The sun was shining through gaps in the puffy snow clouds, throwing the white world into a swirl of white and gray, speckled with the green of mountain pine. Adele puffed her breath and giggled when it condensed into a small cloud in front of her face. It was the day after the diner fiasco and Travis had driven Adele to the park where they used to do their homework together after school. The park was small and secluded within a residential neighborhood. There were two swings, a slide, a rainbow-painted jungle-gym, and a hill honeycombed with concrete tunnels for children and their parents to crawl through.
After standing for several moments, both recalling memories of their favorite place together, Adele broke the silence. "Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed this place."
"Really brings back memories, huh? We came to this park almost every day together. I can't believe I haven't been back since." Travis stood restlessly, hands in the pockets of his ski coat. It was too cold to be standing around exposed to the elements, but he was enjoying watching Adele.
"Yeah, me neither. And there's still no one else here. I wonder why that is..." Adele's speech drifted of as her eyes alighted on her favorite part of the park—the tunnels.
Travis was looking up at the mountain peaks as he responded, "That's because it's our secret place." When he didn't hear any response from Adele, he turned to look at her but instead found her jogging over to the tunnels. He loped after her and crawled into the nearest tunnel opening.
Adele, from up ahead, called back to him: "Hey, do you remember the day we found these tunnels and carved our names inside? Let's see if they're still there!"
"I see it! 'Adele (the birthday girl) and Travis (her chauffer), Oct. 2003.' Yep, that's us."
"Huh. I forgot that it was on my birthday. That was the best birthday ever." Adele looked wistfully at the carving.
"It should be your best birthday ever. I spent so long planning that day for you."
"You were so sweet. Thinking back, I think last year was the best year ever. We hadn't all graduated and split up yet. And I was so happy, we were so happy. Last year was wonderful."
Travis leaned back against the tunnel's wall. "Sometimes I wish time hadn't progressed past last year. Like that movie 'Groundhog Day,' except for a year instead of just a day."
"Me too," Adele turned to look at Travis. She suddenly realized their close proximity in the small tunnel. And she noticed the way Travis's clothes smelled like the fabric softener his mother used. He also smelled like snow and earth: smells she wouldn't normally notice. She knew he noticed as well. And when his head tilted slightly to the left, she mirrored his motion with her own. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her lightly. She reciprocated and softly parted her lips to allow him entry. When Adele moaned at their contact, Travis shifted and brought his hands to her hips, pulling her gently to him.
Adele moved herself onto his lap, straddling his thighs. Her heart began thudding in her chest as Travis slowly moved his hands beneath her shirt and crept up her body. His fingertips had just reached the front clasp of her bra when a phone ringing broke the fevered silence. Knowing that 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' was Travis' ring-tone, she pulled back from him and shook her head 'no.' Travis smiled and pulled her face back down to his. His hands coaxed her bra open and gently massaged and twisted her nipples. Adele moaned into his mouth and began grinding herself against him, almost unconsciously.
Suddenly, the phone rang again. This time Travis pulled away from Adele. "They've called twice," he said huskily, "I should get this. It's probably important." He disentangled himself from Adele and crawled out into the snow.
Adele pulled her clothes back into some semblance of order and followed Travis out of the tunnel.
When she exited, Travis turned to look at her. "It's Mary. She had a flat tire and needs me to come help out. I'm sorry, but I really need to go. Should I drop you by yourself, or do you want to walk...?"
"I'll walk. I like the cold air right now. It feels good."
"Okay," said Travis, "but I'll see you soon. Before you leave." He bent over and kissed her cheek before walking away.
Adele watched Travis as he turned and walked to his car. As she slowly began her walk home, she berated herself for her weak emotions. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. He's dating someone and you're still supposed to hate him. What were you thinking? She resolved herself to find someone else to lust over—and fast.
#
The next day Adele went skiing to clear her mind. Normally she didn't like to ski by herself, but today was different. She had called Travis but he hadn't answered. Figures, she thought. Of course he'd be with Mary. His girlfriend. Adele didn't know where these jealous and possessive feelings came from—and she didn't like it.
She turned down her favorite run, Ruthie's Park, and cruised through the powder dusting left from the night before. She loved it when she got up to the mountain early. She could make fresh tracks from top to bottom. The air was crisp and clear: it freed her mind from thoughts of Travis, allowing her to focus on her surroundings and the epic snow conditions. I should be a therapist, thought Adele. I could charge big bucks and tell people to go out and ski all the time. The ski company should hire me—I'd make them millions.
Adele skied for hours, stopping only when her hunger overcame her desire for more runs. She skied down to the lodge, popped off her skis and clunked inside, her boot buckles clacking and clattering together, creating cacophonous echoes throughout the entry way. Once inside the warmth of the lodge, Adele began stripping off layers of clothing as she made her way to the cafeteria. First her mittens were pulled off, then helmet and goggles, followed by her scarf. She had just reached an empty table in the restaurant when she unzipped her ski coat and pulled it off, leaving it to dangle damply on the back of a chair. Everything else was unceremoniously dumped on the table as she hungrily made her way to the serving line.
Just as she was picking up her baked potato, she heard someone call her name. Despite knowing that her name was slightly more than unusual, she ignored the caller and continued moving down the serving line. She heard the sound again, this time accompanied by a tap on her back. She whirled around to face the caller. Her eyes went wide at the sight.
"Jake!" Jake from that party. Wow, she thought to herself. He looks even better in daylight. And what a perfect way to forget that jerk Travis. Hunky lover, here I come!
"Hey Adele, I thought it was you." Jake reached over and hugged Adele. "How are you? And what are you doing out here? Does your family vacation in the mountains too?"
Adele looked up at Jake and shook her head in humor. "I'm good. Great, in fact. Doing well. And I'm not visiting here with family. I live here. This is home. I don't suppose we ever got that far with personal introductions and history." She blushed and looked down at her feet. This was going to take a little more work and finesse to pull off.
"Yeah, I guess not. But that's all behind us now," he tilted her face up to look at him. The power of his eyes was demanding, but unsure at the same time. He wanted her, that was for sure—but did she want him back? "I come here every year with my parents. We have a house up on the slopes, near the bottom of the East Bowls. It's beautiful. You have to come see it at least once before school starts."
"Sure, that sounds nice. But I don't want to intrude on your family's time." But please, please insist I come! her mind screamed.
"No, I'm serious. It'll be fun. And besides, I've thought a lot about you since that night. I know it wasn't romantic or deep and thoughtful or anything, but you're just so beautiful, and..." Jake broke off, gesturing with his hands in an attempt to finish his intangible thought. And it was true, he had thought about Adele a lot. While she had been sleeping, he had taken a picture of her, curled beneath his sheets, golden tresses almost artfully arranged on the pillow. He had the picture hanging above his desk, though whenever anyone mentioned it, he said it was a postcard from a friend: it wouldn't do to let anyone in on his borderline obsession.
Adele smiled up at him. "I'll come see the house. I think I'm done for the day anyway. I got here just as the lifts opened and I'm beat."
"Wow you're tough," said Jake, pretending to squeeze her biceps. "I can only ski for a few hours before my legs turn to jelly. But I suppose living up here you've been skiing since you could walk."
"Or a little before. Around here skiing is life. Both my aunt and uncle are ski instructors. The mountain is both a job and a hobby for most people out here. I know I want to work with the kids ski camps at least one season, maybe before grad school. I think it runs in my blood." She shrugged lightly.
"You should come over and eat with us, tell all your heroic mountain stories. We have a table over by the window," Jake gestured to a four-top to the distant right. Adele couldn't make out the features of the other people at the table.
"Us?" she questioned.
