Not Without You

eleven

Leo

"I met your mom yesterday."

I glance up at Aria in surprise. Just like she said, she was able to pull some strings and cut the coats of riding the gondola up to Blackcomb Peak. So far, the ride up has been great, despite the fact that we're stuck with about ten other strangers in this stuffy gondola. Strangers that keep staring at us. Uncomfortably, I adjust the straps of my backpack. 

"You were up at Aunty Tenille's?"

Yesterday, Mom surprised me when I got home from work. I knew she would be coming out here at one point, but I never thought this soon. And I have to say, I'm kind of happy about it. She told me her appearance doesn't change anything and to keep going about my routine, which I appreciated. It's still slightly awkward to be out on my own and exploring, but it's getting better as each day passes.

"Yeah," Aria replies. "You know my uncle, the one you worked with the other day? Well, he and his wife have been together for quite a few years and Benn and I have planned a small get together for them up at the stables. When we knocked on the door to the venue, no one answered, so I went up to the house to see if Tenille had forgotten or something. Your mom answered the door and we started chatting."

I know she's told me this before, but I'm too shocked by the fact that she met my mom to care. When I got home after work, Mom never mentioned meeting Aria. Nor did she mention the fact that they started chatting. God only knows what kind of stories she told Aria while they were waiting for Aunty Tenille to come downstairs. It concerns me a little, but I don't dwell too much over it. Mom has never really been the embarrassing type, so I have my hopes. But I also have my doubts. She could have gotten the idea, somehow, that Aria is my girlfriend. I can only imagine how overjoyed she would be about that. It would probably cause her to succumb to embarrassing stories about me. 

Great. 

"She's really sweet, your mom," Aria continues as the gondola comes to a stop and we step off, getting in line for the ski-lift we need to take next. I can feel the eyes of surrounding people on us, ones that desperately want to take photos or even speak to Aria, but it doesn't seem to be bothering her as much as it's bothering me, so I try to drop the acute feeling of social anxiety I have budding in my stomach. "She showed me a couple of pictures of your dad, Leon. It's amazing how much you look like him, despite the fact that I can also see a lot of your mom in you."

The corner of my mouth quirks. "So I've been told." What Aria is telling me is nothing new, but the compliment never fails to flatter me. I like to think that I am the perfect combination of both my parents.  

"Tenille loves your mom, too," she adds. "When we were walking back to the venue, she wouldn't stop gushing about how proud she is of her. How long have they known each other?"

"Years," I reply, thinking back to the photo album Mom gave me. I can't remember the exact number of photos that include the two or three of them, but I know there are a lot. "Mom, Dad, and Aunty Tenille were best friends for the longest time. Mom and Dad knew each other since they were in diapers, and Aunty Tenille joined in a few years later. The three of them did everything together; they've got a lot of memories."

Aria and I step forward, across a faded yellow line, as we wait for the next chair to come around the corner. As instructed by the helpful man beside us, Aria and I sit down and keep our hands up as he brings the bar down over our thighs, securing us in place. He wishes us a good time and then we're off. Every once in a while, the lift stops, but I'm not complaining. The air has dropped a few degrees, so despite the fact that there isn't a cloud in the sky and the sun is beating down upon us, I'm not drenched in sweat as I was while we were walking through The Village. The view is also astounding. While the intimidating height does make my knees wobble a little, it's amazing to see the stark face of the mountain sticking out from beneath the still-present layer of snow, all while breathing in the alpine air. 

To my left, Aria nudges me. "Somebody's stuck in a state of awe."

I shrug. "This is my first time ascending Blackcomb Peak. Cut me some slack."

Aria chuckles. "If this is amazing you beyond belief, just wait until we get to the top. What lies beyond the inukshuk at the stop is compelling."

Her words only cause my excitement to increase. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning, which is slightly embarrassing when being around a woman that's two years older than me. For some reason, Aria makes me want to act more mature. Whether it's to impress her or make her like me, I'm not too sure, but ever since our second encounter, I've been looking forward to seeing her more than I should be. I came here to explore. Not to potentially fall in love or even lust over someone. 

"Well," I say, levelling out my voice and dampening my excitement. "I'm looking forward to seeing everything."

The ride to the top takes about fifteen minutes or so and whew we're off of the chair, Aria leads me to the inukshuk near the first lookout. It's a stellar view, making the already-small village of Whistler look even microscopic in comparison to the vast, snow-capped mountains and turquoise-coloured lakes, the kilometres and kilometres of dense forest. It's a beautiful view, allowing me to understand why Mom and Dad enjoyed coming up here together. 

"Pretty sweet, eh?" Aria asks, situating herself beside me. "I love it when the team and I come up here to do our training. It's my favourite place in Whistler."

"It is," I nod, subconsciously removing the bucket list from my pocket. I hold it out to Aria, still too engulfed by the view to even consider focusing on the list itself. "Do you want to do the honours?"

If Aria's smiling when she takes it, I'm not entirely sure. I never knew that this much green could exist amongst the mountains. There are beautiful forests in New Brunswick, but this is something special. Truly amazing, really. The colours are striking and saturated with a different type of natural beauty than the kind I see back home. With the lack of ocean and jagged slate-like peaks of rock visible on the coast and the grainy white sands, the forest and the mountains seem powerful, filled with secrets and unexplored terrain. 

Aria gives me a few more seconds to take in the view before she breaks the silence. "Come on, Leo," she says, pushing the list back into my hand. I glance down at it. The pen she's used has pink ink, and for some reason the colour makes me smile. "There's a lot more to see and we have to be back here by seven or else we're scaling the mountain to get back to the village."

I frown, looking down at her. "Can you even do that?"

"I don't know," she smiles. "But do we want to find out?"

I ponder her question. While the adventure would be fun, I'd like to complete the bucket list before I fatally injure myself. "Good point," I laugh, linking my arm through hers. "Let's see what there is to see."