Ski Week

Aubrey stared out the huge bay windows. She was curled up in a cozy red armchair, clutching a steaming mug of coffee. Her eyes wandered the scene. The windows opened out onto a stunning view of the mountain. Off to the side, the edge of the busy ski lanes was visible, but most of the vista was dominated by the pure white blankets of snow that covered the hills. They blended seamlessly into the pale grey sky above. It was easy to wonder if there was even still a world out there beyond.

"Still licking your wounds?" A high, taunting voice called. Aubrey's head snapped up just in time to see the speaker sliding into the comfy red couch beside her seat. The speaker stared at Aubrey with flashing dark eyes and a cocky smirk. She had cropped black hair and wore orange skiing gear.

"Julianne," Aubrey muttered in greeting. "I'm just resting, thank you very much." Julianne chuckled and leaned back to really get comfortable.

"Yeah, I'd take a break too, if I were you," she laughed. Julianne spoke with a Quebecois accent that had faded over the years.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you know," Julianne started. "I just mean, if I had been beaten as badly as you were, for the second time in a row by the way, I'd take a step back too."

"Oh really? Why don't you try beating my fastest time before you get too far up your own ass," Aubrey snapped. "Just cause you got lucky—"

"Lucky? Are you serious? You're really gonna go with that?" Julianne interrupted.

"Yeah lucky. I slipped and sprained my ankle, I know you saw it, you were behind me," Aubrey retorted.

"Of course I saw it, I was flying past you. It was hilarious, for the record," Julianne replied. "Seems more like you fucked up than a luck issue, though."

"If you're so sure about that, let's see if you can do it again," Aubrey said, staring daggers at Julianne. Julianne drank in the rage she caused. She sat up and looked at Aubrey with mock confusion.

"But, Aubrey, that was my second win in a row. I just did do it again," she said. Aubrey seethed. The voice Julianne put on was just to get under her skin. Aubrey slow forced her anger down, but it was still evident on her face.

"Then there's no risk for you to race me again, right?" Aubrey said, leaning forward. Julianne chuckled.

"That's true, it'll probably be pretty boring. Give me one good reason I should," Julianne replied. Aubrey sighed. She locked down Julianne's mischievous eyes.

"We're going again," she said. Julianne shrugged.

"Alright, I guess it can't hurt. It'll be fun to see that cute little look you get on your face when you lose, at least," she agreed. Julianne stood up and gestured at Aubrey's clothes. "You better suit up quick, honey, before I change my mind."

"Wait," Aubrey said, faltering. She felt the pain throb in her ankle. Julianne looked down at her expectantly. "Let's go tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow? Aw, are you scared all of a sudden? What happened to that fire?" Julianne asked, leaning closer to Aubrey.

"No, I'm not scared," Aubrey growled through clenched teeth. "It's my ankle. I need to let it rest."

"Sure, whatever you have to tell yourself," Julianne replied. "I guess humiliating you then will be just as good as doing it today. Tomorrow it is." Aubrey scowled at her back as Julianne turned and started walking away.

"Good luck with that," Aubrey called. Julianne had only gotten a few steps. She turned back.

"Keep your luck babes, you need it more than I do. That's the only reason you lost, right?" Julianne said. Aubrey's whole body was taught with anger and embarrassment. She knew she was better. She deserved to win. She would win. She was going crush Julianne and rub her smug fucking face in it.

"We'll see," Aubrey hissed, slouching back into her armchair. Julianne paused.

"While you're here, you should come by my place later. My parent's have a cabin out here, I'm having some friends over tonight," Julianne said. Aubrey's eyes flicked up, she tried to pierce Julianne's careless facade. What was her game?

"We're friends now?" Aubrey asked, watching Julianne's face like a hawk. She smiled slightly.

"What else would we be?" Julianne replied. Aubrey's eyes narrowed. Enemies was her answer. She stared intently as Julianne waited patiently. Julianne relished the suspicion on Aubrey's face.

"Alight, I'm in," Aubrey said after a long pause. She wasn't going to back down. She wouldn't give Julianne the satisfaction. Julianne smiled.

"Perfect," she said brightly. "I'll send you the details." Julianne turned and walked away. She was tall, and her long legs carried her out of the lounge quickly. Aubrey watched her go with uncertainty. She had no idea what to expect. And sitting there, watching the clouds gather outside, she had plenty of time to second guess herself.

