Learn to Fly

by Heidi Hutchinson

  She shifted, as they openly gawked. The shouting match that had taken place in the hallway last night flashed in her mind. They looked confused and curious and she couldn’t blame them. What was she thinking? Luke was going to be entering a hornet’s nest with this group. They would undoubtedly see him as the villain and ostracize him.

  “This was a bad idea,” Lenny said as she swirled the ice in her drink.

  “It’s okay, Lenny,” Luke tried to get her eyes to meet his. “I can take my lumps. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that to you and anyone else who cares.”

  Lenny pursed her lips together. They both had separate agendas. She was trying to prove that they couldn’t possibly work and he was trying to prove otherwise. What a fine pair they made.

  ***

  Luke saw a thousand emotions roll across Lenny’s face in an instant. She seemed to settle on casual indifference and Luke felt a new wave of regret course through his veins. He wondered if he hadn’t have gone out that night…would she have been this reserved now? How much distance did he put between them with his selfish choice?

  He missed the familiarity they used to have. Now, she was on guard, distrusting, reserved. He missed the way she would look at him and he'd know she felt safe.

  Lenny cleared her throat and looked at him expectantly. Luke realized that she had asked him a question but he hadn’t heard it.

  “I’m sorry, what?” He asked apologetically.

  “I said, when is your return flight?” Lenny frowned at his faraway look.

  “Uh, I don’t have one.” Luke answered uncomfortably. He saw the question on her face so he added. “I bought a one way.”

  ***

  The group of other riders finished their meal and gave curious glances as they departed. Shelby Lynn waved at Lenny shyly and then went outside.

  “What was that all about?” Luke asked.

  “Oh, you haven’t heard? I’m awesome.” Lenny said saucily and laughed at her own bravado.

  “I have actually heard that. And humble, too.” Luke smiled at her.

  They were interrupted when Ben stepped over to their table.

  “We’re going bowling tonight.” He openly glared at Luke, “Nick said you’re coming back up to the cabins with us tomorrow.” Luke gave a curt nod and Ben continued, “So you can join us tonight if you want.”

  “You make me feel so welcome,” Luke said, impatience in his voice.

  “They’ll be other girls there, you sure you can control yourself?” Ben asked darkly.

  “Ben!” Lenny snapped, mortified by his behavior.

  “It’s okay, Lenny.” Luke calmly stopped her and addressed Ben squarely. “Look man, I made some bad choices. I’m not making excuses for that. But I love this girl and I’m not gonna give up just cause you spent half an hour coming up with an insult.” He took a drink of his soda. “We’d be happy to join you for bowling tonight.”

  Lenny could see Ben was trying to think of something witty to reply with but came up empty. He grunted and left.

  Lenny’s head was swirling with a million thoughts. And they all centered around one thing. Luke had said that he was still in love with her.

  ***

  Luke went back to eating, completely unfazed. He looked up to see Lenny watching him with curious eyes.

  “What? Do I got pizza on my face?” He asked, making her smile.

  “Nothing,” Lenny replied but something had changed, infinitesimally in her eyes when she looked at him. He had no idea what he'd said in the past few seconds to propel any kind of change, but he was happy for it.

  ***

  The afternoon passed quickly. Lenny found herself getting excited for Luke to join them on the mountain tomorrow. She had wanted him to be a part of her life before, but the timing had been all off. She couldn’t believe that he had bought a one way ticket to Alaska.

  She still felt a need to show him that a romantic relationship was impossible for them and probably a terrible idea. But he was making it hard. He flirted with her openly all day long. She did her best to ignore his comments and gestures, not wanting to encourage him. If he stood too close, she moved away. If he reached for her hand, she’d put them in her pockets. Part of her was scared that her plan would work and he’d give up, but he only tried harder. Finding new and clever ways to flirt and catch her off guard.

