Page 14 of See You Next Winter
She rests her head on my shoulder, weaving her fingers through mine. Our fingertips line up and we press them into each other.
“I can’t imagine anything worse than being miles away from the man I love.”
Noted. Loud and clear.
My flight leaves a day earlier than hers, so I stay over and milk every minute, her words spinning over and over in my head.
This thing I have with Kayla, I can’t imagine it with anyone else, but she’s right. We live on opposite sides of the world. Two lives in two continents.
She falls asleep around three, her head on my chest, knee hooked up and over my hip. It’s not comfortable, and I barely sleep, but I don’t give a shit. I want every single second with her. I stroke my fingers through her hair, count her eyelashes, and wonder if one day we’ll come here with children who look half like me and half like her.
When I know I can’t drag it out any longer, I roll her onto her side, slip out of bed, and pull my clothes on.
“I’ll see you next winter, Bunny.”
“See you next winter,” she mumbles, pulling my pillow to her chest and curling herself around it. The covers shift enough to reveal thebumps of her spine and the curve of her ass. I drop a kiss on one perfect, round cheek, then cover her up.
Later, I’ll wish I’d taken a photo. This will be the image that haunts me when I decide to let her go.
Chapter 11
Ryan
December twenty-fourth is themain event here, and I’ve always loved how my family extends the festivities, by blending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day into one long celebration of food and relaxation.
After a day of stuffing our faces and hanging out in the hot tub, we bundle up to walk down to the town square for the traditional parade.
Having spent the last two holidays in sunny California, I’ve missed the way the local community shows up to celebrate the occasion. Since long before we were kids, crowds have gathered to seePère Noëlas he travels through the town in his sleigh. For years I thought it was the real thing, but without kid goggles, it’s clearly a man on the back of a truck with not a reindeer in sight.
Still, the streets are full of excited faces tipped up to admire the lights and unique displays in all the shop windows. Mum keeps stopping to show them all to Cameron, but when Hannah leads him off to buy roasted chestnuts, I look for Kayla.
It doesn’t take long to track her down in one of our favourite spots, perched on the edge of the monument near the tourist office.
When I offer her my hand, she glances at it for a second, then pretends she hasn’t seen me.
“Kayla,” I growl up at her.
“I’m watching the parade,” she says, shoving her hands under her thighs and out of my reach. “I have the best view from here.”
“You’ll have a better view if you come wriggle your way up front with me, like always.”
She throws her head back and makes a sound that’s half laughter, half groaning. “‘Like always’implies you’re always here, and that is blatantly not true.”
“Well, I’m here now.” Still, she doesn’t budge. “Fine, scoot over and make space for me.”
While attempting to boost myself up and sit next to her, I discover my fully grown ass is the same size as two kid ones and end up shoving her off the edge.
“Ryan, what the fuck?” she snaps, wincing when a nearby family turn to tut at her language.
Kayla turns her back on me, and I hop down again and throw my arms around her shoulders. She’s the perfect height to rest my chin on her head.
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Yes,” she huffs, but I can already feel her softening against my chest.
We’ve never been the kind of friends who argue, at least not about serious stuff. She might have lost her shit a couple of times when I’ve beaten her in a race to the bottom of the ski slope. Then there was the one time I was a selfish prick to her all winter break, but I did my best to make up for it the following year.
She lets me slip my gloved fingers between hers and lead her closer to the front of the parade where our parents are watching with Hannah and Cameron. She’s been teaching him to ski this week, and it’s cool to see my sister and my friend getting on so well. Makesme think I should invite her out to California sometime, if she can drag herself away from work.
