“And because I wanna date you,” he added quickly.
She snorted disdainfully. “Love being the second reason.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yeah, I know,” Regan said.
Pause.
“Why didn’t you tell me she liked you?” Jeremy asked.
“Why would I?”
“Would have made it easier for me to understand the tension between you two—why she pulled away from me when you started hanging out.”
Regan said nothing.
“She’s been my friend for a long time,” Jeremy went on. “She’s helped me through a lot, even though I’m sure she doesn’t even realize it.”
Regan adjusted her hat. Jeremy wasn’t sure what else to say. He sensed her shutting down and searched for words that would force a response.
“I love you,” he said.
“Hmm.”
He bristled. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m cold. I’m going down.” She looked at him a final time then exhaled softly. “See you around, Jer.”
She slammed her ski poles into the ground and pushed off with as much force as she could, securing her goggles as she picked up speed.
“What the fuck, Regan?” Jeremy shouted behind her.
She knew he’d come after her, and she squatted deeper, trying to pick up more speed.
“What the fuck was that?” he barked beside her.
How’d he catch up so quickly?
“Leave me alone!” she yelled back.
He leaned to the right, bumping her arm.
“Watch out!” she screamed. “That’s fucking dangerous!”
She swerved to her right, trying to put distance between them. He narrowed the gap once more.
“Get the fuck away from me!” she roared.
“No!”
He whipped out his hand and grabbed her arm at the exact moment he turned his board sharply to the left, breaking hard and fast. There was the slight possibility of ripping her arm out of socket, but it was the chance he’d take for love.
She fell. He fell. They tumbled several yards down the mountain, coated with snow like powdered doughnuts. When they came to a stop, she threw off her eyewear and leapt at him.
“You fucking idiot!” she screamed, pounding his chest.
“I’m sorry!” he replied, trying to grab her wrists.
“I could have died!”
He snatched her hands. “Stop being dramatic.”
She wriggled out of his grasp and continued her assault.
“I’m not!”
“I knew what I was doing!” he grunted, trying to secure her wrists once more.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re doing!” she screeched.
“REGAN!” he bellowed, inches from her face. “I’ve been beaten up enough!” He tried to stifle the laughter.
“Apparently not!” she countered.
He threw his arms around her hard, flattening her body to his, trapping her in a death grip. He rolled over, pinning her in the snow, watching the anger ebb and flow in her eyes.
“You’re so pretty,” he said softly, smiling down at her.
“Get off of me,” she snapped, panting hard.
“I love you.”
“I don’t care.”
He leaned in and kissed her mouth. She bit him. He reared back in shock, tonguing his bottom lip and tasting the metallic bite of fresh blood. He set his jaw and leaned in once more, kissing her harder. She twisted underneath him, grunting into his mouth.
“I love you,” he mumbled, hoping the words would fall into the deep, warm tissues of her heart and sprout forgiveness. He wanted her forgiveness; he just didn’t know how to ask.
“You hurt my feelings!” she cried, and he pulled away to see the tears pool in her eyes.
“I know,” he said. “I’m a guy, Regan. I don’t know how to be mature about everything.”
“I’m not asking you to!” she replied. “I’m asking you to be kind to me!”
“I will be,” he assured her.
She wiped her eyes with the backs of her gloved hands.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you away,” he said.
“I’m sorry I don’t know what you need, okay? But you could have just told me. You could have said, ‘Regan, stop hovering’ or ‘Regan, stop asking me to share my feelings.’ I wouldn’t have been offended. But you never explained anything to me. You just hid away . . . with her.”
She burst out crying.
“Regan,” he said soothingly, cupping her face and wiping her fresh tears.
“I’m sorry I’m such a girl about everything,” she cried bitterly. “But guess what? I’m a fucking girl!”
He chuckled. “I’m glad for it.”
“And I don’t like to see you in pain! I’d do anything to make you happy. Anything at all.”
He believed her.
She hiccupped and fell silent.
“I’m glad you came to find me,” he said after a moment.
She rolled her eyes.
“It’s true! I didn’t want to be alone up here after all.”
She eyed him warily.
“I’m telling you the truth,” he said.
“Really?”
“Really. I do love you, Regan. And I am sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I . . . I wanna make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. I thought I could take you on a date.”
Pause.
“I’ll have to look at my parents’ schedule to see about borrowing the car,” she said.
“No no, I’m driving,” he said.
“Huh?”
He grinned. “It’s running.”
She smiled. “Your Camaro is running?”
“Yep. Finally. Only took me a million years,” he said.
“That’s so cool!” she squealed.
“Still needs a paint job, and some stuff in the interior needs to be fixed, but it runs, and that’s all that matters.”
“Let’s drive away in it!” she said, eyes wide with adventure.
“Where to?”
“The beach! Oh, I love the beach! And I never get to go.”
“The beach it is,” he said, and leaned in once more to kiss her.
This time she didn’t fight. She let him kiss her long and slow until she felt the sharp sting of melted snow pool in her ears.
Closing time.
***
“JESUS CHRIST!” Regan screamed, staring at the ghost in the window.
“What is it?!” her mother cried, shooting through the door into her bedroom. She recognized Casey’s face at once.