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“It is so fucking cold, Agatha, remind me again why we’re doing this?”
“Chill, babe,” Agatha said with a laugh, “and don’t swear around the kid.”
“He’s my son, I’ll do whatever I want, thanks.”
“Jeez. Been two minutes here and you’re already grumpy.”
Rio rolled her eyes, suitcase dragging on the icy road behind her. “I’m not grumpy, I’m just freezing. It was too hot in the van for thermals and now I wish I had them on.”
Agatha turned around, a soft smile on her face as her beanie-clad hair blew in the wind. “I know, baby.” She leaned in to place a soft kiss on her quickly-reddening cheek. “Our accom is just down this road here.” She turned her attention to Nicky, his Minecraft backpack firmly wrapped around his shoulders and his brand-new skis under his arm. “Careful here, buddy. The black ice is super slippery, so try and avoid it if you can.”
“Thanks Aggie,” came his reply, before he promptly stuck his foot on a patch of said black ice. He slipped for a second before regaining his balance with a beaming smile. “I’m fine!”
Rio rolled her eyes as Agatha giggled. “Nice one, Nicky.” Rio leaned down to take his skis off him to balance him up a little, throwing them over her own shoulder along with her set.
After six months of living with the Vidals, Agatha was well and truly part of the family. She cooked every couple of nights, took Nicky to his baseball and soccer games, and picked up the phone when his school called if Rio was too busy. Her PhD was coming along nicely, too, and Rio couldn’t be happier with the way everything had worked out.
So, when Agatha suggested they spend a couple of weeks skiing in France this year, Rio was more than okay with that. She could tell her girlfriend missed the year-round skiing she was used to and was happy to accommodate her if it meant she got to ski a couple hours a day and sip on hot chocolate for the rest of it.
That’s how they ended up here, 2,300 metres in the air in Les Trois Vallées, the streets of the village bustling with the post-Christmas rush. The air was freezing, somehow worse than it was in Canada, and Rio wanted nothing more than to get inside their accommodation and have a warm shower. Unlike last year, they were a lot more prepared for whatever the mountain could throw at them, justifying Rio’s inclusion of hand warmers and a heated blanket. The blanket specifically took up a significant amount of her packing space, but she didn’t care if it meant she was toasty at night.
They made the slippery but short trek to their room, Agatha procuring a key she’d secured from the estate agent while Rio and Nicky unpacked the van. She unlocked the door and they were immediately hit with a rush of warm air. Rio breathed a deep sigh of relief.
First, though, they had to drag their bags down the curving staircase to their actual lodge. It was narrow (typical French) and carpeted, so their boots struggled to gain traction thanks to the rapidly-melting snow and ice stuck to them. Agatha grabbed Nicky’s backpack off him as he bounded down the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of the wooden door. As soon as it was unlocked, he ran inside and to the balcony where their living room looked out onto the bunny slope.
“Do we get to go out tomorrow?” He directed the question to Agatha, who ruffled his hair and nodded.
“Yeah, buddy. Don’t listen to your mom when she tells you to sleep in. We’ve gotta be out there at 8:30 on the dot.”
Rio groaned in response, already unpacking their food into the pantry. “You two can go ahead and I’ll catch up. The flight-drive combo’s taken it out of me.”
“Aw, poor baby,” Agatha sulked, stalking over to Rio and cupping her jaw with her hand. Rio leaned into the touch, looking at Agatha through her eyelashes. “You’ve gotta ski on a ski holiday? And fly to get to France? I’m so sorry.”
“Ha, ha,” Rio said, turning her head rapidly to bite at Agatha’s hand. “I’ll be out there, but maybe just on that little hill.”
“The intermediate slopes here are kinda fu—rough, yeah. So we’ll start you on the easy ones.”
They spent the rest of the day unpacking and getting settled in to what would be their home for the next two weeks. Their plan was to ski for five days in a row then have a rest day, repeating that cycle again before they left. There wasn’t a lot to do in the village besides ski, so the rest days would truly be rest days. Rio was stoked about that.
Jen and Alice had made the trip too, deciding at the last minute they wanted to get in on the French action. They were staying in the same complex of apartments, up the stairs and a couple doors down from the Vidals. Not only were they their best friends, but they were also built-in babysitting should Rio and Agatha want a night to themselves. Their flight and van had arrived earlier in the day, and Nicky had already asked them if they wanted to build a snowman once they got unpacked. The answer was an unequivocal yes.
Though she was just starting to warm up again, Rio reluctantly threw on her outer layers, beanie and gloves before only just winning a battle against her snow boots and trudging outside to where Jen and Alice were waiting for them. She greeted them with a hug as she waited for her son and girlfriend to join them. It was unlike Nicky to take a while, but her questions were answered when he appeared hand-in-hand with Agatha at the top of the stairs sporting a brand-new Creeper beanie.
“Mami! Look what Aggie bought me!” He ran up to her with a beaming smile and tugged at the peak of the hat. “It’s so cool, I love it.”
Rio looked up at Agatha, who only had eyes for Nicky and his enthusiasm. When they finally made eye contact, Rio’s face softened and she muttered Thank you. “Does this mean you’ll blow up if I hit you?”
