Chapter 8 Georgia #2
resort they keep the gondolas open all through the summer. You can ride up to the lodge at the top and back. It’s super gorgeous.”
We pay separately and meet out in front of the café on the sunny sidewalk, happily slurping our smoothies.
“So can we go?”
“Go where?”
“To those gondolas! Is there time for that?” he asks.
Once again, I’m torn between thinking Benny’s being too forward and realizing that he’s clearly just like this. If he wants something, he casually asks for it, no hesitation, no sheepishness.
Even though I find it a little off-putting, I’m also kind of drawn to it. I like to think of myself as assertive, but often
I hide what I really want, because being polite and going with whatever’s expected seems more important. There’s something
liberating about Benny’s whole energy.
“You know what? Why not!” I say, briefly wondering what Rhys would think of me giving the “full tour” to the new guy in town
like this. He’d probably say I should be hanging out with Mateo instead. Ironically, Mateo has already been hanging out more
with Daisy than me, since he’s been giving her rides home from the club.
Which gives me an idea. “C’mon, get back in the car. The resort’s only like ten minutes from here. Also, I want to tell you
about my sister. I think you might really like her.”
By the time Benny and I make it to the gondolas at the ski resort, I’ve already relayed a list of Daisy trivia. After all,
they’re pretty much the same age, and Benny does seem really sweet. He’d make a great boyfriend or at least summer fling for
Daisy. Their names even sound cute together!
If I’m being honest, matchmaking him with Daisy would also make me feel a lot more comfortable about spending time together, without anyone getting the wrong idea.
And I do want to ride the gondolas. It’s been way too long.
By the time we arrive, Benny knows Daisy’s favorite ’80s movies (When Harry Met Sally . . . , Adventures in Babysitting), her favorite bands (Fleetwood Mac, HAIM), and her favorite beverages (Berry LaCroix, boba).
“I hate boba,” Benny says with a shudder as we get our tickets.
“Right? Me too!” I say. “I loathe slurping big chunks of pudding through a straw. It creeps me out.”
He laughs. “Exactly. If I’m drinking something, I don’t want to also be chewing something.”
“Amen!” I laugh as we move from second in line to first in line. There’s a moment of silence and I notice myself getting nervous,
eager to keep the conversation going. We step forward again and get seated on the gondola. The bar comes down across our laps.
“So, what’s your favorite beverage, then?” I ask.
He thinks for a second. “Frozen Mexican hot chocolate—with cinnamon and just a little cayenne.”
“Mmmm.” I don’t mean to sound like I’m moaning but it’s been a long time since I’ve even had a milkshake, or really anything
unhealthy and delicious.
He grins. “My lita used to make it for me as a reward for good behavior.”
Our feet lift off the ground, and we begin to rise up the mountainside.
“And were you rewarded often?”
“If you’re asking whether I’m naughty or nice, I would say mostly nice,” Benny says, turning to look at me. “But not a hundred percent of the time.”
I clear my throat. The conversation feels like it’s becoming a little more flirtatious than I’d intended. “Well, you’re in
luck,” I tell him. “Daisy has a total sweet tooth.” I look over, and he’s smiling.
I turn my attention to the view, pointing out various landmarks.
We rise higher into the air, our feet dangling in the sky. It really is breathtaking up here. I’d forgotten what this feels
like. Somehow being so far from the ground makes me feel . . . free. Like I don’t have to be the one in control anymore. I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. Literally.
It’s a feeling I rarely allow myself.
“There’s our house!” I point through the trees. “And doesn’t the lake look incredible?”
I hear Benny suck in an appreciative gasp.
“And you can see the fancy hotel across the water,” I say.
Only, as I point, sadness shudders through me. I pull my arm back to my side, gripping the bar.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Benny asks.
“Nothing!” I’m surprised that he noticed—and I kind of wish he hadn’t.
The Laurel Vista Inn is where my dad proposed to my mom.
They used to tell us the story, year after year.
How he’d asked the hotel restaurant to put the ring in their fondue because there’s nothing that melts my mother’s heart more than melted cheese, but the restaurant didn’t, because they were too afraid the heat would damage the ring.
So they get to the bottom of the pot and he’s scraping the cheese frantically from the bottom and there’s still no ring, and he starts sweating like crazy, and .
. . Well, anyway, it’s a great story, the way Dad used to tell it.
We’d be rolling on the floor laughing. And it always ended the same way.
“Luckily, she loved me enough to say yes.”
They joked they had the “cheesiest” love story ever, and I guess it was pretty cheesy. But it was always the gold standard in my mind for what love should look like.
I try to shake away the memories, but the pain of it has lodged in my throat, and it’s obvious Benny can tell.
