Come As You Are Ch. 09

Previously on "Come As You Are" - Four lifelong friends reunite for their ten-year high school reunion -- professional chef Brenda Lattimore, video game streamer Sadie Bedford, ski instructor Michelle Min, and local business owner Colette Hansen. Over drinks and dinner the night before the reunion, the girls discover that they all share a secret lover in one of their classmates, the quiet social outcast Garrett West.

The morning after watching each other get off, Michelle and Garrett agree that it was a one-time thing, and that sex is off the table between them. However a day of skiing and an evening of ice skating encourages Michelle to pick up where they had left off the previous night, leading to passionate trysts in an outdoor hot tub, an indoor sauna, and finally Garrett's bed...

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Come As You Are

Volume III - Michelle's Story

Chapter Four - "All Downhill From Here"

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"You ready?"

"Not even close."

Michelle fought the urge to sigh in frustration. Instead, she put on her best reaffirming smile. "Come on," she coaxed Garrett. "It's just another black diamond."

"No, it's a TRIPLE black diamond." Garrett motioned towards the steep drop. A few feet from where the young adults stood, the gentle slope abruptly gave way to empty air. "I've never seen an initial drop that drastic before. I'm gonna end up hitting bottom like twenty feet down and go ass over teakettle." He craned his neck, trying to get a better view of the slope from a safe distance. "Anyone ever slide down a run on their butt the entire way?"

"You've done double blacks this week," Michelle pointed out. "Not to mention a whole bunch back home. This is just the next step up. You're a decent skier. You can handle this, no sweat."

Garrett's gloved hands gripped his ski poles with an intensity that was probably turning the skin underneath as white as snow. The sky was the purest blue as Michelle had seen all week, with a firm breeze and golden rays of sunshine. It was the ideal skiing day for Michelle - fresh powder, clear skies, and good wind to help push everyone along.

Michelle practically bounced out of the bed as soon as the sun had peeked through Garrett's bedroom window. Ignoring the soreness that seemed to press upon every single inch of her body, she had dragged Garrett from under the covers, shoved him into the shower, and poured black coffee down his throat to get him alert enough for the final day of Spring Break. He had protested every step of the way. Despite his slow and careful gait as he got dressed and moved about the lodge, however, once Garrett had gotten into the sunshine his demeanor utterly changed. He had spent the morning keeping up with Michelle as she immediately headed right for the blue squares and black diamonds that dominated the back slope of Blackcreek Basin. While she was on point, he was still loose and barely in control during their downhills trips. Lunch was next on their agenda, a quick bite at the main ski lodge before going right back up the lifts for several more hours.

The lodge was at the bottom of the hill - specifically, at the bottom of the resort's lone triple black diamond slope, a run with the name White Viper. Michelle had purposefully put the slope off, letting the anticipation build to this moment on the final day when she finally got to shred it, only to be blocked by the most unlikely of companions. The drop slashed and cut its way through a narrow choppy lane of small rocks and bumps of snow that had been carved into the surface by wind, snow, and the passage of previous skiers.

He wanted to do it. The fact that she had gotten Garrett up to the top of the slope was proof enough. It was just nerves. The sliding of his skis back and forth, the glances at the edge of the cliff, the failed attempt at witty banter. Garrett just needed a push. Not an actual physical push, which would have indeed sent him ass over teakettle, but motivation and encouragement.

"Why are you afraid?"

His chest puffed up in response to her question. "I am not afraid," he answered with a hint of sharpness. "I'm nervous."

"You've done black diamonds in your life Garrett, singles and doubles. Sure, your skiing style is... loose...but this week alone you've done about a dozen of them. You've made it to the bottom of every single one without any major problems. This is the same thing, only a little more difficult. You've got the skills and the reflexes to pull this off, and I'm not just saying that." Garrett nodded, however, he was still no closer to the edge of the slope. "Are you worried you're going to crash and burn?" she asked.

"I can ski. I know this. I can do this run. I know this. But my brain refuses to admit that I know either of those things."

"You're overthinking it, just like in the hot tub last night. Just do it. If that's what you want, just go for it."

"And if I bomber it? You're going to think I suck."

