‘Lesson’
Shyla thought she was starting to get the hang of things. It didn’t take her so long to find her way to the front door. She’d still gotten a bit lost going right instead of left but she quickly realized her mistaken when she ended up in what she assumed was a conservatory. She’d only ever knew them from movies and games. It was weird standing in one like she was in an actual game or movie. Then again this whole place was something out of a family…
She’d been so worried about Rotham that she hadn’t had time to really think about what this meant. Liam was rich. Not just a little but a lot...filthy stinking. She was by no means rich but with the money she still had from her escorting days she wasn’t poor either. Still she could see why his family might have been apprehensive of her. Who was she some no name off the street.
She let out a heavy sigh then turned around and made her way back into the hall. She thought Liam and her were on solid ground...equals in this relationship and yet she now knew they could never be. Even if, everything with her past worked out this wasn’t going to be easy. Of course what relationship was, it took work but still no matter how much work she put into this...she would always been lacking.
Her stomach began to ache as she made it to a familiar stair case. She could already see Liam and Petra standing down stairs. As she descended the stairs she thought they might be having a conversation but the room was silent. Liam looked bored and Petra seemed to be lost in thought. She hard her arms crossed and was just staring off into space.
Liam slowly turned and smiled when he saw her coming down the stairs. He rushed to her and they shared a quick kiss. Petra rolled her eyes clearly disapproving. Shyla held Liam’s hand then looked around for Rotham. He didn’t seem to-
“These should work,” said Rotham stepping up to her. She nearly jumped ten feet in the air. She’d been looking for him but hadn’t expected him to just pop up. He must have been standing off to the side or under the staircase. He had a set of skis in his hand now. He handed them to her along with some poles.
“Thanks, I hope I didn’t make you wait to long,”
“Not at all,” said Rotham taking one of the skies from her, “Now let’s see if these will work with you boots.”
“Oh,“I noticed my boot were a little different.”” said Shyla as Rotham put down a ski then grabbed her foot. She nearly fell over but Liam helped her to balance. Her eyes went wide. She hadn’t expected him to just grab her leg without warning. He was kneeling in front of her and she got the sudden urge to kick him but held back knowing how bad that would be.
“They’re suppose to be,” said Rotham. He put her foot into a slot in the center of the ski. She noticed it just clicked in then he adjusted it. He locked it in place then ran his hand up her leg. She had no idea what he was doing then saw him pull up the bottom of her ski pants. She’d had them tucked into her boots and he untucked ti. “You’ll wants to wear your pant leg over your boot too keep the snow out. You want you feet to stay nice and dry. He pulled her pants leg down over her boot then reached for her other leg.
“I can do it,” she insisted and bent but it was hard with the other ski and poles.
“It’s fine,” he said already doing it, “I got it,” He adjusted her pants leg and she felt like she was a kid and he was tying her shoe. “There,” he said when he was done.
He stood back up and looked her over. He took the other ski and she thought he was going to put it on but he took the poles too. “Why don’t you lift your leg then set it down.
“Alright,” she said doing it.
“Good, good,” he said handing her one of the ski poles, “Now how is this.
“How? It’s nice I guess,”
Liam laughed, “No he means for the height.”
“Yes,” said Rotham, “We want it to be about two-thirds your standing height.
“Oh,” she said. She held the handle then put the point on the floor. Rotham nodded, “Yes this will work. “When you used them make sure you have the strap around your wrist. Not just your gloves, if you glove falls off you don’t want to lose your pole.”
“Yeah it’s pretty much like being in a canoe without a paddle. You want to hang onto them.”
“Okay,” she said.
Rotham adjusted her other ski putting her boot into it. Once he had her skis adjusted he showed her how to take them off. There was a little switch or pedal that pushed down. She could use the end of her pole with the first one then her free foot with the second one. It seemed simple enough, she thought she could manage. Petra looked more and more impatient as Rotham gave her tips. It was clear she wanted to go.
“Can you save some of the training for when we get there. We’ve already wasted nearly an hour.” said Petra
“Alright, alright,” said Rotham “We’ll go over this again if you need.”
“Okay,” said Shyla.
She gathered her skis and poles then the four of then went outside. A van was already waiting for them. She noticed some skis and a snow board in the backseat. Liam took her skis and loaded them into the car as Petra signed and got in. She noticed her outfit was black like Rotham’s. She thought it was kind of cute that they had matching outfits. She wondered if they got married would they get matching outfits. Right now her coat was blue while Liam’s was a dark gray.
Shyla wasn’t sure where she should get there were three rows of seat. Petra was sitting in the back and there was a driver in the first row. She started to heard toward the middle but Rotham got in there. She thought he would sit next to his wife but he called out, “Come on little brother come share the middle with me and let the girls chat in back.”
She pulled back. She really wanted to sit with Liam but supposed she’d have to sit with Petra. However Liam quickly put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Actually, can we have the middle,” said Liam. “I’d like to ride up beside her the first time she gets a look,”
“Right,” said Rotham, “Alright then,” He pulled back and Shyla got in the middle with Liam. She expected Rotham to sit next to his wife but he sat up front with the driver. He adjusted the chair and she found it turned around so it was like the three off them were sharing the seat.
She expect Claire and Richard to come out but the car started and pulled away from the lodge, no family dwelling. Shyla looked out the window and asked, “Aren’t Richard and Claire coming?”
“They left just after breakfast,” said Rotham, “I’m sure we’ll see them around,”
“Oh,” said Shyla.
“I just know you’re gonna love it up there,” said Liam.
“We’re pretty high up now does it go much higher,”
“Way higher,” said Liam. “You should see the view from the rop.”
