Cushion

"Why are we here?" asked Raelle as she looked at the scene before her.

Right after lunch, he did bring her out. On a ten minute walk from the cabin, was a ski resort. And Shui Xian had brought her to the ski slope. It wasn't crowded but there were quite a few skiers around. Some looked like sports enthusiasts and some were just here to enjoy.

Shui Xian fixed the knit cap she was wearing before he held her hand and made her sit on the bench saying, "We are here to find freedom." Raelle looked at his face as he went on, "Have you ever thought of having wings?" Raelle blinked at him. "A pair of skis are like a pair of wings. Trust me, it makes you feel like taking a flight to freedom."

An attendant passed them their ski boots. Shui Xian first helped her wear her ski boots. Seeing him crouching down before her to put on her boots, she said, "You don't have to do it though. I don't even know how to ski."

Shui Xian silently put on her boots before he put gloves on her hands and replied, "I know you can't ski. Isn't that why I chose this trail which is meant for kids?"

"How do you know?" she questioned. She definitely didn't tell him that meant... "Did my grandfather say anything?"

He sat beside her to put his own ski boots on as he nodded.

"What did he say?"

Shui Xian thought back to the words Grandfather Xiang had said to him yesterday over dinner.

'I heard there is a ski resort near your cabin.' Shui Xian had nodded in reply. 'Don't forget to take my granddaughter there.'

'I already was going to,' replied Shui Xian.

'But you'll have to teach her how to ski, first.' Shui Xian was surprised to hear that. 'She has never tried it before.' Grandfather Xiang had sighed out, 'Mostly because of me. Whenever I took her out to the snowfields, she'd stick with me. She says that playing with snow is a waste of time. But I know that since I can't play with her, she doesn't want to do it either.' Grandfather Xiang has smiled at him as he added, 'So, make sure to show that bookworm that snow has its own kind of warmth. But she can't find it without stepping into the snow herself.'

As Grandfather Xiang's words rang in his mind, he said to Raelle, "He said, his granddaughter doesn't know how to dance on the wind of snow. So, I have to teach her that."

He passed her the skis and poles as they got out on the snow. Indeed, he had brought her to the kids' trail. It was not very long and was also very easy. In fact, there were other beginners like her around here. They seemed to be taking lessons from professionals that the resort had hired.

However, for her, Shui Xian was doing everything on his own. He told her all the basics that she needed to know and was satisfied with a student like her who could remember everything after listening only once. She was a fast learner. "Now, watch me carefully." He said while she nodded.

As she watched his movements carefully, she ran a simulation through her mind before following him down the small hill. Shui Xian had just come down when he looked up and saw her already coming down. While he stood there watching her, she drew near and near but her speed was not slowing down.

"Slow down!" he shouted.

He didn't know whether she didn't listen or she didn't care about his words but her speed still didn't slow down. She was moving straight towards him. And instead of moving away, he just stood there with an anxious look.

*Thump*

She crashed right into him and they both rolled over on the snow together. With his hands wrapped around her waist, she was laying on his body.

"Did you forget how to slow down?" his voice was heard near her ear. "I told you to just make a wedge with your skis and it'll slow down."

"I remembered," she answered.

"Then why didn't you stop?"

Raelle placed her hands right beside his head and pushed her body up. Looking at his face, she answered honestly, "I was just testing something."

"Testing?" he questioned as he saw her getting up to pat the snow off her sides.

She nodded her head, "Yes. I was testing whether you'd be my cushion or not."

"Cushion?" He repeated strangely. "From the upgrade of Husband, did I just got degraded to cushion?"

Raelle smiled at him as she shook her head, "No. The upgrade is still there." She picked up the poles and said, "Whether I call you a husband or a cushion, isn't it the same thing?"

"What?" he was bewildered.

"Both are supposed to protect me," she went on calmly. "Isn't that right?" Shui Xian's expressions froze as he looked at her intently without blinking, "So, I was testing whether you're the husband who would rather fall himself just to save me or not." She took a pause and added, "You didn't get hurt, did you? I think I've really gotten used to test people in one way or another. Hope you don't mind it."

Shui Xian was quiet for a while before he asked in return, "Are you hurt?" Raelle shook her head and he heaved a sigh of relief. "Then that's fine. We didn't crash that hard anyway. Since we both didn't get hurt, it doesn't matter."

"Then..." she extended her glove clad hand towards him. "Shall we do it again? I just got the hang of it."

"Only if you won't pull another trick like this," he retorted.

"I won't," she said with her eyes twinkling.

Instead of taking her hand, Shui Xian rubbed her cheeks with the back of his hands and said, "Don't fall again."

Raelle replied to him, "I'm not scared of falling. Because I already know how to get up again."

Shui Xian smiled at her and held her hand saying, "That's good. But if you get stuck, just call me out. I'll offer you my hand and pull you back up."

Once again, Raelle had a feeling that he wasn't talking about falling on the snow. He meant something else. But that something was not clear to her yet.