Well Damn

After a nasty break up, a ski trip with her best friend, Mary, is all that Y/N needs to relax. But when Mary’s cousin Chris shows up, she gets a little more out of this week away than she bargained for. With one jealous ex, not enough beds, and a lot of secrets, Y/N is in for the vacation of a lifetime. She just needs to make sure Mary doesn’t find out.

Here’s Chapter 4 of “Behind Closed Doors”. You can read the previous chapters here. Next update on Wednesday! 

______________________________________________________________

“So Joe said he could teach us the basics all morning, and then come back to the cabin for lunch,” Mary explained. “After, we’ll go back out. We’ll be queens on the mountain for sure. How long can learning to snowboard take? Like 20 minutes?”

Y/N thought Mary might be a little over-optimistic, but she wasn’t about to dampen her friend’s spirits. Neither of them had ever attempted snowboarding before, so 20 minutes seemed like a stretch.

The three of them made their way to the mountain, which was a very quick drive from the cabin. Mary and Y/N needed to get equipment from the rental shop, but Joe was a seasoned snowboarder and had his own gear. He looked like a professional, with his close-cropped hair covered by his helmet. His green eyes, which always gave away how amused he was by Mary’s antics, were hidden behind reflective goggles. The whole look gave him a serious edge.

Y/N and Mary were soon kitted out in a similar fashion. Y/N didn’t feel quite as impressive as Joe; she just felt like a child playing dress up. They all journeyed to the bunny hill.

“Now, the most important thing is balance,” Joe said sternly. “No hills until you can balance correctly.”

Joe was a demanding teacher, and he wanted Mary and Y/N to show him that they could balance on their boards properly and swivel their feet before he let them on the bunny hill itself. It was an hour before he let them even try.

Mary’s balance was definitely better than Y/N’s, and after a few falls, she got the hang of it. Y/N was having a lot more trouble. She fell often. Joe kept reminding her to keep her hips over the board and point her head where she wanted to go, but it didn’t come naturally to her. She knew that she was going to be sore from more than her couch-bed after all of this, but she was still having a great time. By lunch, Joe was confident that they had mastered the basics enough to let them on the green circle hills. It was the easiest type, but the ladies were excited to graduate off of the bunny hill.

Before they could try the real slopes however, Joe insisted on lunch.

The mountain had its own lodge with food, so the three stayed instead of returning to the cabin. They met up with Edward and Mickey, who were drinking the day away in their snow attire. Edward told them that he was much more suited to being a lodge bunny than out on the slopes, and Mickey had obliged him. The group chatted about their plans for the rest of the day, and soon enough Y/N, Joe, and Mary were back out on the mountain.

The lift was designed for two, so Joe and Mary took the first chair up to their destination. Y/N waited for the next one, when she saw someone slide up out of the corner of her eye.

“Mind if I join you?”

Of course it was Chris. And she did mind. But it was too late, and the next chair was coming around the bend. It hit them in the back of the legs, and they were off, up the mountain, alone.

You just need to sit with him until you get to the top, thought Y/N. It’s only a few minutes, you can handle that.

She focused her attention ahead, trying not to register the awkward silence. She saw Joe and Mary playfully teasing each other on the chair in front of them. It felt like intruding, and she had to look away. It was getting more awkward by the second.

They were getting closer to the top when the chair just stopped moving. Y/N was no expert, but she was pretty sure the lift was supposed to keep going, round and round. It wasn’t really intended to stop.

She looked behind her, back at where they came from, to see if she could decipher the problem. She saw that Daisy and Tom, clad in skis, were in the chair behind. They were snuggled close together - was that necessary? - with Tom looking off into the distance. Daisy, however, was glaring daggers at Y/N. Y/N looked ahead again, trying to avoid any unneeded and unwanted drama.

“Someone probably fell. It’ll start moving again in a second,” said Chris, who must have noticed her searching.

They sat in the ever-deepening awkward silence for about a minute when Y/N started to feel restless. Why weren’t they moving?

“What if it’s broken?” Y/N asked, trying not to let any panic creep into her voice. She didn’t especially like being up here. Not with him. Not this close.

“Then we wait, and we try to find a way to entertain ourselves.”

She could hear the smirk that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face, and she refused to look at him. She hated to admit it, but the smirk was starting to grow on her.

After about another minute, she gave in. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, we don’t have a ton of space up here,” he noted. “But I think we should play a game. You know, to pass the time.”

“Like what? I spy with my little eye, something white? It’s all white if you hadn’t noticed, Chris.”

“I was thinking more the ‘Never Have I Ever’ route,” Chris replied.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Are you 14?”

“I don’t see you providing any better suggestions,” he said with a shrug. “We could just go back to sitting in silence until this thing starts up again. No problem here.”