“One day perhaps,” said Roham but she’s a beginer it’s best to keep her on solid ground.”
“Solid, oh what do I do if there is an avalanche,”
“They check for those every morning before they let people go up,” said Rotham, “It wont be a problem but if it is. Alert others if you can then try to move to the side if you can. Grab onto something sturdy or dig yourself in if you can. You want to try and stay above the snow but if you get under and in some cases are unsure of what way is up-
“You spit,” said Liam whipping his nose,”
“Spit,” said Shyla “Really.”
“Yeah, it tells you what direction is up, gravity,”
“Yes,” said Rotham she could tell he was annoyed that Liam and interrupted him. For a moment she was reminded of the last day they’d shared he’d given her that look more then a few times.
They came around a long turn and Liam got excited, “Look,” He said pulling her attention to look out the window. She looked and saw several snowy hills going up as far as the eye could see. She almost couldn’t tell the difference between the mountain and the sky everything was so white. She also saw another rather large lodge and various ski lifts taking people up and to different points on the mountain.
“Wow,” said Shyla. “It’s so bright.”
“You’ll want to wear your googles,” said Rotham putting his on over his glasses. She had a pair she’d tucked into her pocket she put them on as he continued, “Not only do they keep the snow from getting in your eyes, they are tinted to protect from the light the snow reflects. If you stare at it with the naked eye you can go blind,”
“Yeah they call it snow blindness,” said Liam, “Its no joke.”
“Oh wow can it permanently blind you,”
“I don’t know,” said Liam, “I know it can make your eyes hurt a lot and hard to do see.”
Rotham cleared his throat and smiled happy to have something he knew over his brother, “No, while it can cause your eyes to hurt and temporary blindness it does not permanently blind you. It’s still best to keep you goggles on.”
“Alright,” said Shyla. “This is a lot to take in. Alot I never knew about it,”
“Give it some time it will sink in,”
“And I’ll remind you, if you lose your place,” said Rotham.
They locked eyes with each other for a moment and she wondered if he remembered but his face was still friendly, easy going. She was sure if...when he remembered he would be so happy. She swallowed then nodded and said, “Thank you.”
“Of course,” said Rotham “If you ever get lost I’m happy to help you any time,”
“Right,” she said then looked out the window.
It didn’t take long before they pulled into the large lot and parked. Everyone got out then. Petra was the first to depart. She gave Rotham a quick kiss on the cheek then walked up some steps to the lodge. Shyla noticed she’d left her skis but the driver grabbed them from the van, a moment later and rush after her. Liam gave Shyla her skis and a quick kiss. He grabbed his snowboard from the back then said, “I promise after lunch we’ll sneak away and have some fun, just the two of us, okay.”
She had a feeling he was about to take off. She wanted him to stick around but didn’t know how long it was going to take to learn how to ski. She hoped it wouldn’t be more then an hour or two. She really, really didn’t want to spend any more time with Rotham then she had to. She let out a heavy sigh then responded, “Okay.”
“I hope not.” said Rotham, pulling his skis out of the back. He shut the trunk then went on, “After all, the two of you spend so much time together already. This weekend is for the family. It’s time we should ALL spend together.”
"I know." said Liam. "But our family can be a lot to take in, for anyone."
"Nonsense." said Rotham. "If she's going to be apart of this family, she might as well know what she's getting herself into."
Liam let out a heavy sigh but didn’t say anything. The three off them walked up some steps she wasn’t sure if they were going to go to the lodge like Petra had or not. She noticed there was some gates before each of the ski lifts. They went up to a booth and Liam flashed his ID. He got something then stepped aside. Rotham stood behind her waiting for her to step up. She stepped up to the booth showed her ID. They looked it over, checked a list then gave her a little keychain. Rotham stepped up to the window next gave them his ID and got another keychain. She noticed Rotham’s and Lima’s were gold while hers was white.
“What is with the keychains?”
“They have many functions,” said Rotham “First their color lets people know what level you are. White is fresh as snow as in you have no experience. Gold is of course the top, a lot of experience. The keychains also have trackers should you get lost. You also need to scan them at each ski lift. If you’re level of experience is below the lifts requirement you can’t access the lift.”
“Oh wow,” she said staring at her keychain. To think, such a little thing held so much information, was wild.
Liam gave her another kiss then said, “I’ll probably be on Mosk for a while, maybe do a little Piper, if you need me.”
“Wait,” said Shyla. She knew they’d be parting but it felt so suddenly she thought maybe they’d have a few more minutes. “Don’t you want to at least see me with my skis on,”
“I can wait!” said Liam, “For when you know how to use them.”
“Alright,” said Shyla, “Maybe, I can watch you snowboard at some point?”
“Yeah, I could run Bends this afternoon, they use that for competitions. You wouldn’t see my whole run but you could watch me come in.”
“Alright,” she said.
Then he turned and went up to one of the gates. He scanned his keychain and it opened. She watched him wait for a bench, then hop on. He waved to her as it slowly took him up. She watched him until she could no longer make him out then let out a heavy sigh. She was now...alone with Rotham, the last thing she wanted this weekend.
Rotham stepped up beside her, took a deep breath, smiled, then said, “Shall we?”
She internally shuttered...but didn’t say anything. She just nodded hoping to get this over with quick. He started walking and she reluctantly followed after him. She expected him to approach one of the ski lift gates but he took her down a ramp to a large clearing. She noticed it had a slight incline and there was a line of knotted rope that was slowly rotating. She found it curious before she could ask about it, Rotham suddenly stopped walking. He set his skis down then turned to face her.
“Now let us be clear from the very start. You listen to me. Do not do a thing unless I tell you to first, understand.”
