Page 47 of Learning Curves

Michelle’s skis made the most satisfying crunching sound as they skimmed over the snow. Skiing was one of her favorite things to do in Vermont in the wintertime, although she hadn’t gone last year because skiing alone had felt like a lonely prospect.

This winter, though . . .

She darted a glimpse over her shoulder to see Audrey a few feet behind her, wearing a fuchsia parka and black ski pants. Just as quickly, Michelle yanked her gaze back to the slope. This was no time to get distracted, and looking at Audrey was always distracting, in the very best way.

They were two weeks into the spring semester, and as February approached, she and Audrey were closer than ever. They’d spent most of the winter break together, enjoying a low-key but romantic New Year’s Eve and many quiet afternoons while Michelle wrote and Audrey worked on her ceramics.

As of last week, the first draft of Michelle’s book was complete, and when she read it over, she was surprised to realize how much she liked what she’d created.

She was wary of getting overly confident, but she thought the book had promise.

In fact, she already had ideas for a few more like it, each a work of fiction detailing the life of a real female artist.

She wasn’t naive. These books weren’t going to sell overnight .

.. if they sold at all. A Light in the Storm needed a lot of revision before she could even think about submitting it to literary agents, but that was the eventual goal.

She hoped to see it published, and her dream was to eventually earn a living writing historical fiction, allowing her to quit her job as a professor.

That reality was at least five years away.

But in the meantime, it gave her something to work toward, and that had made a real difference in her attitude.

She still felt that her days as a professor were numbered, but she’d begun the spring semester with a new outlook in place, and she could already see the difference in the way her students responded to her.

Now that she was less miserable, less caught up in her own head, her students treated her with more respect. They paid more attention in class. And she felt like a fool for not realizing how much her behavior had influenced their attitude before.

She deepened her crouch as she popped over a little mogul in the snow, catching air for a weightless second before she returned to earth.

Her heart was pounding, exhilaration fizzing through her veins by the time she made it to the bottom of the mountain, spraying snow beneath her blades as she cut around to face the slope, stopping her descent.

Audrey pulled in beside her, expression hidden behind the balaclava that kept her face warm, but her eyes were smiling behind her goggles. “So much fun.”

“Yes. Want to go again?” They’d been here all day, and while Michelle’s thighs were beginning to burn with fatigue, she wasn’t quite ready to leave. She and Audrey had—unsurprisingly—made perfect ski partners.

“One more time from the top,” Audrey suggested. “And then we’ll go back to your place to have supper, because I’m starving, and maybe use that amazing Jacuzzi tub of yours.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Michelle and Audrey made their way over to join the lift line.

Luckily, this late in the day, the wait was almost nonexistent, and they were soon seated on a lift, headed back up the mountain.

Though it wasn’t quite four o’clock, the sun already hung low in the sky, dangerously close to dipping behind the summit.

Winter in Vermont was a dark time in the most literal sense.

Sometimes, the lack of sunshine depressed her, but not this winter.

“That’s so pretty,” Audrey said, watching the way the snow glistened from the reflection of the setting sun.

“It is.”

She gave Michelle a playful nudge. “Not as pretty as you.”

Michelle rolled her eyes, knowing every inch of her skin was currently covered. “You can’t even see me in all my gear.”

“No, but I know what’s behind that balaclava ... and the jacket ... and your pants.”

“Audrey,” she said with a startled laugh. She’d never been with anyone who talked so frankly about sex. It still caught her off guard, although she was starting to like it. It was refreshing to know that Audrey said whatever was on her mind ... and that Michelle could do the same.

“I’ve seen every inch of you, and it’s all gorgeous. Just accept it. You’re hot, and I’m never going to stop telling you so.” Audrey’s eyes were smiling again, and Michelle knew hers were too. At least the balaclava hid her blush.

“Never?” Michelle’s heart clung to that word because it hinted at the kind of future she wanted more and more with each passing day.

“As long as you’re here for me to tell you.”

“That could be a long time.” Michelle looked down at her skis where they dangled above the snow. “Because I’ve been thinking ... I’m not going to apply for any more positions in the UK.”

