Oh My Goodness

We soon joined the other guys for an afternoon of snowmobiling. We each got our own snowmobile, much to my chagrin, and headed off. The three others ventured down to another nearby lake, while Gabe and I headed up the mountain. I saw Matt give Gabriel a knowing look, and my cheeks flushed as I realized that he probably knew everything.

After about an hour of traveling through the breathtaking, snow covered mountains, we reached a break in the trees, where we could see for miles. Gabe slowed down, signalling for me to do the same, and we pulled to a stop. He got off and approached me, pulling off his helmet. His hair was everywhere, and I watched as he pulled off a glove, running his hand through his hair. He grinned at me, leaning against the side of my machine. He glanced back at the view in front of us as he spoke.

"Ain't nothing like it."

I nodded, swinging my leg over and letting my eyes wander the scene. It was absolutely stunning.

"What does Sweden look like?" I asked curiously.

Gabe's lips spread into a wistful smile, and I could tell he was thinking about home. "Well, some places look like this," he explained. "Others are more flat. I don't know how to explain it." He paused before adding, "Maybe one day you'll get to see it."

He smiled over at me, and I smiled back shyly before looking down, fiddling with my hands.

I stood up and we walked together through the clearing. We sat down in the snow, side by side, and it was silent for a few minutes as we observed the scene before us.

"You know..." I looked over at him. "I've never actually heard you speak Swedish."

Gabe grinned. "So?"

"Say something in Swedish." He glanced at me and laughed before shaking his head. "Come on."

He looked at me again before looking back out at the mountains. "Vacker."

I watched as the smile remained on his lips. "What does that mean?"

He laughed again. "Beautiful." He glanced at me, and I felt my cheeks begin to heat up. "Jess är vacker."

Gabe

She blushed, and fell onto her back in the snow. Her eyes closed, and I watched as her embarrassment turned into a slight smile that remained on her lips. Success.

"Wanna head out?"

She glanced up at me and raised her eyebrows. "It's nice here."

"That's true," I agreed, "but there's more to see."

She nodded, sitting up, and I held out my hand to help her up. She took it, and I pulled her to her feet. A piece of hair had stuck to her cheek, and I reached out to gently pull it away. She blushed again, and I smiled down at her.

"Ready?"

***

Jess

I felt ridiculous. I couldn't be around Gabe without blushing at least once. How embarrassing was that? It wasn't my fault that he went ahead and did things that made me into an idiot. Then again, he just had to smile at me for that to happen.

How pathetic was I?

When we arrived home, it was late afternoon. Matt and I prepared supper, and it was nice to spend some time with him. He didn't mention anything about Gabe, to which I was grateful, but I knew it would come sooner or later.

After supper, Matt and Shane decided to watch a sci-fi movie that I really wasn't interested in seeing, and after doing the dishes, I joined Ryan and Gabe, who were having a beer out on the patio.

I smiled at them as I headed out, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Mind if I join you guys?"

Ryan looked between the two of us and shrugged, downing the last of his drink. "Was headed inside anyway. Don't know about Landy." He raised his eyebrows in question, turning to the blonde in the swinging chair beside him.

Gabe smiled. "I'll stay."

Ryan laughed. "Of course you will." Ryan stood up, sending me a wink as he passed me. I sat down next to Gabe on the wide seat, afraid to get too close. I gazed out at the mountains. The sky was a bit overcast, and so I could only see a few stars peeking through.

I felt eyes on me, and looked over to find Gabriel watching me with a smile. My cheeks began to heat up - again - and I looked away.

"Jess."

"Mm?"

"Why are you so far away?"

My stomach did a double backflip. I shyly looked back at him, and he rested his arm on the back of the seat, motioning for me to move closer. I moved over after a moment, nervously settling myself down beside him. He closed the tiny distance between our bodies, and pulled me into him with his arm around my shoulders. I tried to relax, but my head was spinning, my heart racing. His hand gently rubbed my arm, calming me down a bit.

I glanced over at him, watching as he surveyed the scenery. He must have felt me looking, because he turned to me with a smirk.

"What?"

I shook my head with a laugh. "Nothing," I replied, glancing away before looking back to meet his gaze. We stayed like that for a moment, until his eyes drifted to my lips.

"Did you have a good day?" He leaned in as he spoke, tantalizingly slow, and brushed his nose against mine. I nodded, and he smiled, before kissing me gently. I forgot about everything around me as he continued to kiss me softly; each kiss was long and slow. I couldn't think.

He broke the last kiss slowly and I took a deep breath. I opened my eyes to find him smiling, and he pulled me into his chest as I lifted my knees up onto the swing.

My mind spun as I replayed the kiss in my head. Did he know that he made my stomach a living sanctuary for butterflies?

"Are you cold?"

He was so nonchalant as he spoke, as if we weren't cuddling on a snow-covered porch with a beautiful view. As if we hadn't just kissed for the 3rd time in 2 days. I almost laughed.

"No, I'm perfect."