Little Things

Chapter Nine

"Are you sure?" he didn't want to leave her alone. Not if she was still sad.  

She flashed her teeth, "Absolutely. I want to try skiing with you but I'll probably be embarrassed if you're there watching me."  

Although her shyness was understandable, it was unnecessary. "Alright," he agreed, "if that's what you want."  

Half an hour later, he was pumped about the freedom the slopes offered. Here he was more or less alone and careening down the hill with remarkable speed was somehow liberating. It wasn't until darkness began to fall that he took note of the time and decided to head back to the cabin. His boots were heavy as his feet stomped through the snow, leaving fresh tracks behind him.  

As he approached, two men retreated from his walkway. Liam squinted, the horror of their red bomber jackets and EMT symbols registering in an instant. He rushed forward. "What's happened?"  

"Are you her boyfriend?" the first one nodded to the cabin.  

"Yeah," Liam lied, "sure." He was her boyfriend if that was what it took to obtain information.  

"She had an accident. Tore most of the ligaments in her left leg."  

"Oh my God, is she alright?"  

"We've stabilized the leg and given her some painkillers but you should take her to the doctor in the morning. There's one in town," he added.  

"Yeah," Liam said. "I'll do that." He wanted to shove past them and race up the stairs to make sure she was alright instead he extended his hand. "Thanks for taking care of her."  

He found Kaitlin in the cabin's kitchen, her leg wrapped in a foam and Velcro contraption. She had the kettle in one hand and was trying to light the gas burner. He wasn't sure someone on painkillers was the ideal candidate to be messing with a flame.  

"Katie," he said, hurrying to divest her of the kettle. "Sit down and tell me what happened."  

She hobbled over to the edge of the couch and perched on the arm, eyes to the ceiling. "Only me. It could only happen to me."  

"What could only happen to you? Did you try a run that was too advanced?"  

She laughed and allowed her body to fall onto the couch behind her. "A run! Ha! It was the bunny slope. I was on skis for five minutes, maybe four and I did this strange fall or maybe a stretch, I dunno what it was really. I definitely didn't go head first, it was more like the right leg, followed by a left arm. Kind of like a pretzel. Next thing I know the pain in my leg is excruciating and I'm crying like a baby. Backus did not seem impressed with my skills," she said.  

"Backus?"  

"Instructor. From Austria."  

"Hmm." Liam grabbed the bottle of sparkling water and two glasses before walking to Kaitlin and her leg which was protruding in the air. He set the items down on the table.  

She covered her face with her hands. "And now I've gone and ruined your first Christmas in Aspen," she muttered. "With my first attempt at skiing."  

He crouched down beside where she lay and pulled her hands away from her face so he could see her. "Firsts are not all they're cracked up to be," he said. "Especially skiing in Aspen." He poured them each a glass and held one out for her.  

She shifted and swung her leg around, sliding off the couch so she was sitting on the floor, directly across from him. She took the glass from his hands, nodded and smiled. "Sometimes firsts are terrible."  

"Like riding a bike," Liam said. "The first time was awful. All the falling, the scraped knees. No part of that was enjoyable."  

"At least you didn't tear ligaments." She turned her body so her face was inches from his. He wanted to reach out and touch her, practically had to sit on his hands to resist the urge. "Stitches," she said. "Another terrible first." She pointed to her eyebrow. "Mine were right here. Glass coffee table and two left feet."  

He cringed. "Ouch. There are good firsts too. Let's not forget to include those."  

"Like what?"  

"Like the first time a beautiful girl realizes a guy named Rick is no good for her." His body tried to force him to look away but held her stare, wanting to clock her reaction to his statement.  

"Or the first time someone tells you you're beautiful."  

The corner of his mouth pulled into a smile. "There's no way I'm the first person to tell you that you're beautiful."  

"I swear it's true," she said.  

Liam took her glass and set it on the table behind him, unsure if he believed her. The girl was gorgeous. He nearly asked about her mother. Didn't mothers always tell their daughters they were beautiful? The cruel reality occurred to him that she didn't have one. He shuffled closer. "You're beautiful, Kaitlin. Very much so. Someone should have told you that a long time ago."  

"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered it, as if there was actually anyone else there to listen.  

"You can tell me anything," Liam said.  

She looked at the ceiling, at the door, anywhere but at his face. "You're my favorite."  

"Yeah?" he asked. "Can I tell you a secret?"  

She nodded.  

He scooted even closer, until the mess of fabric and foam on her leg stopped him. Her hair was hanging loosely down past her shoulders and he tucked it behind her ears. "I think about what it'd be like to kiss you all the time."  

She looked surprised. "Really?"  

"Always."  

She bit down on her bottom lip and then smiled. "In the spirit of firsts, why don't you find out?"  

He didn't wait for her to say it twice and put his mouth on hers. She sighed and linked her hands around his neck. He didn't want to pull away but he was unsure of the logistics of her damaged leg and wanted to be careful not to disturb it. "This is better than skiing," he told her, resting his forehead on hers. "I'd rather do this any day."  

"You can tell me that I'm beautiful anytime," she said. "The words sound perfect coming from you."  

"Come to London with me," Liam blurted. "I'll tell you every second, every minute that you're beautiful."  

"I've never been to London," Kaitlin said.  

"See," Liam said. "There is a first time for everything and it's not always bad."