It’s been two weeks since the night I left Brian’s house. I haven’t seen him since. Maybe it was because I was trying my best to avoid him, or maybe it’s because I didn’t care. The first couple of days were bad, I admit. I couldn’t get him off my mind, no matter how many girl nights I had with Linda or how much I tried to occupy myself with work. Then, one night while out at a club with my co-workers, something clicked. I barely know the guy and the little time that I had gotten to know him, I could barely catch up with his changing moods. I was reminded of the mess I had been in when my last relationship ended and I vowed myself to never go down that road again. It was nothing, I had scolded myself. A couple of make out sessions and that was it. I was grateful that no strong feelings or attachments had actually surfaced. It would’ve made it that much harder.

Thankfully, snowboarding season started around mid-November and I put my heart into work. The resorts weren’t busy yet, but it was busy enough for me to keep my mind off of Asshole Neighbour. My days started at 8am when we would all shuttle to the Sunshine Village Ski Resort and ended at 4:30pm. I was with kids all day, and when my schedule wasn’t full, I would do a few runs on my own or join Mark doing hourly check-ups on the ski-dos. The fresh mountain air and the beautiful view helped clear my mind but deep down, I knew I wasn’t fully back to normal. Thoughts of Brian still filled my mind every now and then; and it was mainly concern. What had happened to him? What was so bad that he couldn’t live a normal life? It was the worst when I didn’t have anything to distract me. Years of insecurity would build up in one moment and I would dwell on the thought that maybe I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t appealing enough to him. The thought disgusts me and I’m glad that he had ended things so abruptly before they could start. The insecurities were a huge warning bell going off in my head. He was right; he’s not what I’m looking for.

I sigh as I undo my snowboarding boots from their bindings, frustrated with the thoughts in my head. I hoist my snowboard over my shoulder and walk towards the Sunshine Village lodge. It was snowing lightly, perfect conditions for some good runs on the mountains. I had just finished my last day group with five kids, and it was barely past lunchtime. I place my snowboard on one of the rows of racks and head inside, pulling off my Roxy toque and scarf as I do. I take the stairs to the lounge on the second floor where I see some of the fellow instructors and ski lift workers just sitting down for lunch.

“London!”

I hear Mark’s voice call out and I see him waving at me from a table near the bar. He’s sitting with Linda and a man I don’t recognize. I walk over to them.

“Hey,” I greet everyone with a smile and take a seat, peeling my jacket off and unzipping my red Ski Banff sweater underneath.

“We haven’t ordered yet,” Linda informs me and hands me a menu. I take it from her gratefully, my stomach grumbling.

“London, I’d like you to meet Christian. He’s our new ski instructor from Calgary,” Mark introduces and I look over at the man sitting beside him.

He’s tall and slightly tanned with wavy dark brown hair. I’m momentarily distracted because he greatly resembles Tom Welling from Smallville. He grins pearly whites at me, grey-green eyes shining and extends a hand for me to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you London,” he says in a creamy smooth voice as I shake his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I reply.

“Christian is joining us for the winter season, then he’s back in the city for the summer months,” Mark informs me and I nod my head.

“How do you like the job so far?” I ask, trying to make small talk.

“I absolutely love it,” he replies, the same big grin still on his face. “I’ve been snowboarding since I was a kid. Dream job.”

“Definitely,” I agree.

“I’m sorry but if you’ll excuse me, I just have to take this call,” Christian says and stands up, fishing his cellphone out of his pockets. We all nod and he disappears, cellphone to ear. I turn to Linda and Mark, my eyebrows raised.

“Wow. He looks like Tom Welling,” I say with a smile on my face. “Quite impressive.”

Both Linda and Mark laugh triumphantly. “Quite,” Linda remarks and I see her wink at Mark who laughs boisterously in return. I shake my head at the both of them and am glad when the server comes to take our order before they could start their teasing.

It’s the end of the day and I’m doing regulatory runs on the ski-do, checking to see if there are any skiers or snowboarders trickling behind. I find a couple and give them a friendly ride down the mountain to the gondola lifts that would take them down to the main lodge. After the last run, I head back to the main lifts and return the ski-do to Jerry, the equipment manager for Sunshine Village. I’m about halfway to the lodge when I hear a voice behind me calling my name. Taking off my snow goggles, I turn around and see Christian running to catch up with me.

“Hey, Christian, how were your classes today?” I ask as we walk to the lodge together.

His face lights up and I can’t help but smile. The Tom Welling resemblance is quite distracting. “Amazing! I love this job!”

“Trust me, after the season ends, you won’t even want to leave.”

“I’m already thinking that,” he laughs and opens the door for me.

“Where are you staying anyway?” I ask as we head upstairs to grab our stuff.

“My grandparents live here,” he replies and we both take a seat on the cafeteria chairs to take our boots and gear off. “My cousin stays with them in the summer to work at that little coffee shop.”

Something clicks in my mind. “Wait, you’re not cousins with Mariah are you?”

He raises his eyebrows. “That’s her. You know her?”

