Maybe. But we’re not wrong.
Ethan
So, what’s the plan? Are you guys going to smooch by a bonfire? Make out in a sleigh?
Claire
Kiss under more mistletoe??
Ethan
Or maybe he’ll declare his feelings during a dramaticsnowball fight.
Belle
Or maybe we’ll just hang out and roast marshmallows like normal people.
Claire
Boring.
Ethan
Disappointing.
Belle
Gotta go. I have a sleigh to catch.
Claire
TEXT US EVERYTHING.
Ethan
And if he sings to you like a Hallmark movie hero, we demand a recording.
I set my phone on the nightstand, a small smile still lingering from the chaos of the group chat. Leave it to Claire and Ethan to turn my personal drama into their entertainment. But underneath their jokes, I knew they were genuinely happy for me—for walking away from something that wasn’t right.
And honestly, I was a little proud of myself too.
It would’ve been easier to go home, to let the awkwardness of a breakup drive me out of this winter wonderland and back to normal life. But something in me wanted to stay. Needed to stay. Maybe it was the peace I found here. Or maybe it had everything to do with a certain hockey player who’d somehow made me feel more seen in a few days than Alex ever had in months.
I wasn’t entirely sure where things were going. But I knew one thing—I didn’t want this trip to end just yet.
Especially not the part that included Holden.
The sun had just dipped below the snowy mountains, casting everything in soft blue shadows as I stepped outside. The air was crisp, the kind that kissed your nose and cheeks and made you thankful for scarves and mittens. A line of sleighs waited just beyond the lodge, each one lit by lanterns that flickered warmly in the growing dark.
And then I saw him.
Before Holden and I had parted ways last night after the movie, he’d mentioned he’d be at the sleigh ride activity and that I was welcome to join him, but if I decided to go home instead, he’d understand. He hadn’t asked for an answer then, just encouraged me to take my time and do what felt right for me.
And as awkward as it was to still be here at the resort while Alex’s parents were around, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not yet. Not while Holden was still here.
Talking to him last night, hearing the reason behind the walls he kept up, the way he let me see behind them—it had pierced something in me. The fact that he’d trusted me with that part of himself only deepened the connection with him I already felt.
Holden stood near one of the sleighs, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, breath curling in the air. He looked up at the sound of crunching snow beneath my boots, and when our eyes met, he smiled. That quiet, slow smile that made something in my chest turn over.