"Don't worry about me or what I think." The edge was now in Michelle's words as she pointed towards the top of the slope. "Don't do this for me. Don't do this to impress me or because you're worried I'm going to think less of you. Do this for you. Five years from now, when you're looking back at their particular moment, would you be more disappointed if you tried this and crashed and burned or if you didn't try at all?"

After a moment, Garrett carefully pushed himself to the lip of the cliff. "Oooooooooh boy," he breathed as he looked down at the almost vertical slope.

"When you make it to the bottom," Michelle encouraged, "it'll be one more thing you can knock off your list, right? Your first triple black diamond. That's worth a high five."

Garrett didn't take his eyes off the drop as he spoke. "Two. Two high fives."

"A double high five," she countered. "Take it or leave it."

"Deal. Any last second advice?"

Michelle joined him at the top of the slope. She studied the ground through the red-tinted lenses of her goggles. "Go that way," she said, pointing off to the left, "really fast. If something gets in your way, turn."

Another deep breath, and then Garrett pushed off. He fell ten feet before colliding with the cliff wall, sending up a cloud of white powder as gravity quickly took over. Michelle watched Garrett try to cut to the left and barely succeed. His butt was skimming the snow as he struggled to keep his balance, his poles almost horizontal to the ground. He managed to just keep himself upright. She winced when he came close to scraping against an upturned boulder before recovering from the sideways skid. By the time the cliff face became a sharp slope instead of a sheer one, Garrett was seemingly in control. Bent over at the waist with his poles out, he picked up speed as he shot into the heart of the course.

Michelle pushed off, easily conquering the nearly vertical wall of snow and rock with little effort. Her skis sliced through the white powder, leaving vapor trails in her path as, for a brief moment, the mountain was hers and hers alone.

It took her longer than she expected to catch up to Garrett. She slid in behind him on a wide part of the course. A few yards in front of Michelle her friend was on the ragged edge, speeding along despite his efforts at trying to snowplow. Keeping on his left, Michelle watched as Garrett managed to swing his way through a sharp curve without falling over. She easily glided through the turn, going up high up the lip in the process.

The majority of the slope mixed sharp turns and wide straightaways built for speed. The pair cut their way down the mountain - Michelle with smooth strokes and Garrett with wide, sweeping slashes as he tried to bleed velocity without wiping out.

The bottom of the slope was covered with moguls. Garrett took them head-on, his legs moving up and down like a piston as he gained air with each snowy bump. Michelle also took them head-on, but she threw herself at the bigger ones. The moments she flew from them, the several seconds of aerial freedom, was mana from heaven.

Her heart was racing as she came to a stop next to Garrett at the bottom of the slope. She easily turned her skies to send a plume of snow into the air. Ripping the goggles from her face and yanking the half-mask down revealed a huge smile that spoke of both the pure joy of finishing the slope and the pride she felt for her friend. "You did it!" she cried out with glee. "You made it down!"

Garrett was panting. His entire body shook as if he had just run a marathon. His eyes were wide behind his purple-tinted goggles. He stood in place, looking at Michelle, not saying anything. She pulled down his half mask and set his goggles on his forehead. "Garrett, you did it!"

He didn't respond, still shaking, still not saying a word. "Garrett," she said, taking him by the shoulders. "Calm down. Slow your breathing. It's over. You made it down the hill. You nailed a triple black diamond." She could make out a nod amidst the shivering. His breath slowly became more regular. "You're acting like this was a big deal," she smirked. "It's not like we just had sex or anything."

Her comment broke through his post-run panic. "No, not... not a big deal at all..." After a second Garrett held up both his hands. "High five. Double high five."

Michelle hit her hands against his before leaning in to give him a light peck on the lips. "I told you you could do it," she whispered, a moment just between the two of them.

"You convinced me I could do it," he answered. "You got me over the edge. Over my fear. It wasn't an order, it was... you thought I could do it, so I did it..."

Michelle passionately kissed him. Her tongue dominated his while she held little back, making no bones about claiming Garrett as hers for a few precious moments. When she broke the kiss, Garrett was looking at her with pure confusion on his face and a look of undiluted desire in his eyes.

"Keep finding your self-confidence," she told him. "It looks good on you. If you're up for it, we're skiing that run again after lunch."