“I don’t think it’s that realistic,” Agatha laughed as she ruffled Nicky’s head over the hat. “At least I hope not. That won’t be good for our Airbnb rating.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking in the snow outside their apartment, building snowmen and engaging in the odd snowball fight. Saturdays are move-in days so there weren’t many people out on the slopes, leaving fresh powder for them to make snowballs upon snowballs, Agatha even showing off her skills by making them a wall behind which they could throw from. The teams were a little uneven, with Jen and Alice at a one-person disadvantage, but they made up for it with freakishly good accuracy that gave Nicky’s new beanie a white dusting akin to icing sugar.
Once they got home, Nicky was spent and he collapsed straight in his bed, Creeper beanie tucked under his arm. Rio hung out his snow clothes, ready for him to hit the slopes tomorrow, while Agatha poured them hot chocolate and stoked the fireplace.
“So, I talked to Jen and Alice today, and they said we need to hit up La Folie Douce before we leave. It’s this après-ski place up the mountain. Thoughts?”
Agatha sat down on the couch and handed Rio her hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows. “Are you prepared to go down a blue run?”
“Oh god. Are you serious?”
“Yup.” Agatha took a sip of her hot chocolate, leaving her with a moustache that Rio promptly kissed off. Loosing herself for a second, she tasted the chocolate on Agatha’s lips and deepened their kiss, before Agatha pulled away with a laugh. “Slow down, cowboy. Yeah, did you see that lift that goes over our house? It takes you to Folie, but it sits on a blue run that you have to get down. It’s a pretty chill blue, all things considered, but I’ve heard awful things about trying to get down it drunk. Everyone else skiing down is drunk, too.”
“Ugh,” huffed Rio, drinking from her own mug. “I mean. I’m happy to try. But maybe later in the trip. I need to get my sea legs back first, even just carrying the skis was making me nervous.”
“You’ll be fine, baby,” Agatha dropped her voice low, “trust me. You were so good last time. It really made me fall—feel like you were listening to me.”
“I was?”
“You were.” Agatha leaned in to press the softest of kisses to her warm lips, lingering just a second too long to be innocent. “And you’ll be even better this time. It’s kinda easier to ski drunk, anyway. You’re less scared.”
Rio wished she could say she’d been listening to anything after ‘you were so good,’ so instead of responding, she simply kissed Agatha the way she’d wanted to since they boarded their plane at JFK. “Okay,” she muttered against her lips, before downing the rest of her hot chocolate and leading Agatha to their bedroom.
***
True to her word, Rio persevered to get her ski legs back, and by the end of Day 3 she was feeling good. Agatha had taken her and Nicky to most of the beginner slopes, traversing all the way down to some of the other resorts included on their pass on gentle, rolling cat tracks that provided scenery Rio couldn’t believe existed. Whenever she reminisces on what used to be a staunch opposition to snow, she laughs at her former self—now, she’s realised, there’s nothing better than skiing through the beauty of a tree-filled mountain and getting a hot drink at the end.
They sat down for dinner at a homey Italian restaurant just around the corner from their accommodation, exhausted from the long days of skiing and chasing Nicky around. He was practically asleep on Rio’s shoulder, hanging on solely for the Fanta he’d ordered. Jen and Agatha, who had become fast friends, were running their mouths about a newly-discovered mutual frenemy who was working the slopes, while Alice and Rio found out just how much their partners liked to gossip.
After their starters, the conversation of après came up again. “You have to, Rio,” Alice butted in. “It’s a rite of passage when you come to Val Thorens. I don’t know a single person who’s come here and didn’t go to Folie.”
“I know, I know, I want to. I just don’t wanna attempt that blue run drunk.”
“How about we all try it tomorrow sober?” Jen suggested, looking around the table. “Alice and I were gonna go to the other mountain tomorrow, but we can meet you there at, say, 2pm? Then we can head down and if Rio decides she’s had enough for the day we can call it there.”
“That’s a good idea,” Agatha concurred. “I think Nicky’ll be able to do it, too. He’s a quick learner.”
“Are you sure?” Rio looked at her son, who had been semi-listening as he sipped his coveted soda. “Nicky? What do you think, mijo?”
“A blue run? Will it be scary?”
“It might be, Nick,” Agatha raises her eyebrows, “but worst-case scenario there’s a green run we can take down the side of the mountain if you get scared. Does that sound good?”
“Okay! Can we do the blue run, Mami?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. We can.”
Suddenly reinvigorated, Nicky slurped up the rest of his Fanta and grinned. “Let’s go!”
Turning back to Rio, Agatha continued her sales pitch. “If you don’t like it tomorrow, we leave it there, okay? No pressure to do it again.”
“I know,” she replied, taking Agatha’s hand in her own and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. “Thanks for looking out for me, lo—babe.”
“Ew,” Nicky butted in, “that’s gross.” The whole table laughed, and Rio gave him a faux-stern look.
“Don’t be homophobic, Nicky, we’ve talked about this.”
