INTO THE STARS
———
BRINLEY
My legs and muscles ache. But in a way, that also makes me feel good. I have skied enough times to know the first day is always the hardest. Your body still needs to adjust to something that has been unfamiliar for however long. In my case, it has been at least two or three years since I skied last.
When I first got on the mountain this morning, my legs almost collapsed underneath me and I nearly lost my balance and fell on my ass a few times during my first run down the mountain. I got my sea legs back fairly quickly, going down numerous runs the rest of the day, feeling like I had returned to a place of peace.
Now it is almost dusk and Brooklynn just texted me, letting me know Aidan and her have reserved a table at the bar. For most of the day, Brooklynn and Aidan stayed to themselves. When they separated from us this morning after we picked up our equipment from the shop, Aidan was determined to finish today with Brooklynn, knowing how to snowboard. I am curious to see how that went.
Finishing my last run, Holden and Tyson follow closely after me. I kick off my skis and prop them up on the rack, along with the other sets of skis.
Holden pulls down his neck warmer, shivering dramatically. "Dude, it feels good to be back."
I don't know what I was expecting, but Holden and I are the only two that ski. Everybody else is a snowboarder. They outnumber us.
"I haven't been skiing in so long," I tell him, removing my goggles and unbuckling my helmet. My hair falls down onto my shoulders in the two braids I did this morning. During my years of skiing, I have found braids are the only thing that can sustain the whole day while skiing. "It feels so fucking good."
"Thank fuck you are also a skier. I felt like a lone wolf amongst the other guys the last time we went out on a trip," Holden says with a smile.
I chuckle just as Tyson approaches from behind Holden, having detached his snowboard from his feet now.
"Ready?" Holden tilts his head back to look at Tyson as he speaks.
Tyson nods, removing his helmet and goggles as well.
"God, I am fucking shattered," Tyson mumbles wearily. "That last run took everything in me to not collapse in the middle of the slope."
Holden pats Tyson on the back. "Just think of another week of this. How fun?" Holden asks sarcastically, eliciting a groan from Tyson as he rubs a tired hand over his face.
I laugh, staring back at them as they chat about the next week.
I approach the door of the bar, banging my feet on the concrete to rid any snow from my feet before walking in. There is something about walking in ski boots that is the most awkward thing in the world. As much as I love skiing, walking in the boots has got to be my least favorite thing ever.
Scanning the bar for Brooklynn or Aidan is hard, especially since people keep wandering around the place, blocking the short tables. I turn around, finding Tyson and Holden doing the same thing as me. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I find a text from Brooklynn.
Brooklynn - far left corner :)
"Far-left corner," I tell them, waving my phone to signal the text I just got. Tucking it back in my pocket, I follow her directions, looking every which way, searching for them.
There are a lot fewer people than I expected to be here in the bar tonight. I suppose it's because it is a Sunday night on a random week in February and all the people that had come up from the weekend are probably already making their way home by now. People still loiter around, though, and most of the tables are unavailable.
Finally reaching near where Brooklynn said she would be, I scan the area again. In the very furthest corner, I spot them finally, both Aidan and Brooklynn looking deep in conversation with each other. Brooklynn looks incredibly happy as Aidan throws his arm across her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
Glancing back at Holden and Tyson, I nod my head, their gazes finding the table Brooklynn and Aidan had reserved.
"Do we want to interrupt the happy couple?" Tyson jokes with a tense laugh.
That's kind of... odd.
I draw my eyebrows down in puzzlement at him. "Everything alright?"
Tyson gulps, staring away from Aidan and Brooklynn, his frame visibly tenser than usual. "Just peachy."
Slowly, I nod, not entirely convinced.
"Y'know what? I don't feel too well. I think I am just going to head home. Is that alright?" Tyson blurts out, his entire demeanor slightly off. He walks off, not waiting for an answer from Holden or me.
"Is he alright?" I ask, pointing to Tyson's retreating figure.
Holden waves a nonchalant hand at me. "He'll be fine."
Looking back over at the happy couple, I finally begin approaching the table. The moment I am near, Brooklynn looks up at me and smiles instantaneously. "Hey, Brinley. Hey, Holden."
I smile, pulling out a seat just across from her, sitting down and my legs feeling more relieved than I anticipated. "Hey," I drawl.
"How was your day?" she asks.
"I think the better question is, how was yours? Yours has got to be a lot more interesting than mine," I say, removing my ski jacket and getting settled.
She shrugs. "Fell on my ass a couple of times." Aidan snorts beside her and Brooklynn shuts him up by nudging him with her elbow, without breaking eye contact with me. "We had lunch." I notice Aidan smirk. "Oh, but the most interesting part was probably when I saw a child on a leash."
"Sounds eventful," I comment.
"Where is Tyson? I thought he was with you guys," Brooklynn asks, and if I wasn't looking close enough, I probably wouldn't have noticed Aidan's body tense up at—supposedly—the mention of Tyson.
I try not to react and shake it off, not knowing if it was intentional or not. I eye Aidan, trying to gauge any other reaction from him.
Holden says, "He said he wasn't feeling well and left as soon as we walked in."
