Page 22 of You Were Invited
He gave her a little awkward wave before he walked back to his cabin, hoping she didn't think he was some creepy mountain stalker. He knew some women read steamy books about being kidnapped or saved by lone woodsmen, but this was reality. Andif she was skittish, he didn't want to be a threat. He’d already given her a fright.
He hadn't expected to see Annie again. When he stood on the deck of his cabin, he looked across the mini meadow.
I'll be sure to keep an ear open in case there's any funny business on the mountain,he thought uneasily. An unexpected, unwarranted sense of worry settled in his stomach, despite knowing she wouldn’t have come up alone unless she felt somewhat comfortable. He of all people knew how getting away from it all was the best cure from the chaos and hurt of the world.
He went inside and made himself a snack of cheese and crackers to eat at his laptop. Before going to Annie’s, he'd been searching the local ads for used skis, just to keep himself occupied during the next winter. When he refreshed the page he was in luck.
A pair was available right in town. They were bright orange with black accents.
He smiled. He liked going for walks, but walking in thigh-deep snow wasn't his cup of tea. If he could spend more time outside, tiring his body out, giving his mind time to drain itself, too, that was a win in his book. He DM’d the ad poster.
At half-past midnight, he shut out the lights. Glancing at the window again, he couldn’t help but glance across the way. Annie’s cabin was dark as well.
Annie smiled as the darkness consumed Julian.Even in my wildest fantasy, I can’t picture Chris chopping down a whole ass tree. He couldn’t even be bothered to decorate for Christmas.She locked up for the night. As she warmed her hands and thighsby the fireplace, more thoughts of Chris and the ruins of their relationship intruded on her mind.
When they’d come up to the cabin the previous summer, Chris had complained about how itchy he was, and had spent the whole trip watching sports. Sure, they’d cuddled on the couch, but all she’d wanted to do was walk hand in hand through the trees or visit the nearby lake.
Annie climbed into the cozy but cramped twin bed in Molly’s childhood room. Restless, she read emails to distract herself from the ache in her chest. Then she moved on to social media. The faded unicorn flannel blankets were soft as she hugged them, but they couldn’t chase away the deflation and grinding loneliness.
Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through Chris’s main social media profile. She was torn— wanting to forget the awful but still clinging to the good. Which… she did find once she dug far enough.
Each recent picture and status update felt like a jab to her chest. His profile said they were dating. He just hadn’t mentioned her in six months. No photos together. She’d even tagged him a few times, but he’d neglected to approve them for his own feed. He’d approved posts by his friends, though.
Had she really sleepwalked for this long? Through a time of her life that now felt like it had gone by in the blink of an eye? Three years together wasn’t insignificant; but holding on only prolonged her suffering.
With a heavy sigh, Annie mustered the courage to scroll to her own profile. Her finger hovered over the “edit relationship” button.
Would removing Chris make her feelings more clear? Or would this only infuriate him more? She hated hurting him, but…
It has to be done. Just do it. Focus on yourself. Move forward. Don’t let Chris consume you. You’ve already let him take more than you should have.She couldn’t dwell on what Chris might think or feel. God knew he wasn’t doing the same for her.
After changing her status to single, she placed her phone on the nightstand, cocooned herself up in her blankets, and finally fell asleep.
nine
The sun rose too soon, and Annie had the sickening misfortune of dreaming of Chris.
Her brain had pulled out all the stops. Dream-her had been making out with dream-Chris. His hands had pulled her bra aside, stroking the skin underneath. Heavy petting below the waist had made her melt and even finish.Finally, the attention I’ve been craving...
A once-welcome happening now left a distasteful sensation in her mind. Frustrated, Annie threw herself out of bed and straight into her work assignments.
After a mostly decent night’s rest, she made significant headway on her drafts. The erotic dream soon faded from her consciousness.
He’s not entitled to my heart now... and this feeling won’t be forever..
Molly called in the afternoon. They chatted about their days. Molly mentioned that Peter promised to help Annie move her things when she returned home.
“Thank you. I’ll be home soon.”
“Take as much time as you need. No rush.”
Annie smiled. Just then, Julian moved into the forefront of her attention. “Oh! One of the neighbors... I assume the one who lives here... he stopped by. Julian... er... well, I don’t knowwhat his last name is. But, well, he asked if you wanted any more wood for the cabin? Isn’t he the neighbor you wanted me to talk to? I actually bought a bundle from him on the way up.”
“Oh, cool. He’s a nice guy.”
“Yeah, he seems friendly. And funny.”
Molly paused.“Kinda cute, huh?”
