“Pfft … you should try working for him,” Adrien says. “Some days I wish an omelet were all I had to procure.”
Sergio, used to the two of them picking on him, ignores them and grabs the coffee from Rose to begin pouring everyone a cup. She steals the first one for herself, so he offers the second to Adrien. He saves the third for himself and gives the last to Holden as he places the made-to-order omelet down in front of Sergio at the table.
“Thanks, bud,” Sergio says. “This looks perfect.”
Holden stands a little prouder. “I do make a mean omelet.”
“Is that omelet going to be mean to Uncle Sergio?” Henry asks, looking concerned.
“Of course not,” Holden assures him right as Adrien says, “God, I hope so,” and takes a sip of his coffee.
“Why would I need my food to be mean to me when you and Rose already do such a good job of it?” Sergio asks as he begins to dig in. He may be trapped in this day and doomed to repeat it tomorrow, but dammit if he’s not going to enjoy this omelet. Chewing, he turns to look at Holden. “Delicious!”
“Don’t mention it,” Holden says, clapping him on the shoulder with a crisp crack. He gestures to the table. “Eat up! We’re gonna need all the calories we can get for the slopes today.”
On the slopes, after enjoying new food in his belly, Sergio is feeling rather optimistic about his plight. Well, not necessarily optimistic about anything along the lines of him being released from this loop, but he is capable of appreciating some of the finer things about his predicament. Most notably that by the time he and Adrien make it down to the basin after this last run for the morning, he will be well on his way to seeing Jeremy and hopefully kissing him again.
He smiles to himself in anticipation and starts kicking his feet, causing the chair lift to gently sway forward and back.
“You’re oddly chipper right now,” Adrien says, eyeing him out of the corner of his eye.
“Am I?”
“Yes.” Adrien laughs. “You’re kicking your feet like a school kid with a crush. But I know that can’t be right.”
“You think so little of me, huh?”
“When it comes to things like feeling a connection with someone? Yes.” Adrien laughs again.
With Jeremy still on his brain, Sergio shrugs. “I’ll prove you wrong one of these days.”
“Doubtful,” Adrien says and looks off into the trees.
Despite it being a futile effort, as all traces of today will be gone tomorrow, Sergio pulls out his camera and takes a picture of his brother looking contemplative. Sergio can practically see the gears grinding in Adrien’s head. He turns the camera so Adrien can see the picture on the screen. “For Daphne.”
Adrien smiles, but it doesn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks, that’s a good one.”
Sergio recognizes something in his brother’s sad smile that he’s starting to feel in himself. A longing for someone else. In some ways, Sergio has it easier. Jeremy is not only in the same town, but he’s also staying on the same property. Adrien’s longing has to travel a far greater distance. It requirestranslation into another language. It needs to be quenched in a bolder way. Sergio must only walk to the barn. Adrien requires a slow slog through TSA lines and border customs after an eight-hour flight.
“You miss her, don’t you?”
Adrien shrugs. “I don’t know. We spend so much time apart that I think I’m always missing her. It’s kind of our standard.”
Something clicks inside of Sergio, like a puzzle piece finding its home. Having always been single and never wanting to share himself or his life with anyone, it was easy to overlook. But now that he pines for Jeremy like this forest of needle trees, he has a newfound understanding of his brother’s needs outside of their familial relationship.
“It doesn’t have to be.”
Adrien rolls his eyes and looks at him straight on for the first time on this particular lift ride. His expression is blank and tired. “Don’t tell meyouhave a solution.”
“I think I might,” Sergio says, knowing exactly what he needs to do. He braces himself for the end of the lift coming and dismounts effortlessly, then waits at the top of the mountain for Adrien to join him. Once standing at his side, he continues, “Adrien. You know I love you, but I think it’s time for you to stop working for me.”
“Are you firing me?” Adrien asks, his face lighting up in a genuine smile that bursts the bubble of tension that’s been festering between them for all these days.
“Afraid so,” Sergio says, then takes off down the mountain, feeling almost as light as he did the first time he kissed Jeremy. Maybe things are going to be alright between him and Adrien after all.
“Did you guys have fun?” Holden asks them once they all find each other on the bunny hills.
“Tons. I fired Adrien,” Sergio says as he skis past Holden to get to the bottom of the little hill to catch Henry who is already calling out for him.
