For Joy. I hope this is what you had in mind :D I listened to the Frozen soundtrack as I wrote… Hence the name!
"So?" Kelly asked nervously, watching as she scanned the chalet.
"So this is awesome!" Erin answered, stepping further inside so she could get a better look at everything. A small fire blazed in the column fireplace that divided the sleeping area from the living room. The kitchen lined one wall with a table, couch and television taking up the remaining floor space. It was cosy with plenty of natural light. The curtains had been drawn to reveal the two massive windows and door that made the back wall. Moving even closer Erin could see that the door opened out onto a balcony, currently lightly dusted with snow.
"I wasn't sure…" He said as he carried their suitcases into the bedroom.
"I love it, and I love that you thought to bring me here" She said spinning on the spot, not sure whether she should look at him or the crisp white snow that lay outside.
"My dad bought it as a tax dodge, he only brought me out here once but it's pretty nice" Kelly justified, it wasn't the grand gesture she seemed to think it was.
"It's great, we're going to have so much fun" She said, practically jumping up and down on the spot. It was very unusual behaviour for her but it made him smile to see her so excited. They lived in Chicago so snow was no novelty, the prospect of learning to ski was what she was looking forward to. After a brief debate over which side of the bed belonged to who, Erin wasn't sure if she wanted to be closer to the bathroom or the window, they settled in and unpacked. For Erin it was as simple as laying down her suitcase and unzipping it, she'd spent almost an hour packing and repacking to find the best configuration. Kelly hadn't even bothered to fold anything and just looking at the mess made Erin feel uncomfortable.
"If we go get our skis now we can head out first thing in the morning" Kelly said when she moved to the window to look out across the slopes.
"Okay" She said, rushing to pull on her boots and jacket.
"Ready?" He asked offering his hand.
"Ready" She nodded allowing his massive hand to close around her small, delicate one. He led her down the stairs, through the car park and into the biggest building in the village. Like a miniature mall clothes, ski gear and food establishments lined the halls. The closest shop had a massive hire sign hanging over the door. The moment they stepped through the door they were greeted by three friendly teenagers, all eager to assist them. Kelly filled out the paperwork and paid while Erin followed instructions to get boots fitted. "Are they meant to be uncomfortable?" Erin whispered softly when Kelly sat down beside her, waiting for the right sized boots to be brought over.
"Yeah. You'll get used to that" He laughed. Their teenage attendants returned and in no time they were stumbling out into the snow with all the necessary equipment in hand. It was awkward and uncomfortable to carry everything but Kelly assured it would be easier when they were wearing the boots. Erin highly doubted that she would even be able to walk with ankle movement so severely restricted. They stored their gear in the specially designed cupboard by the door.
"The fire went out" Erin commented looking at the barely glowing coals.
"Amazingly, fire is my specialty" He smiled.
"I thought you put fires out. Is there something you need to tell me?" She teased watching as he crouched down and coaxed the fire back to life, adding wood until flickering flames lit the room.
"Better?" He asked, she moved towards him, pretending to inspect the fire before planting a hurried kiss on his lips.
"It'll do" She sighed, raising her eyebrows challengingly. Suddenly distracted she rushed to the window, pausing to appreciate the bright pink and orange of the sunset, even more beautiful over the stark, white mountains. Kelly walked up behind her, placing his hands comfortably at her waist. The sun finally dipped below the horizon as he nuzzled against her neck, placing soft kisses just below her ear. Closing her eyes as he moved down her neck, pulling her shirt aside to gain access to her collar bone she felt terrible for wanting him to stop. "I'm going to need all my energy for tomorrow" She said as she turned in his arms, after kissing him apologetically she moved to the kitchen. Dinner and sleep were her priorities.
"I booked us some lessons but I think we should head out first, I'll show you the basics so you can skip level one"
"There are levels?" She asked, feeling as if she should have done some research, or at least looked at the pamphlet they'd received at the hire shop.
"Yeah, one is putting your skis on and taking them off, two is the chairlift, three is technique, four is parallel turns and five is reckless black run stuff" Kelly explained quickly.
"What level are you doing?" She questioned.
"Four or five, depends on the instructor" He said as if it was no big deal.
"I thought your dad only brought you here once" She said, she had expected him to be only slightly more experienced.
"I went broke backpacking across Europe when I was twenty so I got a job as an instructor" He shared, smiling as he remembered days on the slopes and wild parties at night.
"I expect a thorough lesson in the morning then" She smiled placing all the ingredients for dinner out on the bench before looking through all of the cupboards to locate the necessary utensils.
"It's been years though so you have to be nice" He responded, feeling useless when there was nothing he could do to help her prepare dinner.
"You can go sit down, watch the news or something" She suggested, speaking after a few moments of preoccupied silence.
"There isn't anything I can do to help?" He questioned not wanting to have brought her away on holiday only for her to feel trapped in the kitchen.
