my shoulders.
“Mr. Montgomery, this entire mountain may love you, but I do not. Tell me what you came to say and then be on your way.”
I watch this exchange with wide eyes.
Vox laughs and leans in conspiratorially, bringing me with him since his arm is still around my shoulders.
“Zeke, my man, Liam here wants to propose to his guy.” My eyebrows shoot to my hairline as Vox talks.
“He was going to take him to The Flying Fig, but I said, no way! The Summit’s where you gotta go.
There’s no better place.” I watch in awe as Zeke puffs his chest out a little at the compliment as if this were his restaurant—hell, maybe it is—and Vox continues.
“And, I might have told him my good friend Zeke could hook him up, so I’d really appreciate it if you could do me a solid and squeeze him and his boo in. ” Vox looks at me expectantly.
“Uh, Saturday? Around seven-thirty?” It all comes out as questions because even though this is totally new territory for me, I’m pretty sure this is not how normal reservations are made.
“Saturday at seven-thirty,” Vox repeats before continuing. “And since The Summit will be the beginning of their lifetime of love, a table at the window would be best.”
Zeke looks over his list and floor plan, scribbles some things out, moves a couple of things around, and then looks back at Vox and me.
“We’ll see you Saturday at seven-thirty. Don’t be late. Dress code is formal.”
“Th-thank you,” I stammer, following Vox away from the stand. “Dude, that was awesome. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it. Zeke hates rich straight guys because they always look down their noses at him. And you look like the straightest gym bro to ever live…no offense.”
“None taken. Until last night, I was the straightest gym bro to ever live.”
“Well, now it looks like you’re about to be engaged to a man. Congrats. Wanna hit this run with me?”
My control freak is going to lose his fucking mind over the engagement part of the plan, but hey, the opportunity is presenting itself, and as Sasha said, you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.
“Let’s do it.”
Once I get down this mountain, I have a ring to buy, and enough cash in my pocket to do it with.