I trudge through the snow, barely acknowledging the staff who say hi or good morning as I make my way to Daphne’s cabin.
When I arrive at her door, I give one curt knock and hope that she won’t hate me when she opens it.
The door opens, and I have to lower the laundry basket to see her beautiful face. She smiles a little trepidatiously at me.
“Thank you again,” she says before grabbing the basket from me and turning inside.
“Of course, it’s nothing.” I duck under the entrance to the doorway. “And about—” I shut up as she stops and turns back to me quickly.
“No big deal, everything got a little heated but we’re cool now, right?” She searches my face for an answer.
“Yeah, totally.” I smile, glad my weird little outburst from last night hasn’t put her off of me for good.
Daphne gives me a curt nod and turns on her heel, making her way back to the cabin’s breakfast nook, basket in hand.
And that’s when I see him, Gerald, sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. I wonder to myself if he ever looks happy as he frowns into the mug of dark liquid. Daphne stops and holds his freshly cleaned jacket up for him to appraise.
“Isn’t it nice that Andri got these cleaned for us?” She smiles and waits.
His eyes flit up, and he seems, as ever, unimpressed.
“Thank you,” he manages, looking almost disappointed that there’s nothing to complain about. “I was worried I’d be stuck in here all day.”
Oh, there it is.
“So, how ya holding up?” I dare to ask, even being so bold as to saddle up at the table, flipping the chair around so I lean on my arms over the backrest.
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean,” he says with a face that lets me know he’s not going to let me get the upper hand. This man knows I’ve seen him at his worst, and he doesn’t give a shit.
“Well, I was just curious as to where you went last night? I normally know all the great parties on the mountain, count me as sad I didn’t get an invite!” I keep it playful, but I know deep down this line of questioning is to catch my competition in a lie.
“Well that’s because it was a private party,” he says smugly before taking a large gulp of his coffee and standing to throw on his ski jacket.
“Oh, you went to a party?” Daphne peeps up from the corner of the room. She doesn’t ask why he didn’t invite her, or even who it was with. It’s almost like she knows he wouldn’t care to tell her, anyway.
“Yes, I had to find something to do while you were being a barfly, didn’t I?”
My jaw drops open, and I look at her as her eyes begin to glisten.
“I don’t know if I’d say Daphne was the barfly in this situ—”
“Oh Andri! Look at the time, we’re gonna be late for that free lesson you promised me!” And without a second to spare, she rushes to my side and pulls at my elbow to head out the door.
Gerald stands with a knowing stare, looking down on me. So I stand too, just long enough to puff out my chest and tower above the asshole human. He says nothing but turns and tosses his coffee mug roughly into the sink.
“I’ll be back in a bit, dear!” Daphne yells, and she attempts, poorly, to drag my much larger body out the door.
I eventually comply, somehow quelling the feeling of wanting to pop Gerald in the jaw. When the cabin door opens and the brisk air hits my face, I take a deep breath in, letting the air filling my lungs steady me.
I do slam the door behind me, but I mean, it’s my resort after all.
Daphne is already fifteen feet ahead, skis in hand, rushing her way over to the bunny hill. Luckily it only takes me a few strides to catch up with her.
“Why do you let him talk to you like that?”
“Like what?” she huffs, not looking in my direction.
“Like you’re as worthless as a snowball in hell.” I don’t mince my words.