In the morning, once they were all well-fed and warmed up, they trudged outside and were greeted with a perfect, sunny day. The snow was fresh and they made light work of the green runs they’d been frequenting. This time, Rio’s boots didn’t give her any grief, though she found herself wanting to tamper with them to entice Agatha to get down on her knees again. That memory was burnt into her mind, always at the forefront whenever she buckled up her shoes.
By midday, Rio was feeling mostly confident, and they took a break to stock up on pizza and hot chocolate before heading back on the mountains. Agatha’s pocket candy stash had helped throughout the day, but the promise of a hot mug at lunch was second to none. After a rest, they got the go-ahead from Jen and Alice to head up to the blue run.
“I’m so nervous, babe,” Rio confessed as they skied down to the lift, “I can somehow feel my palms sweating.”
“That’s cause you’ve got two pairs of inners on, doofus. I don’t even know how you’re managing to grip your poles.”
“I’ll grip your pole any day.”
“Good god, Rio.” Agatha laughed through her snood and looked to Nicky, who was none the wiser. “Happily, but not here. Stop changing the subject. All you’ve gotta do is the basics we’ve talked about, yeah? Remember last year? Pizza and shifting your weight up the mountain?”
“Yeah, yeah.” All three of them leaned forward at the same time to scan their passes before shuffling forward in the line. Jen and Alice were behind them and would take the next chair up. “What if I fall?”
“I’ll be there to pick you up.” Rio smiled at her girlfriend as best as she could with the layers protecting her neck, before they were ushered forward onto the next chair. “Feet up!” The Vidals heeded her warning as Agatha lowered the protective bar. She turned to Nicky, pushing her goggles up onto her helmet. “How are you feeling, bud?”
“Excited! I think it’ll be super fun. It looks so cool from down here.”
Snow-capped houses passed them as they rode up the mountain, while steam curled up from a hot tub and kids sporting scarves and beanies walked around the village. “It does, little man.”
“Hey, I’m not little, I’m almost nine!”
“I know, dude.” Agatha laughed, poking the middle of his goggles with her glove-clad hand. “You’re mami’s little man though, right?”
Nicky leaned his head on his mami’s shoulder, and Rio wrapped her arm around him as best she could. “And I’m better than her at skiing!”
Agatha laughed, looking over his head to Rio. She grinned back. “He’s right. I won’t even fight that.”
“Still, you’re both gonna get down this run. It’s a big milestone. I remember my first blue.”
“Really? Surely you were, what, 2?”
“I think I was 6. It was one like this, a little steep but wide and short. I went down with my nanny, and I made her ski in front of me so I could follow her tracks. Then I fell over so hard she thought I broke my wrist, but I got up and skied the whole way down before I started crying.”
“Wow. Reassuring.” Rio laughed nervously while Nicky looked at Agatha with wide eyes, who grimaced.
“Okay, yes, maybe not my best story, but I did get ice cream at the end so all was well.”
“Can we get ice cream, mami?”
“Sure, mijo, but do you really want ice cream in the snow?”
“Best place to eat it,” Agatha butted in. Nicky nodded his head and hi-fived her.
The chair finally chugged to a slow pace as the approached the top of the lift, and they prepared to get off. Rio could safely say she was a lot better than she was this time last year and skied off without a hitch. Agatha had told them to go straight, and when Jen and Alice got off their chair they all ended up congregating below a little hill that led up to a building.
“That’s Folie there,” Agatha pointed to the building.
“I thought you said you have to ski down a blue run to get there?”
Rio could see the grin on her face. “Well, sort of. It’s more of a case of you can’t get back down without a blue run. Even the green down from here has a bit that would get graded blue if it was any bigger.”
Rio rolled her eyes. “So, remind me why we’re doing this?”
“Babe,” Agatha started, clicking out of her skis and walking over, “it’s part of the experience. I know you’re nervous, but I promise you I wouldn’t have brought you up here if I didn’t believe in you and Nicky. Do you trust me?” She reached her gloved hand out and stroked the sliver of skin on her cheek exposed to the elements.
“Mmm, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I trust you, sweetheart.” Rio leaned into her touch. “I’m just scared.”
“Let’s just try it, okay?” She turned to Rio’s son. “Ready, Nick?”
“Yep,” he replied, accepting the offered fist bump. “You’ll do great, Mami! Just pretend it’s green.”
“He’s right. This is a super tame blue, for the record. You’ve only got the steep gradient for a couple hundred feet. Remember that one long green run in Canada? That was so much worse. Canadian greens are sometimes as hard as French blues. Okay?”
“Okay.” Rio pulled Agatha’s snood down before doing the same to her own and leaned in for a chaste kiss. When she pulled away, Agatha’s eyes were slightly blown, lips parted and ready for another kiss. Instead, Rio pulled the snood back up with a grin. “I’m ready.”
“You guys are disgusting,” Jen chimed in, and Agatha flipped her the bird after covering Nicky’s eyes.
They skied to the edge of the run before stopping for any last-minute adjustments. As she looked down at the mountain, Rio’s stomach fell. There were small bumps throughout the course, and even though it had snowed the night before it was a little icy from wear and tear. She pulled her goggles back down over her eyes to look at it from a different perspective, but the orange tint of the glasses somehow made it look more daunting.