“Hey, are you afraid of heights or something?” he asks, resting a hand on my knee.
From the spot where his hand is touching my bare thigh, tingles ripple upward. If it’s been a long time since I rode this
gondola, it’s been just as long since a boy has touched my leg for the first time. Obviously, Rhys touches me all the time
when we’re together—but there’s no surprise in that, no newness. I’m momentarily frozen in the sensation of it, unable to
conjure words, embarrassed by how flustered I feel. All I can do is shake my head. Because no . . . I’m not afraid of heights.
What am I afraid of?
“Georgia,” Benny says, thankfully taking over since I have lost the ability to keep up the conversation. “I need to confess
something.”
“Wh-What?” I stammer.
“I didn’t just ask you to hang out because I want to learn how you got the lifeguarding spot. I asked you to hang out because I think you’re hot.”
I stare at him, speechless. It’s probably the bluntest thing anyone has ever said to me . . . and I’m honestly not sure how
to feel about it. Lied to? Annoyed? Embarrassed? Flattered?
“I—I told you, Benny. I have a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, I know.” He shrugs and slowly pulls his hand away from my thigh. “I’m not suggesting anything. I just wanted to be
honest. Especially because the more we sit here, the more I realize how funny you are. And nice to talk to.”
I can feel myself blushing, so I turn to look at the vista instead of him. “I wish you’d admitted this before.”
“I didn’t realize I would also like you as much as I do.”
“Benny!”
“What?” he asks, smiling.
“You’re just so forward. And you barely know me. I’ve given you more facts about Daisy than myself. She’s the one you’re supposed
to be into!”
“In my experience, being into someone isn’t really a fact-based experience. It simply. . . happens.”
“Well, regardless, you’re too young for me! And I’m taken!”
He laughs. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry I threw you off. I shouldn’t have said anything. I am not very good at hiding what I’m thinking.”
“Yeah, no kidding!”
“Is honesty a bad thing?”
I look at him sternly, hoping my blush has calmed down somewhat. “Sometimes, it’s better to be appropriate than honest.”
He raises his hands in surrender. “Understood. But—does this mean you won’t train me?”
“I never said I’d train you.”
“You didn’t yet, but I was going to ask you. Before I blurted out my actual thoughts instead.”
I sigh and shake my head. We are, thankfully, reaching the summit, and we both step off the gondola together. All the magical,
weightless feeling of flight has left my body and I’m back on solid earth again.
“Benny, seriously. What am I gonna do with you?”
“You don’t have to do anything with me,” he says. “But it would mean a lot if you would watch me swim, give me some notes
at least.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?” he asks, as if genuinely curious.
Isn’t it obvious? “Because you clearly have a crush on me, and you’re my little sister’s age. And, well, I don’t want to lead you on.” I clear
my throat. “I’m not interested in you like that.”
He nods. “Okay, that’s completely fair.”
For a moment, I feel a huge sense of relief, along with a little disappointment.
“But since we’ve already established that you aren’t interested in me that way, you really wouldn’t be leading me on. I think
that’s an antiquated, sexist concept anyway. Trying to assume what a woman wants just from her behavior is no bueno. I figure
it’s as easy to simply ask.”
I blink at him.
“So I’m saying, if you wanted to train me anyway, despite my humiliating honesty up there, you can.”
“Oh, I can, if I want to?” I ask, almost laughing. He’s the one who wants me to!
“Yes. Exactly. If you want to.”
“Why would I want to?”
“Because it would be fun? Because people enjoy teaching the skills they excel at? Because even if you’re not interested in me, you at least maybe find me somewhat entertaining? And because it’s possible that since your boyfriend has that internship
in New York City, you’re almost as bored as I am and could use a distraction?”
I shake my head. “Benny Suarez. You are funny.”
He shrugs with a half smile. “I’ve received that feedback before. So . . . is that a yes?”
“Fine,” I tell him. “I’ll do it.”
His face lights up. “Yes! Amazing! I’m so pumped! But Georgia, you need to promise me you won’t accidentally fall in love
with me.”
“Oh my god, Benny. I cannot with you.” I roll my eyes so hard it feels like they’ll hit my skull. “You can meet me at the lake. Tomorrow
at dawn.”
“Aye, aye, Captain. But what time is dawn, exactly?”
“Is six thirty too early for you?”
He pauses for a second. “No. Nope, that works. Seriously, though. I’m so grateful. I’ll repay you, okay?”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “How are you going to repay me?”
He thinks for a second. “I’ll have Lita make you a frozen hot chocolate.”
“Wait, really?” I ask, smiling now.
He smiles back. “Only if you’re on good behavior.”