Knock You Off Your Feet

We were at the top of the empty snowboard cross run, our jackets flapping in the wind. I adjusted my goggles and looked at Shaun, admiring his thin frame as he fiddled with his gear. “So, why’d you choose this? We already raced once.”

“Well, I haven’t seen you on a cross track ever, and I wanted to see if you’re good at it.” I hopped around, making sure my board was secure. “It’s a lot harder than the open slope like last time, and a lot faster. I wanna see if America’s golden boy is a one-trick pony.” I looked over to see if my lighthearted, loving teasing was getting to him, and the smile on his face destroyed that fear.

“A one-trick pony?” He came over and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Really?” He leaned down and whispered something vulgar in my ear.

“Ew! Shaun!” I shoved him away and watched him collapse in laughter. “You’re 23! You should be beyond that! You should be mature!”

“Oh, come on, Case. You’ve hung out with me constantly recently. You should know that I’m not mature. It’s not my thing.” He slid into the gate, holding himself steady and at a fair spot, seeing as the panel that would open automatically in a real race was lying in the snow already.

“True, very true.” I went next to him and crouched down. “One…”

“Two…”

“Three!”

My familiarity with the track made things slightly easier, but I could feel Shaun on my tail. I took the corners tighter and kept my air to a minimum, knowing how quickly he could capitalize on one faulty move.

As I crested over the last hill, I lost my balance and flailed a little, and Shaun took advantage of that, gaining enough ground to beat me out in what would’ve been a photo finish.

Surprisingly, though, there was no victory fist-pump or celebratory cheer. He looked at me as I made my way over, carving a path through the softer snow. “Great run, Casey.” He smiled, removing his helmet. “But now, there’s the simple matter of my prize?”

“What do you want, Spaz?” My helmet hit the ground with a hearty thud, my hands finding their way to Shaun’s chest.

“Hm…” He pretended to ponder for a moment, stroking his invisible goatee and looking upwards. “Do I have options here?”

“Oh, stop dragging it out,” I huffed, grabbing fistfuls of his jacket in my hands and pulling him down for a kiss. He got the idea quickly and responded enthusiastically, falling back to lie in the snow with me on top of him.

It all felt so surreal, and as his tongue traced my bottom lip, I couldn’t help but think that this was too good to be true.