“What? Why not?” Audrey’s eyes had widened now, her gloved hand gripping Michelle’s.

“Because I think I like it here in Vermont after all.”

“But . . .”

“I know what I said before. Moving here wasn’t my choice. I felt trapped, and my job didn’t help things. Tenure felt like another tether keeping me from going home.”

“Then you shouldn’t stop applying for jobs in the UK. You deserve to be where you want to be. You’ve waited a long damn time.”

“But that’s the thing ...” She looked into Audrey’s eyes, wishing she could see more of her face. “I am where I want to be. I don’t feel trapped here anymore. On the contrary, when I was in London over the holidays, all I wanted was to come home to Vermont.”

Audrey blinked. “What are you saying?”

“I think ...” She exhaled. She’d been working up the courage to say these three little words for weeks now, but they were terrifying, and she’d never been good at expressing her emotions. The lift lurched beneath her, and she lost her balance, hands flailing.

“Whoa,” Audrey squeaked as they swayed in the breeze.

The lift resumed its steady climb, but Michelle’s stomach was still caught in an adrenaline-fueled swoop. “What I’m trying to say is ... I love you.”

Someone grabbed her arm, and Michelle jumped, startled to realize they’d arrived at the summit. The lift operator was reaching for her hand to guide her off the bench. She stumbled forward on shaky legs as Audrey jumped after her, both of them hurrying out of the way of the moving lifts.

“Michelle, oh my god ...” Audrey grabbed her hand, and they went down in the snow in a jumble of limbs. “You can’t just say something like that right as we’re getting off the lift!”

“I didn’t know we were.” She sat up, dusting snow from her jacket.

“Well, shit. I love you too.” Audrey’s eyes sparkled behind her goggles. “Telling you that while I’m sitting on my ass in a snowdrift wearing a balaclava is not how I imagined it, though.”

Michelle laughed, even as her chest clenched to hear those words on Audrey’s lips. That warm feeling was back, and now she wasn’t afraid to acknowledge what it meant. It was love. She loved Audrey, and Audrey loved her back.

What else mattered?

She clicked out of her skis and climbed to her feet, feeling lighter than air as she extended a hand to pull Audrey up beside her. “Actually, I think it was perfect because it wasn’t how I imagined it, either, but nothing with you has been what I imagined. It’s been better.”

“Tell me more about deciding to stay in Vermont?” Audrey leaned forward in the bubbly water, facing Michelle in the tub. “Because I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret, like give up your dreams because you’ve fallen in love.”

“Maybe I won’t stay here forever.” Michelle shrugged, watching as a glob of bubbles clung to Audrey’s breast. The hot water felt like heaven on her sore muscles, although at this point they’d been in the bath long enough that her fingers were starting to prune.

“But right now, I’m staying in Vermont because it’s what I want.

Whether that means I stay at NU or pursue a career as an author is a separate decision entirely. ”

“I just want you to do what makes you happy,” Audrey said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the future lately too. Falling in love will do that to a person, I guess.”

Michelle smiled. “At least for us academic types. We love to overthink things.”

“So we do.” Audrey’s feet bracketed Michelle’s hips in a wonderfully distracting way. “I still don’t know if I’ll have a job at NU after this year, but whatever happens, I’m willing to be flexible. If you change your mind and decide you do want to move to London, I could look for a job there too.”

Michelle took a moment to absorb those words.

Early in her marriage, she’d been so homesick for London.

She’d begged to go home, but Kelly had refused to even consider moving to the UK.

Just knowing that Audrey was willing to discuss it was huge, and it felt so freeing.

“I really appreciate you saying that, and it’s definitely something to consider if the time comes, but let’s enjoy where we are for now, okay? ”

“Okay.” Audrey leaned in to kiss her. “By the way, your cat is watching us.”

Michelle turned her head to find the cat sitting in the doorway to the bathroom, staring at them with contempt. “Muse, I swear to god.”

“Cats like to watch people. It’s what they do.”

“You seem to know more about cats than I do.”

