-HIATUS- ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ - ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴡᴛʜᴏʀɴᴇ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ (ꜱᴇQᴜᴇʟ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀᴍʙꜱ?) -HIATUS-

Chapter 22

It was just me and Grayson left in my room. Jameson exited through the bookshelf and Alisa (like a normal person) through the door. We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. I broke it.

"You sure you want to teach me?" I ask him. 

"I am sure. Let's get ready shall we?"

"Ok... how?"

"Alisa left your jackets on the chair here. When you are ready meet me at the backdoor."

"Okay. Gray-"

"If this is about my father let's talk about it later."

"Understood."

Grayson left my room and closed the door behind him. I removed my shirt slowly. Wearing nothing but a bra. I approached the mirror and turned around. The scar. I needed to stop. I needed to forget. I got into a sweater and warm pants. I put my snow pants and jacket on. I ran out of my room. I didn't want to keep Grayson waiting.

I made it to the backdoor and Grayson was waiting there with a helmet and sunglasses in his hand, but he was already wearing his. 

"I'm here" I announce in a sing-song voice. Grayson looks up at me and gives a small smile for a second but it vanishes as if it were never there. "So what do I do?" I shrug and look at Grayson. I couldn't see his eyes or his perfectly kept hair.

"Put these on" Grayson hands me the items in his hands and I put them on. "Now for the basics."

---

"There's an easy trail here. If we take it long enough we will hit the busier ski areas on the mountain." Grayson said pointing towards it.

"Got it," I say. I look at my bodyguard. He was an artic specialist. Who has an artic specialist as a bodyguard? Oh, wait. I do.

"Ready?" I nod.

I prepare my skis to start but I keep wobbling. There was a slight pain in my ankle. Hands reach out to steady me. I look up in front of me and find Grayson standing there. Holding my arms. Making sure I don't fall.

"Thanks" I smile. 

"Show me your stop," Grayson says. I did it the way he taught me to and he smiled. "Good" He caught himself smiling and stopped. He was hiding himself. He didn't want to make anyone worried.

"You don't have to teach me if you don't want to. I can tell Alisa I gave up"

"After everything you have done so far, no one would believe you did that."

"You can smile you know?" I say tilting my head slightly. A small smile on my lips. He couldn't see my eyes but they were smiling as well. Grayson nods but he doesn't smile.

"We can start with the trail." I nod and I copy what Grayson does and ski down. I was terrified. I was moving too fast. I felt like I was going to die even if it was an easy trail. I felt one of my skis slipping. It was going to fall off. I couldn't stop in time. I stop after losing it.

"Shoot" I mutter. Grayson stops next to me with a smug smile on his face. "You're smiling!" I cheer and he shakes his head and looks at my lost ski. Sliding down the trail. He zips down in a second and comes back up in... a second. He stops in front of me. How did he? I look up at his face. "Teach me your ways Hawthorne," I say the surprise I was feeling could be heard in my voice.

"I am trying," Grayson says positioning my lost ski in front of me. I hesitate to put it on. I was going to fall if I did. Grayson was next to me in less than a second. He put an arm around my back just under my shoulders and his other arm for me to hold while putting the ski on. I felt myself blushing. I slip into the ski and Grayson keeps his hold on me for a little longer before pulling away. He shakes his head vigorously. As if he was trying to stop himself from letting it matter.