The Winter Rivals

Chapter 5| Two Per boat•Lake Thun

27th september 2008
Gathered around the rich Oakwood breakfast nook, with our plates placed carefully in front of us, Rowen began to discuss our plans for the day. "There's a ski event this evening around 30 miles away. Jess will be there competing, so it'll be a great opportunity for you to start on the documentary," Rowen explained. "James Ross, the famous ski reporter, will be there too. He's interviewed Jess before and knows the resort well. If he can spare you a few minutes, you might get some good basis level information out of him to get you started."

I mentally noted to look out for James Ross as he would come in handy for gaining information on Jess's past. Mariam, curious, asked, "And what will the rest of the day look like aside from the evening ski event?"

Rowen sipped on his protein shake before answering, "On days with a ski event, Jess, our good friend Chris, and I usually head out to Lake Thun after breakfast. Jess's coach believes that peaceful scenery is vital before a big event to calm the nerves. The calmer the start of the day, the more exhilaration you'll get by the end. And Jess thrives off that shit. I'd advise you all to come so he can get used to you guys being around."

"I'd be happy to!" Tora exclaimed, a cheerful grin washing over her lips. She's just excited to see the view. Not the one of the lake, the one of Rowen, I thought to myself, noticing her staring at him all starry-eyed.

I smiled and shook my head as I reached down to turn the page of my newspaper, which I could only partially understand due to the language barrier. Beams of sunlight poured in through the large French doors, gently resting on my unread pages. I was busy drowning out the sounds of the others' conversation, trying to make sense of what I was reading. However, both my reading and their conversation were abruptly interrupted by Jess's presence entering the kitchen.

I'd hardly slept at all despite the mattress made of clouds, and there was no one to blame except him. My mind had kept itself awake, torturing me with a mental repeat of what had happened in the library. I somehow had to redeem myself from my humiliating nervousness that I'd shown him. But how? A scowl made its way to my face. So much for first impressions, I thought.

Jess waltzed over to the ice machine and began filling the bottom of a patterned glass before topping it with fresh water. I watched carefully as he turned around, scanning the room with his jaw clenched and murder in his dark green eyes. He held his tight gaze on me just a little longer than the rest, and I couldn't help but shift in my seat.

Forcing my eyes down on the forgotten newspaper in front of me, I waited for him to leave. He stormed out of the room and the previous silence, continued. The autumn sunshine no longer lit the room; instead, it was dreary and dull. I quickly came to the conclusion that wherever he set foot, he was capable of ruining the atmosphere.

10:00AM
After what began as a wonderful breakfast but took a sour turn, everyone headed to their rooms to freshen up for the trip to the lake. I chose to wear a little short black skirt with a crimson V-neck long sleeve, paired with pretty thigh-high socks. I slid a matching colored claw clip into the back of my jet-black hair, leaving only half of it resting neatly around my waist.

Once we had readied ourselves, we all piled into the back of the cherry-red Chevy, with Rowen in the passenger seat and Jess gripping the wheel as the driver.

The journey was short, lasting just 20 minutes, but the sights on the way up were as beautiful as the ones upon our arrival. A car turned in and parked next to ours. A blonde man, roughly 5'10 in height, stepped out and greeted Rowen and Jess with a hug.

"Jess, Rowen, it's been a while. How've you both been?" he grinned. "Not too bad, Chris, not too bad. Just busy. Are you ready to go out on the lake?" Rowen replied casually as the light breeze tugged on his locks of ashy hair.
"Of course. Who're the lovely ladies I have the pleasure of meeting?"
Jess rolled his eyes and quietly scoffed as the word 'lovely' left Chris's mouth. Rowen gave him a harsh look of warning as he led Chris over to introduce himself.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Chris," he said, leaning a hand out for one of us to shake. Tora beamed as she took hold of his hand. "It's lovely to meet you too! I'm Tora." Mariam chimed in, telling him her name as well as mine and explained what we had come here to do. A look of intrigue painted over his face. "I'd be happy to help if you need me," Chris offered generously.

I peered behind him and watched as Jess, coolly leaning against the red car, took a long, slow drag of his cigarette. His stance was cocky, with his right hand resting on the door of the car and one leg crossed slightly over the other.

As I shifted my focus back to Rowen, a puzzled expression crossed my face upon realizing the boats' two-person capacity, "Hey, if those boats can only hold two people, who's pairing up with who?"
Rowen glanced at the boats, then back at me, offering a suggestion, "It's entirely up to you. If you plan to get some work in, you guys should probably go one each with one of us guys. Maybe Mariam and Chris, Tora and I, and you and Jess?"
I couldn't of been more unwilling but what choice did I have? Objecting would've seemed unprofessional, and ultimately, engaging with Jess was inevitable considering my side of the job was to do the talking and questioning.

I stifled my unhappy feelings and forced an agreeing smile. Nerves chiming through my body, I made my way across the gravel and stood a few feet in front of the human form of the word arrogant, that was still leaning against the car.

"Rowen has put me in with you. He's in with Tora, and Mariam with Chris." Friendly softness sat in my voice despite feeling completely underwhelmed with who I'd be sat on the lake with. Jess's eyes trailed up my 5'0 frame starting with my little black thigh highs and edged up my body until they landed on my face. Shifting as I played with my fingers, I waited for a reply that never came. Instead, he crushed out the finished cigarette and headed over to the boat. I took that as a sign to follow.

He stood perfectly still waiting for me to get in first before climbing in behind me, and within seconds, we were already heading out towards the center of the lake. He didn't offer me an ore to help navigate the boat, which would've helped take my mind off of the awkward proximity. So instead, I let myself absorb the view surrounding me. Tangerine-colored leaves frosted in droplets of ice fell from the trees all around us. Beautiful vineyards with rows of grapevines stretched among the landscapes as majestic forgotten castles sat weaved in amongst the mountains. I was enchanted by the sights. The sounds of Tora giggling and Mariam chatting away brought me back to reality, and almost all of my amazement drifted away as I realized who I was sharing this magical view with.

Clearing my throat, I broke the silence. "How often do you come here?" I asked.

Jess steered the boat, taking at least a minute before he actually replied, "As often as I have a ski event." Even though we hadn't even had a full conversation, he stated it as if it were common sense, and I was supposed to just know.

Attempting to ignore his bratty, childlike attitude, I continued with my questioning as I needed him to warm up to me. "What made you start coming here? Or skiing even?"

His words came back harsh, but his voice was toneless. "Listen. If you think whatever you're trying to do is going to make me talk about what happened off-piste with Luke, then you're wasting just as much of your own goddamn time as you are mine. Understood?"

A little pool of tears burnt into the back of my eyes. I couldn't respond because I didn't know how to.

"Am I understood, Winter?" He repeated harshly.

Forcing my tears back down, I looked up at him, feeling the anger tear through my bones, but tried to stay as professional as I could. I prioritized my job far more than some egotistical, self-centered asshole.

"I won't force you to make friendly small talk as that's not what I'm here to do. I was trying to make conversation, but I understand that it isn't wanted nor is it required. However, I'm here to do my job, so in the future, when I ask a question, cooperation will be necessary. Am I understood?" I bit back at him, still trying to remain calm.

My attempt at taking some of the control had completely backfired as I noticed an amused smirk sitting on his annoyingly perfect lips. I huffed, a strand of black hair blowing up out of my face. My reaction only seemed to amuse him more, so from then on, I vowed to stay silent until the ski event.