Chapter 11
Shane
Ruben was here.
My hands trembled slightly as I stowed my backpack in the closet.
Ruben was here.
I didn’t know yet what to make of it. I was still busy processing this explosive encounter.
I grinned. Ruben had been here. And obviously it wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
I quickly undressed in the bathroom. I desperately needed a shower. After the long bus ride and the trip with Adriel, I was more than ready for a wash.
As I stood under the spray, the surprise—the shock—of Ruben’s presence slowly faded from my body. And the memory of what Ruben had freely displayed took its place.
I glanced at my traitorous cock, which thought it had to get hard.
Ruben was an arrogant dick who didn’t even want to be in the same room with us. So, we weren’t going to jerk off thinking about his pale, soft skin. About the black chest hair, I had buried my fingers in. His velvety hair, that had caressed my fingertips.
Nope.
I still couldn’t understand how this break had come about. But now I had the opportunity to find out.
That thought should be enough to relax me.
After my shower, during which I couldn’t keep thoughts of Ruben out of my mind as effectively as I had intended, I explored the accommodation and the area.
The cabin was designed for two people and was therefore quite small.
It was reminiscent of a student dorm, with no real second room. Except for the bathroom.
I found my way to the staff dining room easily thanks to George’s description.
At the entrance, I ran into Adriel. People were bustling around us, greeting me warmly with smiles and nods.
“Ah, there you are. Everything okay?” my boss asked.
“Sure, everything’s fine,” I lied. I couldn’t have imagined such a turbulent start in my wildest dreams.
Adriel pointed across the room to one of four refrigerators.
“This is where we eat. The hall is always open. You can cook here yourselves. However, meals are also served twice a day. Of course, you can take a snack with you to the hut, but you can store your things in the refrigerator and prepare them here. Breakfast is served from 5:30 to 8:00 in the morning, and in the evening, the kitchen cooks for us. What’s on the menu is posted on a note on the bulletin board the night before.
You ski instructors and entertainers are mostly among yourselves here.
If the schedule doesn′t suit you, you can cater for yourself.
But you are entitled to both meals if you want.
The kitchen has its own rhythm. But one or two people still find their way to us.
Similar to Ruben today. Hey, Ruben, come here. ”
Adriel waved over my roommate, who approached us with his lips pressed together.
“Ruben. This is our new arrival. I’m sure you can explain to him how he can maybe grab something from the kitchen at lunchtime if Shane happens to be in the main house. You’re not working tonight, are you?”
“No,” Ruben growled, and Adriel squinted his eyes in surprise. “And we’ve already had the pleasure. Shane lives with me.”
“Ah, you share a cabin.” Adriel spoke indignantly, resembling an English high school teacher at a private school.
Ruben immediately turned bright red and quickly opened his mouth. “Of course. We share the cabin.”
Adriel immediately placed his hand on Ruben’s shoulder in a friendly manner, but Ruben wasn’t so quick to be appeased, if I interpreted his gaze correctly.
“Perfect. Then you can take over the rest of the introduction here. It’s not my field of work, anyway.” With that, Adriel disappeared, leaving Ruben and me standing there.
I stared at him wordlessly, and he shook his head. I didn’t understand his muttered words. It was better that way.
“Sit down. The kitchen will bring the food in a moment. Plates and cutlery are in the wall cabinets.”
“Fantastic,” I exclaimed, overly friendly.
Ruben turned away and walked to the end of the table.
“What’s for dinner today?” I called after him.
Without lifting his head up, he replied, “Surprise.”
With my cutlery and plate, I joined a small group and introduced myself. Ruben was engrossed in conversation and didn’t acknowledge me.
The potato gratin and the various patties were incredibly delicious. I went back for a third helping. Tammi, also a snowboard instructor who was already in her fourth season at the resort, and Mason, who was here for the second time, told me what I might need to know.
“The guests are different. However, they tend to be beginners. You’ll hardly find any experienced skiers among them.
Since we’re not a pure sports hotel here, but also do a lot of wellness and dabble on the slopes, you have to be careful.
Even if some of them overestimate their abilities because they go jogging every day.
” Tammi thoughtfully speared a cucumber.
“When in doubt, I would always play it safe rather than let some smart aleck talk me into something.”
“It’s also good that Adriel is always there for you and leads the team well. Most of us come back here again and again.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure if the food alone isn’t reason enough to spend the winter here.”
Mason laughed. “There’s something to that! That’s also nice. Food and lodging are important here.”
I thought about my living situation and glanced at Ruben.
He quickly lowered his gaze. The snippets of conversation that reached us were a foreign language to me.
Oysters from France. Green tea from Japan.
Ingredients that he and his coworker wanted to use to conjure up something for the kitchen. Who cooked their food with tea?
Normally, such talk left me cold. It wasn’t my life.
As long as I was doing okay and could enjoy my life, I was satisfied.
I didn’t make that dependent on a stamp in my passport.
Or on the stories I could tell about some continent or other.
However, this glimpse into Ruben’s reality left a sour taste in my mouth.
Once again, I was overcome by the uncertainty that he had run away from me because I bored him.
What did I have to say? I could talk for hours about different types of wax. For boards of all kinds.
Irritated with myself, I turned my attention back to Mason and Tammi, who immediately invited me to go floodlight skiing.
“Just for an hour,” Mason said. “So you can get a feel for it.”
“As if I could say no to skiing at night.”
“Then we’ll see you at the lift in an hour.”
The two of them stood, and I cleared away my leftovers. When I looked around, Ruben had already disappeared.
That was fine. I already had plans.
When I arrived at the cabin, Ruben was lying on his bed. One hand was in his black curls, which hung over his forehead. The other was holding a magazine.
I quickly counted to four and back as not to snatch the magazine from his hand and demand a real answer as to what his problem was.
“Too bad you didn’t show me around,” I couldn’t help saying.
But Ruben waved me off without looking at me. “You made friends quickly. You don’t need me.”
His upper lip curled slightly, as if he didn’t approve of what he was saying. His whole body tensed. And he stared at the page without moving his gaze from what he was reading in any way.
Slowly, I sat and took off my jeans. A loud sigh was the answer I got.
“Relax. I’m only getting ready. Mason . . . ” A thought formed in my brain and wouldn’t let go. A nasty thought, if my vague suspicion were true. “Mason invited me.” And Tammi, I added in my mind. But my few words did not fail to have an effect.
Ruben sat up abruptly. “Oh, right. See? No need for my humble self to be present.”
He turned to face the wall. I took off my T-shirt to put on my functional underwear.
I thoughtfully watched Ruben’s back as it rose and fell.
“How do we handle bringing someone here to fuck?” I asked, as if inquiring about the restaurant’s daily special.
A primal scream escaped Ruben as he jumped up, stomped into his boots, and threw on his jacket. “Argh!”
For the second time that day, he disappeared through our cabin door, which slammed shut with a thunderous bang.
Interesting. Was this how someone who thought I was too boring and simple-minded reacted?