Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

DARCY

“ D arcy, would you puh-lease ?” Maya groans in exasperation, tightening her hold on my wrist and trying relentlessly to yank me away from the Colorado Springs airport gift shop.

“Maya, would you please?” I reply with just as much annoyance—if not more. Who is she to tell me when I have to leave? I’m having a perfectly grand time staring at the cookies and cream chocolate bars. Milo loved cookies and cream chocolate bars. Ugh . How pathetic. I’m going to cry over airport chocolate bars, and my best friend has no compassion left for me.

“Don’t snip at me!” Maya chides. “I let you sigh dramatically over the snow globes, tiny mugs, and trail mix. Chocolate bars are where I draw the line. What happened to being angry? What happened to... him being a waste of space? Why is chocolate, of all things, setting you off like this?”

I shrug pathetically. Some people get hotter after a heartbreak. I, however, revert further and further into a whiny child. I just consider myself lucky that I’ve seen Maya in just as bad shape. At least both of us are delusional idiots.

Maya sighs. Her eyes soften and her lips tighten. “I get this was supposed to be your honeymoon, babe, but if you sulk the whole trip, you won’t have fun. And more importantly, I won’t have fun. Why don’t we use the power of positive thinking and nip this depressing negativity in the bud, okay?”

The power of positivity would be ideal, but unfortunately, I’m a natural-born pessimist. Rumor has it that as a child, instead of making lemonade out of lemons, I simply squeezed the lemon juice into the eyes of any poor bastard I could find. Approaching difficult situations with sensibility is most certainly not my forte. I’m more of a “bitch about it until it goes away” kind of person.

But Maya is looking at me with her sweet little face. I hate it. Just a single flutter of her lashes, paired with a subtle tilt of her head and a faint dimpled frown, and I find myself caving in completely. She’s like a puppy. How do I say no to a puppy?

I make my discontentment as apparent as possible by heaving a large, dramatic sigh. Then I nod because I’m a total pushover. “Fine. I’ll do my best. But don’t expect any big miracle. I am who I am, and it’s in my blood to pout. Every woman on my father’s side was gifted with a miraculous brood.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Maya laments. “But thank you. And really, D, I think if you just try to put aside all of your preconceived ideas of this trip, we might actually have a really good time. This could be the turning point in this whole shitty situation. Maybe you’ll meet a hot guy. Have some rebound sex. Doesn’t that sound fun eh? Hot, steamy rebound sex?”, she nudges me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch an older man shooting us a look of disgust. I stifle a groan of annoyance at Maya for making my personal life the business of strangers. She’s so clueless sometimes. I can’t even begin to think how she hasn’t gotten herself into trouble with that big mouth of hers.

“Absolutely not,” I seethe. “The last thing I need in my life is another man. I think I’ve had enough of men to last me ten lifetimes. They’re untrustworthy losers—every single one of them—and I’d be happy to never see another one for as long as I live. And I would suggest you do the same if you know what’s good for you. They’ll take advantage of you. Chew you up and spit you out and then gaslight you into thinking it’s your fault for climbing into their mouths in the first place. They’re manipulative, conniving, immature liars who need to be eradicated from the planet.”

Maya gives me a disinterested side glance. “At least you’re rational about it. Can we go now, please? The more time you spend whining, the less time I’m spending in a luxurious resort on a breathtaking mountain. Respectfully, I will leave you here.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” I mumble under my breath. I allow Maya to pull me into the flow of foot traffic toward the baggage claims.

I don’t know why she’s in such a rush. The bags haven’t even arrived by the time we join the other passengers from our flight.

As we idly wait, time passes slowly, but I don’t particularly mind. I’m not all that excited to get to the resort. Maya, however, is practically buzzing. She’s typing so fast on her phone that I think she might break her poor thumbs. Her leg is bouncing up and down, and she’s chewing at her bottom lip, which is twisted up into a hidden smile.

“Who could you possibly be texting that makes you smile like that?” I ask. The audacity she has to be receiving entertainment elsewhere. I get I’m being a downer, but she could at least have the decency to hide her joy from me.

“Besides me, of course,” I add with a wink.

Maya scoffs, but the smile remains on her face. She tucks her phone into her back pocket and shifts the weight of her hair to the other side of her head. “Cody. He says he got the hotel manager to put a bunch of free stuff in our room. He won’t be there to meet us because he’s teaching one of his ski classes, but he says we can join him if we want, and he’ll give us a private lesson after he’s done later this afternoon.”

“Oh boy . Doesn’t that sound exciting? A private lesson with Cody.”

Maya’s eyes narrow and her hands rest on her hips. “Okay, seriously. Are you going to be a raging bitch for the entire trip?”

I narrow my eyes right back. I didn’t want to bicker in the airport, but if a catfight is what she wants, bring it on.

“I don’t know. Are you going to guilt me into doing things I don’t want to do for the entire trip?” My voice is loud, but Maya’s is louder.