Brooklynn hums and I think I am imagining it, but Aidan mutters something unintelligible underneath his breath.
Now, I don't quote myself on it, but I am very perceptive. I pick up on things the normal person wouldn't. Case in point, Aidan's behavior right now. Dismissing the feeling, narrowing it down to pure paranoia, I focus back on the conversation in front of me.
Holden scoots his chair back, avoiding people walking behind him. "Want anything to drink, Brinley?"
I shake my head. "Just a water will be fine."
He nods and sets off in the direction of the bar counter.
"Did you learn how to snowboard today?" I ask Brooklynn, connecting my gaze with her hazel eyes.
Brooklynn pins me with a certain look that makes me laugh. Instead of her answering, Aidan speaks. "She is getting there."
Brooklynn rolls her eyes. "Don't lie. I spent more time on my ass today than I did boarding."
I snort. "You could try skiing, instead," I suggest, shrugging casually. "It is easier for beginners."
Aidan waves a dismissive hand. "She is being dramatic. She'll know all the basics by the end of tomorrow."
Holden returns, but this time with one extra person. I glance up, my gaze locking on Malachi's side profile.
"Look who I found," Holden jokes, placing my drink down as I mutter a muffled thanks.
Malachi hasn't yet looked at me, but I am sure he is aware of my presence. I glance around the table and internally curse. Fuck.
Taking the only available seat, albeit hesitantly, Malachi sits down beside me, in between Aidan and I. Inhaling a heavy breath of air, I try not to focus on the fact I got a whiff of his cologne. A deep woodsy scent with a hint of something spicy.
Since arriving last night, not only has Malachi not made any effort to talk to me, he has also actively avoided me. I enter a room; he leaves. I leave a room; he enters. The only interaction we have had in twenty-four hours was that one in the car on the drive here.
Now, I am not saying that I hate him-that is too strong of a word for somebody I just met-but I don't particularly like him either. First impressions are everything and so far, he has only proven to me he would rather me disappear. I wonder why that it is, to be honest.
"I want to wander around the town here. It seems so nice," Brooklynn tells Holden and me, looking out the windows that surround us everywhere.
It seems that they made every wall in this bar with panes of glass, one facing toward the mountain as people come flying down the slopes and the others to trees and more snow. There is even an outdoor seating area, though I don't know who would sit out there during this weather. Since entering, the snowing outside has grown heavier and I can see people running to get indoors.
"There seems to be a lot of knick-knack sort of stores," I tell her. "Might be nice to get some souvenirs or something."
Brooklynn makes a sound of interest and she talks again. But I don't hear what she is saying, instead, focusing on an entirely different conversation. A conversation I am not a part of.
"What'd you do today?" Aidan asks Malachi.
In my periphery, I witness Malachi shrug casually, leaning deeper into his chair. HIs long legs are stretched out in front of me and I can feel the heat his body is emitting. "Not much. Explored a little. Found a cool tattoo parlor."
"Get any new ones?" Aidan asks, interested in whatever Malachi is going to say.
Malachi simply nods and Aidan doesn't ask any further questions.
"You coming out on the mountain tomorrow?" Holden asks once he and Brooklynn stop speaking.
I feel like I am in the middle of something, as Holden speaks to Malachi from around me.
"I think so," he responds, his tone distant as he speaks.
"That's good. Missed you out there today, man," Holden tells him, offering him a sincere smile.
Glancing back at Malachi, I catch his gaze almost immediately, already finding him staring right at me. Staring is too generous, actually. More like glaring. Displeased. I wonder what has his panties in a twist. I cock a brow at him, slightly confused and pushing for an answer, whether or not it is silent. Instead, he just rolls his eyes, looking away.
Right, well, I think hate is an appropriate word now. He seems closed off, but not so much that he hates people from the get-go. Or maybe he does and I am just living proof of that. We are complete opposites. I have come to notice as well since being is such close proximity with him. Maybe that is a playing factor in his strong dislike toward me.
Honestly, I don't even care if he doesn't like me. I should just stop stressing over it. I will have a full head of grey hairs in my early twenties if this pattern continues. And I'd rather not have to spend all my money on dying my hair weekly. Not to mention how dead my hair will be. No, thank you.
I yawn, my tiredness of the day finally catching up to me. "Alright, I think I am going to head back," I tell everyone that cares on the table. I don't think anyone else is ready to go just yet. It is only just reaching dusk, so it is understandable.
Standing up, I slip my arms back into the thick ski jacket I was wearing earlier, zipping it up. I hear Brooklynn, Aidan and Holden all say their goodbyes before I walk out. I grab my skis and other belongings along the way.
The cabin is within walking distance, luckily. While most people despise the cold weather, it is my favourite time of the year and I am kind of upset it is ending so soon.
The walk home is satisfying. I listen to the sounds of nature—the whistling of wind in the trees, the crunch of snow beneath my ski boots. I watch as snow falls from the sky at a rapid pace, but not so fast that it feels like tiny needles when it hits my skin.
God, I have missed this feeling. Where I am at peace and it feels like I have escaped from reality. Even if this feeling is only temporary.