Shyla sighed, she didn’t like being told what to do. She kind of liked to figure things out on her own once she got started but supposed in this case it might be dangerous. She nodded then set her skis down and went to step into them but he stopped her.
“What are you doing?” he spat. She was surprised by his sudden tone shift “Were you not listening to me!”
“I was! I am! I just thought-” She sputtered.
“You thought what? Tell me what I just said.” he demanded.
“Listen.”
“And what?”
“Don’t do anything.”
“Unless I tell you to. Did I tell you to put your skis on.”
“No but-”
He put his hand up and she pulled back suddenly reminded of the time he’d back handed her. To be fair she’d smacked him first but he’d insulted her. She bit her lip trying not to think about it as he pointed his finger at her and continued, “No buts, its important you listen and follow my instructions.”
“Okay,” she said.
“You can let your skis be for now. Secure your poles like I taught you, back at the manor, then we’ll work on some techniques.”
“Okay,” she said. She put each pole strap on, making sure it was resting on her wrist and not her glove.
“Good, you remembered.”
“Yes,” she said. She was glad she had gotten it right but didn’t like to be praised by him. “Now what?” He walked around behind her and grabbed hold of her hips, unexpectedly. She quickly jerked free of him and nearly fell over, “Ho, hey, wow. What are you doing?”
“I need to get you in the proper stance.”
“No! No just uh, tell me or show me with your own stance. I am a good observer.”
“Okay,” he said taking a step back.
She swallowed then let out a heavy breath. Being touched by him again, like that, had sent a chill throughout her entire body. She struggled to look indifferent, not wanting him to notice how freaked out she was. She watched him take another step back then move his legs apart.
“Stand with your feet comfortably apart, with equal weight on both feet.”
She copied him, standing with her feet apart and equal weight on both feet, at least she thought it was equal. He took a step forward and suddenly kicked her feet further apart.
“Hey! You said comfortable!”
“Yes,” He said, “But you could go a little wider.”
He smirked as if he found something funny. She groaned but moved her legs further apart.
“Okay now what?”
“Jump.”
“Jump?
“Jump.”
“How high?”
He smirked again and she wondered if he was messing with her. Commanding her about to see if she’d obey but she watched him jump then land, “Just a little one.”
“Okay,” she said then jumped.
“Again, like this,” he said widening his feet apart and jumping.
“Okay,” she said, wondering what the purpose of this was.
“You see the position I’m in when I’m about to jump and right after I land.”
“Yeah.”
“That is the stance you should have when skiing.”
“Oh.” she said surprised. She looked at her stance a bit more carefully. Her knees were slightly bent and she was leaning forward slightly. It seemed very simple. “I think I can manage this.”
“Good.” he said, “Now you want your pole at your side, your arms wide to keep you balance. Also have your shoulder lean forward a little past your hips.”
“Alright,” she said adjusting slightly
He had her hold the stance for a good minute then said, “Okay, now relax walk around a bit.”
He relaxed his own posed and loosed his arms rolling his shoulders. She walked around bit then he said. “Now back to the stance.”
She quickly got back into the stance. Then he had her relax again before going back to it once more. He nodded pleased with her, “There we go, easy enough right?”
“Right.” she said.
“Alight you can now get back into you skis like I taught you back at the manor.”
She nodded then stepped onto the skis locking her feet in place. She immediately noticed how slippery they were and how easily her weight could shift.
“Alright,” he said, “Get back into the stance.”
“Right!” she said. It took her a bit longer and felt a little strange but she managed. When he nodded she beamed with pride. One step down! She expected to start skiing about any minute. Maybe this really would take any time at all.
“Alright, now take off your skis.”
“What why?
He just stood there, making it clear he wouldn’t ask again. She used her pole to hit the release pedal at her heel. She got her first boot out then used to the toe to release the pedal on her other ski. She stepped out then waited for his next “command.”
“Now lets learn the wedge.”
“Wedge.”
“Yes, there are two types. It consists of mainly making triangles with you skis. He opened his stance then pointed his toes inward. “Now this is important.” he continued as she copied him. “If you want to slow down, make a small triangle leaving some space between them. If you want to stop you make the larger triangle, almost letting your skis touch at the point of the triangle.”
“Okay, so this controls my speed and also stop me.”
“Yes,” he said, “Now lets practice. First make smaller triangles then larger,”
She watched him shift his legs close then father apart. He adjusted how much he brought his toes in an out. She copied him making a small triangle then a big one. She did it a few times before he said, “Okay I want you to alternate between the first stance I taught you and the wedges.”
She nodded then got into her ski stance before making a small triangle, then she got into she ski stance and then into a big triangle. Apparently skiing was just about your pose and footwork. He had her do it for a few minutes. She thought she had it down and couldn’t wait to try it with her skis.
“Good, very nice Shyla. Well shall we give it a go.” He said clapping his hands together.
“Yes, please,”
“Alright, step back into your skis then show me all three stances.” She stepped into her skis then quickly did as he was instructed. “Good, now let’s apply some motion.”
“Let’s” she said hoping they were finally going to do something.
“Okay just ahead there is a slight did, “I’ll give you a little push keep your skis parallel with you first stance then slow yourself and finally come to a stop.” She nodded and he put his hand on her lower back. She tried to ignore it focusing. He gave her a little pushed then let her go. She slid along, it wasn’t fast but she wasn’t used to the movement. It was like she was on solid ground but it was moving underneath her. She wobbled a bit and he called out, “Slow yourself.”
She moved shakily making a smaller triangle she noticed she slowed and then increased her triangle and stopped. She did it! She hadn’t gone all that far but she’d done it! She was skiing! “Very nice,” he said stepping up to her. “Now for terminology we call the big wedge breaking wedge. So if your going and need to stop break wedge.”
