by Amy Field
And without even thinking about it she was back out on the ice. She didn’t have skates on, but she glided easily enough with her sneakers. Jacob’s eyes were like saucers by the time she reached him. She set herself down next to him and was demonstrating how to stand when she realized he was still gawping.
“Take a picture,” she said. “It’ll last longer.”
“But you’re, you’re, you…”
“Listen,” she said, sitting down with a huff next to him. “Since this all started, you’ve been the one guiding me, teaching me how to do things, and especially once I’d fallen, how to get back up again. Now let me show you.”
And she did. She taught him how to get up after falling, and how to glide, and how to speed. She taught him curves and turns and spins and whirls. And six months later, after having exchanged vows in a pretty little country church, they had their reception at the old ice rink, and the two of them danced together on the ice.
And you can still find them today, in a pretty little chalet at the foot of Mont Blanc, prepping teams and leading groups up the mountain and through the Alps. That is, except during skating season, when you’re more likely to find Catherine staying in Zurich, teaching the next team of Swiss speed skaters just how Americans have come to dominate the sport. She’s now the winningest speed skating coach in history. If, by chance, you do visit their chalet sometime you’ll know it by the cross above the door, and the sign which reads: Hotel Fallen: Where You Come to Get Up Again. And before every hike, no matter the group, you’ll be invited to pray; and if anyone complains the get a story, a story they, and you, are likely never to forget.
THE END
Book II
The Billionaire’s Chef
A Foodie Romance
Book III
The Quarterback’s Rush
A Young Adult College Romance
Chapter 1
Janie woke up with an uneasy notion. It felt as if everything around her was out of place. The bed under her was not her bed. The room the bed stood in was not her room. Everything smelled sterile and unfamiliar – not as much like in a brand new house as in a brand new car. Fractures of lively conversation and occasional giggles intruded into her privacy. The noise had no visible source. It was oozing from the walls, it rushed at Janie from every possible angle. It was the excited but rather meaningless banter of a faceless, juvenile crowd. She did not need to understand what they were saying to know what they were talking about. The football team threw a big welcome party in the dorm yesterday night and everybody went.
Everybody except her, Janie thought.
Right, she reminded herself after a yawn. Her mind was getting sharper. She stretched her arms and legs.
Right, she thought, welcome to college.
Janie sat up on that unfamiliar bed and slipped her naked feet into her familiar pair of warm slippers. Her panties were white and old-fashioned. But at least they fitted her well. Her upper body was covered by an oversized T-shirt that had the college mascot printed on its front. It was part of the welcome package she received like everybody else moving into the dorm for the first time at the beginning of the term. The package consisted of useless souvenirs from the college’s gift shop – a bundle of leftover stuff no one was willing to buy anymore. And Janie could only understand why: who would want an XXXXXL sized Tee that came in women’s cut and had the silhouette of a huge, red, furious rhino charging forward printed on it?
Janie rubbed her eyes and looked around her new room. She had no real reason for complaining. It was spacious. Nothing fancy but there was enough room left for two people to move around inside it comfortably, even with a pair of identical cupboards, beds, and desks standing by the walls.
The windows were huge and faced east. The thick drapes were pulled aside. The optimistic first rays of a rising sun flooded the room. They promised Janie that she had a beautiful day ahead of herself.
Her eyes rested for a moment on the empty bed standing by the opposite wall. Linda, Janie’s roommate, left a mess like she always did. There were pieces of clothing piled on it in a haphazard manner – Linda had to try on every garment from her cupboard before she was able to make up her mind.
Janie did not blame Linda for her vanity. As first cheerleader of the college’s infamous football team, the Charlotte Rhinos, she must have been all about appearance. They had been living together for less than a whole week but Janie already knew that they were never going to become friends. They could not be more different. The only thing Janie hoped for regarding their flawed relationship was that it would never get any worse. The last thing she needed was an enemy like Linda in the dorm.
Janie yawned again and got up on her feet. She took her bathing caddy out of her cupboard and chose a clean towel. Drowsily, she started ahead towards the door of the room. The bathrooms were located at the end of the corridor.
She opened the door of her room and got hit by lightning. Not by a real one. But the physical sensation that rushed through her unsuspicious body could not be more authentic. A shocking strike hit her: on the corridor, in front of her room stood the golden boy of the college, Cal Bailey, captain of the football team. Her first reaction was followed by a striking shock: Cal stood in front of her bare naked.
Janie froze. She was franticly looking for anything appropriate to say. But her sharp, exceptional mind let Janie down. She felt that her thoughts sort of melted while the most popular guy of the whole institution kept smiling a stupid, radiating smile at her. He just stood there bare naked and smiled with a mixture of patience and confidence flashing up in his pair of bright, blue eyes. Janie realized that her cheeks must have turned blistering red – she felt an incredible heat scorching all over her blushing face.
Finally Cal had mercy on her and opened his mouth.
“Hey” he said, “you must be Janie. Janie Williams.”
