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Because it wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have over the phone.
Audrey pulled off onto the highway, and once our coffee was in hand—iced, since it it didn’t matter what the temperature was outside, I was a cold coffee girl—I finally relaxed into my seat.
A few hours later, we stopped for gas and food, which was absolutely necessary considering it was the afternoon and the only thing we’d had so far today was coffee.
“Want to take the next shift?” Audrey asked, holding out the keys as we approached the car, bags of snacks and drinks in hand. The tank was filled, and so were our stomachs, which meant that it was time to get back on the road.
“You just don’t want to drive in the snow,” I muttered as I accepted them, heading around to the driver’s side.
She gave me a guilty smile even as she settled into the passenger seat.
After I’d gotten back onto the road, checking the GPS and our ETA so Audrey could update Sutton, we fell back into our usual comfortable conversations. We talked about our favorite designers, our favorite books, and the classes we were looking forward to next semester. The thing about going to the same college as your sibling was sometimes you got to take classes together—I always loved being able to work on assignments or study together—and sometimes you took the same professor that they did before.
It was nice having that to bond over and to give each other tips on.
Our other biggest topic of conversation? The trip. We’d never gone on a vacation before without our parents, which was strange.
“What are you looking forward to?” Audrey asked, glancingover at me. “It’s been forever since we’ve gone skiing.” It really had. Our mom had broken her tibia when we were younger, and my family had gone from skiing every season to hardly at all.
“Sutton said there’s a hot tub, right?” Nothing sounded better to me right now than relaxing my sore muscles, especially after being on the road for so long. “Also, definitely looking forward to her desserts.” My mouth practically watered at the thought.
She was in pastry school and I would happily eat whatever she’d made. Especially if she whipped up one of her famous apple turnovers.Yum.
Ro joined me with a slight moan. “Yes. Fingers crossed.”
The rest of our drive was filled with random conversations, singing Taylor Swift at the top of our lungs, and a comfortable silence that could only exist in a car with your best friend. When you didn’t need to say anything at all to feel perfectly at home.
“Turn right here,” my sister instructed as I pulled off the snowy road, onto the smaller, one lane road that would bring us to the house they’d rented.
“Are you sad Parker couldn’t come?” I asked, the thought suddenly occurring to me.
She’d been spending more time with him ever since they’d run into each other at the Halloween party, and it wasn’t often that she went without mentioning his name. Parker this, Parker that. He’d transferred to Castleton to play on our lacrosse team, something that Audrey had also mentioned to me—about a dozen times.
She fidgeted with the fabric of her sweater instead of looking over at me as I drove down the narrow road. “No. I mean, it would have been weird, right?”
“Weird.” I blinked at her. “Why?”
“Because… he doesn’t know everyone. I wouldn’t have wanted him to be uncomfortable.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Audrey. He’s a student athlete. I don’tfeel like it would be that crazy, considering…” I trailed off, groaning as a thought occurred to me.
Sutton’s boyfriend was Forest. Forest’s best friends were… “Oh my god.No.”
What were the odds?
The house came into view, and I quickly threw the car into park, my eyes landing on the porch. Hitting my head onto the steering wheel, I cursed internally.
“Huh?” Audrey asked, poking her head up as she followed my line of vision. “What’s—Oh.”
“He’shere.” Logically, I should have been able to piece this together myself. “Charming.” Cam and Forest were friends, and Sutton had said her boyfriend’s friends were coming. Still, I hadn’t thought about the fact that I’d somehow agreed to spend winter breaktogether.“I’m so stupid. Sutton’s boyfriend is Forest. Cam’s best friend.”
Audrey winced. “Maybe it won’t be so bad? I thought things were good between you?”
Good, as in the orgasms he gave me,yes.Good, as in the way I was feeling about him? I was still conflicted, fighting the emotions raging through me.
Shrugging my shoulders, I turned to face her. “They were. Theyare. Sort of. I don’t know.” I released a deep exhale. “Everything’s been weird lately.”
“Weird… how?” Ro just raised an eyebrow. “Weirder than you two trying to outdo each other at events? Because Ella, that was…”