“Got it,”
“Great! Now let’s go again before we tackle something bigger.”
“Bigger,” she said turning to look up toward the top of the mountain.
“Oh now,” he said, “You wont be ready for something like that for quiet some time.”
“Oh,” she said thinking this seemed easy enough. Shouldn’t she just be able to go.
He helped her readjust her position then gave her another small push. She was so focused she barely noticed he’d almost touched her ass. She felt more confident now as she slid forward. She managed it with ease. This was easier then riding a bike. She couldn’t believe she thought it might be complicated. To be fair, Claire and Petra had implied it was. If this all there was then it was nothing.
“Ready for more of a challenge.”
“Yes,” she said eager to find out what came next.
“Alright, let’s teach you how to walk and climb so that you can get around on your own.”
“I’d love that!” she said.
She wondered why he hadn’t taught her that first. Maybe it was so he could have an excuse to touch her. She bit her lip and tried not to think about it. There were a lot of things she just didn’t want to think about. One blaring one was why hadn’t he recognized her yet. She had recognized him almost immediat-
“You there?” she said notching her attention had wondered.”
“Yes, sorry, spaced out of a second. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Hmm,” he said, “Well you shouldn’t make that a habit, especially when skiing. You need to remain present in the moment and alert, not just for yourself but for others as well. Right now, everything is very open and clear, but once you up a level you’ll have any number of obstacles, signs, tree, people, various postings and debris.”
“Right,” she said. He made it sound like it was going to be a warzone.
“Now, for walking. You want to keep your skis parallel. Then thing of it like gliding on a soapy floor. You lean forward slightly, then glide one foot and then the other, using your poles to keep you balanced.”
“Okay,” she said thinking that seemed easy enough.
She slid one foot forward and her feet nearly did the splits. He grabbed her and their bodies collided for a second as he lifted her slightly off the ground before gently setting her back down, “Take slow, small movements. It’s always better to do more steps then less, you’re in no hurry.”
“Okay,” she said then gingerly inched forward this time. It took a half a dozen glides forward before she felt a bit more comfortable.
“Alight now come back.”
“How,” she said, “How do I turn around.”
“Slowly and carefully lift one foot and then the other. Do smaller movements instead of turning around all at once to it in small sections keeping an eyes on things so you don’t trip over yourself. Okay she said she slowly lifted her feet and turned herself. Then when she was facing his direction she glided back to him.”
“Good now for climbing you side steps he said showing her how to take small side steps. You also want to take your outer ski and bring your ankle in slightly so that it his the snow at an angle and give you a better hold.”
He went over and clicked his own skis on. He cam over in a second then showed her how he tenderly side stepped up the mountain. “You always want to go parallel on an incling and make sure you lit you feet.”
She followed suit and began side stepping. “Slow and steady,” he said “Slow and steady making sure not to trip over yourself, again you have all the time in the world, a few slow steps are always better then a dozen risky ones.”
“Okay,” she said.
They practiced her glided walking and side climbing, for a while. Eventually he stepped up to the rotating knotted rope and called her over. As she glided to him she finally asked about it, “What’s with the moving rope?”
“Think of it like a mini ski lift. You hold onto it and it will take you to the top of what we call the bunny hill. It’s the most basic slop on the mountain for beginners. Once you master it, then we can go up a level but for now we just want you to get used to the techniques I taught you.”
“Okay,” she said
“Great, now grab onto the rope and hold on tight.”
She grabbed onto the rope and it started to drag her up a small incline. It was much bigger then the dip she’d just been on but was still pretty small. When she got to the end of the rope she let go and started to slid backwards. He seemed to have anticipated this because he’d followed after her then turned side ways just before they got to the top. He caught her sliding back and somehow managed not to topple over himself.
He got her stabilized and she begrudgingly said, “Thanks.”
“Of course, any time,” he said. “But note It’s important to hold on until you’re on stable ground or turn side ways so you don’t go down backwards.”
“Great,” she said thinking he should have again told her that earlier. Maybe then she wouldn’t have collided with him and nearly taken then both out but it got her thinking. “Uh, say I do end up going down backwards, what do I do?”
“Break wedge,” he said, “Just do it backwards. Instead of putting the front of your skis into a triangle do it with the back of your skis.”
“Oh,” she said thinking that sounded simple enough but wondered why they hadn’t practiced it given how thorough he’d been so far.
She practiced it a little before he said “Let’s move to the middle of the run, it’s always best to give yourself as much open space as possible, especially when your just getting started.”
Together they glided to the center. They were on it sideways and when they stopped she looked over her shoulder and got a little chill thinking it looked a lot steeper then she’d first thought. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. “Relax,” he said noticing her concern.
“It’s nothing and I’m here.”
“Right,” she said feeling that only made it worse. What if he suddenly snapped with recognition and thew her down the hill. What if all these ‘techniques’ of his were just bullshit... ‘revenge!’ and he couldn’t wait for her top topple to her death. She groaned but then laughed thinking how ridiculous it was. It was a slope, and had to be safe for children. Plus he if he was planning her murder he didn’t sound like it. She assumed his voice would get murderous or something or he’d stare her down like that night...when she thought he might hurt her.
“What’s so funny?” he asked curiously.
“What? She said pulling from her thoughts.
“You just laughed?”
“Oh right, slight jitters.”
“Again relax, I’m here if you need any help. This time I want you to go at your own pace.