The spell that forced Janie to stare at Cal’s smooth skin, broad chest, and muscular belly – and some of his other uncovered and remarkable body-parts – finally broke. She was free to nod.
“I’m Cal,” he said and passed beside Janie. Janie turned around. Cal pushed the door in and entered her room.
“Linda told me a lot about you,” Cal added over his shoulder, “I’m her boyfriend.”
Janie remained speechless. She had caught a glimpse of a perfectly curving butt before the door closed behind Cal. The cause of her embarrassment vanished but she was still far from being quite herself. She staggered backwards and bent herself against the wall. She was in bad need of support – her legs felt weak and her body remained in a slight tremble.
“Look at you,” a sharp, mocking voice snapped at her from the end of the corridor, “do not get your hopes up too soon, bookworm.” The remark was followed by a bouquet of giggles which hurt Janie’s dignity even more than the previous statement itself. She did not have to look in order to confirm whom the voice belonged to. Linda and her cheerleader friends got back to the dorm.
It took Janie some serious effort not to blush again.
She smiled at Linda as they approached her.
“What would I hope for, anyway?” she hinted as calmly as possible. Unfortunately, her voice did not ring confidently enough. A little chime of falseness gave her out.
Linda took her stance right in front of Janie. The cheerleader was a little taller and a lot more athletic than her. Janie shook her head and stared at the tiles covering the corridor.
“Yeah,” Linda sneered, “you shall have no hopes since Cal only dates cheerleaders…”
Janie was tempted to explain that it was not what she meant. She would not have wanted to do anything with a dumbass brute like Cal even if he came begging to her. She was not here to win popularity contests, fall in love, or get into fights with possessive maniacs like Linda. She only wanted to get her degree – to study and be left alone in peace.
Linda took a step backwards.
“Look at you” she whispered just loudly enough so all of her f
riends could also clearly hear it, “you are trembling all over in excitement. That was just a naked body.”
“But what a body,” one of Linda’s friends remarked with a dreamy voice.
The cheerleaders burst out in uncontrollable giggles, again. Like a bunch of high school juniors – Janie loathed each and every one of them for their lighthearted stupidity.
“Shut up, Lindsay,” Linda snapped at her friend. The giggling was cut off in an instant.
“Keep your distance,” Linda warned Janie then she turned back to her friends.
“Is he really going to take you out for a ride in his car?” one of the girls quizzed Linda.
Janie did not care about them and they did not seem to care about her anymore. She used the opportunity to move away from the bunch towards the bathrooms. The chatter behind her back went on in a similar fashion. The exclusive topic: Cal Bailey. The voice of the questioners: borderline hysterical. Janie felt like she would start puking up if she had to listen to them any longer. She pushed the door of the bathroom in.
“If you are so much in heat,” she heard Linda shouting after her, “you should get yourself your own source of entertainment.”
Janie glanced back at Linda as she stood triumphantly in the middle of the corridor. The stupid wench, Janie thought.
“What was the last time you had been together with someone, anyway?” Linda added with another of her trademark sneers.
“It has been a long time,” Janie muttered in embarrassment and walked into the bathroom. She could still hear the cheerleaders laughing on the corridor. The hurtful noises faded away only after she turned on the shower’s faucet.
While undressing, Janie was still thinking about her answer to Linda’s last question. She stepped into the shower case. The cool water soothed her skin. It cascaded down her shoulders tenderly, leaving Janie with an illusion of gentle strokes caressing her bare back tirelessly.
What was the last time she had been together with someone? Had she told Linda the truth, Janie thought, it would have been only worse.
Chapter 2
On her chemistry class, Janie found some remedy for the poisonous mishaps that took place in the dorm that morning.
“Our first lab experiment this semester is going to be a qualitative analyses of cations in an aqueous mixture,” Professor Dean Moriarty announced to the class. He stood on top of a podium, in front of a huge, green chalkboard.
His voice filled the classroom, it rang with optimism and passion. Unlike most other professors in the college, he dressed casually and had a really hip air about himself.
Janie guessed he could not be a day older than forty.
As he stood there in front of the class, wearing an “I fcuking love science” Tee with a pair of khaki shorts, he held his stance like a boxing phenomenon right before a title contending fight which he expected to win with a first round K.O.
The class went gradually silent.
A guilty little grin flashed up on Janie’s face. Professor Moriarty was hot by all means. And judging by the nature of the glances he received from the other girls, Janie was not the only one realizing this.
“I’m happy that I have your attention” Moriarty continued. He turned to the chalkboard and started to scribble down some formulas. “And why wouldn’t I have it,” Moriarty laughed, “our topic is as fancy as it ever gets.” Moriarty spoke confidently. His words did not lack credibility. Still, the classroom answered him with a wave of suspicious giggling. Even Janie had to wonder whether he was serious or only joking.
Moriarty was talking to the chalkboard.
“Is there anyone who could tell me what cations are?”