Y/N took him up on the offer. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but Y/N was getting antsy. The quiet was getting oppressive, and she was starting to feel like something was really wrong with the machinery back down on the ground. Being up so high was starting to get uncomfortable. She didn’t trust his intentions, but without a distraction, she was going to freak out sooner or later.

“Fine!” she relented.

“I knew you’d come around,” Chris said confidently. “They always do.”

The cockiness grated on her nerves, and she almost told him he could fuck right off, but the chair started to sway with the wind, and she needed to think about something other than falling to her death. She put her hand up with five fingers extended.

“Never have I ever… broken a bone,” Chris started. He was smiling innocently, but his eyes didn’t tell the same story.

Y/N put a finger down.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“I was in an accident in high school. Broke a few ribs and a collarbone,” Y/N said nonchalantly.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. That must have sucked.”

“It took a while to heal, but I got better.”

She was sort of surprised that the first confession was so tame. She expected him to go straight to the nasty, raunchy stuff. Maybe she had underestimated him.

Or maybe this game was just warming up.

Y/N started easy as well. “Never have I ever snowboarded before.”

“Really? This is your first time?” Chris asked as he put one of his five fingers down.

“Yeah. I don’t really seem to be a natural at it either. I’ve fallen about 30 times today, and that’s just counting before lunch.”

“Well aren’t you in luck. I just so happen to be an excellent teacher.”

Y/N studied him. Mary said he was into winter activities, so maybe that was true. Joe had seemed capable all morning though, and she wasn’t really in the market for a new teacher. Just when she started to think he might be being earnest, he spoke again.

“I’d always catch you if you fell.”

Y/N was positive he was incapable of being serious.

They went on like that for a bit. Chris said he’d never been in a helicopter; both kept fingers up. Y/N had never eaten Thai food; Chris put a finger down. Y/N had to put a finger down for watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians (guilty pleasure), eating Artichoke Pizza (she firmly believed Chris was missing out), and falling asleep in a movie theater (she hated war movies, and Austin had always dragged her along). Chris put down a finger for riding a motorcycle and cheating on a test.

Both of them had one more finger up, and it was Chris’ turn.

“Never have I ever…” The tell-tale mischievous glint had returned to his eye. Y/N did not like where this was going.

“… made out with anyone in a hot tub.”

Y/N put her last finger down.

“Well I’ll be damned. Looks like I win.” He didn’t sound triumphant, more curious. 

“Evidently you have an extremely boring love life, Chris,” Y/N said, as she felt the heat creeping up the back of her neck.

“Well since you have all of this experience, maybe you could help me with that later.” His signature smirk was back.

“No, I don’t think I will,” she retorted. Y/N felt like she was losing at more than just Never Have I Ever. She felt like every time he spoke, he was worming his way deeper under her skin.

Before she had to confront the complicated mess of emotions she was feeling, the lift started to move again. Y/N thanked whoever was listening for letting her get away from this man.

“That was fun. Maybe we can play again later.”

Y/N didn’t respond as they got off the lift. She slid her way over to Mary and Joe, while Chris went off in search of a more difficult slope. Once she was safely with her friends, she turned to see Daisy and Tom’s skis hitting the ground and them move out of the way of the oncoming chairs. Tom made to follow Chris, but Y/N saw Daisy pause and shoot a murderous look her way. She then followed her boyfriend in the opposite direction.

So much for avoiding drama, Y/N thought. She turned back to her friends and realized Joe was talking about the best way to make it down this hill. She only caught the tail end of what he had to say though, and Mary and Joe took off down the mountain.

Y/N didn’t have a real conversation with Chris until after everyone had finished eating and settling in. Y/N tried to pitch in with the dishes and was assigned to the glorious task of scrubbing a burnt pan. It was Mickey’s fault, which helped Y/N create a more solid mental picture of him. Why did he decide to heat up his takeout in a pan? It was anyone’s guess. Chris was drying off a spatula when he blurted out, “Are you going in the hot tub later?”

It took Y/N a good minute to register the words that came out of his mouth.

“I… I mean it’s cold out? Why would I want to use a hot tub when it’s cold out?” She realized she sounded ridiculous.

“I mean that’s why a hot tub is hot. That’s what it’s for… so you would be doing it a disservice by not using it.” Chris said with the utmost confidence. Did he usually have this level of smoothness or was it just around the topic of hot tubs?

Wait, Y/N thought to herself. Is this how he lured girls in, with this sexy hot tub talk? Was it working on her? She didn’t trust him, but she didn’t necessarily have to. She didn’t even really have to like him per se. Y/N was never one for hot tubs, or swimming for that matter, but maybe she could tolerate it.

“You’ve convinced me… Mr … this would have been smoother if I actually knew your last name.” Y/N sighed as her half-hearted attempt at flirting fell flat. Definitely out of practice.

