The others who had been on the trip with us were waiting around in the tent, too. Sensing maybe that I was stable enough, Keaton and his boyfriend Olly rushed over to us. Keaton enveloped me in a quick hug and Olly clasped my hand and shoulder, nodding to show how pleased he was that I was alright. The others came one by one to greet me, though none of them really knew me. I could see they were more interested in talking to Aiden. He was their friend, after all. Their teammate.
That was fine.
I needed space to breathe and time to process. I looked up at Caleb and he understood what I needed instinctively. He’d always been a protective big brother – probably because of the difference in our sizes. He’d got the brawny genes, and I’d got the brains. That was how we had operated since I was old enough to remember and now wasn’t any different.
“Alright,” Caleb announced. “Coming through. We’re heading back to the hotel.”
Everyone, including the rescuers, stepped aside when he asked it. That was the benefit of being related to someone who was not just huge but also loud. I followed him gratefully towards the exit. I saw Aiden from the corner of my eye – saw him moving his mouth like he wanted to say something to me. I didn’t turn or respond. He didn’t need to warn me. I understood that I had to keep quiet about what we had done to survive.
It was just sharing body heat, after all. Just a way to make sure we stayed healthy until the rescue came.
We stepped out of the tent and down across a temporary wooden walkway, down towards an actual gravel area of the parking lot where Mom must have parked her car –
And I saw him, standing there in front of a news crew like he was giving them some kind of interview.
A pretty reporter in a skirt suit was nodding along with him, smiling, but someone must have spotted us coming. The cameras all swung around to face us – half a dozen of them – and the reporter started talking fast and loud into her microphone, loud enough for us to hear as we began to approach.
“And it looks like the last survivors of the avalanche to be rescued are now coming down! Brody, is that your boyfriend, Cade Coleman?”
“It is,” Brody said, giving me a grin as if he was happy to see me. As if I should be happy to see him. As if nothing at all had happened between us and the last six months had been erased from history.
“Go and let him know just how much you’ve missed him!” the reporter urged him through bright pink lipstick.
Brody started to rush towards me, and one single emotion rushed over me so strongly I almost fell.
Anger.
Aiden
The hubbub up in front of us caught my attention immediately. As soon as Cade had begun to leave the tent I had made sure to follow, telling my folks I was ready to go. I didn’t want to let him out of my sight still. As soon as he was gone, that meant it was really over – and I couldn’t bear that.
I still needed to tell him what I felt. I needed him to know.
I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wasn’t going to get that chance.
I started to push past people to get to the front of the column of friends and rescuers leaving the tent, needing to know what was happening. I could hear a woman’s voice – Cade’s name – and a man…
“Baby!” the man’s voice crowed out, too loud and too dramatic to be true. “Oh, thank god you’re safe!”
I made it close enough to see Cade’s hands forming into fists at his sides. Caleb’s were, too. This was…
Was this him?
Brody?
“Get away from me, Brody,” Cade snapped through gritted teeth.
Oh, thiswasBrody.
He clearly didn’t understand how many people in this small group wanted to punch him in the face. From the expression Cade’s Mom was wearing, I thought we could probably add at least one more to the tally.
“Honey,” Brody said, all faux-sweet for the cameras. He even held his arms out like he wanted to hug him. He was wearing a black leather jacket and skinny jeans, so completely inappropriate for the base of a mountain. “I know it’s been so hard. But I’m here now. Let’s put it all behind us.”
He was telling Cade more than just to forget about the avalanche. He was telling that they could forget about what ended their relationship. That they could start again.
My whole body tensed as I waited to hear Cade’s answer.
If he accepted…