As if she could read her mind, Agatha glided towards her. “See that path there?” She pointed with her pole to what looked like some tracks from skiers gone by. “We’ll take that. Remember, you go slower when you go sideways. If you feel yourself going too fast just tilt your skis.”
“I don’t want to cut in front of other people though.”
“You have right of way. They have to move for you. Trust me. And if you get hit, you fall, then you get back up.”
Rio nodded and hit Agatha’s arm affectionately. “Let’s do this.”
She propelled herself forward and started skiing. It was steeper than she was used to but nice and wide, which allowed her to take big, looping zig-zag paths. She followed the tracks left by the other skiers, digging the inside blade of her skis into the snow every time she turned.
It was hard work, but it didn’t feel like too much of a skill jump from the greens. The worst part was that other skiers came flying down the hill and came unnervingly close to hitting her off her feet. She stood strong, making her way down at least a quarter of the hill before skidding to a stop towards the side.
Agatha and Nicky followed her, her girlfriend stopping gracefully in front of her while her son sharply broke and sprayed snow all over them. “Dude,” Rio complained as she wiped flakes from her goggles, “what was that for?”
“This is so fun!” Nicky ignored her. “Why did we stop?”
“You okay?” Agatha continued his line of questioning.
“Yeah, my legs are just a little sore.”
“Fair enough. I can give you a massage later tonight.”
“Yes, please,” Rio winked at her, producing a giggle from the younger woman.
“Let’s keep going. The longer we stand here the harder it’ll be to get back into it. You guys are doing awesome so far!” Agatha held her fist out for Nicky, who bumped theirs together, before doing the same for Rio. Soon enough, they were back on track and going down the hill.
Rio wove down the slope, taking wide berths and focusing on her technique. She made it down to the end of the first part relatively quickly and stopped next to a bright orange pole where Jen and Alice were standing. Agatha and Nicky followed, and Agatha took her goggles off to talk to them. “Hard part done, guys!” She fist bumped them both. “It’s a bit different from here to the bottom. Now, there’s a little skinny bit here with some moguls, then you go across a bridge and you’re basically done. The moguls are tricky, okay? I’m gonna go first then you follow behind and try and stick to the path I’m taking. Be careful of people behind you, too.”
“Moguls? On a blue?”
“Yeah, it’s weird. But they’re not proper moguls, they’re like natural ones I guess. Not groomed specifically for that purpose. But you’ve gotta be quick on your feet. Use the gradient of the snow to help you out.” Rio nodded in agreement.
“The what?” Nicky asked.
“Like… the curve of the snow. Use it to get down. Here, Jen will show you.”
“I will?”
“Yep.” Nicky’s aunts both set off at the same time, showing off exceptional technique as they navigated it easily.
“See?” Nicky nodded his helmet goofily, and Agatha dug her poles in to turn towards the slope. “Just follow me,” she said as she started to slip down, before she turned sharply and attacked the bumps. She moved so gracefully, skis moulded to the landscape as she willed her legs to follow the waves of the snow. Rio was so awestruck that she almost forgot to move herself, before she saw Nicky ski in front of her and start to go down the slope.
She approached the first one and skied around the outside. Finding herself on her feet after the first attempt was a win, so she did it again, and kept doing it until she was past the challenging section. Looking up, she saw Agatha’s mane of hair – unfortunately tied up – with Nicky, so she used her poles to speed up and round the corner.
“Through here!” came Agatha’s muffled voice, but a pole pointed in the right direction helped her out. She willed herself forward and caught up to the other two as they crossed a little bridge that went over a village street. They stopped at what Rio assumed was the end of the trail and Agatha pulled her snood down, leaning in to kiss Rio’s covered cheek before hi-fiving Nicky. “That was so good! We’re almost done, just one little bit to finish before we can get back on the chairlift.”
“And that would be?”
“Look down.” For the first time, Rio turned to her left, and she noticed a short but significantly steep hill that led down to the main green run, Jen and Alice standing at the bottom.
“What the hell?”
“Hey, this is the last bit. You get down here and you can officially say you’ve done a blue run. How cool is that!”
“Sure, but that’s fully a ski jump. I don’t want to run over some poor child learning to ski.”
Agatha clapped her shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Won’t she, Nick?”
“You’ll do so great, Mami.”
Rio looked down at the slope again. It wasn’t very long, but it felt steeper than anything she’d done so far. “What’s the best way to do this?”
“Do you want my honest answer?”
“Go ahead.”
“Going straight down and not turning.”
“Oh, great idea, Agatha, I’ve always wanted to hit a light pole at twenty miles per hour.”
Agatha rolled her eyes. “Do you trust me? You were fine all the way to here.”
“I do. But—close your ears Nicky—this is fucked up.”
“You’ll be okay. I’ll do it first!” Without further ado, Agatha turned and went straight down the slope without turning or braking at all. She was at the bottom in a matter of seconds. Turning around, she gave the pair a wave and tapped her wrist impatiently.
“You go first, mijo? I’ll follow you.”
