Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  It was more than that, though, he argued to himself as he dismounted from the lift and made his way over to the Brit. He wanted to help this guy. He seemed nice. And no other fucker out here was offering to give him a hand.

  “Hey,” Trent grunted as he approached.

  The Brit spun around in a small wave of snow and stumbled backward. Unfortunately, he had one foot attached to his board, so he pinwheeled his arms as he started to fall.

  Trent was too quick for that, though. He lunged forward and grabbed him by one of his gloved hands and his waist, still slim despite being clad in numerous layers of skiwear. He was so close, he could see the guy blink through his tinted goggles.

  “Oh,” he said, his breath coming out in a little puff of white condensation. “It’s you. Hello.”

  He looked completely bemused and a tiny bit scared. Trent cleared his throat and released him so they were both standing upright once more.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  For a beat, the guy just stared. Then he broke into a truly beautiful smile. Model, Trent’s brain suggested again. “No, you’re all right,” he said, a little breathlessly. “You just made me jump.”

  Trent licked his lips and squinted against the bright sunshine. Fuck, this was awkward. What was he supposed to say? Hi, I can’t stop thinking about you almost naked. You suck at snowboarding, so in a moment of spectacular arrogance, I decided to come down here and offer to teach you. Oh, did I mention I’m a movie star?

  “Hey,” he said again. “Um. I’m Trent. We met the other day.” That was nice and vague. He didn’t think it wise to bring up the pool.

  The guy smiled wider, however. “I remember,” he said cheerfully. “I’m Ashby. I’m sorry. I think I startled you both times.”

  “Nah,” Trent said with a sigh. Might as well be honest. “I was an asshole. I’m not usually that rude. Thought maybe I could make it up to you.”

  Ashby’s eyebrows rose under his goggles. “Is that so?” he squeaked.

  Trent indicated the board. “You seemed like you were struggling. No offense.”

  Ashby glanced down at where his foot was still attached to the board. For a second, Trent thought he’d just been a rude asshole again by pointing out the obvious. But after a second, Ashby laughed with genuine mirth.

  “Oh, you spotted that, did you?” he asked with a chuckle. “Yes, I’m a hapless beginner at real risk of breaking an ankle or a wrist or both. Never tried snowboarding before.”

  “I guessed.” He gave Ashby a half smile, and for the first time since they had run into each other, he didn’t feel quite so awkward. Ashby grinned some more and rubbed the back of his head. “You want a hand?”

  Ashby blinked. “You – you’d teach me?”

  Trent shrugged. “The basics,” he said. “Get you on your feet. It’s the least I can do after ignoring you twice. You seem like a nice guy.”

  Ashby’s smile became bashful. “Thank you,” he stammered. “I – that would be lovely. Although,” he added, touching Trent’s arm briefly, “I didn’t think you were an asshole.” Trent arched an eyebrow. It was a look he was famous for. It was intimidating and smoldering all at once, or so he was told. Ashby bit his lip. “Okay. Maybe a tiny bit of an asshole. But I can see that’s not true, now.”

  Trent grunted and dropped his board down on the snow. “Haven’t started teaching you, yet.”

  Ashby fell to his ass and unclipped his boot from the board, ready to start from scratch. “Nah,” he said cheekily. “I can already tell. You’re a big old teddy bear.”

  Trent didn’t know why that pleased him so much. But it did.

  8

  Ashby

  Ashby was still too stunned to really process what was happening. His default was to smile and joke and generally flirt a little. But the truth was, he was still unsure as to why Trent had come over to talk to him.

  ‘Talk’ might have been a bit of an exaggeration. The man seemed allergic to chit-chat. But Ashby nattered along enough for the both of them to fill up the awkward silences.

  “So, I get skating with one foot,” he said. “But how do I then stop? Sticking my free foot into the snow? Because I was doing that before but then I would just trip and fall and, well, I guess that’s what led you over here to save me from myself.”

  Trent did that thing again where he arched his eyebrow. Ashby hadn’t seen any of his movies, but according to the internet that was a ‘thing’ he did. It certainly had an effect on Ashby’s insides. Although whether that effect was good or bad, he really couldn’t say.