It was nearly dusk by the time Aubrey was on her way, not that the sunset was visible behind the thick grey sky and high mountain peaks. As she drove, apprehension and anger struggled for dominance insider her. Aubrey was worried, she didn't know what Julianne's plan was, if she was lucky Julianne was just going to gloat some more, but she feared something more. Maybe even to sabotage her before tomorrow's rematch. But in the end, Aubrey's pride was stronger. Turning down the invitation would just give Julianne what she wanted.

A light snow crept into the sky. It didn't even register to Aubrey as she drove down the thin, mountain road that snaked off the highway. The flakes melted on contact with her windshield. Although she passed a handful of other long driveways, the loneliness of the mountains was starting to seep through her thick down jacket when she finally arrived.

Right away, her spirits lifted. The cabin was brightly lit, with the feint throb of music and the hum of conversation emanating out through the rustic wooden walls. Her boots crunched into the thin layer of snow beginning to pile up on the walkway. She knocked on the door.

After a moment, a drunk woman swung the door open. Aubrey recognized her face, but little more. Maybe they'd taken a class together as undergrad's? She smiled.

"Hey!" The woman cried enthusiastically, as she visibly tried to tell if she knew Aubrey or not. She gave up a second later and just beckoned her in.

Aubrey stepped into the warm, noisy cabin. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was exactly like she'd imagined a cabin would be. The platonic ideal of one, really. Cozy, old fashioned, and full of thick rugs.

"Aubrey, hey!" Julianne shouted, navigating out of the living room to meet her in the foyer. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually show. I'm glad you made it." Julianne flashed a smile. Again, Aubrey couldn't quite tell if it was genuine or mocking.

"Of course," she replied. "I wouldn't miss it." She shot a smile back that she hoped was just as inscrutable. Julianne led her back toward the kitchen.

"Come on, grab a drink," she said. "We're just toasting my victory." Julianne winked. Aubrey groaned and Julianne chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Lighten up, the party's just getting started."

"You're not making it easy," Aubrey replied ruefully, leaning against the kitchen counter. Julianne opened the fridge and handed Aubrey a hard seltzer, then cracked another open for herself.

"Ah, I know you can take it," Julianne answered, smirking. She knocked her can against Aubrey's and they drank.

"Careful with those, I don't want you crying that you were hungover tomorrow when you lose," Aubrey said. Julianne laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't be the one needing an excuse," Julianne replied. "Come on." She pointed with her head to the living room, where they join the rest of the party.

There were ten people, counting the two of them. Aubrey knew a handful of them, from classes or skiing or something else she couldn't remember, but no one close. She'd only ever actually spoken to one or two before. But there was lots of food and alcohol and music and laughing, and it didn't take her long to blend right in.

As the hours slipped lazily by, Aubrey started to get comfortable. Julianne's needling had eased up, and the alcohol took the edge off what was left of it. That little core of nerves was still alert though, even as she laughed with the others. Aubrey often found her eyes falling on Julianne, sitting sideways in an old armchair across from her. Every so often, she caught Julianne was doing the same out of the corner of her eye. Julianne would be telling a story or a joke, and for a moment, her gaze would jump over to Aubrey. They were both careful though, and their eyes never met.

The revelry went on for a few hours; no one was keeping track, but it was well into evening. One of Julianne's friends suddenly cried out. He'd been texting when the severe weather warning came in.

Immediately, the energy shifted. The one who'd seen it first and his girlfriend left quickly, wanting to get back to their lodgings at the base of the mountain before the storm hit. Julianne made an attempt to keep things going, but once the first two had hurried off, it was only a matter of time.

Aubrey sensed her time had come too as, like an avalanche, Julianne's guests started speeding down the mountain. As she stood up, Julianne stepped up beside her.

"Heading out?" She asked. Aubrey marveled at Julianne's ability to effortlessly mask her intentions. She'd just look at Aubrey with that feint smile and sparkling eyes. It made Aubrey feel like she was dealing with a fae.

"Yeah, I probably should, right?" Aubrey replied, hesitantly. The reality was setting in, there was be a long, cold, empty drive in the snow ahead of her. And, she realized as she set down her empty drink, she was tipsy.

"You've got a long drive home, right?" Julianne asked. Aubrey nodded slowly. Living close to the mountain was great for skiing all the time, but it also meant she didn't have a place to stay up here.

