After Thought Read online

  He finished cleaning the kitchen and tried to go to sleep, but sleep evaded him as he replayed the events of the night in his mind. It had been a wonderful date. They’d had a great time. He recalled what it felt like to kiss her, the way she made him feel. He had loved every moment of it. He hated the complete disappointment that he felt from her abrupt departure. Was he falling in love with Maddie? Was he already in love with her? The night’s events continued to replay over and over in his mind as he tried to make sense of it all. Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter 10

  The next day Adam visited Zach and Claire. He needed some advice from his relationship counselor. He relayed the entire story to them and emphasized that everything seemed fine until the very end.

  “Claire, what should I do next? Should I wait? Should I call her?”

  “I think you should give her some space. I mean, based on the fact that she told you that she had a great time and that she didn’t want to ruin things between you, makes me think she wants to see you again. She was just scared for some reason. Maybe she’s old-fashioned and believes in a long courting period. Maybe she likes you more than she wants to admit to herself.”

  “If only,” he sighed.

  “Seriously,” she said. “I wouldn’t call her. I would play it cool. Give her time to come around on her own. She knows there’s an open invitation to rehearsals on Thursday nights, and she knows what gigs you have at the clubs on Fridays and Saturdays. Not to mention that she happens to be your next-door neighbor. So, if she wants to see you, she’ll find a way. She’ll come around.”

  Adam knew that Claire was probably right, but waiting would be excruciating for him. He wanted to call Maddie badly. He wanted to apologize if he had done something wrong. But at the same time, he wanted to play it cool. He didn’t want to upset her any further and scare her off even more. In the end, he took Claire’s advice and didn’t call her. It would be a long wait until Thursday’s rehearsal, wondering if Maddie would come.

  Chapter 11

  Wednesday came and went with no word from Maddie. By the time Thursday night rehearsal came around, Adam worried that she wouldn’t show up. The longer he went without contact with Maddie, the more insecure he became. He had taken Claire’s advice and had not called her. He had given her space. He hoped Claire was right.

  When the rehearsal started, there was still no sign of Maddie. He had even stalled the rehearsal start time for a few moments, just in case she was running late, but to no avail. So, with shoulders slumped and a heavy heart, he performed the opening number. He went through the motions robotically and scanned the crowd frequently for any sign of her.

  About midway through the first set, Adam glanced at the door—like he had done a thousand times that night—and spotted her as she walked in. His heart began to beat rapidly, partly because he was excited to see her and partly because he didn’t know what was going to happen next. He didn’t think he could handle being rejected by her. He would be crushed. It had to work out between them. He could hardly wait to get through the last song of the set.

  She stood at the back of the room and watched him with a face blank. He looked away and rubbed his sweaty palms on his shirt. As soon as he belted out the last lyric, while the instrumentals finished up, he left his mic in the stand and headed toward the back of the room to meet her.

  As he approached, her eyes met and held his gaze. Adam had no idea what he was going to say to her. Where would he begin? He would just wing it. When he finally reached her, without saying a word, she threw her arms around him, pressed her body against his, and buried her face in his neck. Caught off guard, he stiffened momentarily before he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

  She pulled back just enough to see his face and said, “Adam, I’m so sorry for freaking out on you the other night. I hope you can forgive me. I’m really into you and I want you to know it wasn’t anything you did.”

  His eyes searched hers. His heart pounded so loudly that he wondered if she could hear it. Relief flooded his body as he closed his eyes and hugged her tightly.

  She continued, “I’d rather not go into the details right now, but just know that I’ve had some bad experiences in the past and I’m just a little cautious. So, if you don’t totally hate me, and you don’t mind taking it slow, I’d like to continue seeing you.”

  He exhaled slowly. That was all he needed to hear. Yes, she confused the hell out of him, but he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life. He kissed her gently, touched his forehead against hers, and whispered against her lips, “I’d really like that, Maddie.”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply. He was instantly back on top of the world again. He kissed her for a few more moments then took her by the hand and led her back to the table where Cristy and the regulars were seated.

  Zach and Claire exchanged knowing glances, and Claire gave Adam a wink as if to say, “See, I told you so.”

  He nodded and winked back, a secret understanding between them, and hoped his gratitude was apparent.

  That night, Maddie joined him on the rooftop terrace, just like she had done the night of the first rehearsal. This time they snuggled on the couch. He sipped beer. She sipped wine. They talked and made out for hours. He was very careful not to make any moves that might scare her away. He tried to be respectful of whatever it was from her past that made her fearful.

  Even though they had not yet been intimate, he knew he was falling in love with her. Those few days in which he didn’t know what would happen or what she was thinking were unbearable. The joy he felt when she came back to him was indescribable.

  If this was all he could get from Maddie right now, if this was all she could give, he would gladly take it. Adam knew he would wait as long as it took, as long as she needed. This realization surprised him a little. He knew deep down that he really didn’t have a choice, after all. She had captured his heart.

