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After finding our room and getting our bags upstairs, my friends and I head downstairs in search of lunch and information on skiing and other activities they have. There’s snow tubing, snowboarding, and even sleigh rides.
“Snow tubing sounds fun,” Holden says as he sits down beside me at the large table in the dining room. I’m the first one who sat down and secured the table for everyone. This whole lodge is huge, the hotel rooms are spacious with big bathrooms, so I’m not surprised the dining room is vast. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style while dinner is table-side service.
“I was just reading about that.” I point at the brochure on the table next to my plate of food. “I bet it would be a good time.” I grin and take a bite of my grilled chicken salad.
“Maybe more than skiing?” Holden asks as he pops a chip into his mouth. “I’m not so sure about it still.”
“Have you ever gone skiing before?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. But I wasn’t about to miss out on this trip.”
I laugh, but inside, it feels like a weight lifts off my chest. “I’ll confess too. Neither have I.”
“We have something in common then. We should be buddies this week. You know, stick together. Try the bunny trails together so no one else sees us fall on our ass.”
Before I have a chance to answer, Maia and Everleigh sit down across from us.
“The only soup they have today is broccoli cheddar, and I don’t think my stomach will agree. So a roll it is.” Everleigh groans and stares down at her sad crust of bread.
“You need greasy food, Ev. Soak up the poison,” I say.
“Greasy food?” Everleigh blanches. “Excuse me, I’ll be back.” She stands up and takes off running.
“Ah shit. I better go check on her.” I stand just as the rest of our friends make their way over.
“Is she okay?” Chloe asks.
“Yeah, she’s hungover.”
“Ugh, that’s the worst,” Madison says.
“I’ll catch you guys later.” I forget my salad and take off in search of Everleigh. There’s a bathroom right beside the dining room, but when I check, she’s not in there. I make my way toward the elevators. She must’ve gone back up to the room. Probably to puke in private. I mean, who can blame her?
Lost in my own thoughts while waiting for the ding, I don’t notice Holden standing beside me at first.
My body reacts before my mind catches up. His smell, his warmth, his mere presence…
“Hey, I thought you could use some help.” His smile warms me from my head to my toes in a way I’ve never felt before. “Besides, you left your lunch behind.” He holds up a to-go container filled with my salad. “I also have some anti-nausea medicine in my bag if Everleigh needs it. It helps when I have a hangover.”
“Aw, thanks. You’re too nice. You remembered to pack everything, huh?”
“Always be prepared,” Holden says, half under his breath, almost like he didn’t want to say it, but the words came out anyway. He rolls his eyes and when he looks back at me, it’s like he's almost surprised I saw him. Or maybe more embarrassed? “Shit, sorry, old habits die hard.”
“What are you apologizing for?” I ask just as the doors pop open. “Being prepared is a good thing. I need more of it in my life, to be honest.”
Holden follows me into the elevator and presses the number seven before I have a chance to. I hold out my hand for my salad but he shakes his head no. “I told myself growing up I wouldn’t repeat the sayings my father drilled into my head, yet here I am. Saying them all the time. I sound just like him.” He seems disgusted with it, and it makes me curious about the relationship he has with his dad.
“I think it happens to all of us. I catch myself sometimes too. Don’t we all just end up similar to those who raised us?”
“Oh I hope not,” Holden says as we reach the seventh floor. Once inside my room, I find Everleigh draped over the toilet, her hair damp and stuck to her forehead. Poor thing. I’ve had many nights just like this, some even with me passed out on the tile in front of the toilet.
“Oh, Ev. That tequila is not forgiving.”
“I’ll get a wet cloth for her forehead,” Holden says from the doorway.
Everleigh’s head snaps up, and she moans loudly. “Noooo, Len! He can’t see me like this! Get out! Get out! Shut the door!” She waves her hands, and I turn and face Holden, who looks a bit scared. I can’t help my giggling at his face as I usher him out of the doorway.
“Sorry, but I’ll still take the wet cloth, please.” I bat my eyelashes at him, and he grins, any trace of fear gone as he focuses on me.