I laugh. “Small world.” I don’t mention the fact she had already tried to hook me up with him even before we met. He turns to me.

“Are you back here tomorrow?”

“No, I’m off for this weekend. Rotation again next weekend,” I reply, folding my snow pants and jacket.

I leave my black tights and red Ski Banff sweater on. With his gear off, Christian is in a tight black Dri-Fit shirt and black work out pants. I can see that his muscles are quite defined. He grins at me and I blink, realizing that he had said something.

“I’m sorry, what?” I blush, realizing that he must’ve caught me looking.

“I said, we should head down before the shuttle leaves us here.”

“Oh! Yeah.” I nod and grab my stuff from the lockers, throwing a pair of black Ugg boots on and shoving my snow pants and jacket in my duffel bag. I feel flustered. I don’t know if it’s because of Christian or because lately I’ve just been feeling off.

“You okay?” he asks, gazing down at me.

“Yeah, it’s just been a long day,” I sigh.

“Well, it’s a good thing you have the weekend off. I’m back here tomorrow,” he says as we head back down to meet the shuttle waiting for all employees.

Already, I’m dreading the weekend. It means no distractions. And with no distractions, it means I’ll be left with my own thoughts.  “Well, to be honest with you…” I pause, glancing up at him. “I’d rather be here.”

-

I shut the passenger door and wave at Linda as she drives away. Throwing my duffel bag over my shoulder, I turn to walk up to the house when something across the street catches my eyes. An unfamiliar grey Mercedes is parked across from Asshole Neighbour’s house and a man is knocking on the door. I look on in curiosity as he continues to knock and then he turns around in frustration. I catch his eye and a look of recognition crosses his face. He jogs down the porch steps and heads across the street towards me. That’s when I recognize him. It’s the tall blonde from the day Brian moved across the street. Nick.

“Hey,” I greet, giving him a warm smile. “What are you doing in this neck of the woods?”

“London,” he replies. He remembers. I can see the look of concern etched across his face and I feel my heart drop just a little. “Have you seen Brian around?”

I swallow. “No.” I say, shaking my head. “Is everything okay?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “No one’s heard from him in over two weeks,” My heart drops a little more. “We got into an argument over the phone when I told him to come home and, since then, he hasn’t made contact.”

Over two weeks, I calculate in my head. That’s around the time he had yelled at me to leave.

“Sorry, Nick. I haven’t seen him.”

“If you do, London, could you give me a call?” he asks, taking out a card and handing it to me. His name is printed simply on it in bold black lettering: Nickolas Carter with his number underneath. “Please don’t give out my number to anyone.” I nod and tuck it into my sweater pocket. “Let him know that his family and the guys are all worried about him.”

“I’ll call you as soon as I find out anything.”

“Thanks, London.” He turns to leave but stops and glances back at me. “Don’t give up on him, okay?”

I frown and watch him walk across the street and into the grey Mercedes. What did he mean by that?

Somehow, over the weekend, I manage to keep myself busy. I take Bronx out for more walks than usual and clock in some time at the gym doing yoga to clear my mind. On Saturday, I go out for dinner and drinks with Linda and Kristen who rant about their relationships. For that moment, I’m glad that I don’t have any guy drama. Just a neighbour that I can’t get out of my head.

Knowing that perhaps Brian had moved out and was gone for good made it a little easier to not think about him. No more wondering, worrying if I’d bump into him. No more pining away at something that never existed. By Monday though, I find myself becoming bored and ready to get back to the slopes Tuesday morning. At lunchtime, my mind starts to wander and a pair of blue eyes pop into my head. I’m biting my lip as I remember our heated kiss on my porch, then in his living room. A flicker of hurt crosses me when I remember how angry he was, telling me to leave.

I stand up. I can’t take this. I need to do something. Why won’t he get out of my head? Why can’t I get over him? How much longer will this take? I change out of my PJs into jeans, a loose white cream top, dark brown knee high boots, and a dark beige pea coat with dark brown buttons. I leave my long hair down and put on some blush, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. I pour some food into Bronx’s bowl and refill his water.

“I’ll be back,” I tell him and grab my purse. It’s time for a little retail therapy.

Two hours later and my “little” retail therapy has turned into a huge splurge. I’m carrying a medium sized Louis Vuitton shopping bag with a new – horribly expensive – wallet, a few bath goodies from Lush Cosmetics, gourmet chocolate from Rocky Mountain, a new pair of snowboarding pants, candles, and new decorations for the house. I decide it’s best to call the Banff Taxi Service to get home – yes, there’s a taxi service in small town Banff, believe it or not. I’m waiting at the entryway of the Cascade Plaza Mall when I see the Taxi car pull up across the street and the driver climbs out. I exit the doors, shouting, “Taxi!” to grab his attention. He waits for me and I take my bags to cross the street. I hear a shout as I step off the curb and, in a blur, a hand grabs my waist, pulling me back onto the sidewalk. An SUV turns the corner where I was just standing, just barely missing me.

I look up at my rescuer, ready to thank whoever it is for saving my neck. Hazel eyes meet blue; the same ones that have haunted me time and again these past weeks.