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 Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:43 pm
As the adrenaline of the moment began to wear off, Kam became more aware of his surroundings - and of Vanessa. He felt her hands gripping his arms like vice grips, he could feel the way he was crushing her into the ground, and as much as he normally didn't mind being in a situation like that with a girl.. it was Van.
And Van was probably hurt.
He began to shift his weight until he could find another foothold in the sharply sloping mountainside and pulled his weight up and to the side - though an arm remained stretched out across her to keep her from tumbling down out of surprise.
"Just a few scrapes, nothing a little alcohol won't fix." Of course, he was elaborating on just what he meant by that. Kam could have meant either definition of the word. Probably both.
He drew a deep breath to steady himself and gave her a quick glance over. Scrapes, quickly forming bruises, but it didn't look like anything was broken. She'd gotten pretty ******** lucky.
"Maybe we should head home for the day? Before you bring the mountain down on us." He managed a small smile as he said it, now that the shock was wearing off.
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:21 pm
The problem with Vanessa wasn't that she was reckless. It also wasn't that she was friendly.
It was that she was both of these things. Together.
Vanessa's first instinct was to insist that they finish their hike. They had come so far already! She had never liked the idea of quitting, and wasn't about to let a little rockslide stand in the way of conquering this mountain.
Except.
'Before you bring the mountain down on us.'
Kam was just playing, Vanessa knew. She even managed to return his smile, and a little, "Ha ha!"
But he was right. Probably, it was wiser for them to call it a day and head home. One day, maybe, she'd come back alone and give it another try. If they continued now, she'd only be risking his life. And Vanessa couldn't bear that.
"Sure," she said, perfectly amiable, and brushed his arm gently aside when she sat up. "I think this means the bet is off?"
Neither of them had won the race.
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:44 pm
He smiled at her and pushed himself up to his feet, glad to see that she was both alright and taking the whole thing with a grain of salt. If she'd been hurt, it would have been a chore to get back down, but he would have done it. Carrying a teenage girl down a slippery slope wasn't anyone's idea of a fun time, but Kam's backward sense of honor wouldn't have let him do anything else.
He was just glad it was only enough to shake sense into them, not enough to do a lot of damage.
"I'll buy you an icecream, don't sweat it," he was smirking as he began to find his careful way back down the hilly slope. Though he had been careful before, he was being ultra sensitive to loose rocks and roots now. He just wanted to get back down before he was blamed for killing a Destiny City teenage girl out in the wild, alone, with no one else around. No matter how it was, it would look bad no matter how he tried to spin it.
"I think you deserve a treat for surviving an avalanche."
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:06 pm
The offer surprised Vanessa, who glanced slowly at Kam over her shoulder. The blush on her cheeks, which was swiftly becoming permanent in his presence, darkened. It made her look sweet.
She had not won this ice cream. He didn't owe it to her.
But Kam was wonderful, and willing to treat her.
"I would like that," she smiled. This time, it reached her eyes. They crinkled at the corners.
Vanessa made her way slowly, but surely down the hill after him. She did not lament her decision to retreat, because they were both safe and sound.
And a boy was going to buy her an ice cream.
"Next time," she told him, "I'll treat you."
After all, it was only fair.
[fin]
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