Follow the River

That’s new.

My brows furrow, looking at our intertwined hands and glance up at him as he gives me a smirk.

“You were saying?”

I feel my cheeks heat, even with the cold wind whipping around us, and glance away, suddenly anxious being so close to him with no escape.

“I don’t think…I wasn’t thinking of a song,” I lie, still looking out over the slopes, which are relatively empty since most people are with their families on Christmas Day.

“Why are you lying to me?”

My eyes snap to him, not used to being called out by him. At least not for this. Because I never tell him lies. Stretch the truth? Sure. But even when we were at each other’s throats, I didn’t ever fucking lie.

My jaw ticks. Goddamnit.

“River,” he growls, gripping my chin. “I’ve asked you what fucking song every single day in the week since we decided to do this…thing between us. What’s the issue? Where the hell is your mind right now?”

“Everywhere,” I mumble, staring into the depths of his amber eyes. “My mind, it’s ru

I shouldn’t be wanting to kiss him for the world to see or hold his hand as if to claim him as mine. It’s not what we agreed to and is certainly more than a fuck buddy would feel. Which is all we are while we’re stuck up here.

Right?

Letting out a frustrated breath, I give in to my desire, gripping the back of his neck under his helmet and slam my mouth to his, not giving a flying fuck who sees.

At first, he freezes, and I think he’s going to push me away. Hell, I think he might push me off the damn ski lift, sending me plummeting to my imminent death.

Surprising me, he nips my bottom lip between his teeth before molding his mouth to mine in the perfect fucking fit.

“Are you trying to distract me from finding out what song it is?” he pants against my lips between kisses. “Because as much as I enjoy making out with you, it’s not working. In fact, it makes me want to know more.”

“I just wanted to kiss you,” I gasp, and this time, it’s not a lie. “So, kiss me.”

And kiss me he fucking does. So well and for so long, I’m insanely hard once we’re almost to the top of the lift ready to dismount for our first run of the day.

We quickly move over and out of the way of the lift to the top of our first run. One of the easier green circles at the resort. Rain, the stubborn ass he is, was adamant he would not be spending time on the bu

Latching my left foot into my board, I glance over at him just in time to see him topple over as he attempts to do the same with his right. I cough to cover my laugh, but he most definitely catches it if the glare he casts my way before he locks himself in from a seated position this time is any indication.

And then there is his less than graceful efforts trying to stand back up, which, I’ll be honest, is fucking hilarious and cute as shit. Seeing Rain off balance, figuratively and literally, makes something inside me grow a little bit warmer.

Taking pity on him, I hop over and extend my arm to him to help him up.

“You’re fucking laughing at me already?” he growls, gripping my forearm.

“Damn straight, baby. It’s my prerogative as your teacher. I get to laugh as much as I want at you today when you fall on your ass.”

Rain smirks and tightens his grip on me, pulling me to the ground with him instead of using my outstretched hand to rise to his feet. I land with an umph on top of him, our legs and subsequently, our boards getting tangled together.

“Now look what you did. Is this what you wanted?”

“No,” he groans, shifting beneath my weight as I try to disengage my legs from his. “I just wanted to make you shut up by making you fall.”

I’m starting to think you have…in more ways than one.

“Well jackass, mission accomplished,” I laugh, righting myself before giving him a hand to get back up, which he thankfully takes and actually uses this time.

Once we’re both stable, I glance up at him to find the biggest smile on his face. Bigger than I think I’ve ever seen.

It makes my heart stop completely.

“What?” I ask, sure that the sound of the word, no more than a whisper, is lost in the cool winter wind.

“Nothing. I’m just happy.”

And the truth behind his words show. The glint in his eyes, the smile still on his face. I’ve never seen him this way.

Free.

I’m desperate to take this moment and bottle it, download it, find some way to save it so I can remember it for the rest of my life. To remember the way it feels to have him look at me like this.

To remember, if even for a moment, I was the source of his happiness.

And it’s the most powerful feeling in the world.

I squeeze his hand in mine, leaning forward to brush my lips against his. “Me too.”

His arm snakes around my waist as he drags me closer to him the best he can with the snowboard strapped to my feet. His lips are soft against my own, but still rough, insistent, and demanding.

All things fitting when it comes to Rain.

In all honesty, I still can’t believe this is actually happening. That I’m kissing him like this, careless of our surroundings; that everything about him is mine to touch, taste, smell, if only for the time being.

My hand snakes under the back side of his helmet and I tilt his head to deepen this kiss. His tongue begins wrapping around mine and things start getting a little too heated for a public place. Not that I care, really. But knowing Rain, he might be uncomfortable if he knew people could see us, are watching us.

Because they most definitely are when the loud curse of “fucking faggots” is heard clearly from somewhere in our vicinity.

Rain’s mouth freezes instantly on mine, his entire body going stiff as a board. He pulls back to look in my eyes and tries to yank free from my hold, but I don’t let him.

Shit.

My other hand slips up to cup around his neck and I hold his eyes with my own while rage starts to build within them. “Hey. Hey. Rain, it’s okay,” I soothe the best I can. Because this must be the first time he’s been subjected to any sort of homophobic slur in his life.

And yeah, no matter how thick your skin is, the first time hearing it...fucking sucks.

“Don’t listen to them, baby,” I murmur, my gloved thumb rubbing against the pulse point on his neck. It’s visibly racing, manifesting from his anger. “There is nothing for you to be ashamed of. Not one goddamn thing. So, fuck them. Fuck them all, and the ignorant, hateful horses they rode in on.”

I watch as his teeth work over his bottom lip and I see the gears turning in his head as he attempts to calm himself down.

“Breathe, okay. They have no say in what we do. It’s the fucking twenty first century, they can get the fuck over two guys kissing each other. Love is love.”

His eyes widen at my last words and shit I didn’t mean to bring love into this situation.

“You know what I mean,” I add quickly, praying to God my little slip didn’t freak him out even more.

Because…I don’t love him.

No, this is just sex. Sure, we are slowly becoming more like friends than straight up fuck buddies at a very rapid pace.

But I don’t love him…