“You better,” Nicky laughs. “Don’t abandon me with just Aggie!”
“You’d have a much later bedtime if that were the case.”
He pauses, considering for a moment. “Maybe you should stay here then.”
“Rude.” Rio gives him a play shove. “Righto, off you go!”
“See you down there, Mami!” He followed Agatha, going straight down at full speed while wobbling the whole way. Rio watched him as he skids to a stop next to Agatha, who bends down to give him a hi-five. Her heart grew at the sight of her girlfriend and her son getting along, something she never thought would be possible before they set foot in Canada last year. With one last look towards her family, she leaned forward and went straight down the hill.
It was exhilarating. The wind on the slither of her cheeks left uncovered, the hammering of her heart, the pit in her stomach that she couldn’t discern the exact cause of. She understood more than she ever has why Agatha loves skiing so much. It’s freeing. It makes her feel more alive than anything else in her life has. Her skis scrape against the snow as she gets halfway down the hill, and in that moment she realises just how amazing her life has become.
Finally, she skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. A massive smile adorned her face and she bared it to Agatha when she pulled her snood down. Her girlfriend engulfed her in as good a hug as she could manage considering their tangled mess of skis and gear before planting a kiss on her cheek. “I’m so proud of you,” she muttered into her ear, “you did so well.”
“Thanks,” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Nicky! I’m proud of you cariño.”
“That was so fun, Mami, we should do that again!”
“Not today,” she chuckled, stretching out her calves. “I’m exhausted.”
“I can take him out again if you want, babe?”
Rio looked to Nicky, who was nodding with more fervour than she’d ever seen. “If you’re okay with that?”
“Sure. There’s still a couple of daylight hours left.” Agatha pulled her goggles up to the top of her helmet, leaving a red mark around her eyes that Rio thought was one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. “You go back home and get some hot chocolate and we’ll meet you there. We can order in for dinner, if you like.”
“Sounds great.” She leaned in and kissed Agatha, feeling the cold of her lips on her own, and wondered just how she got this lucky. “See you later. Let me know your movements okay?”
“Okay,” Agatha muttered, eyes darkened as she looked up at her. “Lo—looks good. Sounds good. See you soon.”
Rio raised an eyebrow but chose to leave it. With one last kiss to Agatha’s cheek and a hug for Nicky, she turned her skis and went down the hill.
Even though they’d been officially together for six months and involved for a year, Rio still hadn’t told Agatha she loved her. Even though she absolutely felt it, the right time hadn’t happened yet, but something told her that time was coming. Agatha’s latest slip-up seemed to be evidence for her theory.
She made her way up to their apartment and took her skis off, trudging inside and going through motions of de-robing after a long day of skiing. After a quick shower, she took up residence on the couch and flicked the TV to a movie channel, watching mindlessly as she sipped her drink. There was no better feeling than taking off her gear and sitting down with a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
After what felt like hours, Nicky and Agatha came in. Nicky was still in most of his getup, and water that was formerly snow lined his path from the door to the fireplace. “Mijo! Take your outer layers off, dude. C’mon.”
“Sorry, my bad,” Agatha replied as she followed him in, stripped down to her thermals. “I told him to take them off but he didn’t listen.”
“That’s okay,” Rio chuckled, pulling the still-standing Agatha in for a kiss by the collar of her undershirt. “Thanks for staying out there with him.”
“Anytime, darling.” Agatha leaned in a little closer. “I think Nicky’s a bit tired. He might need an early night tonight.”
Rio raised an eyebrow and smiled. “And what do you propose we do while he’s asleep?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Agatha winked and stood up. “Let’s order some dinner, then he can go down and we can, you know. Chill out. Relax.”
“I believe I’m owed a massage?”
“You sure are. Maybe you can cash in on that tonight.”
Rio had never ordered pizza so quickly in her life.
***
Later, when Nicky was fed and asleep, Rio stepped into the shower for the second time that night. Only this time, she wasn’t alone. She closed the curtain and immediately ran her hands over Agatha’s toned back, settling on her waist as the younger woman leaned her head back into the crook of Rio’s neck. “Hi,” Agatha said, low. “Missed you. It was lonely in here without you.”
“I’m sure.” Rio’s hands moved slowly but surely, starting from their place on her waist before moving to her front, a tiny bit of pressure signalling to Agatha to come closer. She obliged, and Rio almost moaned at the feeling of her ass pressing into her front. “Soap?”
Wordlessly, Agatha picked up the bottle and squeezed a healthy amount into Rio’s hands. She lathered it up and began spreading it over Agatha’s body, leaving no stone unturned. Her hands made their way up her sides, over her shoulders, and down her legs. All in the interest of cleanliness. Agatha let out a small moan and turned her head to bury her face in Rio’s neck, lips attaching to the damp skin immediately. It was Rio’s turn to whimper when her teeth grazed over a particularly sensitive spot, her hands faltering for a second before resuming their important job.
When she was satisfied the soap was rubbed in, Rio took the showerhead off the wall and hosed Agatha down. Unable to help herself, she cupped her breast as she washed the soap off her front, drawing a long noise from Agatha that went straight to Rio’s core. Her hips bucked back into Rio’s as she rolled her nipple in her hands.
