“Breakfast is served!” Holden says, delivering plates of pancakes and bacon and sliced fresh fruit. Rose takes Sergio’s latest mug of coffee and places it in front of where Holden takes a seat. Sergio furrows his brow in frustration. He looks up at her, and she’s ignoring him again, pretending she hasn’t stolen threecups of coffee from him while she helps Henry pour syrup all over his food.
“Eat up! We’re gonna need all the calories we can get for the slopes today,” Holden says.
“Can’t wait!” Sergio says, shaking off Rose’s trick and pouring himself one more cup of coffee from the dregs of the pot. He senses her reaching for it before he gets a chance to take a sip and pulls it from her grasp. “Oh no. Not this time.”
“‘Not this time’ what?” She smiles, feigning innocence, as the rest of the table begins to eat their breakfast.
On the slopes, Sergio is back in his groove. He’s enjoying himself, loving every run he makes down the mountain, breathing in the cool, fresh air laced with the soft flavor of the sugar pines. It’s fun, even without Holden—who’s busy teaching Henry how to glide down the trails on the bunny hills—while Sergio and Adrien make the larger runs together.
For what feels like the first time in ages, there’s a lightness between the brothers as they chase each other and carve fresh lines through the powdery snow. They challenge each other to races and toss snowballs at one another in the mountain basin before climbing aboard another chairlift. Sometimes they slowly glide and meander down, taking wide arcs and turns to take in the sights while Sergio snaps pictures and brief video clips with his GoPro along the way, documenting the levity of their traditional New Year’s Eve activities. Up here, in Lake Placid, it’s easy to reconnect.
Riding the chairlift for their last run before they’re set to meet Holden, Rose, and Henry for lunch and a warm-up by the local lodge’s fireplace, Sergio pulls his GoPro out again andsnaps a few shots from high above the slopes. It’s not one of his professional cameras, but it is good for capturing candid moments and action shots while on the go without the fear of destroying it with excessive goofing around. He turns the lens towards Adrien, who flashes him a peace sign and sticks his tongue out.
“Is that the look you want people to see on your dating profile?” Sergio asks.
Adrien glares at Sergio. “In case you forgot, I’m in a relationship. I don’t have any dating profiles.”
“Yeah, but like, Daphne ditched you for New Year's. I think we should put you back out there.”
“She didn’t ditch me,” Adrien corrects. “She opted to spend the holiday with her family. Which is her right, by the way.”
“Still kind of seems like she ditched you.”
“Well, that’s your wrong opinion.”
Sergio shrugs and snaps another photo of his brother. “But I mean, if she was as serious about you as you are about her, don’t you think she’d want to be here with you?”
Adrien lets out a heavy sigh and turns his gaze to look wistfully over the tree line in the other direction. Sergio cranes around, the safety bar digging into his midsection, so he can snap a shot of Adrien’s contemplative profile.
“It’s not that she didn’t want to spend the holidays withme, Sergio.”
“That’s what it seems like.”
“Well, it’s not. Can we drop this, please?”
“Sure,” Sergio says and leans in closer to Adrien, holding the camera so he can capture them together. “It’s just, you know, I think Daphne is nice—”
“Pfft,” Adrien cuts him off. “Sure you do.”
“But you’re my younger brother, and I think you deserve better.”
“Better than an heiress to the largest name in millinery?”
“I’m not sure a lifetime’s supply of one-of-a-kind women’s hats is worth the effort or the heartache.”
“Daphne doesn’t cause me any heartache.”
“Then why are you suddenly so glum on this lift?” Sergio knocks his shoulder against his brother’s.
“I’m not glum,” Adrien defends. “And I asked you to drop it.”
Sergio holds his hands up as if he’s ready to dodge a hit. “Okay, I’ll drop it. I only want what’s best for you.”
Adrien lets out a bitter laugh. “You’ve never wanted what was best for me. It’s always been about what’s best for you.”
“That’s not true! I have always looked out for you, and you have always been ungrateful.”
“Ungrateful?” This time, Adrien lets out a genuine laugh. “Full offense, Sergio, but you’re the ungrateful one!”
