Chapter 22
Shane
Ruben lay pressed against me on this miserable cot. Ever since we had spent the night in the hotel, I could hardly bear the sleeping situation in our cabin. I couldn’t manage to connect the beds that they didn’t drift apart at some point.
So we’re on one bed. At least that had the advantage that there wasn’t a hair’s breadth between us. It took some effort, but I managed to slip my arm between us and stroke Ruben’s chest. His dark chest hair fascinated me.
“Maybe I should shave.”
“Now? In the middle of the night?” I didn’t move from my spot but continued to watch my fingers stroke his hair.
Ruben laughed softly. “My chest. I promise I’ll trim it properly.”
“What?” I dug my fingers into his chest, and Ruben hissed.
“Ouch. It’s okay, they’ll come off.”
“What are you talking about? Why do you want to shave them?” I stroked them again.
“Don’t they bother you? You keep looking at my chest, and I don’t know… you’re hairless. Except for the hair on your head. It’s not normal to walk around this furry. But to be honest, I haven’t had the motivation until now.”
“Why bother? I love it. In fact, I can’t even tell you when or why I started shaving completely.”
“It’s beautiful,” Ruben said, stroking my thigh, which was resting on his. “You don’t have to do it. But your skin is so different from mine.”
“Different is good. The physical sensation of stroking your chest is sexy.” To emphasize what I meant, I stroked his chest hair vigorously.
He closed his eyes with pleasure and hummed to himself. “I’ll miss you,” he murmured.
I kissed the tip of his nose. “Me too. But it’s only a three-day ski safari.”
Ruben sighed. “Three days when I’ll have practically no time off. And after that, I won’t have much time with you either. Then your family will be here.”
I continued stroking his shoulders and head. “Don’t you want to see them anymore? That’s okay. I thought you did?”
“Yes, of course. But you’ll be busy with each other. I have to work. There’s hardly any time left.”
“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll postpone it. They know that. I can’t always take time off when they visit me either.”
“Okay,” Ruben murmured. “I’ll see you in a week, then.”
Laughing, I pulled him close. “We’ll have the nights.”
Ruben buried his face in my neck. “When we’ll be sleeping peacefully in our beds.”
“We can sleep. Or do something else.” I tugged lightly on the hair at the back of his head, and he grinned at me.
“I think I’m nervous.” Ruben smiled tentatively.
“Why?” I cupped his chin. Stroking it.
“I’ve never met anyone’s parents before.”
“Me neither,” I admitted.
“Then why so fast? Not that I have anything against it. But don’t you have any reservations?”
“Concerned about what? Us?” I shrugged. “Do we have any guarantees? No. But there’s no reason not to make the best of it. No one should have any doubt that we’re together.”
The three-day ski safari had been more fun than I had expected. The group of students had taken a few days off before their exams before Christmas and made the most of their time. They were all pretty confident skiers and had booked us teachers more as a precaution.
Nevertheless, I was pretty exhausted when I returned to the resort. Apart from one message in the past few days, I hadn’t heard from Ruben. Our schedule had been tight, and there was often no cell service in the remote ski resorts.
I would have loved to fall into bed after my shower, but my parents, Nash and Lorena, were waiting.
Despite my intention to tell them about Ruben, I hadn’t thought about how I was going to do it. I had never considered introducing anyone to my family before. Nevertheless, I had an urgent need in me to tell them that we belonged together.
I shouldn’t overthink it. As beautiful as it was, it was also simple.
For the first time since I had been here, I would be eating in the main house. Maybe I would get to see Ruben, who would be working late into the night today.
The thought of him spurred me on, and with a quick glance at my phone, I hurried to the main house.
My family was sitting at the bar in the entrance area in front of the restaurant. When my mother saw me, she jumped up and came toward me with open arms.
“Shane! How wonderful. Let me give you a hug.” When my mother was done with me, she handed me over to my father. Lorena hugged me too, and Nash finally pulled me into his arms.
“Come on! I haven’t moved to the other end of the world,” I said with a grin as Nash handed me a beer.
“Oh, after the summer, when I can see you every day, it’s a big adjustment every year. On the other hand, it’s nice to see the different places you hang out,” my mom interjected.
“Can we make requests about where to go next? I don’t know if I’ll be in the mood for snow again next year.” Lorena punched my brother in the upper arm.
“Of course we’ll visit you wherever you go,” my father said with a smile. “I personally enjoy snow.”
The bottom line was that we had the same conversations every year when we met at my winter station.
