His jaw tightens, eyes cutting to me. “Funny. I remember you being the one who walked away first.”
Silence slams down between us and my stomach begins to knot, part regret, part stubborn pride. I grip the bar tighter, refusing to meet his eyes because we both know he’s not wrong. I was the one that ended things between us. I was the one that walked away. But I’d be lying if I said a part of me hadn’t wished he would chase after me back then, and fight harder to keep what we had.
Suddenly, the chair jolts and everything goes still, my stomach dropping to my ass. “No, no, no, no, no.”
Sterling groans beside me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The silence is deafening. There are no gears turning, and no hum of machinery. Just the haunting sound of the wind howling through the trees below. My fingers ache from how hard I’m gripping the bar now.
“They fix this kind of thing, like, right away, right?”
“Usually, if there’s someone still working the ski lift,” he says, too calm. “Stop worrying. They’ll get it moving again in a few minutes.”
“W-what if it’s hours?” My voice pitches higher. “What if they shut it down and forgot we’re out here? We’ll freeze. We’ll starve. We’ll?—”
“Maisy.” He turns toward me, voice firm enough to cut through my panic. “Breathe.”
I suck in a shaky breath, but the lift sways and I freeze again. My legs already feel numb, and my heart is slamming against my ribs like it’s trying to beat its way out.
Sterling sighs as he rips off one glove and digs in his jacket pocket. “Alright, hold on. I’ll call Levi and tell him we’re stuck.”
Hope surges in my chest until I see the look on his face when he stares down at his phone.
“Please tell me it’s ringing,” I whisper.
He shows me the screen and there’s no call…because there’s no service.
My hands shake. “Oh my God. We’re going to be stuck up here all night. We’re probably going to freeze to death for real.”
“Maisy, stop.” His tone is infuriatingly steady. “You’re moving too much, and you’re going to rock the lift and send us both plunging to our deaths.”
I freeze instantly, gripping the bar with all my strength. “Why would you even say that?” I hiss through chattering teeth, notbecause I’m cold but because of the adrenaline coursing through my body.
“Because it’s true.” His mouth quirks, like he’s trying not to laugh at my horror. “So quit squirming, sit still, and practice your breathing.”
I glare at him, but it’s hard to hold onto anger when my heart’s racing this fast. My chest feels tight, like there’s no room for air, and I’m certain I’m about to have a full-blown meltdown.
Sterling must notice because he nudges my knee with his. “Hey, don’t spiral. Levi will realize we never made it down, and I’m sure he’ll send someone back to the lift tower to run a loop. Worst case, we’re just waiting an hour or so.”
“An hour?” I squeak.
He grins now. “Better than all night, right?”
I groan and press my forehead to the back of my gloved hands. “I hate you,” I mutter.
The chair rocks again with the wind, and I swear my soul leaves my body.
“This is it,” I mutter again, gripping the bar tighter. “This is how I die. Frozen solid on a ski lift with my ex-boyfriend, of all people. They’ll find my body months from now, icicles hanging from my nose.”
Sterling chuckles under his breath. “Wow. Dramatic.” He gives me a slow applause. “And what do you mean ‘of all people?’ I’m probably the best person for you to be stranded with.”
I snap my head toward him. “And why’s that?”
He shrugs, but I don’t miss the smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “I can help keep you warm.”
“How?” I ask, arching a brow as I finally turn my head to look at him.
He looks at me now, his eyes sparkling with the suggestion he isn’t saying out loud, and I press my thighs tighter together to stop the dull needy ache that’s building in my core. I can’t lethim know that my body still wants him. So I do what I do best. I shut it down.
