MARK WAS an alluring sight dressed in Steffen’s borrowed ski clothes. Set against the dazzling white blaze of the snow, Mark stood out in stark relief in red and black. They weren’t too different in build—Mark a little shorter and slightly broader in the shoulders, but fundamentally he filled the ski pants and jacket very nicely. A bit too nicely, if truth be told, and Steffen needed to concentrate on getting Mark on the skis they’d hired and moving, and less about what he wanted to do when they got home.
“There is no need to look so worried, Mark. I’m not about to send you down a black run.”
Mark didn’t look convinced but laid his skis down and, following the instructions he’d received from the helpful young man at the ski hire center, managed to clip his boots in place. “I think you’re going to get very bored very quickly babysitting me.”
There was absolutely no chance of that happening. “Nonsense. I would not have offered if I did not want to do it.”
“Surely you’d prefer to be off skiing somewhere.” Mark stood stiffly, looking like he might topple over at any moment. “You have your own skis, for fuck’s sake. This can’t possibly be how you’d prefer to spend a morning up a mountain.”
“I went skiing over the New Year, so I’ve had my fix for the season. I’ve taught several friends to ski. I’ll have you downhilling before you know it.” Truthfully, he’d not been out on the snow as much as he liked this season, but that was due to work, and getting to combine spending time with Mark and being surrounded by the magnificent mountain views was a win-win situation. “If you’d rather, we can go and see if it’s possible to book you a professional lesson.”
“No. I mean, I want you to teach me.” Mark flashed him an adorable crooked smile, and Steffen was going to need all his control not to kiss him senseless.
“Good. Then let us get you comfortable on your skis. The sooner you realize you can control them, the sooner you’ll feel more secure.” Steffen clicked himself into his skis and positioned himself to stand in front of Mark. He’d chosen a quiet, flat area just off to the side of the start of the nursery slopes that would be ideal to teach Mark a few basics. Basics Steffen had learned when he was five and had first been taken skiing by his father, but he didn’t think Mark would appreciate that fact.
“I’m not convinced I’ll ever be comfortable with planks of wood strapped to my feet, but when in Rome… or in Basel.”
“Technically this is Engelberg, but I take your point.” Steffen laughed as Mark stuck out his tongue. “Right, now just get used to the skis being there. Take a few little steps to the right and then back to the left, and once you are ready, slide forward a foot at a time without lifting your feet.”
“Er….”
Mark’s hesitation was understandable and endearing. “Watch me.”
For Steffen the simple movements were child’s play, but he’d seen enough terrified beginners who should have taken the time to learn the absolute basics to warrant spending the time going through this with Mark. The joy on Mark’s face as he completed his tasks was reward enough.
“Very good.”
“At this rate I’ve a chance of becoming a British Winter Olympian.”
“I fear that you’d qualify more on the grounds of lack of competition than your own ability. Your country is not what you would call well-known for winter sports that don’t involve going down a toboggan run on little more than a tray.”
“Oi! Less of that. You Swiss have unfair advantage, seeing your country is 80 percent mountain.” Mark wobbled on his skis and fell backward, landing with a small ouff. “Now look what you made me do.”
Steffen slid over to him and pulled Mark to his feet, then kept hold of his hands. “Let’s not fight over both our great sporting nations.”
“A truce is brokered. For now. Come on, you’re meant to be making me a first-rate skier, not a snow shuffler.”
Teaching Mark was fun, and he took the inevitable falls in stride and didn’t even complain too much when he fell forward over his skis as he botched what should have been a simple snowplow to bring him to a stop. If Steffen took great pleasure helping to dust the snow off Mark a bit too thoroughly, then he would consider it a perk of the job. “Do you think you would like to try the nursery slopes?” Steffen asked about an hour later, confident that Mark was ready, having survived being pulled along by his ski poles and a few attempts of skiing on the flat.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.” He handed Mark his ski poles, after picking them up from where they had once again ended up on the ground. “Don’t worry. I will never be far from your side.”
“My very own knight in shining armor,” said Mark with a shove, almost making Steffen lose his balance.
Steffen led the way to the nursery slopes, which were unsurprisingly busy given it was the middle of spring school holidays. Most of the other people learning were kids, and although Mark wasn’t the only adult, he was definitely outnumbered by a significant margin. Steffen watched with pride as Mark cautiously set out on his first downhill run, following behind at a safe distance but close enough to be there if Mark were to fall. He might be biased, but Mark looked good on skis. Mark had a grace about him that made Steffen think he could easily improve, and he momentarily indulged in a daydream of the two of them heading to Klosters for an intimate getaway.
Mark came to a perfect snowplow stop and turned to face him with a huge grin, pulling up his ski goggles to rest on top of his head. “Did you see that? I did it!”
Steffen slid expertly next to him. “Marvelous. I think you could be a good skier with practice.”
“I didn’t think I’d be able to even do this. But up here, with your help and patience…. And it’s so beautiful. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it.” Mark looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. “I could get used to this.”
Steffen could too, but held his tongue. “You wish to go again?”
“Of course!”
They spent the rest of the morning on the nursery slopes, Mark improving with every run, and Steffen thought that if Mark were ever to take to the slopes again, a few professional lessons would help him quickly improve to a point he could try some of the runs Steffen preferred.
It was a good time to stop. Their morning passes had another hour left, but it was getting increasingly busy, and Steffen knew that morning skiing, especially for someone not used to it, was hard work. “Lunch here or head back to Basel?”
Mark leaned on his poles. “I’m knackered. Can we head to yours and grab something? I thought I could treat you to dinner tonight as a thank-you.”
“If you are able to move, then I will willingly let you. Let us get the cable car down—with some luck they will not be so busy.”
The queue for the cable car was virtually nonexistent. Steffen guessed most people were making the most of their morning passes, squeezing out their time to the final minutes. He skied here a few times a year when he got the chance, although he preferred to head southeast for his longer breaks. But Engelberg attracted many local visitors who, like him, wanted an easy fix of snow.
“I’m so glad you suggested coming,” Mark said as they stepped onto the cable car. “I wanted to give it a go but didn’t think I’d like it so much.”
“It would have been a crime not to have come while you were here. It’s so close to Basel that I would be failing in my tour guide duty not to have brought you.”
The other occupants of the cable car were a family of four and three couples, none of whom bothered with them as they stood in the farthest corner by a window, the astounding views of the mountain far more exciting. Mark stood close, and Steffen couldn’t resist placing a hand on his hip. He wasn’t one for public displays of affection. Outside of the darkness of a club where he might engage in more, he preferred a subtle gesture. He didn’t care what other people thought. This was solely down to his own desire to keep something important to himself. Mark was important, more than anyone in years. What had grown between them was too precious to cast away because of a mere five hundred miles.
“I’d much rather be here next weekend than Reading,” Mark said. “It’ll be gray and miserable, and I’ll have to deal with my mad aunt and nosey sister.”
Steffen hadn’t thought much about Mark’s upcoming trip back to the UK, but now he despised the idea. He didn’t want to lose any time with Mark. “I’m sure the views will not be as inspiring.”
“Not just the views.”
Mark smiled up at him, and Steffen couldn’t resist leaning down to steal a whisper of a kiss. He would need to act soon. The Gryse family were not cowards. They fought for what they wanted, and Steffen was going to live up to his name.