"No, it's fine. Won't be long" Erin assured, turning to face him properly so he could see that she was happy. Dinner was eaten in half the time it took to make, leaving them time to shower before crawling into bed, watching the coals burning brightly in the darkness. They talked quietly for a while then Kelly declared it time to sleep, he knew just how exhausting the first day was going to be. Erin was too excited to sleep, trying to remember everything she had ever learned about skiing. Her wriggling kept Kelly awake until he finally solved the problem by lying across her body, trapping her beneath him.
When Kelly woke in the morning, Erin was lounging on her side of the bed. Fully dressed in her ski gear, helmet, goggles and all as she crunched away on her cereal acting if it were completely normal. Overcoming the initial shock he rolled over, rubbing his eyes it took a moment to adjust to the light pouring through the windows. Erin had opened them on her way to the bathroom as soon as she'd woken up, barely able to contain her glee as she saw the perfect blue sky and fresh snow. After that she didn't stand a chance at getting back to sleep so she got dressed and made breakfast.
"Morning" She smiled as he pushed himself up onto his elbows.
"Looks good"
"Get moving, I want to leave in twenty minutes" She said looking across to the clock, 8am was a reasonable time to leave. It gave them a full hour before their lessons.
"This is meant to be a holiday" He grumbled but he got out of bed anyway, heading to the bathroom to splash icy water on his face until he felt properly awake. Then he rushed through breakfast and got dressed as Erin paced back and forth, braiding her hair in a clear display of how seriously she was taking things. Once they were both ready she ushered them out into the chilly breeze. They walked, to the large, almost flat section below the shortest chairlift, small children swarmed around making Erin feel out of place.
"What do I do?" She asked when he stopped and dropped her skis on the ground in front of her, he had stood his own up against a rack.
"Put your toe in then stomp down until the heel clicks" He instructed, holding out an arm so she could keep her balance. Erin followed his instructions and soon had the skis attached to her feet.
"Feel alright?" He questioned as she shifted her feet carefully, lifting each one then letting it drop, she hadn't anticipated the skis being so heavy.
"Yeah, just a little odd" She replied.
"Ready for some movement?" He asked, waiting for her nod of approval before he gave her a gentle push, sending her sliding slowly across the surface of the snow. "Good?" He questioned.
"Yeah" She said, nodding eagerly.
"Take them off and carry them over there" Kelly ordered, trying to remember how he had taught all those years ago. She rushed to oblige, hefting the skis up a small hill. He lay them down across the hill and helped her clip them on.
"What now?" Erin questioned, almost falling when she turned to look at him.
"Look where you want to go, bend your knees slightly" He instructed shifting her position carefully.
"How do I stop?" She asked, not wanting to start moving until she knew how to stop.
"Bring the tips in but don't let them cross" He answered using his hands to demonstrate the shape her skis should make to decelerate. Taking a deep breath she readied herself then shifted to point straight down the hill, she instantly gained speed only bringing the tips together to slow down as she glided across the flat.
"Nice" Kelly commented as he ran to join her. "We only have time for one more go before the lessons"
"In that case can I use that hill?" She asked, it was at least twice as steep, the first one looking like a bump in comparison.
"I suppose, but you'll be going much faster" He warned.
"Isn't that a bad thing?" She laughed, leading the way up the incline.
"This is pretty steep, you're going to need to make some nice big S shapes on the way down so you don't pick up much speed. Just point across the hill, a little bit down, then slow down and shift your weight onto the other foot. Like that kid" Kelly explained, using the child at the bottom of the hill to demonstrate what he meant. Erin nodded as she tried to process all the information.
"Okay" She said, cringing when the child fell over. From the bottom of the hill it really hadn't looked this scary, not wanting to look like a wimp she steadied herself and followed the instructions. It was fairly simple, point across and down, make V to slow down, shift the weight onto the other foot then do the same thing in the other direction. Focused on the individual turns she barely noticed that she was already halfway down the hill. She was even a little disappointed when she reached the bottom of the hill.
"That was great, you're definitely ready for level two" He congratulated loving the look of accomplishment on her face.
"It helps to have a great teacher" She complimented in return.
"We're going to be late" Kelly laughed as he stomped on the release catches of her skis, lifting them with ease before rushing over to collect his own and gather at the level appropriate meeting areas. "Meet back here for lunch" He instructed as he stopped to hand her skis over. Feeling eager to get going again Erin made her way to the front of the class. By the time the lesson was over Erin was confident she could handle chairlifts and steeper longer runs. Kelly was particularly impressed when she demonstrated her new skills on a run before lunch. They were both surprised at how tired they were, it seemed to hit suddenly when they peeled off their outer layers in the entrance of the chalet. Erin was thankful for use of her ankles again and showed off the bruises that were already forming on her shins. They ate lunch then agreed to lie down for a few minutes. Minutes turned into hours as they slept until sunset.
"Oops" Erin whispered when she rolled over find Kelly already awake.
"Yeah" He breathed. "Good thing we have all week"
"Yeah" She laughed. While Kelly had originally planned to take her out to dinner he decided they were better off staying in, he cooked while she took a shower. Discussing their plans for the next day as they ate helped them feel more awake.