Without warning, Agatha turned around and crashed their lips together. Like always, it was intoxicating. Their tongues slipped together as hands roamed everywhere, reacquainting themselves after a week with very limited action. Agatha’s hands snaked around and grabbed Rio’s ass, causing her to moan into her mouth. The sound spurred Agatha on, and she moved her attention to Rio’s tits, groping and grabbing like her life depended on it. But Rio had other ideas. “No,” she muttered, pulling away, and Agatha looked at her curiously. “Turn around.”
Her eyes went black, mouth hanging open a little, but Rio didn’t have time for games. “Turn around, hands on the wall. You’ll need the stability.”
“Fuck,” Agatha muttered, biting her lip as she followed Rio’s orders. Water from the shower cascaded over her toned back as she bent a little, and Rio couldn’t help that her gaze drifted low to her perfect ass. Without warning, she snaked a hand down between Agatha’s thighs and circled her clit, causing Agatha to yelp. “God, Rio, you feel so good.”
She whimpered as Rio teased her, giving her needy clit attention for a couple of seconds before focusing on the skin around it. Rio knew she was torturing her. It was part of the fun.
Agatha leaned forward and braced herself against the tiles with her forearm, ass pressing back to try and manufacture more pressure. Rio didn’t cave, continuing her light touches. “Please, Rio,” came her pleading voice as she attempted to thrust backwards. “Fuck me, baby, please, I need you inside me.”
“Hm.” Rio circled her entrance, drawing a loud cry. “I don’t know if you’ve asked me nicely enough.”
“Please, baby, please, I’m so empty without you inside me. I need to feel your fingers in me like I need to fucking breathe, please, fuck me so hard I can’t ski tomorrow.”
“Well, we don’t want that, do we?”
“I don’t even care right now, just fuck me, Rio!” She punctuated her request with a jut of her hips.
Ever obedient, Rio slipped two fingers inside her girlfriend. The moan that ripped from her was one Rio would never forget, the primal sound spurring her on as she thrusted her fingers in and out methodically. She twisted her wrist and curled them hard, finding Agatha’s g-spot, which earned her another satisfied noise. She leaned forward and placed a hand on the small of Agatha’s back, keeping her in place as she started going harder. The sight of Agatha’s ass meeting her thrusts and her back arching would be one she’d never forget, muscles tensing as she chased her release.
Rio could tell Agatha was close, her walls fluttering as her wet fingers continued to thrust inside her, so she added her thumb into the mix and swiped it over her clit. Soon enough, Agatha’s knees were buckling and she grabbed onto the showerhead to keep her balance as she came hard, moans turning into whimpers as she worked through it. Rio slowed her fingers, leaving long, gentle strokes as Agatha met them, breathing heavy while she rode out the last dregs of her orgasm.
Agatha whimpered again, signalling to Rio she was done, prompting her to pull her fingers out and suck the juices off them. Turning, Agatha leaned in for a kiss immediately, this one slower but heavier than any of the previous. Rio could feel herself dripping, not just from the shower, and grabbed Agatha’s wrist to direct her to where she wanted her so desperately. Agatha pulled away from the kiss with a bite of her bottom lip, grinning as her eyes fluttered around Rio’s face. “Get out and dry off, baby.”
“Agatha, please—”
“Don’t worry,” she trailed lazy kisses down her jaw, tongue following her lips, before moving to the spot where her ear met her neck, “I’ll take care of you.”
Rio had never left the shower faster in her entire life. She dried herself off rapidly, not even waiting for Agatha to be ready herself before diving on the bed, legs open and arms behind her head. “Ready?”
Agatha moseyed her way out of the ensuite, laughing as she dried her hair. “Eager?”
“I’m so wet for you. I need you.”
“Mmm.” She threw her towel on the floor and knelt on the bed, bare chest on display. She ran a hand through her hair before tousling it a little, smirking at the sight of Rio so desperate for her. Rio felt giddy at the sight. “What do you want me to do?”
“Need your tongue. Please.”
“Sorry, I didn’t hear that last bit?”
“Please, baby, I need your tongue in me.”
Agatha seemed to consider it for a moment before crawling up the bed and stopping with her face just above Rio’s. Slowly, too slowly, she leaned forward, until their lips were millimetres from touching. “Okay,” she whispered, lips connected without kissing as she spoke. “I think I can make that work.” She left the lightest of kisses on Rio’s lips before trailing down the rest of her body, leaving marks wherever she saw fit. When she reached Rio’s hip bone, she bit down hard on the fleshy parts around it, drawing a gasp from the older woman. Rio snaked a hand into her hair, grasping it euphorically as she continued to tease her.
“Agatha,” she moaned, the vowels drawn out. “I need your mouth.”
“Because you asked so nicely.” Agatha finally bent over her soaking cunt, breath warm on the sensitive skin, and dipped down.
There was nothing better than the feeling of Agatha’s skilled tongue and lips on her pussy. She squirmed, fighting against her own body as Agatha licked exactly where she needed her. Her lips closed around her swollen clit, lapping at the juice like it was water in the desert, coming tantalisingly close to where she really wanted her but never broaching it.
