Page 53 of Divine Sense
“Whaddya think?”her voice purred and I looked up from my phone to find her standing in front of me fully suited up for the snow. She was wearing the all black snowsuit that was waiting for us upon our arrival and had an oversized black puffer coat thrown overtop. The lush faux fur lined hood almost swallowed her whole. Her dark hair was tucked inside her coat and when she did a spin for me, I couldn’t help but chuckle when I noticed she had a black satin bow tied into her hair. When she faced me again, the smile on her face made my heart squeeze.
“I think,” I started, standing from the bed where I’d been waiting for her and taking a step towards her, “You look like the cutest snow bunny on the mountain.” Her lips spread into a small smile as she looked up at me and I couldn’t help but lean down and kiss them.
“Do you like the suit? Does it fit okay?”
“Yeah, it fits great. Even the boots are the right size.” Her eyes fell to her feet as she popped her foot to show off the boots. “Thank you for all of this again.”
“You never have to thank me, angel. You ready to go?” We had decided to go for a walk around town to see the sights and take in the snow.
“Yep, let’s go.” Her hand threaded through mine as we headed out of our room and into town.
Walking through the snow covered town, we went in and out of the different shops and stores, taking in all the trinkets and sporting supplies. In one store, she had me try on a beanie which I ended up buying after she told me how much she liked the way I looked in it. We walked all the way down to the ski lifts and when I offered for us to go up the mountain, she promptly turned down.
“Remember Jack? I’d rather be eaten by an alligator than fly down a mountain on a pair of toothpicks like those people are. I’ll let them have their fun and happily enjoy some hot chocolate at thebottomof the mountain instead.”
So that’s what we did.
We found a small diner that looked like it had been here since the dawn of time and curled up next to each other in a booth, slowly sipping on the hot chocolates we ordered.
“Would you ever leave Charleston?” Her fingers were wrapped around her mug as she asked. Her eyes flicked towards me after studying her drink for another second.
“Mmmm,” I pressed my lips together, considering. “I don’t think so. My whole family is there, my friends are there, work is there.” I looked down at her. “Would you ever leave?”
She blinked a few times and cast her eyes back on her cup. “I think in my dreams I’ve thought about it. Running away, becoming someone else. But in reality,” a long sigh escaped her, “I don’t think I could. Too many people I love and care about are there.”
“Like your parents,” I tried and she barked out a laugh.
“That’s funny, but no. People like Ms. Ruthie and Margaret. And other people…” she trailed off, glancing up at me again. The arm I have wrapped around her tightens and I press my lips into her temple, letting her words sit between us. “I could never leavethem. Just the thought of not having Ms. Ruthie in my life makes me want to cry.”
“She means a lot to you.”
“She means everything to me. She practically raised me. My parents were never really around when I was young and my mother was never really interested in, well, being a mother. So Ms. Ruthie filled that role.” Her voice trailed off and she blinked hard a few times. When I caught a glimpse of her eyes, I could see that they had become watery and her lashes were wet.
“I’m glad you had her when you were growing up, and now. We all need that kind of person in our lives.” I pulled her close and squeezed her hard.
“Yeah, we do. She and Margaret are why I am who I am today. I’d be a completely different person if it weren’t for them.” She laughed to herself and I wished for nothing more to know what she was thinking about.
“That’s how I feel about my friends. They’ve made me who I am today. We each bring our ownthingto the group and together make up this weird, odd, dysfunctional family.” I laugh again, recalling our group chat from earlier in the day.
“I hope I get to meet them some time,” she said, her voice teeming with hope.
“I think we can make that happen, flower.” I smiled down at her as a knowing settled deep in my core.
A knowing that she was quickly becoming an important part of my life and I wanted to share how important she was to me with the other important people in my life. She’d already met my real family, so what would be the harm in her meeting my chosen family too?
35
KOLBI
Thursday and Friday passed by like a flurry and before I knew it, it was our last full day in Aspen. I already knew I wanted to bring her back here for another trip, hopefully making the next one an entire week. Getting to watch her suit up to go out in the snow with a smile on her face was enough for me to want to buy her the whole damn resort and round trip plane tickets whenever she wanted to come for a visit. She and I had spent the last forty-eight hours doing a mix of her favorite things: taking walks in the snow with hot chocolate, getting massages—my first time, but not my last because God damn—and lying in bed together slowly making our way through several episodes ofGilmore Girlsas the snow fell outside. I’d offered to go and take her places and was happy each time she told me she wanted to stay in. I were honest, I’d rather stay in bed with her tucked safely in my arm wearing the silk teddy she packed than fly down the side of a mountain anyway.
I’d learned that her favorite food was mac and cheese and that she and her best friend had grown up together just like the boys and I had. She shared more about her relationship withMs. Ruthie and how she viewed the older woman as more of a mother than her own was. I got to see her without all the makeup and lace and the stripped down, raw version of her was even more stunning than the dolled up one. Her laugh deepened, her shoulders fell, and we never ran out of things to talk about. Seeing her here, away from the formalities of the high-society life she’d grown up and lived in, gave me a new perspective on who she truly is.
Kind.
Wildly curious.
And a girl who’s heart longs to be accepted for who she truly is instead of for the persona she wore in front of everyone back at home.
