Like I said, I was bummed. Here was this great guy, fun and academic, and there was no possibility for a future. As blunt as his previous statement was, we continued to talk and as the drinks flowed, the flirting progressed. I figured taking him home for one night of fun was fairly harmless and perhaps it would give him something to want to come home to once the boarding season was over.

The evening continued to my apartment for what turned out to be one perfect night. We sat up talking till almost 5am, finally falling asleep in each other’s arms on my couch. He woke me up at 8am to say he had to get going, unfortunately. I did give him my number which he slipped into his wallet (wonder how many other numbers I’m up against in there) and we said our brief goodbye.

Rolling back over to sleep I drifted off, dreaming about his return to school, him calling to ask me out again, confessing he couldn’t stop thinking about me while he was away…

Well as it always does, life went on. I thought about Trevor once in a while, wondering how he was doing, where he was, how the competitions were going. Hoping he’d call when he got back to school. It amazes me though, as time passes, you start to let go of things. As the weeks went by, I thought of him less, figuring he was well on his way to fulfilling those dreams and certainly meeting women along the way.

One night, roughly six weeks later, the phone rang. Nearly midnight on a Tuesday meant something was up, I never got phone calls this late. I crawled out from under the sheets, digging myself out from under my work, and managed to grab the phone on the third ring…

"Hello?"

Silence for a few seconds... "Great," I thought, "I got up for a prank call." Suddenly a little voice began stammering from the other end of the line….

"Molly…hey…. did I …uh, wake you?"

I froze. It was Trevor. Don’t sound desperate! Clearing my throat, I tried to regain my composure.

"No, I was just doing some studying. Trevor?"

"Yeah, thank God, I was hoping you’d remember me. I’m uhh…sorta back…damn, I hate to do this…. but you’re the only person I could think of to call…. think you could do me a favor?"

No doubt about it, I was dreaming. I must have fallen asleep studying. Did he just say he was back? And I’m the only person he could think of? What the hell is going on here?

"Umm…Molly?"

Damn, I’m spacing. Talk to him! Tell him you’ll help!

"Yeah, umm…no problem. What’s up, you okay?"

"Jeez, I hate to do this. No, I’m not okay really. I’m stuck in the north parking lot. Your apartment’s not far from here, right? I thought I’d remember where it was, but now that I’m here they all look the same…and well…my car won’t start."

Now try your best not to read too much into the previous statement, Mol, but did he just imply he was on his way to your place?

"Yeah…. you’re right outside. Hang on, let me come get you."

"Are you sure? I just…. I just didn’t know where else to go really. Jesus, I hope I don’t sound like a total freak show… I’m sorry about all this…"

"Hang on, I’ll be right down. Sit tight."

My mind races as I look for my shoes. Okay, lets get this straight. Trevor is back in town. Trevor, the man of my dreams, just called me from my parking lot, to tell me he can’t find my apartment, which presumably he was just looking for, so I’m going to get him and bring him up. No biggie, this shit happens all the time.

I grab my keys and head down to the parking lot. This is by far one of the coldest nights this winter, I hope he hasn’t been sitting outside long. Snow is just starting to fall—there’s no way I’m sending him back out in this.

About 100 feet away I can make out a guy, leaning against a car. My heart begins to beat faster, Yep, that’s really him! He’s really standing in the parking lot, waiting for me.

As I get closer, I realize he’s hunched over, seemingly leaning on something other than the car. A few more steps and I can finally make out his form. He is indeed leaning on something—crutches (I guess that explains why he’s back in town way ahead of schedule).

Let me briefly explain something. For some COMPLETELY unknown reason, I’ve always been…. well, sort of attracted…. turned on even…. by…. well, by men in casts. I have NEVER understood the fascination, nor have I ever confessed it to another human being in my LIFE. I think it’s a combination of the helplessness and vulnerability of a guy in a cast. But whatever it is, I realize that Trevor isn’t resting on crutches for fun. He’s obviously hurt. Its not a sadistic thing, I don’t WANT him to be hurt, but I can’t deny the fact that I’m now completely turned on. I slowly approach the car.

"Hi! My God, are you okay?"

He looks up, and I can tell this one’s not going down as one of his favorite days. He’s definitely in pain, this doesn’t seem like a little injury. Judging from his face I assume this is career ending.

He stands there, fidgeting, avoiding eye contact. "I am so sorry, Molly, I feel so ridiculous. But you were the only person I wanted to see. As you can tell, things didn’t really turn out as planned…. fuck, where do I even start?"

"Well, lets get you inside, its freezing! We’ll get some hot chocolate in you, and you can tell me the whole story."

Slowly, we make our way back to the apartment. I’m assuming this injury is new. For one, he’s very unstable on the crutches. The cast (well what I can see of it) looks no more than a day old. I can tell by the way he’s crutching that its not just a short cast. All I can make out is the foot portion of the cast, dark blue fiber. God help me, I’m trying like hell not to stare, but it’s SO hard. We walk to the building in silence. I open the door to my first floor apartment, holding it as he makes his way inside.

