Page 6 of Thaw My Heart
Maya gives me a disinterested side glance. “At least you’re rational about it. Can we go now, please? The more time you spend whining, the less timeI’mspending in a luxurious resort on a breathtaking mountain. Respectfully, Iwillleave you here.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” I mumble under my breath. I allow Maya to pull me into the flow of foot traffic toward the baggage claims.
I don’t know why she’s in such a rush. The bags haven’t even arrived by the time we join the other passengers from our flight.
As we idly wait, time passes slowly, but I don’t particularly mind. I’m not all that excited to get to the resort. Maya, however, is practically buzzing. She’s typing so fast on her phone that I think she might break her poor thumbs. Her leg is bouncing up and down, and she’s chewing at her bottom lip, which is twisted up into a hidden smile.
“Who could you possibly be texting that makes you smile like that?” I ask. The audacity she has to be receiving entertainment elsewhere. I get I’m being a downer, but she could at least have the decency to hide her joy from me.
“Besides me, of course,” I add with a wink.
Maya scoffs, but the smile remains on her face. She tucks her phone into her back pocket and shifts the weight of her hair to the other side of her head. “Cody. He says he got the hotelmanager to put a bunch of free stuff in our room. He won’t be there to meet us because he’s teaching one of his ski classes, but he says we can join him if we want, and he’ll give us a private lesson after he’s done later this afternoon.”
“Ohboy. Doesn’t that sound exciting? A private lesson with Cody.”
Maya’s eyes narrow and her hands rest on her hips. “Okay, seriously. Are you going to be a raging bitch for the entire trip?”
I narrow my eyes right back. I didn’t want to bicker in the airport, but if a catfight is what she wants, bring it on.
“I don’t know. Are you going to guilt me into doing things I don’t want to do for the entire trip?” My voice is loud, but Maya’s is louder.
“I’msorryI don’t want my best friend to rot in bed all week! If you want to lay around in self-pity, please be my guest! It’s not like you haven’t been doing it for the past four months anyway.”
I scoff. “That’s what you think, isn’t it? That I’m a pathetic burnout who let a man ruin my entire life?”
“Of course not!” Maya exclaims. “Jesus, Darcy, I don’t blame you for being heartbroken. If this had happened to me, I wouldn’t even be able to function. It’s just… I worry, alright? You’re not the same as you used to be. You’re cold and angry and... irritable. I want you to be happy again, and I thought that maybe this trip could help. I know you can’t be magically healed, but I’d hoped that getting out in the world could be a reminder that there’s more to life than heartbreak. I’m not going to continue being your punching bag either. I’ve let you off loads over the last few months, now you need to pull yourself together and start speaking to me like I am a human being.” Her eyes water a little and she looks away.
The anger in me dissipates.Oh, God.I’ve been such a brat. ToMayaof all people. Sweet, selfless Maya, who doesn’t have a spiteful bone in her body!
“No, I know, M,” I say. “I know. I’m sorry. You’re right. I haven’t been myself, and I haven’t been a good friend to you lately. I really did need to get away from home for a little while, and I’m excited to spend some positive quality time with you. If I start acting like a bitch, just snap me out of it and remind me to be in the moment.”
Maya’s lips twitch into a gentle smile. She reaches out and takes my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly.
“You’re an amazing friend—always. And I promise I’ll try not to get frustrated with you as long as you promise to really try to be nice. I know you can’t help it. A broken heart is no walk in the park.”
“Yeah, but you make it easier. You make everything easier. And as soon as we get to the hotel, we’ll go meet Cody and do the private lesson. It could be fun.”
Maya doesn’t let go of my hand until the bags start to rotate around the luggage carousel, and even then, she stands so close to me that I can smell her perfume. We walk side-by-side to the cab and chat softly for the entirety of the two-hour car ride into the mountains.
It’s beautiful here. The sun is high in the sky, and I can feel its warmth through the glass of the car window. The snow shimmers like diamonds underneath the beaming light, and the trees stand tall and green despite the cold climate. It feels like a fairytale land. I can’t fathom that it’s real.
Most couples would have picked a sunny, beach destination, relaxing at the Maldives perhaps for their honeymoon. But Milo loved being different. He was adventurous and when he suggested we go to a ski resort and learn together for the first time he made it sound so romantic I was easily convinced. I would’ve done virtually anything to make him happy.
“Baby, we can learn a skill together, that’s pretty cool for the first thing we do together as a married couple eh?”
“I guess, I mean I was looking at the romantic couples hotels but…this one does look more exciting."
Milos eyes lit up,“Yes! Exciting, that’s exactly what it will be. It’s what we need. We don’t want to go into marriage doing the same boring stuff that all the old couples do, we’re going to keep our lives exciting.” He held my hands tight.
I guess I wasn’t exciting enough for him.
Arrivingat the resort is like entering a freakin’ hallmark movie. It’s more magical than it looked in the photos. Kids are playing in the snow, couples sit intertwined, and the lively chatter of families can be heard all around us. For the first time since we left home, I feel something close to excitement for what’s to come.
We unload our bags and manage to haul them up to our room after checking in. The room is comically large—the honeymoon suite. I try to imagine what it would’ve been like to share such a big space with Milo. He probably would’ve sat down in front of the TV for most of the evenings and spent the days doing whatever activitieshewanted to do. Regardless of my wishes. With Maya, though, I know it will be different. She’s already pointing out all of the little things to me—the chocolate on the pillows, the fresh vase of roses, and the pink bathtub. She’s like a kid in a candy store.
“Are you going to ogle at the decor all day, or are we gonna go find your brother?” I ask. When Maya blushes, still in awe as she looks around, I can’t help but smile.
“Sorry,” she says with a sheepish smile. “This is just so much cuter than I thought it’d be.”
