Colorado Game - 4. Chapter 4

The next day I woke because of a steady stream of warm air that kept blowing onto my face. It was a nice feeling, warm and comfortable and I crept a little closer to the source. But when I opened my eyes I found the sight less than comfortable; a lightly haired chest, not two inches from my nose. Great. One super-sized bed, more than enough space in there to accommodate at least two other people comfortably, and I find the only other occupant in it, without missing a beat, and all the way on the other side.

His head, resting on the pillow slightly above my own head, was inclined down a little and he was breathing steadily through his mouth, causing the flow of warmth onto my face. I slowly moved my head away and looked up. He appeared relaxed, almost serene. Even his chiseled features were somewhat softened now, giving him a more approachable appearance.

I tried to move away from his body, which was practically radiating heat underneath the blankets, only to find that I wouldn't be getting very far. Somehow, in our sleep, our legs had entwined, and one of his, a heavy sucker, was pinning one of mine down onto the mattress. When I tried to pull my leg free, he grunted somewhat annoyed and an arm crept onto my side underneath the blanket, halfheartedly trying to get me to
remain where I was.

I stopped moving, watching his face closely. When it looked like he was about to wake up, I closed my eyes quickly, lay as still as possible and tried to fake-sleep my way out of this one. It didn't take that long, fortunately. A couple of deep sighs, finally leg movement, then one giant yawn, a bump on my head when he brought an arm down that had been placed above me and the elbow came into contact with me, a quick
move to bring the arm out of reach and then... silence. I could almost feel him staring down at me. I faked waking up disturbed, rubbing my head. Then I looked up, finding him on his side and indeed, looking at me.

"Hello," I said, squinting because of the light coming from outside.

"Morning," he replied, the corner of his mouth lifting up a little. "Sleep well?" I yawned, a real one, and touched my head.

"Hmm... I must've bumped my head last night or something." He surprised me by showing good manners, admitting that it had been him.

"Sorry... I'm afraid that it was me who did that."

"What, you figure to start the day off by trying to beat me up?" I asked, making a face. "Cracking my hand to pieces isn't enough anymore?" He actually smiled at that.

"It's not every day that I wake up with someone this close beside me..." he spoke, lazily smiling.

"What time is it?" I asked, quickly, feeling my cheeks warm up. Damn, he looked downright horny, what with the stubble on his chin and cheeks. He lifted his arm and looked at his watch, frowning.

"Six."
I groaned, burying my face in my pillow.

"Too early," I said, the words muffled by the pillow. "Wake me again in two hours."

"Don't be such a baby. Come on, get up." I protested when he yanked the blankets off of me, exposing me to the coldness in the room. At least I got the satisfaction of his own surprise; he yelped when he experienced the cold by himself. I stifled a laugh when he pulled the blanket up again, with the same speed. "Alright... maybe try to sleep another hour, then."

"Right... and I am a baby, huh?" I said, lifting my head. I found his much closer than expected and I held my breath when our eyes met.

"Be silent, you," he replied. His eyes narrowed a bit. Then he smiled. "Green. Blue."

"Huh?" I asked, yawning.

"Your eyes; there was something about you but I couldn't figure out what. Now I see it," he answered, looking a bit surprised.

"Hmprf...," I replied, "not the quickest in the bunch, eh?"
He snickered.

"Go back to sleep."

**************

When I woke up for the second time, it was because of the shower running and someone softly singing, too false for it to be the radio. When I listened closely, I could hear Ross murdering a song from the Rolling Stones. The running water stopped and there was silence for five minutes; then the door opened and he came out, toweling off his hair. When he saw that I was awake, he smiled.

"Well, you sure slept a hole in the day."

"Huh? What time is it?" I asked, frowning. He picked up his watch and looked at it.

"It's after twelve."

"What! Fuck, fuck, fuckerdifuck," I gasped, turning back the covers and getting out of bed, grabbing my jeans. "Why didn't you wake me? I was supposed to have breakfast with Eric and Joey!"

"Relax, Mark... I'm kidding. It's a little after eight."

"Jackass," I mumbled, pulling my foot back out of the jeans.

"I'm sorry... what was that?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing," I quickly replied.

"I thought so." He dressed himself as I lay back on the bed, rubbing my face. "I'm done in there, so if you wanna..." I nodded and got up again, selecting a few clothes; then I disappeared into the bathroom.

**********

When I got down, about half of the occupants in the chalet were in the living room. Eric and Joey were having a go at breakfast, welcoming me with a slight look of relief because making breakfast for fifteen hungry guys can be a little too much for two guys who still let their mom make their lunchbox. I said that I would take care of the pancakes and ten minutes later, the first batch was in the pan. When breakfast was served, we all sat down in the living room, where plans were quickly made to spend yet another day on the slopes. Since this was the fourth day, and my three day course in the kiddy-class had come to an end, I finally would get to do some real skiing, something I was actually looking forward to. But when I asked if could come along with the more experienced skiers, Eric and Joey among them, their faces told me enough; they weren't about to play babysitter on me. They wanted to just go and do their thing. So there was nothing left but to see what the beginners from the other chalets were going to do and join them.

When breakfast was done, most of the guys disappeared upstairs to get their stuff, leaving me with all the dirty dishes. I sighed and got to it, piling the plates and taking them to the kitchen. I was up to my elbows in foam when Ross came in, took a dishtowel and helped me in silence. When we were almost done, he asked me if I wanted to join him on one of the easier slopes.

"I have to get back in form anyway and you looked disappointed when the others didn't want you to come along."

"It's okay," I said, but I was thankful that he asked. Very considerate of him. "They just don't wanna be held back by me. I'll go and see what the others from the kiddy class are up to and join them. I don't wanna cramp your style."
He snickered and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. We all had to learn at some point. They just forgot that they were once beginners too. I remember it. Then again, that was only three years ago." When I gaped at him, he answered it with a lopsided grin. "What, you think we're all born with ski talent? Nah... until three years ago, I hadn't even seen a ski. So... you wanna go?"

"Sure! If you don't mind picking me up every five minutes, or steer me clear of trees and such crap."
He laughed, shaking his head.

"No, I don't mind. Nine thirty, in front of the house?" I nodded. He finished the last dish and disappeared upstairs as well.