"Sure. I'm still nervous," he admitted, "but I want to do it again. Now that I've done it once, maybe I'll enjoy the run instead of thinking 'oh God oh God I am going to die' the entire way down the mountain."

She reassuringly patted him on the arm. "That's usually how it works. First time's for nerves, second time's for confidence, and third time's for fun."

"You're pretty sure you can get me up there a third time."

With a cheeky grin, Michelle pointed towards the lodge. "Come on, let's get some lunch and get back to skiing."

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Gio looked across the table at Michelle with a look of shocked surprise on his face. "You. Got him." He pointed at Garrett who was sitting next to Michelle. "To do a triple black diamond."

Garrett smiled as he held up a trio of fingers. "Three times."

Gio held up his hand towards Michelle. Both she and Garrett shared a laugh as she high-fived his best friend. "You must be one HELL of a motivator," Gio observed.

"I was co-captain of the ski team for a reason," Michelle said. "People do well when they just shut up and listen to me."

"Well, here's to Garrett." Irina raised her glass of white wine towards Garrett. The other three grabbed their drinks -- red wine for both Gio and Michelle, a bottle of beer for Garrett -- as Irina toasted the young man. "Congratulations on your first triple black diamond. It's all downhill from here."

The rest of the table groaned at the pun, but still lightly tapped their three glasses and one bottle together. The foursome was currently sitting in the back corner of an Italian restaurant near the outer edge of Blackcreek named Amico's, which Gio had explained was Italian for "friend." Every table in the dimly lit restaurant was filled. As opposed to the loud and boisterous crowd which had filled Big Sky Steak's on their first night in town, however, the customers this evening were more subdued. Conversations were quiet and meaningful, the atmosphere a little somber, on this final night of Spring Break.

"So," Gio said to Michelle after taking a sip of wine, "you got Garrett to do a triple black, and Sadie got him to dance on prom night." Garrett's face took on a red flush as Gio continued. "Now I guess we have to get him together with Colette or Brenda to do something else you've never done before."

"I've heard you say your friend Brenda's a wizard in the kitchen," Irina said. "How are you in the kitchen Garrett? Any good?"

"I mainly just follow the directions on the back of the box," he replied. "And nothing I've tried to make ever really caught on fire. Hell, I probably picked up enough second-hand from bartending to be a halfway decent cook."

"Brenda would make you an amazing cook. If she ends up with her own show on the Food Network, I wouldn't be surprised." Michelle studied Garrett over her wine glass. "Colette... hmm... movies. She loves movies. I don't mean just watching them, but knowing everything about them. Whatever your favorite movie is, she'll tell you something you never knew about it. And if you know everything, she'll still find facts or trivia you never knew."

As Michelle finished her glass of red wine she looked at her gathered friends. Gio and Irina sat next to each other. Her hand sat on the tabletop and Gio's hand rested on top of hers. The pair had come directly from the lodge to Amico's, and despite being freshly showered and dressed there wasn't any doubt about what the activities both of them had recently been a part of. The sly smiles and lingering stares told enough of the tale to anyone who paid attention.

On their side of the table, Michelle and Garrett were all business above the table while trading undercover displays of affection below - gentle bumps of their feet, the occasional squeezing of a knee, and Garrett's hand caressing Michelle's thigh at that particular moment.

"I think you and Colette would have gotten along great," Michelle said as Garrett's fingers brushed against her leg. "You two would have either been best friends or high school sweethearts, the kind of people who could sit in the same room for hours on end not saying a word to each other and be completely cool about it."

Garrett finished his bottle of beer. "I don't know," he said as he put the empty bottle on the table. "Maybe I'll run into Colette someday down the line and we'll become friends. Stranger things have happened."

"Doubt it. Girl's head over heels in love. I wouldn't be shocked if they got married as soon as she graduates." Michelle shrugged. "It never had Colette pegged as the first of us to find someone. Even her money would have been on Sadie or Brenda."

