Riley chuckled as Cole hurried out of the room, brushing past Josh carrying both of their duffel bags.
“You got the room with the view!” Josh shouted ashe dropped the bags and stepped quickly to Riley’s side, throwing an arm around him as they gazed out the window.
After a few moments, Josh turned to take in the rest of the room and gasped, making Riley spin to see what caused that reaction.
“Yoooo, the bed is facing this window so we can sit in bed and look outside all day. I wonder if we could see the fireworks from the bed,” Josh said.
“You’d rather sit in bed with me watching the fireworks than stand outside with all our friends?”
“Oh, true. I guess they’d think that was weird. I hope we can see them from the hot tub.”
“Any chance you get to take off your shirt,” Riley joked.
“Like you’re any better,” Josh taunted, putting him in a headlock. Riley bent forward to grab behind Josh’s legs, lifting him into a bridal carry and tossing him on the bed. Josh didn’t let go of the grip on his head though, so they both crashed onto the mattress, rolling around the bed fighting for dominance.
Josh pinned him against the navy bedspread, a triumphant grin on his face, both of their chests heaving.
“Damn, you guys don’t waste any time, huh,” Abby said, making Josh release his hold on Riley so they could see her standing in the doorway smiling. “Get ready, we’re going to hit the slopes soon. Gonna leave in liketwenty once everyone is settled.”
“Okay, sounds good, we’ll be down in a few,” Riley responded, as Abby quirked an eyebrow at them and headed downstairs.
“You think we can take that one trail we crashed on last time?” Josh asked.
“It’s worth a try. I think we can do it.”
“Together, we can do anything!”
Josh was like a walking motivational poster, and Riley wouldn’t change a thing about him.
————————
The sun had set by the time the group returned to the cabin, sore and tired from a long day skiing, tubing, and, for some of them, falling.
“I think I spent more time on the ground than on my skis,” Hailey said, her long brown hair matted to her forehead after she tore off her knit beanie. “One time, it took me a solid five minutes to stand, and then a snowboarder knocked me over again. I felt like aLooney Tunescharacter.”
Avery was similarly worn out as he pulled Hailey against his side. “That guy was lucky I didn’t follow him down the mountain.”
“Yeah, okay,” Riley teased. “And when you caught him, you’d give him a stern talking to without evenraising your voice. That would show him.”
Avery shrugged, not bothering to pretend that wasn’t exactly what he’d been thinking.
“Ave, don’t be silly. If we’re going to send anyone after someone, it’s going to be Elena. She’s our enforcer,” Cole said, laughing at his own joke as he took a glove to the face from across the room. “See what I mean?”
Elena smirked where she stood, taking off her other glove slowly, as if warning Cole to say something else.
“Bubbles, you have the best aim and you’re perfect,” Cole said with pleading eyes. He refused to tell Riley or Josh why he called her Bubbles, but her smirk turned into a full grin at his flattery.
“Speaking of kicked asses, I think it’s a good night for the hot tub, otherwise some of us may have trouble walking tomorrow,” Riley said, and everyone nodded around him.
“I can finish making my egg drop soup while everyone is getting changed,” Josh said. “We can eat that and warm up before we go outside.”
“Thank God I reminded you to pack the ingredients,” Riley said. “What would you do without me?”
Josh’s face paled and he looked haunted. “Oh no, I don’t want to even think about that.”
Riley’s gut sank as he understood his fear. Josh may have been the sweetest, most caring person in the worldto him, but after Josh’s parents were taken from him, he’d had a fear of losing someone else.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he said as he pulled Josh into a hug that turned into playful pushing and shoving, a smile back on Josh’s face where it belonged. It likely would have been another wrestling match if they had the energy for it.