  “Use your boot to stop you,” Trent said. He had his own board with only one foot strapped in, so he demonstrated by skating a few feet, then stopping.

  “You make it look so easy,” Ashby said weakly.

  Trent shrugged. “Because it is.”

  Ashby bit his lip and tried not to feel ashamed. But the truth was, he’d had a silly notion that he would be amazing at snowboarding. Like it was a hidden talent he’d been sitting on all this time. Of course he was useless at it, just like everything else.

  “Oh,” he said softly. “I must be doing it wrong. I, um, I guess I’ll try again.”

  Trent nodded. “You can do it,” he said.

  Ashby breathed the cold mountain air in deeply. Trent was probably already regretting offering to come over. But the sooner Ashby got this, the sooner Trent could leave.

  Which would undoubtedly be for the best. As mega-hot as Trent was, Ashby didn’t need to be crushing on any straight boys right now. This was supposed to be his man-free getaway.

  But then Trent moved over to him and touched his arm. “Hey,” Trent said. “You’ve got this. Just give it a try.”

  He smiled and Ashby’s heart came to life. “Oh, okay,” he said, smiling back at him. “Yes, you’re right. How hard can it really be? I’m just letting my giraffe legs get the better of me.”

  Trent stepped away and nodded at him. So Ashby took a breath and pushed himself off with his free foot, resting it on the back of the board while the strapped-in foot at the front steered him.

  “Now, stop,” Trent instructed.

  Ashby didn’t think, he just put his foot down. And stopped. Without falling.

  “Ha!” he cried, throwing his hands up. “Amazing!”

  Trent smiled. That did dangerous things to Ashby’s heart.

  But just because Trent was being pleasant now didn’t mean he wasn’t generally rude and moody by nature. Ashby had to be wary. He’d been swayed too many times in the past by a handsome face and brooding ways.

  He needed to find a nice, happy fellow. One who was into men. Trent was neither of those things, so Ashby needed to calm down and focus on the snowboarding.

  “Okay,” Trent said. “Next step. Let’s strap you in.”

  Ashby gulped. “Oh, sure, okay.”

  Trent chuckled. “It’s not that scary.”

  But Ashby wasn’t so sure. “How do I stop without a foot free, though?” he said. It made him think of those bicycles which you rode with your feet strapped in. The thought terrified him. He’d be mashed into the pavement in no time if he tried to use pedals like that.

  Trent shook his head. “I’ll be right here. Just do what I do.” He dropped his backside to the snow and made fast work of strapping both his feet to the board. He gripped the middle of the board with one hand, then pushed off the snow behind him with his other. “See? No big deal.”

  Ashby chewed his lip. Come on, he urged himself. This was what he’d come on holiday for. To try new things, to challenge himself. So he copied Trent and sat down on the ground, snapped the clasps around his boots, then pushed himself back up again, focusing on keeping his balance.

  He stood, hands out in anticipation. But he didn’t fall or slip. “I’m starting to believe you when you say this isn’t that hard,” he said sheepishly.

  Trent laughed. Fuck, if his smile made Ashby’s heart flip over, his laugh made it flutter
like a butterfly.

  “Dude, you just need a bit of confidence. That’s all any sport is, really. You gotta believe in yourself.”

  “Natural aptitude and athletic prowess do tend to help as well,” Ashby said with a grin. Trent grinned back.

  “All right, smartass,” Trent said, lightly slapping Ashby’s arm. “You’re not competing at the Olympics. You’re just trying to have fun. Show me what you got. Believe you can do it.”

  Trent shuffled forward by raising his toes over and over again, encouraging the board forward. Then he looked over his shoulder at Ashby, raising that eyebrow again, challenging him.

  “Fine,” said Ashby haughtily. “Anything you can do,” he said, mimicking the move, concentrating on keeping his core muscles solid.

  But he was stunned when he accomplished the motion with little trouble at all.

  Trent whooped. “Hell, yeah, man. You’re getting it.”