"Yeah," Aubrey said quietly. She tried to steel herself for the trek, but she shuddered at the thought. She hated driving in the snow. After a brief pause, Julianne piped up.

"Well, I mean there's a guest bed here, if you want it," she offered. "You're welcome to stay the night."

"Stay here?" Aubrey asked incredulously, stunned out of her nervous spiral and into a whole new one. Julianne nodded like it was no big deal.

"Yeah, why not? You're gonna be back up here tomorrow, right? Save your gas," Julianne replied. Aubrey didn't know what to say. Was this another game by Julianne? Although, she hadn't done anything at the party. Aubrey's mind raced. She wanted to say yes, but it was too good to be true.

Julianne waited patiently as the last of the other guests trickled out. Aubrey stood there, paralyzed, for several seconds. She stared at Julianne, hoping this would be the time she could penetrate her front. It was hopeless. No matter how long she gazed at Julianne's soft features and large, nearly black eyes, she couldn't glean anything from them. She wanted to say yes.

"Alright," Aubrey said cautiously. "Deal." Julianne grinned.

"Perfect," she said, tossing her short hair out of her eyes as they migrated back to the kitchen. "I thought you might to take the opportunity to run away with your tail between your legs, before I got to beat you again." Aubrey's face twisted.

"You wish," she replied, leaning against the doorframe as Julianne knelt down and looked inside. It was fully stocked, minus the shelf that used to contain the alcohol. Only a few of those cans had survived this long.

"Actually, this is perfect. This way I can keep an eye on you all night, so you won't have any excuses," Julianne said. She sat up on the counter.

"Talk shit all you want, we both know who's better," Aubrey said. Julianne shrugged.

"Prove it then," she retorted.

"Should I bring up the record? Or do you only want to talk about the last race?" Aubrey said. A hint of frustration flashed behind Julianne's infuriatingly carefree attitude. Aubrey leaned in. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

They both fell silent, Aubrey savoring the genuine blow she'd struck. She'd strike another one in the morning, when she won. To her, it was already a forgone conclusion. Julianne's walls had snapped back up as quickly as they'd slipped, and she swayed gently to the music. It was still playing out in the living room. The sound was feint there in the kitchen, giving it a far off, dreamy tinge.

"What's there to do around here?" Aubrey finally asked. Julianne opened her eyes and glanced over to her, waiting for Aubrey to continue. "The night's still young, right? What are we gonna do?"

Julianne cocked her head, thinking. Aubrey watched her. Julianne sitting there on her kitchen counter, no party, no skiing, no arguing, it felt like she was seeing behind a curtain. Julianne looked back and caught the look in Aubrey's eye before she could douse it. Aubrey breathed a silent sigh of relief that she didn't mention it.

"What do you usually do here?" Aubrey prompted.

"Uh, I ski, I drink, I avoid my parents; what else do you do with a cabin?" Julianne replied.

"That's it?"

"Damn, aren't you picky? I mean, I read, I blast music. There's some hiking spots around, if that's your thing. Oh, plus...," Julianne trailed off. Her eyes twinkled and a playful smile crept across her face. Aubrey looked at her apprehensively. "We should go to the hot tub!"

"The hot tub?" Aubrey asked. Julianne nodded enthusiastically.

"Mhm, I forgot about it cause it couldn't fit everyone here tonight, but now it's perfect!" She exclaimed. "Aren't you chilly?" Julianne asking, leaning in. Aubrey shrugged, although yes, she was. Without the lively company and conversation, the chill was starting to creep into their little haven.

"...I don't have a swimsuit," Aubrey said. Julianne was already up and moving, she chuckled.

"I'm gonna let you solve that little problem however you like," Julianne said, winking. She made a move toward the door that led out to the deck.

"I don't have a change of clothes!" Aubrey cried after her. Julianne turned as she walked and shrugged apologetically, a mischievous little grin on her lips.

"Don't forget to bring the rest of the beer," Julianne called back. Then she vanished through the door.

Aubrey stood still in the middle of the kitchen for a long moment. Julianne was trying to embarrass her. To throw her off her rhythm. Aubrey wasn't going to let it happen. Julianne was dead wrong if she thought that this was going to be enough. Two could play at that game.

She stripped completely right there and draped her clothes over the nearest chair. Taking the last cluster of cans by its plastic rings, she strode confidently to the door.