"Here, have a seat. Let me give you something to prop your leg up on."

Positioning a footstool near the couch, I manage to get him comfortable. I head for the kitchen to get water boiling. I need a minute to get a grasp on the situation anyway. This was NOT how I expected my Tuesday night to wind down! A few minutes later I return with two mugs of cocoa, taking a seat next to him on the couch. I try like hell not to stare as I realize he’s opened his tear-away warm up pants, to reveal most of the cast. I was right. Dark blue fiber long leg cast covering his entire left leg. I try to take a quick glance, the last thing I want to do is stare and make him uncomfortable.

"Here. This’ll warm you up. Now, what on earth happened?"

He thanks me for the mug, not taking his eyes off his leg. I can tell he’s devastated. After about 15 seconds and a sigh, he starts to explain….

"Things were going pretty well. I was up in Vermont for a couple of weeks, then a few of us flew out to Aspen for a couple of weeks. I decided I wanted to come back east, so I flew back alone. Got to Killington yesterday actually. Woke up early this morning, wanted to get out there to enjoy the new snow, conditions were unbelievably sweet. I was just taking a warm up ride, a little eye opener. I got careless, took a mogul off balance and just lost it. Honestly, I don’t even know what happened. I came to rest about 20 feet down the mountain, and just as I was going to get up, my leg started burning. I knew right then it was over."

I lean over, rubbing the back of his neck, playing with his hair softly. I don’t even know where to begin consoling him. Is this too forward of me? He doesn’t seem to mind, so I continue rubbing his head and neck softly.

"They get me down the mountain and to the hospital. The EMT's rambling about a multiple fracture. I’m numb at this point. The doctors work quickly in the ER— X-rays, all sorts of poking and prodding, positioning and repositioning my leg. The doctor comes in to explain the injury. I’ve got two fractures in my left tibia, narrowly escaping surgery. They want to set the leg and send me on my way. Finally, I get some pain medication. The cast goes on, the doctor explaining the prognosis as he works. I’m basically done. I’ll be in this thing for 12 weeks to start, as many as 20 total. The atrophy after 5 months casted is going to seal the deal, I won’t be riding anymore. Sure I’ll probably manage to get myself back on a board eventually, for entertainment purposes, but competitions are out of the question."

I shudder at the thought of five months casted. No matter how excited I am by the sight of his leg, the realization of the situation and the devastating blow he was dealt today makes me feel nauseous.

"So, looks like I’m back in town indefinitely and on very short notice unfortunately. I’m so sorry to come here, rambling on like this. I just…."

He starts to fidget with his coffee mug, never looking up at me.

"I couldn’t stop thinking about you ever since we met. I was so pissed at myself for being so wrapped up in riding that I was ready to blow off the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Look, I don’t know if you’re dating someone…. I hope this doesn’t make me sound like a total stalker…but I basically packed up my stuff and drove straight here. I wanted to see you. I needed to see you. This was the only place I could think of that I actually wanted to be."

Okay, lets let that one sink in for a second. Did he really just say that?

He looks at me with those green eyes and I feel my cheeks flush. I smile, embarrassed.

"I think you’ve been tapping into my dreams or something, because I’ve been hoping you’d say that exact sentence for about five weeks now." At this point, I’ve got nothing to lose. Might as well be honest with him.

He reaches for me, pulling me closer. I lean in and he kisses me slowly. With his hands on the side of my face, we continue to kiss for a few minutes when the realization of the situation hits us both simultaneously. This is going to escalate, he’s going to be spending the night. Might as well move this to the bedroom.

I initiate, "well, lets get you comfortable. I uh…. you wanna…move this to…. the…uh…"

Embarrassed, "well, if you don’t have any other plans and wouldn’t mind a guest for the evening, I don’t exactly have anywhere pressing to be."

I get up, grabbing the two mugs, and run them into the kitchen. He leans over, grabbing the crutches and hoists himself off the couch with a soft groan.

"Are you in much pain? You must be. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Just a glass of water, I’ve got pills from the doctor that should help. Thanks."

I return to my room with the glass of water to find him laying on my bed, covers turned down, in nothing but boxers—my first glimpse of the cast in its entirety. The cast goes quite far up, covering his entire leg. He shifts his weight to sit up as I enter the room, looking down at the cast and then back at me.

"I don’t know why, but I’m really embarrassed about this whole situation. Here I am, showing up at your doorstep after five weeks, helpless and homeless. I honestly appreciate you letting me come up. I’ve been playing out this exact scenario in my head for about five weeks now, well…just minus the broken leg."

I slip under the covers, helping him under as well. Curling up against him, he wraps his arms around me, and my leg brushes against the cast, my toes brushing against his. I feel him wiggle his toes in response to mine. I lean my head against his chest and sigh in contentment. The medicine starts to take effect, I can tell he needs the rest. I fall asleep to him running his fingers through my hair…drifting off into the best sleep I’ve had in weeks…..