Now this time I’m not going to push you. I’ll be right behind you but when you go off I want you to do a slow turn. When your skis are parallel with the run, get into the first stance I taught you knees slightly bent shoulder forward. I want you to take your poles out at your sides and push off. Then lean forward slightly but not too much. Leaning forward will make you got faster. You’ll already be going pretty fast so you just want a slight lean until you’ve gone a few times then we can practice increasing your angle and speed with the techniques you know. Just remember you can always slow down or stop”
She heard about half that, mostly she’d been focused on him leaning forward in his skis. He went from a slight lean to the point where he looked like he might fall over but recovered with ease. He must have had a good sense of balance. Something she did not. She pursed her lips but nodded.
“When you’re ready then.”
“Right,” she said giving it another once over.
She tried not to overthink it. She carefully turned and was a little surprise she didn’t immediately take off. She put her pule at her side stuck them in the ground then leaned forward and pushed off. She went forward fast, unexpectedly so so almost felt like she was falling forward and put her arms out in front of her which made her lean forward more, which made her go faster. She put too much weight on one side and then over corrected with the other. Before she knew it she was laying on her back, staring up at the pale gray sky.
He quickly skied over to her, took off his skis then helped her back up. “You okay.”
“Yeah,” she said as he brushed her off. His hands fell against her breasts and ass. She knew he was just trying to help but she really didn’t like him touching her. Mostly she was just embarrassed.
“I can see you were eager...maybe not such a big push...and remember you need to only lean a little.”
“Yep.” she said. “Yep.” She closed her eyes feeling like an idiot. This was so simple and yet she’d somehow fucked it up.
“Falling is still good,” he said, “You know what not to do now.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“You up for more or you want to stop.”
“No,” she said refusing to be defeated just yet. “Again.”
“Alright,” he said. He put on his skis and they walked back to the rope. She rode up practically chewing on her lip. When she was back in position she took a deep breath, nodded to herself and only leaned forward slightly giving herself a nudge. She moved, forward and was soon going down. It was fast again but not as fast she knew what to expect.
“TRIANGLE!” he called, “SLOW YOURSELF!”
She did as he said and slowed herself. She went so much slower this time that she felt in control as she reached the bottom he called to her, “BREAK WEDGE”
She did then turned expecting to see him right behind her but he was still at the top. He shoved himself when he knew she was watching and then she watched him zig and zag with such ease and speed. He was soon before her drifting to a stop.
“Wow, impressive,” she said.
“Yes, you were quite. You didn’t let one bad fall get you down.”
“So is this it? Am I good to go? Is this skiing?”
“No,” he said, “You’re going to want to know how to turn.”
“Oh right, shit, I mean sorry, I didn’t mean to curse.”
“It’s fucking alright.” he smiled giving her charming smile.
For a second she was so pumped that she forgot herself and him. It quickly came back to her as she stared at his charming smile. She had liked it once...once but not it was just- She looked away and asked “So how do you turn?”
“Let’s have you go down a few more times and then I’ll teach you how to turn. I want you to be comfortable with the basics.
“Okay,” she said.
She nodded and they went back over to the rope life. She went down several more times. Some were better then others but she felt like with each run she was learning more and getting better. At least she felt like she was getting the hang of it. After their fifth or sixth time down he showed her how to turn.
“Turning, is rather simple” he said doing a small triangle. He let himself slowly go forward down a small dip. “Lean yourself forward slightly and just lean in the directions you’d like to go, turning your legs slightly, allow your weight t shift to one side but not too much as you don’t want to fall over. He pushed himself along catching little inclines he showed her several large zig zags stopping further down the bunny hill. “Now you show me.”
She leaned forward and began to lean but not to much. She was carefully after her fall. She went slowly but could see herself slowly veer off to one side and then the other. She did this several times until she got a feel for how much to lean and how much weight it too. It honestly didn’t take much to veer off.
“Okay,” he said let’s give it a shot.
They rode up to the top again. However this time he went first, “I want you to do big zig zags down, like this.”
He pushed himself forward then slowly went from one side to the other all the way down the hill. She followed suit but hers weren’t very stable she’d got a little to far one way and then the other, a bit to fast then slow. When she got down she let out a heavy sigh then asked, “Now what.”
“Now we practice, practice, practice!” he said enthusiastically.
“Great!” she said, hoping she’d just have to go down a few more times before she could go off on her own and find Liam. However he had her go up and down that hill so many times she lost count.
It was funny not one run was the same. While the motions themselves seemed simple they could easily get out of hand, if you weren’t careful. She fell a few more times when she went too fast or veered too sharply. Whenever she fell he was quick to pick her up and “correct her.” He’d tell her what she did wrong then how to do it right and always...always...always that she should listen to him and think about what he said. He always knew best and as long as he told her what to do and she listened, everything would be okay.
After a while she was tired and cold. “When is lunch?”
“You hungry?”
“Famished.”
“I suppose we could call it for lunch. You’re doing very good.”
“Good enough for the sky lifts,” she asked perking up.
“No we’ll keep practicing here until I am certain you are ready. Don’t worry, we have all day. There is is no need to rush.”
“Oh, great.” she said struggling not to hide her disappointment. Maybe I’ll take a break and watch Liam snowboard for a while.”
“Perhaps, after you’re done learning to ski,” he said. “I’d like to wrap this up today if we can. It is my holiday too.”
“Right, sorry,” she said. With everything going on she hadn’t really though about his side of things. Up until this point she had dreaded spending time with him but here he was giving up his limited free time to teach her, when to him, she was just some stranger, his brothers latest fling. Hopefully his impression of her stayed that way until she could sort this whole mess out.
He suddenly brushed some hair out of her face, surprising her. He had this soft look in his eyes she tried to ignore it, looking away. “Follow me,” he said.