  At the bowling alley, the others tried their best to give Luke the cold shoulder but Luke’s gregarious personality and authentic charm won them over pretty quickly. Even Ben, who held out the longest, was eventually high-fiving Luke and buying him nachos.

  “Damn, Lenny,” Trucker complained. “You’re kicking our asses! Is there anything you’re not good at?”

  “Yes,” Shane answered from behind her, “She’s a terrible dancer.”

  “What!” Lenny whirled to give him a glare but he just laughed.

  “You are a horrible dancer, don’t deny it.” Shane handed her a soda.

  Luke was getting along with everyone so well that Lenny found herself a unusually miffed. He was attentive and alert. He answered their questions but downplayed his rock star status. He joked around and looked genuinely at ease. He was freaking perfect.

  “Don’t be grumpy,” Shane rebuked as he sat down beside her.

  “I’m not being grumpy,” Lenny protested even though she knew he was right.

  “You have a very effective frown but this is neither the time nor place.” Shane reprimanded with a smile.

  “Is it weird that he’s getting along with everyone so well?” Lenny shared her thoughts with Shane.

  “No, what’s weird is that you’re avoiding him so obviously.”

  “Hey, you were on my side not twenty-four hours ago.” Lenny reminded him.

  “Yep,” Shane admitted. “But then we had a bro talk.”

  “You what?” Lenny’s slack-jawed face caused Shane to burst out laughing.

  “Yeah, Luke and I are bros now.” Shane grinned at her.

  Lenny put her hand to her forehead in shame. “My life is so weird,” she muttered, making Shane laugh again.

  “I think you should give him another chance, honestly.” Shane added.

  “There’s no ‘another chance’ to give! Am I the only one who can see this as an impending disaster?” Lenny’s tone was desperate but Shane laughed her off again.

  “You forgave me, don’t forget.” Shane reminded.

  “What’s your point?” Lenny shot at him, irritated with his blasé attitude.

  “Well, I would think it would be easier to forgive Luke,” Shane answered seriously, “You’re in love with him.”

  Lenny pursed her lips indignantly, “I hate your face.” Shane guffawed as Luke sat down on the other side of her.

  “What’s going on over here?” He asked, grabbing Lenny’s soda and taking a big drink.

  “Nothing,” Lenny answered quickly, giving Shane a warning glare.

  “We were talking about how she needs to give you a one on one lesson on the slopes tomorrow.” Shane winked at Lenny.

  “That’s sounds sexy,” Luke arched an eyebrow at Lenny.

  “Yeah, it should be real hot with all the layers of clothing involved.” Lenny answered dryly. She was not amused. How had both of her exes become best friends?

  “You bunking with me tomorrow?” Shane asked Luke.

  “That’s what Nick said.” Luke nodded, draining the last of Lenny's soda.

  “Sweet,” Shane fist bumped Luke and then headed to take his turn.

  Lenny gave Luke a look that made him laugh.

  “What the hell is that all about?” Lenny asked him.

  “Shane’s a good guy.” Luke didn’t give more of an explanation.

  “When did this happen?” Lenny was confused and annoyed at the same time.

  “Last night. He brought me a pillow after you slapped me silly.” Luke answered with a sly smile.

  “I did not slap you silly.” Lenny objected. “And I’m sorry about th
at, by the way.” She added softly.

  “You don’t have to apologize, I deserved it.” Luke nodded towards Shane, “We have a lot in common.”

  “Oh yeah, like what?” Lenny asked in disbelief.

  “Well, we both have excellent taste in women.” Luke smiled at her glare and got up to refill her soda.

  As the night continued on, Lenny found herself in conflict. Why was she pushing Luke away? To prove a point? Shane was right, she was in love with him and she didn't want him leave. She wanted him to stay. Nothing made sense anymore. Her previous resolve seemed so foolish and foreign with Luke's overwhelming presence all around her.

  When they made their way back to their rooms and turned in, anticipating the early departure tomorrow and the promise of fresh powder, Luke stalled outside Lenny’s door.