“I’m sorry I don’t want my best friend to rot in bed all week! If you want to lay around in self-pity, please be my guest! It’s not like you haven’t been doing it for the past four months anyway.”

I scoff. “That’s what you think, isn’t it? That I’m a pathetic burnout who let a man ruin my entire life?”

“Of course not!” Maya exclaims. “Jesus, Darcy, I don’t blame you for being heartbroken. If this had happened to me, I wouldn’t even be able to function. It’s just… I worry, alright? You’re not the same as you used to be. You’re cold and angry and... irritable. I want you to be happy again, and I thought that maybe this trip could help. I know you can’t be magically healed, but I’d hoped that getting out in the world could be a reminder that there’s more to life than heartbreak. I’m not going to continue being your punching bag either. I’ve let you off loads over the last few months, now you need to pull yourself together and start speaking to me like I am a human being.” Her eyes water a little and she looks away.

The anger in me dissipates. Oh, God. I’ve been such a brat. To Maya of all people. Sweet, selfless Maya, who doesn’t have a spiteful bone in her body!

“No, I know, M,” I say. “I know. I’m sorry. You’re right. I haven’t been myself, and I haven’t been a good friend to you lately. I really did need to get away from home for a little while, and I’m excited to spend some positive quality time with you. If I start acting like a bitch, just snap me out of it and remind me to be in the moment.”

Maya’s lips twitch into a gentle smile. She reaches out and takes my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly.

“You’re an amazing friend—always. And I promise I’ll try not to get frustrated with you as long as you promise to really try to be nice. I know you can’t help it. A broken heart is no walk in the park.”

“Yeah, but you make it easier. You make everything easier. And as soon as we get to the hotel, we’ll go meet Cody and do the private lesson. It could be fun.”

Maya doesn’t let go of my hand until the bags start to rotate around the luggage carousel, and even then, she stands so close to me that I can smell her perfume. We walk side-by-side to the cab and chat softly for the entirety of the two-hour car ride into the mountains.

It’s beautiful here. The sun is high in the sky, and I can feel its warmth through the glass of the car window. The snow shimmers like diamonds underneath the beaming light, and the trees stand tall and green despite the cold climate. It feels like a fairytale land. I can’t fathom that it’s real.

Most couples would have picked a sunny, beach destination, relaxing at the Maldives perhaps for their honeymoon. But Milo loved being different. He was adventurous and when he suggested we go to a ski resort and learn together for the first time he made it sound so romantic I was easily convinced. I would’ve done virtually anything to make him happy.

“Baby, we can learn a skill together, that’s pretty cool for the first thing we do together as a married couple eh?”

“I guess, I mean I was looking at the romantic couples hotels but…this one does look more exciting."

Milos eyes lit up,“Yes! Exciting, that’s exactly what it will be. It’s what we need. We don’t want to go into marriage doing the same boring stuff that all the old couples do, we’re going to keep our lives exciting.” He held my hands tight.

I guess I wasn’t exciting enough for him.

Arriving at the resort is like entering a freakin’ hallmark movie. It’s more magical than it looked in the photos. Kids are playing in the snow, couples sit intertwined, and the lively chatter of families can be heard all around us. For the first time since we left home, I feel something close to excitement for what’s to come.

We unload our bags and manage to haul them up to our room after checking in. The room is comically large—the honeymoon suite. I try to imagine what it would’ve been like to share such a big space with Milo. He probably would’ve sat down in front of the TV for most of the evenings and spent the days doing whatever activities he wanted to do. Regardless of my wishes. With Maya, though, I know it will be different. She’s already pointing out all of the little things to me—the chocolate on the pillows, the fresh vase of roses, and the pink bathtub. She’s like a kid in a candy store.

“Are you going to ogle at the decor all day, or are we gonna go find your brother?” I ask. When Maya blushes, still in awe as she looks around, I can’t help but smile.

“Sorry,” she says with a sheepish smile. “This is just so much cuter than I thought it’d be.”

I grimace because I can’t help myself. But at least I didn’t make a snide comment.Progress. Slow, painful, progress.

As Maya unpacks her suitcase, her phone chimes. She glances at it and smiles. "Mom says hi," she tells me, tapping out a quick reply.

"You just talked to her at the airport," I laugh.

Maya shrugs. "You know Mom. She worries." She hesitates, then adds, "She asked if Cody's spending time with us."

I raise an eyebrow. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth. That he's around, but busy with work." Maya sighs. "I wish he'd call them himself sometimes, you know? They miss him."

I nod, not quite sure what to say. It's a familiar conversation, one we've had many times before.

"Maybe this trip will change things," I offer, hoping to lighten the mood.

Maya smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe," she echoes, turning back to her unpacking.

We put on our coats and snow boots and head downstairs. After a quick round of asking at least three different people for directions, we manage to find the path that will take us to the lessons.

Or so we thought.

In a matter of five minutes, we realize we’re completely lost again.