  Chapter 12

  During the next few weeks, Maddie and Adam were inseparable, and it was wonderful. Their relationship grew stronger by the day. Sometimes Adam couldn’t believe things were going so well.

  Maddie became a regular part of their crowd. They accepted her. She came to all of their rehearsals and performances. She was always there watching him, supporting him.

  They spent many nights making out for long periods of time and doing some heavy petting, but he never pressured her for more, fearful of making any moves that would scare her away again. He figured she would tell him when she was ready, but he made it no secret that he wanted her badly.

  Zach, Claire, and some of their friends had planned a skiing trip to upstate Vermont the upcoming weekend, and they invited Maddie and Adam to come along. Everyone booked cabins for the entire weekend. Maddie and Adam booked a cabin together. He secretly hoped this might be the weekend they would consummate the relationship.

  When they got to the ski resort, everyone hit the slopes immediately. Maddie and Adam spent a good part of the day on the green and blue intermediate trails. When they got tired, they would take breaks in the lodge, snuggle by the fire, warm up for a while, have some refreshments, and then head back out.

  The weather was perfect. It was a nice, sunny day. The weekend forecast called for clear skies and temperatures in the high forties all weekend. As they thoroughly enjoyed their time together, Maddie and Adam didn’t realize how late it was getting. The last lift to the top of the mountain closed at five o’clock. They jumped on the chairlift to take one last downhill run.

  Maddie looked between her dangling skis to the ground far below and said, “What a beautiful view.”

  Adam gazed at her and thought the same, exact thought. He smiled and nodded his head in agreement, but it wasn’t just the view of the landscape that he thought was beautiful. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She turned to face him. He cupped her chi
n in his gloved hand and gently pulled her face closer to his so that he could kiss her more deeply.

  After a moment, she pulled away from him and said, “I think I’m ready.”

  Adam furrowed his brow and said, “Ready to try a black diamond trail? Let’s do it.”

  She giggled and said, “No, I don’t mean that.”

  He narrowed his eyes and turned to face her.

  She looked up at him through her thick lashes and slowly repeated herself. “I think I’m…ready.”

  And then it hit him. She wasn’t talking about skiing. His eyes widened as he inhaled slowly and absorbed the implication.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

  She leaned over and kissed him gently as she whispered against his lips, “Absolutely.”

  He involuntarily sucked in a breath. His heart beat fast in his chest as he became aroused. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He knew he had already given himself to her the first moment he saw her, and now she was ready to give herself to him—completely.

  Suddenly, the wind whipped around them and dark clouds gathered rapidly overhead as they approached the exit for the intermediate slopes. Below them a man flagged everybody to get off the lift and a blinking billboard sign flashed weather alerts, storm warnings, and trail closings. They continued kissing. The man shouted at them to get off. Maddie stopped kissing Adam and tilted her head slightly.

  “What’s that sound? I thought I heard a voice.”

  Adam twisted in all directions and looked for the source. They simultaneously looked behind them and spotted the man frantically waving his arms as the distance between them continued to grow. It was too late. They were so far past the lift exit at that point that jumping off would be quite a drop. Adam wasn’t sure they could make it without getting hurt.

  They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

  Maddie said, “What’s going on?”

  Adam shrugged and said, “I think he wanted us to get off back there. It looks like we might be trying a black diamond trail today, like it or not.”

  Maddie ignored his lame attempt at humor as she looked at the sky and the surroundings and said, “Look at the black clouds overhead. Where did those come from? I thought it was supposed to be clear and sunny all weekend.”

  “The weather forecast didn’t call for any storms,” he said. “I’ve heard of freak blizzards appearing from out of nowhere in the mountains, but shouldn’t there have been some warning signs?”

  The wind bursts increased in intensity, so much so that the chairlift swayed and rocked. They gripped the safety bar. Adam didn’t mention his growing concern to Maddie. He didn’t want to scare her. He watched as small ice particles landed on his goggles and melted. He felt them spray on his face with each gust of wind, as more dark and menacing clouds gathered over the mountaintop. Maddie shivered and moved closer to him. With the wind and the sudden cloud blockage of the sun, it grew darker and colder by the minute. Adam wrapped his arms around her as she quietly stared ahead and bit her lip.

  Bewildered, she said, “The forecast certainly didn’t call for snow today. What if we get to the top of the mountain and I don’t have the skills to maneuver the more advanced trail?”

  “Well, if it gets that bad, worst-case scenario is that we take our skis off and walk down, or even slide down on our asses if we have to. I’ve seen people do that before. Don’t worry about it. You’ll do fine. Besides, with this storm getting worse, they’ll probably have the trails closed and the Ski Patrol will be up there to tell us what we need to do.”

  She furrowed her brow and quietly said, “I hope so.”

