Page 40 of The Season
“It sounds awesome,” Lily says, the excitement clear in her voice. “I’m definitely down, if everyone else is.”
I turn in my chair just in time to see a smile light up her hazel eyes, and all thoughts of protesting their backcountry plans come to a screeching halt. She wants to go backcountry. She’s not afraid.
I can be brave for her.
Some of the nervous anticipation thrumming through my blood takes on the warm pulse of adrenaline as I think about hiking out of the resort, pushing myself, doing something new. Something dangerous. Of feeling her eyes on me and meeting her smiles with my own.
“I’d like to go,” I say, and I almost believe it. “Let’s do it.”
Her smile widens, and I can’t help but smile in return.
Chapter12
Eddie
Matty clearly thinks he’s on a date.
I cringe when he half hobbles, half skates up to Lily in the lift queue, shoving past a group of teenagers and knocking his board into everyone in his desperation to get to her. He’s far enough ahead that I can’t tell what he’s saying, but there’s no missing the puppyish expression on his dopey-ass face as he speaks to her, then practically glues himself to her side so they can sit together on the lift.
“What a fucking simp,” I mutter under my breath then pull up my face mask. “And why is it so fucking cold?”
I scowl up at the clear blue sky, wishing I could force the sun to make its appearance over the mountains through sheer will alone.
“It’s cold because it’s winter,” Liam replies dryly, and I can practically feel him rolling his eyes in my direction. “Stop being such a girl’s blouse about it.”
I snort, a soft huff that’s muffled by my mask. “You secretly a seventy-year-old dairy farmer?” I retort. I don’t think I’ve heard someone call anyone agirl’s blousesince my grandpa died. God rest his crotchety soul. “Girl’s blouse.” I parrot, then shake my head. “Pretty sure Stephanie Jealouse would kick your ass if she heard you saying weird shit like that.”
Liam grumbles some inaudible response—probably an agreement—then rubs at the back of his neck, just below his helmet. I notice he doesn’t say anything about Matty though. And, like always, his gaze drifts to Lily whenever he thinks no one will notice.
I notice though. I always notice.
“How’d they get so far ahead in the queue anyway?” Tom asks, his voice pitched with whiny entitlement. “Why are we all the way back here?”
I try to move away from Tom as he comes up to my other side, but there’s nowhere I can really go, so I settle for giving him a disgusted look which he, unfortunately, ignores.
Neither Liam nor I reply. The answer to Tom’s question is currently wearing designer ski gear, sporting some of the latest technical skis, and whispering to Lily in French while poor Matty stares on in confusion.
Antoine.
I have no idea what happened to make Liam and Antoine hate each other, but something must have happened, because the two of them can barely stand to look at each other. Still, nice friend that I am, I stayed back with Liam so he’d have someone to ride the lift with. I’m thoughtful like that.
I shuffle along toward the lift, watching the chair sweep up Matty, Lily, Seth, and Antoine with a small twinge of envy. Not because I’d like to be sitting with them, of course. I just hate having to wait. That’s all.
“… so I told her if she was that thirsty, I had something better for her to drink.”
Tom’s wheezing chuckle at whatever he just said has my attention snapping back to him, and I feel my teeth grinding in annoyance at the sound of his voice.
“I mean, she was happy for me to keep buying her drinks all night long—her and her friends, actually, greedy bitch. But when the bar closed, guess who was too good to come home with me, huh?”
His snowboard clips the edge of my skis, and I tighten my hold on my pole, barely resisting the urge to stab him with it. Accidentally, of course. He wouldn’t feel it. Much.
“You should have seen what she was wearing, too. Short skirt, her ass practically hanging out.” He reaches forward, making the shape of what is presumably a rounded ass with his red-mittened hands. Who the fuck wears red mittens? “Just begging for attention, you know what I mean. And then she had the audacity to turn me down!”
I turn to give Liam a look, my eyes wide with mock disbelief behind my goggles.The audacity, I mouth.
Liam shakes his head, his lips twitching, nostrils flaring as he struggles not to laugh.
Tom says something else, which I tune out. For a brief moment, I contemplate shoving him over, or maybe cutting him off in the lift queue and forcing him to go a row back, but then it’s our turn to get on, and the lift is hurtling up behind us, and sweeping the three of us up the mountain.