She nodded, then they skied back over to the lodge. They took off their skis and pole going inside. He took a second to check them at a desk and she did the same. She looked around finding themselves in the lobby. It was massive to the point where it felt bigger than it looked on the outside.
Rotham pulled out his phone and began texting, “I’ll let Liam and the others know we’ve come in for lunch.”
“Right,” she said then patted herself down. She suddenly realized, “I left my phone back in the room.”
“It’s okay. It’s probably for the best. It’s easy to lose them here. You’d be surprised how many lost phones they find come spring.
“I bet,” she said. She imagined the phones getting lost into the snow then appearing after the snow had thawed.
Rotham finished texting then placed his hand on he small of her back. She didn’t flinch away this time but still didn’t like it, “There is a nice restaurant a floor up, we’ll all meet there and have lunch.”
“Alright.” she said.
She looked for a set of stairs and headed for them. He was quick to follow her and not a step behind her the entire time. When they got upstairs she wasn’t sure which direction to go. She paused and he ran into her.
“Sorry,” he said.
“It’s okay,” she said but honestly who follows someone that close. “Which way,”
“This way,” he said taking the lead she followed after him they moved down a long narrow sky bridge then came to room with various tables and chairs. Someone met them at once taking their jackets. She looked around the room hoping Liam would be there but only saw Petra siting at a table in the corner. She took notice of them and lifted her glass of wine.
Rotham made his way over and she followed after. When they reached the table Rotham kissed Petra before pulling out a chair for Shyla. Then Rotham took a seat next to Shyla. He was in the middle as Petra was on his right and Shyla was on his left. She assumed Liam would sit next to her, at least she hoped she wouldn’t be stuck next to Claire or Richard.
Rotham quietly adjusted his table setting as he smiled at the women, knowing he’d been intimate with both of them. Shyla didn’t notice his grin as she kept looking around for Liam. Eventually she took a look at the menu and everything was super expensive. She put the menu down, deciding to wait for Liam.
“Did Liam say how long he was going to be.
“No, but we shoulder order.” said Rotham, looking over the menu. His glasses were fogging up. He took them off, cleaning them with a small silk cloth. Shyla looked at him. Without his glasses, his ice blue eyes almost seemed to flicker in the light.
"I'll just wait." said Shyla, putting her hands in her lap.
Rotham sighed and got up without a word. He was gone for several minutes. A waiter came over and began to pour some wine. Shyla wondered if Petra had ordered more wine but the waiter filled three new glasses. Another for Petra, one for Rotham and her. Shyla quietly cleared her throat.
"Umm, we've got more people coming. I think" She said hesitantly to the waiter.
He paused momentarily, and then nodded. “I shall return when they arrive.”
“Alright,” she said then watched him walk away. Petra took a sip of her new wine then asked. "So, did my husband train you well?"
“What,” said Shyla caught off guard by her training.
“You’re ski lesson.”
“Oh yes, yes, He’s a good teacher.
“I bet,” said Petra giving her a sly smile.
Shyla couldn’t help but feel she was referring to something else but knew she was probably imagining it. She picked up her glass and took a quick sip. Her stomach started to rumble as Rotham got back. He sat down, and for a while the three just sat in silence. Petra suggested that after lunch they should spend some time in the sauna then go shopping. Or they could even watch a movie in the mansions' private theater.
Shyla was interested when she learned the manor had its own theater. Petra mentioned some shows she liked, and for a while Shyla felt like she had almost connected with Petra. Rotham said nothing, just listening to the two woman chat.
After several minutes plates of food arrived. Shyla was surprised. "This must be a mistake. We didn't order yet."
"I did." said Rotham as he undid his napkin and placed it.
Shyla looked at him. "But what about Liam? Or your parents?"
“It would seem they couldn’t wait and have already snuck off to another restaurant.” said Rotham.
“What?” said Shyla.
“Not very considerate,” said Petra. “But I suppose they wanted to catch up, since they rarely ever get to see Liam these days, given how busy you keep him.”
Shyla didn’t like her implication, like she’d been keeping him away. “Can I call him?”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate.” said Petra, “You don’t want to seem clingy. Liam might like that sort of thing but Claire would not look well upon it, trust me.”
Shyla sighed as a plate of pasta was put down in front of her. She remembered having eaten a plate like this at Rotham's lake house. She looked at it then him, fearing he had remembered, but he made no sign of recognition. He simply dug into his meal, some seafood dish. He cutting everything into small pieces, dipping it into the sauce. Shyla ate the pasta slowly...suspiciously then realized Petra had the same dish. She barely touched it.
Rotham cleaned his plate then ordered up some dessert. He seemed to be in a good mood. Shyla was only halfway through her pasta when the dessert cart arrived. She couldn’t help but take a look. They had so many desserts and everything looked amazing.
“Please,” said Rotham, noticing her admiring the cart, “Take what you like.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t.”
“I insist,”
“Thank you but-”
“I don’t think she can afford it.” Said Petra. Shyla gave her a look. She could afford it. She knew this place was probably expensive but she still had money from her time with Rotham. Not that she wanted to blow a load of cash on a meal.
“It’s find, this meals on me,”
“Oh no I-”
“Yes,” he said, “Consider it a reward for doing so well today.”
“Well,” she said looking at her dessert cart again. She wondered what the cheapest dessert was.
Rotham leaned toward her, “Pick something or I shall simply have to get it all.”
