I'm offering a warning for this chapter.
This storyline includes a description of an assault. If this is troublesome for you, I'd understand if you skip this chapter. Please know it's relevant to the story and not just gratuitous. Thank you.
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Paul received Mason's message loud and clear. He never had any intention of hurting Jay, but whoever caused the emotional damage apparently never came to trial with his friends. If they had, Paul never would have received a warning - a one-time courtesy he felt granted him from Mason.
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"Ok, now that we're all here, let's go tubing!" Jay yelled, an attempt to ramp up his group's energy.
The friends left the lodge, heading to the rental area to get their tubes. After a few of the boozed up hot chocolates Grey was passing out, the cold winter air didn't feel as biting anymore.
"Do we want to go as one group or split up?" Jay asked
"Let's do teams" Grey cheered "we'll race!"
With Jay and Grey seemingly taking point as team captains, the rest of the party fell in line.
"Ok, now, I've never done this before. What should I do? What do I need to know?" Paul asked nervously.
"All you need to do is just hang on and enjoy the ride" Jay said encouragingly "you're going to love it!"
'I'm calling it" Grey yelled "Paul and Jamie against the A's!"
"No! Not the A's again" groaned Mason. "At what age does that stop?"
"Guess it's not 24" Jay protested as well.
The A's - the rhyming of Jason, Mason & Greyson - had known each other their entire lives. They grew up together and went to school together - they were best friends who always looked out for one another. The nickname was cute when they were 8, but it got tiring as they got older. Seems Grey was the only one who didn't mind continuing it.
Paul and Jaime got the first chair on the lift, climbing the mountain while the others waited for theirs.
"So, Paul, now that I have you captive, how did you meet my brother?" Jamie asked. Paul felt like he was about to be grilled, but kind of expected it.
"We met at work" Paul offered "I just started there and Jason was nice enough to show me around. Truth is, he kinda got roped into it."
"How long have you been dating?" Jamie continued "You know, since my brother didn't care enough to tell me." Both men laughed.
Paul looked for a delicate way of giving Jamie details and still keeping Jay's privacy. "This is all very new. I mean, we kinda just met."
"You should know, this group is very protective of Jason" said Jamie "I couldn't bear to see what happened last time repeated."
"Jamie, I understand Jason got hurt before he met me. He won't talk about it... and I respect that" Paul explained "but I'm not that person. Like I told Mason earlier, I'll never hurt him."
Jamie's expression changed when he learned Mason had already confronted Paul. "What did Mason tell you?" Jaime asked
"That I better not hurt him. Jaime, I promise you, I won't do that. But what happened?"
Jaime pondered a few seconds "He was hurt mentally..." he paused "and physically. I think that's all I should tell you. The rest should come from him."
Paul made an audible gasp "hurt physically? Jaime, shit, what happened?" Paul was stunned. No wonder Jay was closed off. "Jamie, I can promise you, I would never hurt Jason like that. Never." Paul was emphatic.
"That's good to hear" Jamie's voice softening "I don't know if any of us could handle that again. Thank you."
Jamie took a deep breath, gave Paul a slight smile, and went in for a fist bump "Now, let's win this thing!" he yelled
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Grey and Jason caught the next chair and it didn't take long before she started gushing "my god, he's so cute!" Oh, Jason, he's adorable!"
Jay waved his hands at her, trying to get her to shut up so he could talk "Grey, stop. Don't get carried away. I'm not sure he feels the same way."
"What do you mean feels the same way?" she asked, deflated that Jay dampened her enthusiasm "He's your boyfriend isn't he?"
"Grey, it's more complicated than that." Jay lamented "I'm not sure we're on the same page yet - it's too early."
"Well, he wouldn't say he was your boyfriend if he wasn't?" Grey was very confused
Jason tried to help her understand, but wasn't sure he knew any more than she did "we're both very new to the whole relationship thing" he explained "we might have different... expectations. I don't know..."
-
The first four waited while Mason's chair finally reached the top.
The group made their way to the rental shack where they picked up their rubber racers.
Their tubes were readied - Paul and Jaime got the first one while the trio took the second. The teams lined up side by side, "pushers" counted down, and the tubes were launched down the slope.
Both teams whizzed down the mountainside, wind and snow whipping their faces - the loudest sound echoing through the trees were Grey's screams. The tubes flew over the hills and valleys of the landscape, the riders bouncing and going airborne. While the A's leaned back enjoying the ride, Paul and Jamie leaned forward - throwing their weight forwards hoping for momentum.
The teams reached the bottom with The A's just barely winning. Grey doing a ridiculous victory lap around the guys and the tubes. The alcohol was wearing off, so the air felt much colder than when they left the lodge. The group did a few more runs down the slopes, changing partners as the day wore on. After a few hours the cold took its toll on everyone.
"Let's go have another drink or two to warm up" Mason suggested "I'm cold and wet"
Jamie opted for coffee, May and Grey had a few of the caustic hot chocolates from earlier, and Jay and Paul settled in - sitting close to one another by the fireplace - wanting to dry off a little before the ride home.
"Hey, it's getting late, why doesn't everyone just crash at my place tonight" Jamie suggested. His inflection sounding more Father than friend.
