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A sigh escaped me as I walked over to my bag and grabbed some clothes. I made sure to change quickly, before they reappeared from the bathroom. I didn’t bring much with me, but I made sure to pack warm clothing. I was dressed and ready to go outside by the time they were done brushing their teeth and whatever else they were doing in there.
The three of us were silent as we left our room and caught the elevator to the first floor. The tension was thick and heavy in the air around us. The big elephant in the room was whiter than the damn snow outside. I wanted to bring it up, but I wasn’t quite sure how. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel awkward or okay with it. Too many questions were flooding my mind. I decided it was better to choose silence and wait for one of them to address it first.
Although, I wasn’t quite sure either of them were going to bring it up.
The air was cold as we stepped out into the parking lot. My boots sunk in the snow and I pulled my hood up to block the flakes that were rapidly falling. Julian was leading the way with Miles close behind him and I was the last one walking over to the car. There was no way in hell we were going anywhere.
They must have plowed the parking lot at some point, but it was hard to tell anymore. The only thing that gave it away were the piles pushed off to the side, but the ground had since been re-covered in snow. It was at least six inches deep.
Julian stopped beside his car and brushed some of the snow away with his arm before pulling the door open. I stopped beside Miles, watching as he grabbed the ice scraper from inside and began to brush the snow away from the windows.
I looked over at Miles. “We’re not getting out of here.”
“Yeah… I think we might have to stay another night.”
Julian glanced at us over his shoulder. “We’ve driven in worse conditions than this. We’ll be fine.”
Miles rolled his eyes and linked his arm through mine as he led me out of the way while Julian got inside his car. We waited while he started the engine and let it warm up for a minute or two. He put it in reverse and pressed on the gas, only to have his car stay in place. If anything, it shifted a few inches while the wheels spun.
Miles chuckled and I shook my head. “He’s so damn stubborn sometimes. He knew damn well this wouldn’t work but needed to know for sure it wouldn’t.”
“Want to go see about getting that room for another night?” I asked him while Julian climbed out of the car.
“Absolutely,” Miles said with a smile and a wink. “I’ll meet you both back inside.”
Miles left me standing there as I watched an irritated Julian slam the door of his car. He slowly turned to face me, his expression unreadable, but there was a scowl on his lips.
“We were supposed to get you home today. Your mother was expecting you.”
I stared at him for a moment with my eyebrows pulling together. “It’s fine, Julian. I’ll call her and explain. I’m sure no one wants any of us trying to drive in this weather just to get home for Christmas Eve.”
Julian fell silent. The scowl disappeared from his lips and his footsteps were deliberately slow as he stepped closer to me. He stopped just as he reached me, his head tilting down to meet my gaze.
“Do you remember last night?”
His question struck me in the chest. Heat crept up my neck and spread across my face as the memories flooded my mind again. I nodded. “I do. And I believe you said that if I remembered, you would tell me anything I wanted to know.”
His eyes were focused on mine. “I did.”
I was terrified to walk through the door we left hanging wide open last night. “You said you regretted letting me walk away and not breaking up with her then. Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side as the corners of his mouth twitched. “Hasn’t it always been obvious? I only ever had eyes for you, Raegan. But I knew Miles had feelings for you too. It was too messy, too risky. I was a coward. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship and I didn’t want to lose you at the same time.”
The oxygen left my lungs in a rush. My eyes widened and I was rendered speechless. No, it wasn’t obvious… not to me, at least. They were both always protective of me, but I always thought it was coming from a platonic stance.
“I just don’t understand what changes things now,” I said quietly, not fully trusting my voice. “With both of you.”
Julian let out a sigh and ran a hand through his snow-dusted inky hair. “I feel like we’ve always been dancing around one another. I’m tired of wasting time because I’m afraid of what may or may not happen. Maybe it all blows up in our faces—who knows. But I do know one thing… we won’t know if we don’t explore the possibilities.”
I stared at him for a moment. “What about Miles?”
A smirk played on his lips. “I only speak for myself. You’ll have to ask him your own questions.” He slowly slid his hand into mine and turned me with him to face the building. “Let’s go see if he was able to get the room for tonight. I don’t particularly care to sleep in my car tonight.”
“One last question,” I said as I pulled him to a stop.
Julian turned back to face me. “Of course, sweetheart.”
“Did you and Miles already talk about this?”