“All!” gasped Shyla. It would seem he was still just as crazy with his money. For a moment she was reminded of the night they met and how he had bought auction trying to impress her. At the time it had. She looked the cart over once again. There had to be hundred, maybe even thousands of dollars worth of desserts. She began to wonder how he even had any money left at this point. She carefully chose vanilla cake, with vanilla frosting that had chocolate drizzled over the top. It tasted amazing, Rotham watched her have a few bites then picked up the same dessert. Petra simply rolled her eyes then had more wine.
When they were finished, Shyla used the restroom to freshen up. Her legs and arms felt funny and she decided she needed a break from Skiing. Rotham and Petra were both waiting for her, when she got out. It looked like they were having a conversion but stopped when she came over.
Rotham smiled at her and said. “Are you ready for more?”
“Actually I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll chill around the lodge for a bit, then maybe catch up with Liam and see him snowboard.”
“Oh my,” said Petra “I think he’s already turned in.”
“Turned in?”
“Yes I think my parents and he left after their big meal. They often only like to spend a few hours up here.”
"No, that can’t be!” said Shyla adamantly shaking her head. “Liam wouldn’t leave me here. Not without a word"
"Really? And how much do you know about my brother?" asked Rotham.
"I know him enough." said Shyla crossing her arms.
"Really,” said Petra skeptically. “Then you must know how careless he is...especially when it comes to others.”
“He isn’t careless.” said Shyla, “He’s actually rather considerate.”
“Really this would be a first,” said Rotham. “He can barely take care of himself.”
“He takes care of himself just fine,” said Shyla.
“Right,” said Rotham.
“How long did you say you were dating again?” said Petra.
“A few months.”
“Well if you can make it a year maybe you’d have a leg to stand on.” said Rotham, “You don’t know my brother.”
“I do,” said Shyla getting more upset.
“Honestly that’s what they all say but none of them every last long.”
“Them?” said Shyla wondering who she was referring to.
“Oh yes, Liam goes through women like tissue,” said Petra, taking her husband's arm. "I've been with my Rotham, what, seven or eight years now? I think I’ve seen more then a few dozen or so."
"About." said Rotham as they went to get their coats, “We don’t even bother to get to know their names,”
“Honestly its like a revolving door at this point. Just as one goes out another comes in.”
“None of them every seem to last very long.”
“So..I know he’s dated a few people,” said Shyla. “It doesn’t matter to me.” She figured she didn’t have any right to judge him given she’d been an escort and had probably gone through more then a few people herself.
“He almost got married once, did he tell you that?” asked Petra as Rotham helped her put on her coat. He tried to do the same with Shyla but she just took it from him and put it on herself.
“No,” she said, finally responding as Rotham put on his jacket. She had no idea he’d almost been married then again she hadn’t asked.
“And here I thought you ‘knew’ him.” said Petra.
“Perhaps you should ask him about it, when we return to the manor,” said Rotham.
“He wont be there,” said Shyla still sure he hadn’t left her.
“Would you like to make a wager?” asked Petra.
“Don’t be cruel dear, “said Rotham with a sly smile.
She thought they were both being cruel. She couldn’t help but think they were trying to poison her against him but she wouldn’t buy it. Honestly this might have worked on his other girlfriends but not her. She didn’t ‘intimidate’ so easily. Still almost getting married seemed like a big thing to not discuss. Then again he’d kept the fact that he was rich from her so why not this. She planned to ask him about it. They went down stairs and she started to take of. She wasn’t sure how she was going to find him but she would.
“Shyla,” said Rotham.
“What!”
“Before you go running off. Just check the board.”
“The board?”
He pointed to a small electronic board. “It shows where every single skier is at any given time. You’ll quickly find he’s not here.”
She glared at him but went over to the board. There were at least a hundred names but it was alphabetical. Still she looked over every single one. She flipped to another screen and another she could see herself, Petra and Rotham but no Liam. She bit her lip, “Perhaps something happened to him.”
She started to get slightly worried. Both Petra and Rotham looked at one another. Then Petra insisted, “Before you go calling a search party let’s just check the manor first,”
“He wont be there,” she insisted.
“Well if he isn’t we’ll just turn right back around and notify the proper authorities.”
Shyla glared at the screen for a little longer but eventually conceded. She worried something might have happened, “Fine we can check then send for help.”
“If need be,” said Petra with an amused smile.
She bit her lip then walked on ahead of them, “Can we go?”
“But of course,” said Rotham, “Our driver just needs to load out skis.”
Rotham notified their driver and he got the car loaded. Shyla didn’t say a word the entire way back. She kept thinking they were wrong, about Liam having left her behind and about him almost getting married. When they pulled up in front of the manor, she nearly ran inside. She didn’t know if she wanted him to be here because it meant he was okay and she could talk to him, or if she wanted him to be back at the ski lodge because it meant he hadn’t left her without a word.
When she got inside, Liam was sitting with his mother in one of the sitting rooms. He saw Shyla and perked up. She looked at him and without a word stormed out of the room suddenly furious. Liam quickly got up and ran after her. Rotham smiled as he watched the two run passed.
Petra noticed his pure amusement and gave him a look. “Just what are you up to, my dear husband?”
“Why, nothing my sweet.” said Rotham coyly.
"Hmp." said Petra not buying it for a second. She and Rotham still hadn't discussed just how he knew Shyla. After Petra had told him what she knew, he'd gotten on the phone with Brittan and gone out for a walk. When he'd finally returned, he'd gone straight to bed. She was beginning to get agitated. Usually if he had something planned he'd fill her in. But so far he hadn't even said a word.
She knew he could be protective of his family's money, especially when it came to his brother's share, given he was an idiot. But still this was something else. The two knew each other from somewhere before this. If he didn't tell her tonight, she was going to find out for herself just how this bitch knew her husband.