My father planned to explore the area, my mom wanted to know if the accommodation was nice, Nash tried to find out what there was to eat, and Lorena endured my family with angelic calm.
My brother turned around. “The hotel is even nicer than it appeared in the pictures on the internet. How did you find it?”
“Aiden told me about the place. And somehow I needed a change.”
“Hey, Shane!” Laurence behind the bar greeted me. “So, I’m blessed with your presence here today?”
In fact, I had never been to the hotel bar before. When we sat together, it was usually in the breakfast room. The hotel was for the guests. That had been made clear to us. My presence here must have been unusual.
“It had to happen sooner or later!” I replied, and he laughed. His gaze swept over my family.
I nodded and confirmed his assumption. “Today, for once, I’m a guest of my family.”
“Then enjoy yourselves,” he said, turning his attention to other guests.
When I turned back to my family, Nash stared at me with raised eyebrows. “And that was . . . ?”
Irritated, I shook my head. “Laurence. Why?”
“Oh, I see.” he said slowly. “I thought it might be Ruben.”
I hadn’t mentioned that yet. And how did he know Ruben’s name?
“How do you know Ruben?” I asked.
“You told me about him,” Nash replied immediately.
“Right.” Before I could explain further, we were called to our table.
There we ordered wine and drinks. I had almost assumed that the subject of Ruben had been forgotten when my mom brought it up again.
“Who’s Ruben?” she asked.
I looked around at the expectant faces and raised my hands slightly. “My boyfriend. When I was on the phone with Nash a few weeks ago, everything was still uncertain that I was convinced I wouldn’t tell you anything about him, but it’s serious.”
Lorena reached across the table and squeezed my hand briefly. “I’m happy for you.”
My brother and mother were shocked, while my father watched me with a smile.
“Something serious? I mean . . . ” She was obviously struggling to find the right words. “Of course. It’s just that you never gave the impression that . . . ”
That made me grin. “What impression did I give, Mother?”
My mom turned bright red, and my dad could barely suppress his laughter.
When he regained control, he leaned toward me. “If I may say so. I may not be an expert, and it’s been a while since I fell in love with your mother, but—are you nervous?”
I ran both hands over my thighs and let the question sink in. I wasn’t the nervous type. Still, there was an unmistakable excitement gnawing at me. “A little,” I admitted.
“But why?” Nash asked, almost irritated.
Once again, I searched for the right words to describe what was going on inside me. “I hope you guys like him.”
My mother sat back with a loud sigh. At that moment, small appetizers were placed on our table. “A complimentary appetizer from the kitchen,” explained the waitress before immediately disappearing.
Nash pounced on the appetizers. “God, I’m hungry.”
“Shocker!” Lorena scolded, nudging him in the side with a smile.
“Shane, why wouldn’t we like him?” My mom wasn’t easily distracted.
I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant.
” I stared thoughtfully at the appetizers arranged with flowers.
“He’s very important to me. The idea that you don’t get along with this person—my person .
. . ” Once again, I stared somewhat lost at the tablecloth covered in white. “I don’t know what I would do then.”
“If he’s important to you, I’m sure he’s wonderful. You should trust your instincts,” my father stated simply.
My mom glanced at me. “We’re happy for you,” she assured me. “Whenever we get to meet him.”
“But he’s here at the resort, isn’t he?” Nash helpfully interjected.
“Really?” My mom beamed. “Then why isn’t he here eating with us? Come on, Shane!”
“Save yourself the interrogation. He has to work.”
She nodded, taking in the information. “Tell us more and don’t make us drag everything out of you. What does he do? How long have you known each other?”
My family didn’t need to know every detail of our relationship. “We’re sharing accommodation here, and he’s a chef.”
My father put down the spoon he had just brought to his mouth. “You mean he cooked what we’re eating?”
Now it was my mother who eagerly reached for a piece of fresh bread and put it in her mouth. “It’s delicious!” she mumbled around it.
My family certainly didn’t lack style, I noted sarcastically to myself.
“So you’ve settled your—um, differences—in the meantime?” Nash wanted to know.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Misunderstandings. I—we had to talk, really talk to each other.”
“Communication is everything,” my father confirmed.
“But . . . ” My mother gazed around nervously. “We’re only here for two nights. Are we sure we’ll see him? I mean, we’ve planned to go skiing tomorrow. What’s his work schedule?”
“We’ll find a few minutes to say hello,” I tried to reassure her.