  Ashby didn’t dare speak until he shuffled his way over to where Trent was standing and came to a halt. “Whoa,” he said. “That was pretty cool.”

  “You feel up for some sliding?” Trent asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

  Ashby almost balked. But, no, he could do this. “Yes,” he said, nodding. “Show me.”

  Trent turned so he was facing down the small slope. “Best to do it together,” he said, shuffling next to Ashby. “Just reach with your hand in whichever direction you want to go, lean into it and let gravity do the rest.” He waited until Ashby set himself up like he had, then together, they leaned.

  “Oh my god,” Ashby whispered as they began to move. “Bloody hell, this is brilliant,” he said excitedly.

  “Okay, now lean the other way,” Trent said. Ashby did and they changed direction. Ashby whooped.

  “You know,” he said, “you’re a very good teacher.”

  Trent didn’t say anything to that, but he did have a small smile on his face when Ashby glanced over. “Let’s stop there,” Trent murmured.

  “Stop?” Ashby squeaked.

  He lost his concentration and flailed. Before he could hit the powder, though, Trent caught him. Again.

  His hands were firm on Ashby’s waist. “Sorry,” Trent said with that same small smile. “Should have covered stopping first.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” Ashby said. “This way I get to sneak in another hug.” He laughed, but Trent raised his eyebrows. “Fuck, sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  Trent was still holding onto him, however. His body felt so solid against Ashby’s. “Nah, man. Most of my best buds are queer. I’m the odd one out. Takes more than that to scare me off.”

  Ashby licked his lips. “Good,” he said. Then he took a breath and stood up straighter, making sure he was stable. “Right, okay, then. How do I stop when I don’t have a dashing hero to come to my rescue?”

  They worked on basic techniques for a little while longer. Ashby was gob-smacked to discover that not only did he have a wonderful time, but it wasn’t only down to Trent’s company. He thought maybe he could get quite fond of this snowboarding malarkey.

  After another hour, Trent suggested they try one of the actual slopes. “Just a baby one,” he assured Ashby.

  Ashby was keen to do anything to keep Trent in his company. He knew it was a bad idea, but they were having fun, so why couldn’t he enjoy how hot Trent was at the same time? Trent never needed to know.

  It felt incredible to be achieving something for once. The more Ashby progressed on the board, the less conscious he was of Trent’s proximity to him. As he tipped over and slid down the slope for the first time, everything went from his mind except how this was possibly the closest anyone could get to flying.

  “Yeah!” he yelled most of the way down, dizzy with exhilaration. He’d done it. He even stopped by himself at the bottom and stood waiting for Trent to come down and meet him. “That was fantastic,” he said, bobbing up and down as much as he could while secured to a heavy board. “Can we do it again?”

  “Sure,” Trent said. Then he checked his watch. “Although, I’ll have to head off soon. I’ve got to go see someone.”

  Ashby’s good mood dropped in a flash. “Oh, of course,” he said contritely. “You probably have friends waiting for you. I’m sorry, I’ve taken up half your day.”

  But a slow smile spread across Trent’s face. “No, actually. I have to see my dad about something. He works at the gift shop here. I’m just visiting. I’m not here with friends. In fact, I’m on my own.”

  Was that…some sort of hint or invitation? Ashby couldn’t tell. “Oh, that’s all right then.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand. “Uh, well, I’m by myself, too. If you wanted to hang out again.” As soon as the words left his mouth, horror washed through him. “I mean, you know, as friends. Or – could-be-friends. I know you’re not, um. That wasn’t me asking you out on a date.”

  Trent laughed and shook his head. “Dude, chill,” he said. “It’d be nice to hang. See you at the bar later, maybe?”

  “S-sure,” Ashby said, doing his best to recover.

  His heart was racing at the idea of seeing Trent again. He thought this snowboarding lesson would be the only chance they’d have to spend together. Even if it was purely platonic, Ashby couldn’t deny he was excited by the possibility of getting to know him better.

