Page 4 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“Oh.” I’d guessed he was a bit older than me. Luckily, it wasn’t too much older. I looked straight ahead, feeling warm under his gaze.

“And what about you?”

“Me? Oh, I haven’t even thought about college yet…”

“No … I mean how old are you?” He asked in a playful tone.

“Oh, right. Sixteen.”

“So, you’re a sophomore?” he asked. My stomach dropped a little. What if he thought I was too young? There was barely a year’s difference, not even two.

“Yeah…” I trailed off, unsure.

“That’s cool. Plenty of time to figure out the whole future thing. Don’t even stress it right now.” He didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

When we reached the original starting spot, I stopped. “Well, that was fun,” I said, feeling a little lame as soon as I said it out loud. “It was nice to meet you,” I added, starting to split off toward our cabin.

An emotion flashed across his face that I couldn’t decipher, and then he was composed again, with one hand in his pocket. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Bye,” I said quietly, stealing one last look into his eyes, already regretting cutting our meeting short. He stayed rooted in place, watching me walk away.

I’d only made it a few paces when I heard him call out.

“Wait,” he called, and I immediately turned around. “I’m doing a little campfire tonight at my house with a couple of friends. Would you want to come by?” If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he looked a little nervous.

“Sure,” I squeaked, and then died a little inside for sounding so eager. What was wrong with me? A boy had never had this effect on me before. But maybe he wasn’t just any boy. “Um, what was your name?”

“Liam.” My heart fluttered at the sound of it.

“And I live right over there,” he added, pointing to a large, nice-looking cabin on a small hill surrounded by trees.

“Okay, Liam. I’ll see you there,” I smiled back at him as I turned to walk away, feeling his eyes on me as I headed toward our cabin. Butterflies fluttered about in my stomach, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Maybe the trip wouldn’t be so bad after all, I thought.

4

Layla

I wake up my first morning in the cabin feeling refreshed. I barely remember falling asleep last night; the long drive had done me in. Today feels wide open, and I’m excited to explore.

As I sit here on this plush, grey couch enjoying the rich espresso, I take in my surroundings. I can’t quite place it, but something about the cabin is so cozy and homey that it makes me want to lounge here all day. It doesn’t even smell like a dusty old cabin in the mountains like you might expect. Instead, it smells of cinnamon and pine. I’m pleasantly surprised at how comforting it is.

An hour passes as I sit here, taking in all the random knick-knacks and decorations, enjoying the ambiance. Being on vacation with no schedule or obligations is the best feeling in the world. It’s exactly what I needed. Any doubts I had about coming here are fading away.

Finally, I make my way to the bathroom to get ready for a day of exploring the town. I change into black jeans, a low-cut white top, and a black peacoat. I quickly fix my hair then place a tan beanie with a little pom-pom on top. I do a turn in the mirror. I’m not all that impressed by the reflection, but it will have to do. It’s much better than a year ago, anyway. My long, black hair looks fuller and healthier, the bags under my light brown eyes have receded, and my bronze olive skin has a glow again, rather than looking like a grey corpse.

As I make my way back to the kitchen, I stop and consider making one last shot of coffee. I don’t have an addiction or anything; I just really love the taste. Besides, I’m on vacation. That means I can drink an unlimited amount of coffee.

I decide to treat myself to one last helping of liquid energy, then exit the cabin, taking in the fresh snow outside. I hear a distant humming of a motor somewhere nearby, which isn’t unusual for around here. It could be a snowblower, a snowmobile, or something else. I don’t think much of it as I lock up the cabin and bounce down the stairs, excited for my day of exploration.

In hindsight, the bouncing wasn’t a good idea. There’s a fresh layer of snow on the ground, and when I reach the walkway, my feet slide out from beneath me and I flip straight onto my back. I’m dazed for a moment and realize it probably looked like something out of a movie. The drama of it all makes me laugh out loud. I remain on the ground for a moment, staring up at the sky and trees.

As I lie on the cold, hard earth, laughing at myself, a figure suddenly enters my line of vision, startling me out of my giggling fit. I quickly sit up and hear a deep, gravelly, male voice saying, “Whoa, easy.”

I look up at the hulking figure, squinting to see a face, but the sunlight makes it hard. His silhouette is outlined against the bright sky. A large, masculine hand stretches out toward me, and without thinking, I take it. He pulls me up with ease.

It isn’t until I’m standing up straight again, still well below the tall figure, that I look up at him. My stomach drops harder than my body just did on the ground.

“Are you alright?” the male asks, concern in his deep voice.

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