  Lenny unlocked her door but didn’t go in right away. She paused, holding the door open with an arm, and looked up into Luke’s hopeful expression.

  “I had fun today,” she said sincerely.

  ***

  “Me too.” Luke reached up and brushed a stray hair off her face. She didn’t pull away this time.

  Luke wanted to kiss her. His eyes drifted to her lips and he stared at their perfect bow shape. But it was too soon. He still had work to do and kissing her right now wouldn’t help. Instead, he touched her cheek with his palm and pressed his lips to the top of her forehead.

  “Get some sleep, beautiful.” He smiled down at her. “You have to teach me how to fly tomorrow.”

  ***

  Lenny smiled in return and went into her room, slowly closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of the bed in a daze.

  Oh no, she thought with dread, I’m in way over my head.

  Chapter 24

  All In

  The four day storm had covered Thompson Pass and the Chugach Mountains with a perfect, unblemished blanket of snow. It was pristine and lush; Lenny literally salivated when she beheld it. The drive up had been very different than the week before. This time, Lenny rode in the back of Nick’s SUV with Luke and Serge. The atmosphere was cheerful and mild, probably due to the presence of the unshakable Norwegian. But it may have also been Luke’s solid resolve from beside her.

  Lenny’s discontent had taken a backseat. She had awoken that morning feeling refreshed and alive. Knowing Luke was going to be there gave her soul a little boost. She didn’t entirely know what that meant. She wasn’t ready to just declare all forgiven and agree to move to Boston. But she would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it more than once. Luke brought a peace out in her that no one else ever had. And it really wasn’t anything he did. It was who she naturally became when then were together.

  ***

  Luke had finally gotten a good nights sleep. He hadn’t rested since Lenny had left Boston. The first night in Alaska when he slept outside her door had been his first real sleep in weeks. Just knowing she was close by had been enough to allow him to doze off for a few hours. But after he had walked her to her door last night, he fell asleep before his head hit the pillow. He’d been so upside down without her, and having her around had finally righted him. Even if this was as close as they ever got, Luke knew without a doubt that they needed to be a part of each others lives. She was his best friend. And he was never taking that relationship for granted again.

  They quickly unloaded their gear into their cabins and then gathered by Nick for another rundown of basic avalanche survival training. Everyone except for Luke had already taken the training when they had first arrived but with the new snowfall, Nick wanted everyone to be refreshed before going out there.

  They all passed the basic tests without any problems. Nick reminded them that the mountains are unpredictable. Especially with the new powder, no one would be able to tell what’s sturdy and what’s soft until they’re in the middle of it.

  ***

  “No pressure, guys,” Nick spoke through his headset in the helicopter. “We’re just gonna go out and make a few turns.”

  Lenny nodded when Nick glanced behind to make sure they had heard. She looked at Luke who was his usual, the most relaxed and confident person in the room. She had no idea how he could be so collected even when he was obviously out of his element.

  After the chopper had set them down and then took off again, Lenny pulled Luke off to the side.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know.” She saw his eyes shift to the mountainside and then back to her.

  “Yes, I do,” Luke said calmly with a smile. “Besides, if I get hurt, you can give me mouth to mouth.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes. She feigned annoyance but the idea of her lips on his again made her heart stutter. And that annoyed her a little bit more. Why wasn’t he taking this more seriously?

  “You need to be a little scared, you know.” Lenny’s concern was growing.

  “I know. And I am. Totally terrified.” Luke grinned at her again as Shane joined them.

  “Ready to have your life change?” Shane asked.

  “Do your worst.” Luke accepted the challenge.

  Lenny realized that she was the one who the most nervous about Luke riding. If anything happened to him…Her stomach was full of butterflies as Shane gave Luke some pointers. This was a bad idea. Lenny shook her head and finally had to say something.