The waitress came by to let the table know that their entrees would be out soon, before leaving and coming back with a fresh round of drinks for all four customers. Before anyone could take a sip however Gio held up a hand. "We want to say something." He motioned between himself and Irina. "I've had an absolute blast this week. This has been hands down the best Spring Break I've ever had. I got to hang out with my best friend, reconnected with an old friend, and made a new friend." He tipped his glass towards Garrett, Michelle, and Irina in concert with his statement. "Skiing, drinking, dancing..."

"Fucking."

"Yes, Irina, fucking," Gio said sheepishly, ignoring the grins from Michelle and Garrett. "So yeah, best week ever, but the past couple of days Irina and I have been flying solo. And we just wanted to say that we didn't mean to ignore or make you think we were ditching you on purpose, even though we did ditch you on purpose." He held his wine glass towards Garrett. "We haven't seen each other in three years and I blew you off without saying anything. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. Even if I didn't, I'm still sorry."

"Same here." Irina reached across the table to take Michelle's hand. "I know I said I came up here for dancing and boys, but not at the expense of leaving you behind with someone you didn't care for." The blonde gave Garrett a sympathetic look. "I know you guys didn't get along in high school, but it seemed to have worked out for the best. That doesn't mean I'm in the clear for ditching you a few days ago Michelle. I'm sorry for that."

Michelle squeezed her friend's hand. "It's OK. I was a little put-off, but post-graduation Garrett's a pretty cool guy." She sent a smile in his direction. "Even if he skis like a rabid badger and ice skates even worse." Garrett put his hand over his heart in a mock gesture of being wounded.

"Ice skating? You got this boy to go ice skating? I'm impressed," said Gio. "What the hell else did you knock off Garrett's 'never done' list?"

Michelle's eyes narrowed while she looked at Garrett. He had put his finger against his lip, appearing to be deep in thought. Her heart fluttered from the knot of apprehension tightening in her chest at what he might say. "Currants," he eventually offered.

"Currants," said a confused Irina. "The hell are currants?"

"These little raisin-type things," Garrett answered. "We had some beer last night that was microbrewed with them. Not too shabby."

Michelle nodded. "I said you'd like the beer. You just needed a little convincing." A single flutter of her eyelashes, meant only for Garrett, caused him to smile. "Everything works out when you just shut up and listen to me," she teased.

The food arrived at that particular moment. Before everyone began to dig in, however, Gio cleared his throat. "Let me say this before the food gets cold. Sorry for ditching you guys, and thanks for being cool with it."

Garrett raised his glass. "We're all friends here. Friends old and new."

"I like that." Irina lifted her glass. "To friends old and new," she toasted. "And may the new friends become old friends someday." As the foursome drank, Michelle took Garrett's hand underneath the table. Their fingers wrapped together as she gave him a firm, reassuring squeeze that brought a smile to the young man's face.

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Irina shook her head as the 6 ball fell into the side pocket. "Quit sinking balls off the break," she joked.

"Force of habit," Garrett said as he stepped around the table and lined up his shot. He drove the stick into the cue ball, causing it to clip the 1 ball, forcing it to drop into a corner pocket. The cue ball bounced off the railing, still moving quickly as it struck the 2 ball and sent that one rolling into the side pocket.

"I'm pretty sure you broke the laws of physics on that one," smiled Irina.

"Nope, that was the laws of physics working exactly as intended. There's a reason that was the only class in high school that I got an 'A' in."

Irina didn't get a shot in as Garrett ran the table, sinking all nine balls with considerable ease. "I want Gio next," she said, pointing towards him with her stick. "I came here to play, not to watch you play." Her statement came with a playful bump of her hip against Garrett as he walked past her.

"Gio said you could shoot," Michelle remarked as Garrett joined her at the high table. "How long have you been playing?"

"Ten years," he said after taking a drink from his beer. "My Aunt Bailey got me started and then I played almost every weekend, either against Gio's family or my grandfather and his friends." As he talked, Michelle felt Garrett's foot brush gently against her leg in a flirtatious manner. "I also shoot a few games every night after I get off work. It's mainly against drunks, but I'm respectable."

"He's being modest," Gio called from where he was chalking up his stick. "My family won't play against him anymore, at least not for money. My cousin from Chicago's still trying to recruit him." With that Gio bent over the table and broke the diamond of nine-balls with a fluid stroke.