  How could he not have recognized Trent right away when they’d met in the lobby? He hadn’t been obsessed with Below Zero exactly, but he’d watched enough of their videos. His teenage self would lose his mind if he knew that one day he would be asking TJ Charles out for a drink.

  “I’ll probably have dinner down in the restaurant,” he babbled. “I normally go down about six o’clock. Although my jet lag is all but gone now, so I could go later if you wanted? Did you want food or just drinks or…you know what, don’t worry. I’ll just…see you when I see you, yeah?”

  Trent rubbed his chin. “After six,” he said, nodding. “I’ll be there. Catch you later, Ashby.”

  With that, Ashby watched him slide away, expertly handling his board. Ashby sighed. Well, that wasn’t how he planned his day to go. He had to be firm and not let his imagination run away with him. But Trent was a lot nicer than he’d come across the day before, and Ashby couldn’t help but look forward to spending more time together that evening.

  9

  Trent

  Trent was surprised by how much he’d enjoyed hanging out with Ashby. He was a nice guy, but he was also really fun. As Trent made his way back to the main lodge, he felt lighter somehow.

  It had been years since he made a new friend. Someone who was genuine, not a work colleague or a fan or some blogger looking for a story. Ashby was easy company. Trent was glad he’d swallowed his pride and approached him to make amends for his initial behavior.

  Ashby reminded Trent a little of his buddy Joey. Not just because they were both obviously gay, but he felt like Ashby wore his heart on his sleeve just like Joey did. He was surprised to realize he was actually looking forward to meeting up again later.

  Now, if only he could have a civil conversation with his dad, Trent could relax. But all the work he’d done forgetting his troubles on the mountain was undone as soon as he stepped inside the resort again.

  Fuck, he didn’t want to have this conversation.

  But he hadn’t wanted to have this conversation for two years and nothing was getting better. Maybe knowing he had a friendly face to see later would fortify him. It was certainly more appealing than going back to his cabin by himself. Besides, the whole point of him being here was to try and bury the hatchet with his dad. Barry would have Trent’s hide if he didn’t at least try.

  When Trent went around to the shop, it was packed. Or, at least as packed as such a tiny place could get. The couple of aisles between all the tightly stacked souvenirs were filled with half a dozen geeky guys who looked like they were barely out of high school. Trent guessed this was maybe the first v
acation they had taken by themselves from the way they were goofing around taking photos on their cameras wearing anything they could from his dad’s stock.

  Trent didn’t want an audience for this little chat, so he lurked a little way down the corridor and took off some of his layers from where he’d been out in the snow. With his jacket unzipped, his gloves shoved in his pockets and his board propped up against the wall, he fished his phone out from where he’d secured it deep within one of the pockets.

  When he saw the messages waiting for him, he almost put the phone right back.

  Not because he didn’t want to talk to his friends. But because of what they wanted to talk about.

  Trent had forgotten all about the wedding.

  Jesus, he was a shitty friend. How could he forget that was this weekend? Groaning, he unlocked his phone to face the music.

  Since Blake, Joey and Raiden had all got themselves boyfriends, they had started a new band group chat, this one including their other halves but leaving out the fifth and final member of Below Zero, Reyse Hickson. Hicks wasn’t really in the loop anymore, what with being one of the most famous pop stars on the planet. It made Trent sad that there were some inevitable hurt feelings that the label had dropped the rest of the band to pursue solo prospects with Reyse. Trent had never cared, but it had left a rift between them as their lives all moved on.

  So now he mostly talked to the guys in this chat group. There wasn’t the time to ponder that, though, because Blake and his partner Elion had very specific questions on their mind. Questions for Trent.

  Hey TJ! Blake had written an hour or so ago. How’s the vacation? Meet any hot girls? Maybe one you’d like to take to a wedding this Saturday??? He followed it with several winking emojis.

  Dude, we’re not playing around here! came Elion’s message next. Trent sighed, imagining the happy couple sitting next to each other in their appartment in Cincinnati, tag-teaming their efforts to tie Trent down to an answer. I’m printing the place cards at home, but there’s still so much to do!