  “No. Don’t do that.” Lenny stepped in between Shane and Luke. “No offense, Shane.” She said over her shoulder then back to Luke. “Just take it slow. We can ride this hill all day. Don’t worry about speed.” She looked down at Luke’s board and bindings and realized why they had looked so familiar. “Do you have Duke’s stuff?”

  “Yeah, he said I would need it.” Luke looked at her sheepishly. So he had been to see Duke first. Was she really the only one who saw the ridiculousness of the situation?

  “Well, he’s not wrong. Duke always had the best stuff,” Lenny conceded. She would have to address that Duke issue later.

  “Just go slow for your first few turns and see how it feels. Wait till you can feel how the board responds. We’re not racing.”

  Luke put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Hey, I’m gonna be fine. I promise not to do anything stupid,” he said reassuringly.

  She smiled, seeing the honesty in his face and tried to relax her back-flipping insides.

  “C’mon, Casey,” Shane waved his arm and started on his run. Luke pulled his goggles down and joined him.

  Lenny held her breath as she watched them curve in and out and back and forth. Luke was good. He was actually very good. He kept up with Shane just fine and Lenny could tell he was a strong rider. His technique was a little shaking. But that can be cleared up with practice back home. Lenny muttered a curse under her breath for that thought. Luke was not coming home with her.

  She wasn’t even surprised that Luke had been to see Duke. She figured he had either talked to Duke or Harrison because they were the only ones who knew she was in Alaska. She wished she’d gotten a little more of a heads up though. She’d have to give Duke a hard time for that one.

  She was a little shocked that Duke had loaned his stuff to Luke. That was the equivalent of letting someone take your firstborn across the country. Duke never let anyone touch his stuff. Either Duke was getting soft in his old age or this was his version of giving Luke his blessing. Lenny suspected the latter. And that thought only added to her frustration.

  Her heart stumbled in conjunction with Luke's wipe-out. He had been doing fine when he lost control and tumbled end over end. Shane had led hip over a small lip and he caught air. He was clearly unprepared for it and he lost control before he'd even landed.

  Lenny didn't even wait for him to come to a complete stop. She was already flying that direction, her heart in her throat.

  She edged her board to a stop so fast so could have had her own fall if she wouldn't have already disengaged her binders and was in near sprint across the snowy terrain. She threw off her goggles and hat and sank to her knees
in the snow next to Luke's upturned figure.

  He was flat on his back, his arms outspread. She cleared the snow that had packed in around his face, her breath coming laboriously.

  “Luke?” She pushed his goggles up and stopped. His perfect blue eyes were looking at her with a bemused, almost whimsical expression.

  “Were you worried?” He asked, his mouth making a crooked grin.

  Lenny wanted to hug him and kick him at the same time. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

  Luke pushed himself into a sitting position and grinned at her. “You came rushing to my side at the first sign of trouble. I've taken worse falls off the stage.” He raised his eyebrows as if to make some point.

  “I'm glad you're okay.” Lenny finally said as she returned to her feet. She was blushing at her reaction to his mini-wreck and she was glad he couldn't tell due to the cold air on her face.

  “What if I would have gotten hurt?” Luke asked as he disengaged his board and stood as well. He put his hands on his hips and looked at her with a cocky self-assurance. “Would you be sad?”

  Lenny rolled her eyes and walked back to where she'd left her board near buried a short distance away.

  “You woulda cried, I bet.” Luke followed behind her. She smiled to herself, glad he couldn't see her reaction.

  The rest of the day went by smoothly. No injuries, no avalanches. Shane and Luke brought an energy to the group that hadn’t been there the week before. They had bonded quickly and Luke was a complete natural on the mountain. Just like the night before when they were all bowling together, Luke was everyone’s best friend. He fit so perfectly in the group that Lenny was actually shaken up by it. Not in a scared way…well, maybe in a scared way. Had she been wrong this whole time? Was her fear of the oncoming heartache all in her head? Was she really the only one who could ruin this?