“I grew up with cats,” Audrey told her. “They’re quirky and weird, but I think that makes them awesome.”

“She’s quirky and weird, all right.” Michelle looked at the cat, who was still staring unblinkingly at her and Audrey in the tub.

“You just reminded me that I got something for her,” Audrey said, reaching for a towel. “It’s been in my bag for like a week, but I kept forgetting to get it out while I was here.”

“Because I’m so good at distracting you?

” Michelle trailed a hand down Audrey’s thigh as she stood, reveling in the way that simple touch could awaken her body.

Then she reached for her own towel. She’d been chilled from the slopes when she got into the bath, but now she was in danger of overheating, and not just because of Audrey’s proximity.

“You’re very good at distracting me, but I got a little toy for Muse.

Let’s see if we can bring out her inner kitten.

” Audrey wrapped the towel around herself and walked to the doorway, where she bent and stroked Muse below her chin.

To Michelle’s surprise, Muse let out a little meow and then rubbed her body against Audrey’s legs.

“Aww, Muse. Aren’t you a sweetie?” Audrey cooed as the cat wound herself around and between Audrey’s legs in a figure eight pattern.

“That’s how she used to act with Kelly.” Michelle tried and failed to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

Audrey looked up at her. “How often do you rub her like this?”

Michelle sighed as she began to towel the water from her body. “Never.”

“You and Muse have a communication problem, I think. She used to interact primarily with Kelly, and you’ve never had a cat before, so when Kelly left, you and Muse were sort of left together without speaking the same language, but Michelle ... she does love you.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Of that, she was sure.

“Yes, she does.” Audrey sounded more adamant this time. “She follows you around the house. She always sleeps in bed with you. Wherever you are, she wants to be there too. She just doesn’t know how to communicate with you.”

Michelle had no response to that. Instead, she put on her robe.

“I’m going to go get Muse’s new toy,” Audrey said. “Why don’t you try rubbing her while I’m downstairs? See what happens.”

Before Michelle could respond, Audrey left the room. Muse watched her go, then returned her gaze to Michelle, staring at her out of wide amber eyes.

“I still don’t think you blink enough.” Michelle pulled the plug to empty the tub, then approached Muse. “And I still don’t think you like me.”

She held out a hand toward the cat. Muse looked at it, then at Michelle, and they were right back in their usual standoff. Michelle huffed with annoyance. This was never going to work.

To prove her point, she rubbed her fingers under Muse’s chin the way Audrey had done. Muse leaned into her touch, rubbing her head against Michelle’s hand. Michelle heard a strange rumbling noise, and it took her a moment to realize Muse was purring.

“Damn.” She rubbed a hand experimentally all the way down Muse’s back to her tail, and the cat arched into her touch, clearly enjoying it.

“Audrey was right. Why didn’t I try harder to pet you before?

” Michelle had gotten in her head the way she tended to do.

She’d assumed the cat hated her, so she’d closed herself off to any other possibility.

Audrey returned to the room with a hot-pink toy mouse in her hand. “Aww, see? She does like you.”

“Fine. You were right. I admit it.” Michelle walked to the bed and sat, surprised when Muse followed. “Am I terrible for not putting in more of an effort with her?”

“Not at all. You were heartbroken when Kelly left, and Muse probably was too. It just took some time for you two to figure each other out, that’s all. Here, let’s see if she likes catnip.” Audrey tossed the pink mouse so that it landed near Muse’s paws.

Muse stared for a moment, then lowered her head to sniff it.

The next thing Michelle knew, Muse was writhing on the floor, kicking her feet and rubbing the toy mouse all over herself.

For a moment, Michelle thought she was in distress, but just as quickly, she realized Muse was playing.

She had found her inner kitten, as Audrey suggested.

Audrey giggled as she watched Muse scoot around on the floor with her mouse. “It’s the catnip. It’s like crack for cats. It makes them a little wild.”

“You learn something new every day.”

Audrey draped an arm over Michelle’s shoulders. “That’s what I love about being with you. Just think of what else we have left to teach each other?”