The class immediately went silent. Janie felt like raising a hand and giving an answer but a quick look-around convinced her otherwise. Her classmates stared ahead of themselves with glassy eyes and occasional squints. It was obvious not only that neither of them had never heard of cations but also that they were ready to roast anyone giving an answer. Janie had already become the bookworm of the dorm and she did not dare risking the same thing to happen in this class, too. She bit into her lower lip, her arm remained resting on her thigh under the desk.
Moriarty turned around in front of the chalkboard and flashed a supportive, encouraging smile towards the class.
“What about an aqueous mixture then?” he demanded, sort of muttering. The silence in the class grew so intense by then that even the last rows could hear each and every word of the baffled Moriarty. Janie knew the answer but remained hiding behind an expressionless face. Her eyes met with Moriarty’s for a second but she made sure that the professor would not see any sparks of intelligence in them. She stared ahead of herself in the same fashion like everyone else – with glassy eyes and a slightly bored impression.
The door of the classroom was swung wide open. Janie could not imagine how this day would turn any worse until she recognized that Cal Bailey was standing on the threshold of her chemistry classroom. That just did the trick. His smile was as radiating as ever, his cool blue eyes full of confidence like always.
“Mr. Bailey,” Moriarty mocked the student, “how nice of you showing up so early.” Moriarty checked the clock that hung over the door. “We have started only ten minutes ago and you are already here.”
Cal did not stress himself about the professor. He looked around the class and recognized Janie among the rows. Janie wished she could have turned invisible or at least been swallowed by the floor.
“Got a little hold up, prof,” Cal explained and started ahead.
“Wait a second,” the professor stopped him. “Being late without any reasonable excuse is not tolerated.”
Bailey did not stop, only slowed down with his advancing. For Janie’s greatest embarrassment he seemed to advance straight towards her.
“On the other hand,” Moriarty continued, “I would not mind letting you in if you could help us out.”
“I would be glad,” Bailey answered and stopped in front of the podium.
Moriarty looked down at him.
“Could you please explain us what an aqueous mixture is?”
There was a moment of silence.
“An aqueous mixture is,” Bailey replied confidently, “when Aquaman loves a human female and they breed.”
The classroom exploded with roaring laughter. Even Moriarty had to smile.
“Well,” the prof said, “that’s an A for humor. Pick a lab partner and take a seat beside him!”
Bailey nodded and continued his stroll through the classroom. On his way, he collected a couple of high fives from other members of the football team. Moriarty turned back to the chalkboard and continued his scribbling. He explained what cations were in a low, monotonic voice.
Janie could not understand a word but it was not the professor’s fault. Cal was still advancing straight towards her. Suddenly she realized that Cal had no other choice. The last free seat in the classroom was the one beside her. She started to copy the professor’s scribbling on the chalkboard into her notebook. What she felt was sheer terror.
“Hey,” she heard Cal’s voice from up close, “you mind?”
Janie nodded but at the same time she did her best to appear extremely busy with the copying.
Cal took the seat.
“I do not think that you have to write that down,” Cal whispered to her.
Her embarrassment was washed away by a gulf of indignation.
“Why not?” she mocked Cal. “Because it is useless bookworm stuff and has got nothing to do with football?”
Janie looked up and her eyes met with Cal’s. Looking at him from such a close distance almost forced Janie to change her opinion about him being a mindless brute. His eyes were calm and reflected intelligence – they had a cool and collected mind hiding behind them.
“No,” Cal sniggered, “that is covered in the textbook, I think, from page six.”
Janie froze again. What the hell this guy was talking about, she thought. She opened he
r textbook and turned to page six. For her genuine surprise Cal was right. It was all there.
“I did not expect you to have looked in any of your textbooks,” Janie replied with scorn. “In any book ever, to be honest,” she added mockingly.
“Why?” Cal asked, “is that because I’m here with a football scholarship?”
Janie run out of words. She was trapped again – she lost herself in the reflection of that pair of infamous, blue eyes. Moriarty saved her this time.
“Mr. Bailey would you mind paying attention to the class instead of trying to mesmerize Mrs. Williams?”
The classroom reacted with another burst of laughter. Janie felt like she had been the target of cruel jokes more times today than what she could patiently handle. But at least Cal turned his head towards Moriarty and she was free, again.
“I’m paying attention,” Cal protested.
“In that case,” Moriarty replied, “could you tell us what a qualitative analyses is?”
“Sure,” Cal nodded confidently.
“You just have to get some quality for yourself and then analyze it.”
The roaring laughter arrived according to schedule.
“Well,” Moriarty said calmly, “you might not have expected it but actually that is about as right as it gets.”
The class went on in similar fashion. Janie was furious. When it finally ended, she jammed her stuff back into her bag and left immediately. Cal caught up with her on the corridor.
“Listen, Janie,” he murmured, “do not be such a hater. I promise that this is going to be just fine. You might not think I’m much, but I will not screw things up, okay?”
Janie did not even care any longer. The day had only started but she could not handle any more annoyance. Instead of answering, she nailed her gaze onto the floor and walked away with hurried, stern steps.
Chapter 3