Rio’s hips gyrated against Agatha’s face. She could feel how much slick she was depositing on her pretty visage, her mouth slipping every now and then as she tried to gain a hold. Her strong tongue traced circles around her clit, and Rio couldn’t help the whimpers leaving her mouth. “Right there, Agatha, you’re doing so good.”
Agatha looked up at her, mouth covered in wetness and eyes hooded. “Again.”
“You’re so good for me down there. I love how you make me feel. Fuck. Agatha, God. I need you. I love you. So much. Fuck. Love you.”
Immediately, Agatha dipped her tongue into her waiting cunt, and Rio screamed.
“Again!” she commanded, and Rio kept blabbing.
“You feel so good, love you so much, all mine, fuck, baby. So good. So good.” She got more incoherent as she approached her climax, and when the rubber band snapped, she cried out, grip tightening on Agatha’s hair. She fucked her girlfriend’s face enthusiastically and desperately, hips keening as she flung over the edge.
When she felt Agatha’s face leave her core, she breathed deeply, chest rising and falling at a ragged pace. Agatha had never looked more beautiful. She rose up the bed, not stopping before crashing their mouths together. She spoke against her lips, but Rio couldn’t hear her. “What?”
“I love you too.”
Rio balked. She sat up straight while managing to keep a firm hold of Agatha’s waist. “Huh?”
Agatha’s face went white. “You, uh, you said, before—”
“God, I was waiting for the right time, I didn’t wanna say it when we were fucking but—”
“No, babe, it’s fine—”
“I wanted to make it special, honestly—”
“It was special, please don’t—”
“I am so, so sorry—”
“Stop!” The room went quiet, Rio looking up at Agatha with a shocked expression. “Do you love me?”
“More than I’ve loved anyone in my life. That isn’t related to me.”
Agatha smiled, her eyes crinkling as she looked at Rio. “Good. Cause I love you too.”
Bursting at the seams, Rio leaned forward and kissed her like it was the easiest thing in the world.
***
The ideal conditions continued into the next day, providing a fantastic backdrop for their après-ski plans. The three of them skied up and down the mountain all day until Rio sent Nicky off with his aunts to have an afternoon with them. Once he was safely sent off, Agatha and Rio boarded the chairlift to head up to Folie.
Once they were off it, they trudged up the little hill and to the door. They showed their IDs before setting off to find a spot. There was already a big crowd forming, usual for this time of day, but it wasn’t as big as it had been the day before. Agatha unclipped her helmet and raised her goggles, Rio following suite, before taking her girlfriend’s hand and leading her through the crowded room. With practiced ease, Agatha ordered two beers each before trudging back outside where there were a couple of spare tables.
Ski boots do not make for easy walking. It took Rio a solid minute to make the forty-metre journey. Her feet ached, but the joy of sitting down far outweighed the pain. She took her beer from Agatha and clinked their glasses together. “Love you,” she teased after she took a sip.
“I love you too.”
“Isn’t it wild we can just say that now?”
“Mmm.” Agatha had a foam moustache, so Rio leaned over the table and kissed it off (obviously). “I’ve been thinking it for a while.”
“Me too. Ever since I saw how you were with Nicky last year I knew you were special.”
“He makes it easy. Great mom. Hot mom, in fact. MILF. Or maybe MIFEN. Mom I Fuck Every Night.”
“God, sometimes I forget you’re 28, then you remind me so violently.”
“But you love it.” She smirks, tilting her chin up.
“Sure do.” Rio hit her boot against Agatha’s under the table. “Do you think this’ll get much busier?”
“Yeah. It’s only, what, 3:30? People’ll come up as it gets darker. Normally it gets craziest just before sunset. We have time.”
“By time, do you mean enough time for us to go to the bathroom?”
Agatha raised an eyebrow, sipping her beer. “Only two beers and your body is already freaking out, old man?”
“No, I don’t need to pee.”
“Why bathroom then?”
Rio stared at her blankly, the only movement on her face an upwards-creeping eyebrow as the gears turned in Agatha’s head. “Oh,” she started, dragging the sound out. “Now?”
“Why not?”
“Lead the way, hot stuff.”
“I have no idea where the bathrooms are.”
“Oh my god.” Agatha stood from the table and downed her second beer, shoving her gloves in her pocket and clipping her helmet back up. Rio followed suite and they hobbled inside, heads on a swivel for any sight of a bathroom.
They eventually found one and unceremoniously stumbled in. There was no one else in there, thank God, but they realised very quickly that their gear would be a major impediment. Accordingly, they took their jackets off and hung them over the hook on the door, helmets following, before untucking their layers and unclipping their boots for more movement.
“This was a stupid idea,” Rio grumbled as she tried to feel Agatha up. “I can barely feel you.”
“You’re doing pretty well, baby,” came Agatha’s breathy voice. Rio’s hands wandered around her chest before she joining their cold mouths. Agatha’s tongue immediately found its way into her mouth, drawing a moan, before she flipped them with an impressive show of strength to press Rio against the wall.