"Problem" Erin said when they had searched all the television channels and failed to find something worth watching.
"What's the problem?" He asked.
"I'm not tired" She answered with a frown.
"Well…I'm not seeing that as a problem as such" He said pulling her across the couch and into his lap.
"Hmm you're right" She nodded before leaning forward, barely letting her lips graze his before she pulled back. He slid his hands up her back, forcing her even closer and providing the perfect opportunity for him to take control and kiss her. Buzzing from the electrifying feeling of her lips against his he stood up and carried her to the bedroom.
Erin woke up to find Kelly's foot disturbingly close to her face, shoving it away she sat up. She had fallen asleep with her head on his chest so she had no idea how he had ended up wrong way around. He sat up looking just as confused. After exchanging looks with varying levels of raised eyebrows they both laughed. Erin got up and peeked through the curtains, another perfect day. They dressed, ate and made their way to their lessons just in time. They ate lunch in the village then continued to ski all afternoon. Erin fell asleep on the couch immediately after taking her ski boots off. Kelly woke her for dinner then helped her into bed. He had to commend her ability to persevere, even when she could barely walk for sore muscles she insisted on going to her class the next morning. Afterwards she crawled into bed and slept while he watched a movie on the couch. He made her a sandwich and delivered it as lunch when he heard her stirring.
"Thank you" She smiled, feeling utterly pathetic.
"Eat up, we're going for a walk. If you stay there all afternoon you'll get stiff" He instructed firmly.
"Do we have to?" Erin groaned, utterly lacking motivation.
"Yep, hurry up" He confirmed.
"At least I don't have to wear those stupid boots" She sighed as she tied on her own well-worn and incredibly comfortable boots.
"Exactly" He encouraged pulling her up and pushing her towards the door. They walked side by side, Kelly with purpose, Erin simply going in the direction he led. After a while he slowed down, slipping one arm around her waist as he pointed out the dark clouds in the distance. Even as they stood and watched the clouds got nearer and darker. Kelly didn't seem at all concerned so they continued to walk.
"Do you want to build a snowman?" Erin asked, desperate for any excuse to stop walking.
"Sure" He agreed. They picked a location and started piling snow up, Kelly bent down and neatened while Erin dragged her foot across the ground to gather snow. Once he had enough snow he set about creating a distinct head for the snowman, sending her to collect some twigs for arms. Erin handed him her selections, she had even made sure they were both around the same size. He knelt down carefully placing the arms on either side. The last thing he expected was a handful of cold, wet snow down the back of his jacket. He struggled to react at all, too stunned to move as the snow started to melt, dribbling further down his back.
"Sorry" She laughed hesitantly, though she didn't feel sorry at all.
"That wasn't very nice" He scolded, picking up a handful of snow as he turned and stood. Erin watched his hand carefully, too sore to run but alarmed by the prospect of his revenge.
"I'm really sorry" She said trying to look genuine, eyes wide, as she waited for him to make his move.
"You'd better start moving" He said darkly, raising his hands to compact the snow into a ball.
"Kelly" She squeaked as she stumbled backwards, stooping to make a snowball of her own. His first snowball hit her thigh, she returned fire, catching his shoulder and delaying his next projectile for a few seconds. Still moving backwards Erin was eventually able to duck behind a tree. He continued to throw snowballs at any part of her body not obstructed by the tree. She used the opportunity to stockpile snowballs waiting until he got bored and approached before she attacked.
"Truce" He called when the bombardment began.
"Alright, but I totally won" She called back, venturing out from behind the tree cautiously.
"Hands" He instructed as she got closer, she held them up to prove they were empty as he did the same with his own. It started to snow, lightly at first then increasingly heavily as the wind picked up. They clung together as they fought their way back to the chalet, luckily it wasn't far. Shivering as they stepped through the door they quickly shut it behind them and removed their sodden coats. Erin flicked the kettle on, a hot drink would warm them up in no time. Kelly had another idea. He picked her up, and carried her over his shoulder to the bedroom. He pulled back the blankets then put her down, joining her under the covers. One kiss turned into many as their teeth stopped chattering and blue lips turned red. His cold fingers sent shivers up her spine as he ran them across her lower back. Struggling with the momentary chill of removed clothing they pressed their bodies together loving the heat that radiated from every point of contact. Erin wrapped her legs around him, just touching was no longer enough. He stopped kissing her for a moment intent on watching as he entered her. Erin's expression, combined with a moan sent a surge of heat through his body, hot enough to make him want to throw back the blankets. He didn't get the chance though as she pulled his mouth back to her own biting at his bottom lip until he complied with the pace she set. A series of short, fast thrusts was all it took to send them simultaneously into oblivion. The sweat glistening on their skin verified that they were now uncomfortably warm instead. The snowstorm continued to rage through the night and well into the next day, their final day at the ski fields. Classes were cancelled and all chairlifts closed, the perfect excuse to spend the day in bed.