“I think we should’ve taken a left back there,” I grumble, which only frustrates Maya more. She glares at me and increases her already inhumanly fast pace. Luckily for me, I have experience keeping up with her and her freakishly long legs.

We wander for a while more. I’m beginning to lose feeling in my extremities when Maya finally stops and throws her hands in the air.

“I give up! We’re lost!”

“Well, yeah,” I growl through chattering teeth. “I did point out that we went the wrong way.”

“What do we do?” Maya wails. “We’re gonna freeze to death! They’re gonna find us, and we’re gonna be popsicles! Why did you have to have a honeymoon in the snowy mountains? Why not Hawaii?”

“Because your dumb brother couldn’t get me a discount in Hawaii. Would you please calm down? You aren’t going to freeze. I might strangle you with my bare hands, but you will not freeze.”

Maya pouts and crosses her arms tightly over her chest. “Sure. Go ahead and blame it all on the dumb blonde. Do you think you really would’ve been able to get us there if you had taken the lead, Miss Perfect and All-Knowing?”

I don’t bother to reply and instead look around for any signage to direct us back to the resort, but all I can see is snow. Snow, snow, snow. A giant blanket of pure white. Covering... everything. Great. So, even if there were any signs, I surely wouldn’t see them.

“Darcy.” Maya grabs my arm with the strength of ten men. “Darcy, Darcy, look.” She points to a human-shaped silhouette approaching in the distance. They’re too far to make out any distinct appearance, but they’re definitely coming toward us. “Oh, God,” Maya whimpers. “We’re about to be murdered in the middle of nowhere. They’ll never find our bodies! Oh, God, Darcy! They’re gonna make a documentary about us! I wonder who they’ll get to play me? I swear if it’s anyone but Margot...”

“Would you stop—” I swat Maya’s hand away and squint to try and get a better look at the incoming stranger. I can make out dark hair, broad shoulders, and a tan face. He’s definitely a man, but that’s the only thing that’s clear.

“Hey!” I call out to him, figuring he’ll either kill us like Maya thinks or actually be able to help us. “Over here!”

“Darcy!” Maya hisses.

I nudge her away. The man seemingly spots us and picks up his pace. As he approaches, I’m able to get a better look at him. He’s young, about our age, with light brown skin and curly black hair that’s buzzed on the sides. He’s got a sharp face with defined cheekbones and a soft jawline. He looks sweet, but I remain on my guard.

“Hey, you guys alright?” he asks when he’s within earshot. Oh, God , his accent. He’s Australian. A gorgeous Australian boy.I immediately put him out of the mental bucket of likely murderers and into the bucket labelled likely crushes for Maya.

I don’t need to look over at her. I can feel the heart-shaped lasers shooting from her eyes.

“We’re lost,” I tell him since Maya can’t find words. She’s staring. Unblinking. “Any way you could help us find Cody Banks?”

The guy looks at me for no more than half a second before Maya gets the entirety of his attention. “Must be my lucky day,” he says to her with a grin, “coming across such a beautiful girl lost out here in all of this snow.”

“Ohhhh-kay, then,” I mutter, sucking my teeth at his audacity. Don’t you mean coming across two beautiful girls? What am I, Quasimodo?

I’m probably a little bitter, and I also have lost all faith in men, so I nearly gag when Maya bats her eyelashes and smiles sweetly at him. “Must be my lucky day,” she says, “A cute boy coming to save me.”

“Jesus Christ.” I do gag this time. I can’t help it. It’s nauseating. I’m rewarded with the sharp jab of Maya’s elbow in my ribs.

The boy smirks at us. “It just so happens that I know exactly where Cody is.”

“Thank goodness,” I sigh.

His eyes remained glued to Maya. “And I’ll tell you… for the small price of your name.”

Who is this guy? Freakin’ Rumpelstiltskin? I move closer to Maya and hiss in her ear, “Two seconds ago you thought this man was a mass murderer. Do not tell him your name.”

“I’m Maya,” she quips, completely ignoring me. “And this is Darcy.”

I gape at her. “Are you serious right now?”

She doesn’t even look at me. Am I invisible?! “And your name is…?”

The guy gives a grin so wide that dimples the size of craters appear in his cheeks. At the sight of them, I hear Maya take a shuddering breath.

We’re doomed. Another woman lost to dimples.

“It’s Louis,” he tells her, “Which isn’t nearly as exciting as Maya. That means ‘dream,’ does it not? It fits you well.”

Maya is utterly melting. Her legs tremble, and her lips stretch into a smile so broad, I fear they might split in two. “Yeah, it does. I can’t believe you know that. Nobody ever knows that.”

“What can I say?” Louis winks. “It’s almost like fate brought us together so I could impress you.”

I’m genuinely sick to my stomach. Get me out of here. “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever?—”

“I think you might be right,” Maya interrupts me. “Do you want to come skiing with us this afternoon?”

“I do,” Louis says. “But I have to work. Don’t you worry, though, dream girl, I’ll see you again later.” He smiles. “For now, how about I get you two ladies where you need to go?”