  The wind continued to grow in intensity, swinging the chairlift even harder. Maddie wrapped her arms around Adam’s waist and gripped him more tightly. He couldn’t help but think of the nursery rhyme lullaby that his mother used to sing to him as a child:

  Rock-a-bye baby in the treetop

  When the wind blows the cradle will rock

  When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall

  And down will come baby, cradle and all

  He hoped this bough wouldn’t break anytime soon. It was even more unsettling when they noticed that there was nobody else on the lift. They were the only ones who hadn’t disembarked at the intermediate run drop-off because they were too busy making out. Stupid as it was, Adam thought it was worth it—that is, worth it if they made it out of this mess unscathed.

  As they approached the drop-off point for the top of the mountain, Maddie shouted over the sound of the wind. “Do you think we should ride the lift back down?”

  Adam had been pondering the same question. “I’m not sure. Are you up for the challenge of a black diamond trail today?”

  “I’m not sure either,” she said. “I don’t know if I can handle it with the wind and visibility getting worse.”

  “We’ll probably get down the mountain quicker if we ski down rather than ride the lift back down. It feels like the wind is getting stronger and I don’t relish the thought of getting whipped around in this thing all the way back down. But on the other hand, like you said, maneuvering down the mountain in these conditions might make it more difficult. I don’t even know for sure if anyone realizes we’re still on the lift. It’s possible we could get halfway and they shut it down, leaving us stuck.”

  Maddie looked straight ahead, her face a blank mask as she said, “We left our cell phones in the cabin. What if no one knows we’re up here? Surely the man that was signaling us to get off earlier reported it to someone.”

  The snow flurries increased in size and intensity. Visibility grew worse as the wind gusted around them and the dark clouds overhead grew more ominous. The temperature dropped rapidly.

  As they debated whether or not they should ride the lift all the way back down or get off at the next drop-off point, the decision was made for them. When they were almost to the exit, the lift slowed and stopped completely a few feet away from the actual drop-off point.

  “Great,” they said simultaneously.

  Adam leaned over as far as he could without rocking the chairlift to see how far they would have to jump. He estimated it to be a ten-foot drop. There was no way they would make that with their skis on.

  He glanced sideways at Maddie. She looked at him, wide-eyed, failing to disguise her fear any longer.

  “We’re going to have to jump for it,” he said. “I’ll go first and then maybe I can help you. It’s probably best if we throw our skis and poles aside so that they don’t get in the way of our landing.”

  He took Maddie’s ski poles and tossed both sets as far as he could from the landing point, but close enough so that they could retrieve them once they were safely on the ground. Then, they carefully removed their skis and threw them in the same vicinity as the poles. They would certainly need them if they tried to make it down a black diamond trail.

  Adam scooted to the edge of his seat and waited for the swaying chairlift to swing in the right direction. When he felt the timing was right, he launched himself off the chairlift with as much force as possible so that he could clear the ten-foot drop without falling backward down the mountain. He managed to land upright on his feet, fell forward, and caught himself with his hands just in time to stop a face-plant.

  He looked up at Maddie and said, “Your turn. I’ll stand to the side so I won’t get in the way, but I’ll be able to catch you if you start to fall backward.”

  She took a deep breath and launched herself. She landed on her feet, but they slipped out from under her as she fell backward. Adam caught her by the arm and helped her up. They retrieved their skis and poles and stayed put for a moment to assess the situation. They spotted a small, shed-like building close to the ski lift with a sign that read “Ski Patrol.”

  Adam said, “I don’t have a good feeling about this. There aren’t any lig
hts on. It doesn’t look like anyone’s in there.”

  Maddie followed him into the Ski Patrol shack. Just as he had suspected, it was abandoned. He flipped the light switch—nothing. Maybe the storm had knocked out the power.

  Damn!

  Maddie rummaged through a desk drawer and found a flashlight. Adam put the handset of the landline phone against his ear—no dial tone.

  Damn!

  Maddie said excitedly, “Look, a CB radio. Do you know how to work one?”

  Adam scratched his head.

  “I’ve never used one.”

  They took turns trying various knobs and tuning to different frequencies. Occasionally, they would hear other people talking in choppy, interrupted sentences as the signal faded in and out, but it seemed that no matter what they did, no one could hear them. Adam’s hands clenched into fists as he paced the room.

  Maddie shone the flashlight on a map of the ski trails that was posted on a bulletin board.

  Adam studied the map and said, “We could wait out the storm here in the ski shack. But with the power out and the temperature dropping so fast, it’s going to get really cold up here.”

  Maddie frowned and said, “We don’t know when the storm is going to end. And what if we get snowed in here for several days? We don’t have any food or water. And if we’re snowed in, no one can get to us to help.”

  Adam raked both hands down his face and said, “Then our only other option is to try to make it down the mountain. If we find the shortest trail, we should be able to get down in an hour or less. If we keep moving, we should stay warm enough to avoid frostbite or hypothermia.”

  In an attempt to lighten the mood, Maddie glanced over her shoulder with a cheeky grin and said, “Then we’ll be back in our warm, cozy cabin with a hot tub and a nice fire going, and some good wine, and…”