She gave Rotham another suspicious glance then went to greet Claire. Rotham smirked then turned on his heels and went after Shyla and Liam wanting to eavesdrop.
Shyla had no idea where she was going as she trudged down several hallways. She was just so furious, seeing him sitting there with her mother, when she had been sure he hadn’t left her behind. It pained her that he had left without a word...without a second thought to her. All weekend they kept getting separated and he’d just taken off. What had he expected her to do if Rotham and Petra hadn’t told her!
Liam caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "Hey, what is it? Did something happen on your ski lesson?"
"You're a jerk." Shyla spat. "I'm so mad at you right now!"
"Mad at me? What did I do?" asked Liam.
"What did you do? What did you do!? Why don't we start with what you didn't do!" said Shyla, crossing her arms. "You didn't stay with me at the skiing lesson. You ditched me the first chance you got. You didn't show up to lunch! We sat and waited for you! And you just left me at the ski lodge, without a word. I THOUGHT SOMETHING COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU! This entire weekend has been miserable. We've been here almost a full day and the only time we've spent together is when we were fucking!"
"Not so loud!" said Liam, looking around. "If my mother hears, she'll throw a fit. She doesn't believe in premarital sex."
"Who gives a fuck what your mother thinks I’m not dating your mother! Besides that, you’re in your twenties, Liam. You’re not a child. Your mother or anyone for that matter should have a say in who you see and what you do with them.”
He sighed "It's a matter of consideration and respect.” She scoffed thinking he had failed her on both parts so far. He went on. “When you're in someone's house, you go by their rules. I'd love to spend more time with you but I respect my mother. Yes, she has her issues. Someday, when we have our own home, we can let everybody fuck in the living room if you want because those will be our rules. It might be stupid, but it's how I was raised." said Liam. "As for that earlier stuff, what, did you want me to hover over you while you learned to ski? I figured I'd just get in your way, distracting you, and you'd never learn anything."
"I would have." said Shyla.
“As for lunch, my mother surprised me then wanted to spend some time together. I barely see here so I figured I could give her an hour. I let Rotham know as soon as we were done I’d be heading right back I didn’t think you’d even notice I was gone.”
“Well I did notice and Rotham...that asshole, didn’t say you were coming back just that you had left me.”
“Yeah like I said he’s a jerk.”
“Him and his wife, they said shit and its just-”
“Pay them not attention,” insisted Liam, “They live to stir the pot, as my grandmother would say.”
“Oh they stirred it alright.” said Shyla. She wanted to ask about the things they’d said but he suddenly embraced her, giving her a tight huge. She didn’t want to fight now, especially when she knew they would be fighting a lot...later. “I’m sorry I got upset, I just this whole weekend has been-”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry I should have given you a heads up I just- I keep hoping things will be different but I know my family everything can be a...lot. I’m sorry for keeping secrets.”
“You’re not the only one,” said Shyla
Liam pulled back and looked at her, expecting her to no doubt elaborate but now was not the time. She let out a heavy sigh and moved her hand to hold his cheek, “We’ll discuss it later. We have a lot of things to discuss.”
“Yeah,” he said. “We do.” He put his hand over hers and the two stared at each other for a long moment. They slowly drifted towards each other and were about to kiss when suddenly-
“I take it all is well,” said Rotham, standing in the doorway. They turned to him wondering how long he’d been standing there, no doubt listening to them. He smiled at them acting innocent. He rocking on his heels for a second then pulled out a cigarette and lit it before suggesting, “We should all play some cards,” He took in drag then let it out, “And check out the home theater.”
Shyla didn’t say anything but she didn’t want to do either of those things. She didn’t want to spend another second with Rotham less she had to. Liam suddenly stepped up and said. "I don't think we'll play cards. You can watch a movie if you want but Shyla and I are going out."
"Really?" said Rotham raising his eyebrow. "Where?"
"Does it matter?" said Liam. He offered his hand to Shyla and she took it, smiling at him.
"No, it doesn't." said Rotham, the smile leaving his face.
"Then let's get my coat and we’ll go."Liam said to Shyla.
"Mother's not going to like this." said Rotham as they passed.
"Frankly I don't care right now. We'll be back for supper, but for now I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon with my girlfriend alone."
Shyla smiled, he was finally putting his foot down. Rotham groaned and followed after them as Liam went to get his coat. He knew how his brother could be sometimes when he set his mind on something. Clair and Petra came out of the sitting room as Liam put his coat on.
“Where are you off to now. You’ve been out all morning,” said Claire.
“Shyla and I are going to spend the rest of the afternoon together,” said Liam. “We’ll be back by dinner.”
"Well, that's rather selfish of you. You've been out all morning and you're just going to run off all afternoon?" said Claire.
"We had lunch together, mother." said Liam.
"It was only an hour, and here you're planning on running off."
"We'll be back mother." said Liam.
"But this is our weekend." insisted Claire.
Liam didn’t respond he just grabbed Shyla’s hand and they left the manor. As they made their way to their car she smiled at him gleefully. For a second she looked back as they were pulling out of the parking lot. Claire walked off angrily while Petra and Rotham stood in the doorway glaring at them. She knew they were not pleased with them taking off like this but there was something more in Rotham’s eyes, something dark... dangerous. She quickly looked away as they drove off.
Petra went back inside to gossip with Claire. Rotham stayed outside for a minute longer, finishing off his cigarette. He let out a deep sigh as he watched his brother’s car disappear from sight and decided it was time to end this. It was high time Shyla knew her place in his world. He would not tolerate her running off with his brother. Tonight, he would make things very clear. He flicked his cigarette into the snow, smiled to himself, then whispered under his breath, “See you soon...Starlight.”
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