Agatha made light work of Rio’s thermals, pushing her shirt up over her sports bra and shoving her pants down as best she could. Impeded by the fabric on her chest, she let her mouth cup her breasts over the bra, tongue darting out to lick at her covered nipples. Rio pressed her closer and threw her head back on the wall, the resulting smack barely registering in her mind.
At the same time, Agatha’s hand made its way into Rio’s pants and pushed her underwear to the side, before she thrusted two fingers inside her with no warning. Rio bit her lip, trying not to moan in fear of anyone hearing them. She could feel the moans stuck in her throat, and she wanted nothing more than to show Agatha just how good she was making her feel. Instead, she focused on moving her hips in time with Agatha’s thrusts.
Agatha moved her mouth to Rio’s neck, latching onto her pulse point and sucking as she curled her fingers. Rio saw stars as her fingers moved in and out, Agatha’s mouth only adding to the euphoria she was feeling. With added pressure on her clit, Rio came hard. A moan started to slip from her mouth before Agatha took her right hand and shoved her fingers in her mouth. She bit down on the welcome intrusion, praying to everything that no one was listening to them. “Don’t need people lining up to be fucked like this,” Agatha mutters as she kisses her through the end of her orgasm, and Rio laughs as soon as she regains her senses.
“Yeah, you’re all mine.”
“I am. I love you.”
Rio smiled in spite of herself before leaning down to plant another kiss on her swollen lips. “I love you too.”
“We better get dressed and out of here, it’s gonna get late.”
“What? You don’t want me to return the favour?”
“Later. This is uncomfortable as fuck. I’d rather you take your time with me, beautiful.”
Rio felt a blush spread across her cheeks. “Okay. Let me pee real quick then we can get going.”
“Getting your pants off for me again already?”
“Always.” Rio used the bathroom before helping Agatha get dressed again, planting a kiss on her cheek for good measure before leaving the stall. The rest of the bathroom was empty luckily, but a glimpse in the mirror had Rio reeling. “Mierda, did you maul me?”
Agatha looked up from where she was washing her hands, chuckling as her eyes zeroed in on Rio’s neck. “Sorry babe.” She tilted her head up and kissed one of the marks, causing Rio to close her eyes and lean her head back.
“Feels good when you do that.”
“I know.” With one last torturous kiss, Agatha finished cleaning her hands and dried them.
“Thank God for my snood. How on Earth would I explain this to Nicky?”
“Just say you fell off your skis or something. It’s like a built-in excuse.”
“Oh, sure, cause plenty of people end up with injuries like this from skiing.” She pointed to her neck exaggeratedly, smiling.
“You’ll just have to live in turtlenecks, now. I know for a fact you brought the one I like.”
“Just for that I’m spiting you and not wearing it.”
“Right, right.” With one last kiss, Agatha moved to open the door. “We’re getting another beer then heading off, okay? I wanna see you moving down that slope drunk.”
“I’m not even feeling it yet.”
“That’s why I said another beer. C’mon.”
They skulled their beers in record time. The conditions were starting to worsen a little, with clouds coming in from the east and the sun beginning to set, so they hustled to get their skis back on before making their way to the start of the trail. “Okay,” Agatha started, clipping Rio’s helmet up before doing her own, “we did this yesterday. Same thing, okay? And it’ll be easier today. I’ll meet you at the place we stopped yesterday, then we’ll keep going to the bottom. Sounds good?”
“Yep. See you down there.” Agatha held her hand out for a fist bump and Rio obliged, before they both set off down the mountain.
It was even more fun than yesterday. Her inhibitions were gone and she just enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her face and the snow underneath her. She laughed with joy as she wound down the slope, the icy conditions making it a little tough but leaving her facing little resistance. Agatha was right, the slopes were more crowded than yesterday, but she trusted the skiers behind her and focused on herself.
She reached the meeting spot much faster than she did yesterday. Agatha was waiting, hand outstretched for a hi-five. “Nice one, Rio,” she exclaimed, “you did so well! Let’s finish it off.”
Rio let Agatha go down first and watched her excel on the moguls again. She would forever be in awe of her girlfriend’s skill, how at ease and at home she looked on the slopes. After a second of admiration, she set off herself, and though the mogul bit was tough, she made it to the last slope from the day before. Without even stopping, she sped down in a straight line, skidding to a stop finally next to Agatha.
“Yes! Rio! That was so good! You’re a natural now.” Agatha hit her on the shoulder, grinning. “You were great. Maybe some of my skill rubbed off on you, if you catch my drift.”
“Ugh, I caught it.” Rio smiled, feeling her eyes scrunch up. “Thanks for being so patient with me. I really enjoyed that.”
“Maybe we can go on a black run tomorrow, then?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Worth a shot.”
“Let’s go home now, we don’t want Nicky annoying Jen and Alice for too long. Those poor people.”
“You’re so pessimistic. He’s a delight.” Agatha looked down the hill to their accommodation before looking back at Rio. “Race you to the apartment?”
“You know you’ll win.”
“Do you need a head start?”
In lieu of agreeing, Rio pushed herself off and skied down the hill, Agatha’s laughter echoing in the background as she followed behind.