Page 1 of Baby, It Snowed Outside

Chapter one

Aspen

Lucky me, it’s been hours of sitting at the airport waiting on my brother, Breck’s, flight to arrive. Every update scrolling across the board rolls through as either delayed or canceled. Breck’s flight was supposed to arrive over two hours ago. I’ve texted him a few times to check in, but so far no one has heard from him. My parents thought it would be fun for me to pick Breck and his best friend up from the airport. Zane is practically a member of our family. The two of them have been inseparable since middle school, and I’ve spent just as much time hanging around as the annoying little sister. Going to colleges on different coasts was never part of the plan, but Breck didn’t get into Yale and no way were Zane’s parents going to let him attend a back-up school just so the two of them could stay in a dorm together.

I sigh loudly, then quickly glance at the people next to me, making sure no one is staring at me. All around the busy airport, loved ones snuggle in, mindlessly scrolling phones or watching the TVs and their coverage of the storm. The once eager and happy children excitedly asking how much longer until the plane lands have turned into gremlins, crying and screaming for cartoons or begging for a snack. I tune it all out, and have never been more thankful for my headphones. Breck understands me better than anyone else, which is why these were the perfect birthday gift from him. I roll the cold rose pink case over a few times in my perfectly manicured hand anxiously.

I haven’t seen either of them since August, which feels like it’s been so much longer than just four months. Halloween wasn’t the same without them this year. Every Halloween, for as long as I can remember, the three of us dressed up in a group theme. This year I didn’t even go to the costume party at the country club. It just didn’t feel right; my entire world feels empty. It’s my senior year of high school and it doesn’t even feel like it. I take college classes online through a program my parents pay extra for that allows me to work ahead. I’ve been attending an exclusive, online school since sixth grade. My parents, having realized my brother and I are both incredibly smart, filled our schedules with violin and piano lessons. They packed in private lessons for learning almost every language imaginable, and then there was the tutoring pod. We shared pod tutors with other families in the club, hosted at the clubhouse every Tuesday and Thursday. SAT scores, after all, are the most important part of getting into a good school. I have my sights set on Brown. The boys both intended to attend Yale, but Breck had to accept Stanford when he didn’t get admitted. I keep telling myself next year will be better; surrounded by new friends and thousands of miles away from my stuffy, lonely life here.

My parents are hosting their annual holiday party tonight for all their real estate friends, and I honestly think this was the opportunity they needed to get me out of the house. They know how much I’ve missed my brother. We talk all the time but it’s not the same as having him here to hang out with. Zane’s parents are stuck on the mountain at their yearly holiday, work sponsored ski trip. The storm hitting the Denver metro area rolled through there last night, and is still pounding the mountains with fresh powder. They called mom this morning and asked if we could pick up Zane, since they are stranded until the highways open up and the chain restrictions are lifted in the area. It could be days before they make it down the mountain. My mom had no problem volunteering my services for picking up Zane, and heck, I would be lying if a part of me wasn’t looking forward to seeing him just a little bit. I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Zane. His tousled boy-next-door look is effortless. I used to tag along just to spend time with him, and I didn’t give a fuck if he knew it.

Two hours ago I didn’t mind picking either of them up, but that was before the snowstorm pounding the mountains switched directions, blowing into the city. The storm came sweeping in hard and fast. I don’t think anyone was prepared for that, especially not the weatherman. I glance at the newscasters on the television screens. They are covering the storm with snowfall updates. We’ve had six inches of snow in the last two hours, the roads are terrible, all outbound flights are canceled, anything not already en route to Denver has also been canceled, and judging from the swirling snow blowing around outside the window, it’s only getting worse out there.

My phone buzzes and I hastily check it, hoping it’s Breck with an update. It is, but he doesn’t have good news. His flight got canceled, and now he is grounded in Arizona. There are no flights leaving Arizona and coming into Denver.

“Shit,” I swear under my breath, instantly regretting it. Angry parents hurl daggers at me, making me wish I could disappear into the blizzard.

I type out a quick text back asking if he’s let mom know or if there’s anything I can do to help. It takes him forever to reply, which means the only reason he has in fact texted our mother is because I told him to. I blow a wisp of mousey brown hair out of my face and bite my lip to hide my smirk. I’m too busy gloating over my superiority as the best child to notice he asked me about Zane. My phone vibrates again and a message from Zane, letting me know he landed pops up on the screen, then quickly disappears.

“Fuck,” I curse again, this time the tired parents clear their throats aggressively.

Taking it as a cue that my presence is no longer appreciated, I jump to my feet in search of Zane’s gate. With Breck in Arizona, it leaves me and Zane all on our own. I’m not sure how to feel, or why I am even thinking about it like this. My stomach fills with nervous butterflies. Four months, I remind myself. He’s only been gone for four months. He’s still the same old Zane. Don’t make this weird, I think to myself desperately.