When she looked through the little round window in the door, her composure wavered. The whole world outside was white. The fallen and falling snow blending into the clouds, like the cabin was floating in a blank void. Aubrey took a deep breath of the heated cabin air and prepared herself. She wouldn't let Julianne win. She opened the door.

The deck of Julianne's cabin was open and spacious. It wrapped around two sides of the house, and overlooked the thickly forested slope of the mountains. They were beautiful, as a fresh blanket of snow was laid over them.

The cold night enveloped Aubrey immediately. Its icy arms wrapped around her entire body. Aubrey clung to the warmth the alcohol still left in her veins and stepped out. She looked around quickly, spotting the hot tub in the far corner. A tantalizing steam rose from the water, almost as opaque as the storm all around it.

With as much poise as she could muster, Aubrey strode toward the hot tub. Julianne was in up to her neck, staring at Aubrey as she came closer. She raised her hand out of the water momentarily to wiggle her fingers in greeting. Aubrey noticed the pile of clothes sheltering beside the tub.

Julianne's gleaming eyes watched Aubrey intently. Her wet hair was slicked back and her face was red and flushed from the heat. Julianne's mouth tugged into a grin as Aubrey approached.

Aubrey sat down on the edge and swung her legs in first. The water's searing heat was divine. It burned so, so sweetly. Like warm, gentle hands massaging up her calfs. Aubrey let out an involuntary groan as the water brought feeling back to her legs.

She looked down at Julianne. Julianne gazed back up at her from the middle of the hot tub, although Aubrey could tell she was struggling to maintain eye contact. Her eyes kept slipping down. Aubrey chuckled.

"See something you like?" She asked. Julianne shrugged playfully and drifted a little further away in the water, but her eyes didn't move. She kept herself hidden under the steam and rippling surface of the water. Aubrey's eyes probed the water, desperate to see Julianne as Julianne was seeing her.

Her daydreaming about Julianne, her skin, her body, her touch, was disturbed by she felt the freezing air nipping at her body. Enjoying how good her legs felt in the water, Aubrey had no fear. She plunged in.

She felt her frozen skin catch fire. Her sluggish veins erupted back to life. A wave of pleasure swept up her body. Aubrey pushed deeper, letting her head sink below the waterline and experience that same feeling across every inch of her skin. It hurt. It burned. It was the most intense and perfect thing Aubrey had ever felt. Her body was engulfed in the contrast of sublime extremes.

Her lungs failed her before her flesh, and Aubrey was forced to bring her head back above water. She pulled her hair back out of her eyes as the icy night eagerly pressed itself against her face.

As she rubbed the water out of her eyes, Aubrey realized how close Julianne was. All she had to do was reach out, and they'd be touching. They gazed at each other.

"See? I told you the hot tub was a good idea," Julianne said, raising her eyebrows. Aubrey let out the breath she'd been holding. It turned to steam as it left her lips, seamlessly joining with the vapor rising from the water. For the first time, she recognized how rich and silky Julianne's voice was.

"Fuck," Aubrey murmured. "Yeah, I've got to give you this one." Julianne giggled.

"You'll have to give me another one tomorrow," she said. Aubrey smirked. The euphoria of the warm water hugging every part of her dulled her anger. She looked out into the falling snow.

"Good luck with that, it's still going to be coming down hard tomorrow," Aubrey replied. Julianne looked betrayed.

"So you

are

gonna to try and weasel out of it after all!" She cried. Aubrey looked at her regretfully.

"Take it up with the snowstorm," she answered, grabbing one of the beers she'd brought. "I doubt they'll let us ski." Julianne followed Aubrey's gaze and they sat there, quietly, and watched it fall.

"I guess I'm still the reigning champion then," Julianne said, forever cocky. She leaned back to wet her hair again. Droplets of hot water rolled down her face, tracing her perfect features, as she came back up.

Julianne moved toward Aubrey, getting very close. Aubrey barely stopped herself from flinching. Julianne's chest must've missed Aubrey's by a hair's breadth as she reached past Aubrey to grab herself a beer too. Aubrey swam back to give her space, although as the initial shock wore off, she wished she'd leaned into it and felt Julianne's soft, wet body against her own.

The two of them were trapped in an endless cycle. They'd drift closer and closer until they were almost bumping into each other, the refracting images of their legs overlapping and blending together. Then one or both would pull back, putting a comfortable distance between them again, and it would start over.

"The storm's doing you a favor, Julie, letting you hold onto that precious title for a little longer before it comes back to its rightful owner," Aubrey replied.