Zane’s gate is crowded and busy. There are people everywhere. Realizing quickly, the best chance I have of spotting him is to be on the outside of the crowd. I slink away to sit in an empty chair. Those people can enjoy the pushing and shoving. I want nothing to do with the enormous crowd. The noise erupting from the crowd is nearly deafening as people shout their loved ones names over and over. This place has turned into an absolute madhouse. People are stressed and irritable. I’ve never seen an airport this chaotic before.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulls my gaze away from gawking at the ticking time bomb unfolding in front of me. It looks like security has also been alerted to the chaos. I scoff as I watch them being swallowed alive by the crowd. They never stood a chance at restoring any type of order.

Thankfully, a few minutes later, I spy the tall, muscular build of Zane. His height and classic baseball cap make him easier to spot. My eyes skitter down his body, even though I know they shouldn’t. I’m making things weird, but it doesn’t stop me from dragging my eyes back up each hard line, admiring his muscular physique. The sweat pants are an especially nice touch. My gaze lingers, even though I can feel the burning sensation of him staring back at me. I don’t dare lift my eyes to catch him. Instead, I pretend to look around, then wave to him until I see his legs moving in my direction.

My blood thunders in my ears, and I find myself overthinking everything while my heartbeat races. My mind goes completely blank, which is inconvenient because in a matter of seconds he’s going to arrive right in front of me while I stand here like a brain dead Barbie. I squeeze my eyes shut for a brief second, trying to collect myself in a hurry, but I’m not fast enough.

His warm, hard body is colliding with mine as he scoops me into a giant hug, squeezing me so tight I can barely breathe. I’m melting against him and not trying to fight it one bit. Fuck breathing, I decide, inhaling the scent of his cologne, and enjoying entirely way too much the dirty thoughts racing through my head. What the fuck is wrong with me? He’s Zane. He’s been like a brother to me since we were kids. We grew up together and four months ago when he left I didn’t allow myself to feel this way, so why now? It’s like in the time Zane’s been gone, he’s suddenly gotten taller, more muscular, and now, as if it’s actually possible, he’s even more attractive than I remember him ever being. His icy blue eyes catalog me in much the same way I did to him. I try not to over-analyze it too much.

When he releases me, I feel myself longing to be back in his arms again. They fit around me just right, the way I always imagined they would. What the fuck is wrong with me? I think about how many girls he must have slept with in his dorm room, and the feelings finally fucking fade away to nothing. I look up at him, smile and shout, “I missed you too.”

He laughs, but I swear I detect a hint of a nervous undertone. His cheeks look flushed? Is Zane fucking blushing? No, I decide on a more logical explanation. He’s obviously flushed from pushing his way out of the crowd. I don’t have time to flip-flop. He’s asking me something, but I have no idea what he’s saying.

“What?” I shout, completely unable to hear over the racket.

Come on, he mouths, offering his hand, and pulling me to the luggage area. When we are far enough away, he lets go of my hand awkwardly and repeats his earlier question. “Where’s Breck?”

Shit. He doesn’t know. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he texted me right before you did and said he’s stuck in Arizona. He didn’t text you?”

Zane shrugs. “He may have.” He shrugs suspiciously. “I just haven’t read all of my messages yet.”

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and swipes through it. “Well, that’s some shit luck. Breck says there are no flights being scheduled into Denver. They aren’t even rebooking people until maybe tomorrow afternoon.”

“Damn,” I reply, shaking my head. “Mom’s going to be so pissed at him. She wanted him to fly in earlier, but he didn’t listen to her—“

“Because he didn’t want to have to make an appearance at the stupid party,” Zane says, finishing my sentence.

“Exactly. He owes me one and you better back me up on it. I have to deal with our mother alone now and listen to her mope around about how she has less time to spend with her perfect baby boy.” I make a gagging sound.

Zane erupts with laughter. “Okay, but only because you put it that way. Damn, I missed it here.”

The smile that lingers on his face reaches all the way up to his eyes, and fuck if it doesn’t leave me weak in the knees. When he says he missed it here, does he mean because of me? I laugh with him, forcing my nervousness to fade away. That’s it, I remind myself. He’s the same old Zane. There’s no reason to let my thoughts get the best of me.

We wait at the carousel in an awkward silence. Is it awkward, or am I the only one thinking that because I’m being a ridiculous child infatuated with my brother’s best friend in the most inappropriate way right now? I chance a glance at Zane out of the corner of my eye. He shoves his hands into his pockets, balling them into anxious fists as he scours the never-ending line of luggage, looking for his bags. I don’t even try not to stare. If he catches me, I’ll just say I zoned out, watching the bags glide around and around on the conveyor belt. My staring goes undetected, and I manage to pull myself together once more before he eventually spots the bags he’s watching for. He points them out, and we both step forward.

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