A smirk appeared on Chris’ face before he answered. “Evans. It’s Evans, for the record.”

“Well, Mr. Evans. You’ll have to wait 30 minutes for me anyways….you know, just ate.”

With a hearty laugh Chris replied, “You know, I think I can manage that.” 

They never made it to the hot tub that night. Y/N saw that Daisy had gone in herself (to be joined by Tom after a bit) but Y/N didn’t join them. The exhaustion of the day settled in, and it wasn’t worth the effort. She noticed that Chris avoided the hot tub, and Daisy too, just like he said he would.

—

Since Y/N was the last one to make it to the cabin, she had to settle with sleeping on the couch. Mary told her it was a family rule, to make things fair. No one was allowed to pre-claim rooms or save rooms for anyone else. She thought the couch would be fine. She had slept in worse places in college: bathroom floors, half-filled air mattresses, the works. But this couch was definitely assembled by the Devil himself, with barely enough fabric to cover the wood structure underneath. Her designer eye could see neither form nor function in it. It was hideous and uncomfortable; why would anyone buy a couch like this?

She stared at the walls for a while, trying to find a comfortable position. Everything was painted this sort of sickly green color, which was not making her feel any better. Y/N tossed and turned and failed to get comfortable.

This trip almost couldn’t get worse.

Y/N woke up with pains in parts of her body that she had never experienced pain in before. She was uncomfortable from head to toe and more than a little grouchy.

She walked into the kitchen. Edward was there, and he noticed her sour mood almost immediately. It was like he could see the dark cloud hanging over her head.

Edward seemed only a bit better off than her. His hair was in true disarray, as compared to the artful tousle of the previous night. He continued sleepily making his coffee, turned to her, and offered her a cup. “You look like you could use it.”

Y/N just nodded, hoping some caffeine might make this day seem less tragic.

“How do you take it?”

“Black is fine.” No use beating around the bush today. Y/N was looking for immediate caffeinated results.

Edward shot her a look that said he understood, and he poured her a cup.

“Don’t you look like a ray of sunshine.”

Y/N turned to see Chris leaning against the counter. He looked incredible. It wasn’t fair. It was too early for this. And the t-shirt on his body had to be cutting off his circulation. No one slept in something that tight. The pants he wore hung almost indecently low on his hips, and Y/N could see the chiseled V underneath.

It was fucking criminal to look that good this early. She made a mental note to look more like a Victoria Secret model in the morning and less like Anna from Frozen on her coronation day.

“Did you get that shirt in the children’s section? Or did it just shrink in the wash?” Y/N wished she had something snappier, but she wasn’t at her peak this morning.

“Oh, I just wear this as a favor to the rest of the world. You’re welcome,” retorted Chris as he poured himself some coffee as well. He was still smirking at her like he had the night before. Y/N was starting to think it was just his face.

“The couch wasn’t the most comfortable place I’ve ever slept, if you must know.” Part of Y/N didn’t want him thinking she always looked like a gremlin after waking up, and the other part of her was mad that she cared so much.

“I’m very sorry to hear you had the misery of sleeping on that thing, it’s always been awful,” Chris said, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “You’re more than welcome to join me in my bed. We don’t need the whole house to hear you complaining for the rest of the trip, now do we.” His smirk deepened, and his voice dropped low. “Besides, I’m not really used to sleeping alone.”

Somehow, in the midst of Chris speaking, Y/N failed to notice how close he had gotten to her. She had to take a step back and take a deep breath to steady herself. She hoped he didn’t notice.

“You wish. I’d rather take my chances with the couch.” A complete lie, but she refused to allow him to gain the upper hand. Upper hand in what, she wasn’t completely sure, but she refused to let him feel like he’d won at anything.

“Suit yourself,” Chris said with a shrug. He sauntered off with his coffee and shut himself in his room. The room Y/N had stupidly just rejected. Dammit.

“Huh.”

Y/N whirled around; she had totally forgotten that Edward was there.

“That was … something,” Edward said, flustered. “I don’t think I was supposed to see that. I don’t think anyone was supposed to see that. I’m going to see if Mickey’s awake…Damn.” 

He walked away in a daze, seemingly trying to shake the last five minutes from his subconscious. Y/N was mortified.

When Mary said her cousin was coming, she definitely did not mention her cousin was shaped like a triangle and looked like a Greek god. His dark hair was swept away from his face, and his beard had small snowflakes still trapped in it.

Mary made introductions. “Chris, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is my cousin, Chris.”

Not mentioning he’s hot must have been an oversight, she thought to herself. Chris - a virtual deity among mortals - nodded at her.

“Nice to meet you,” he said with a toothy grin. He had take-out bags in his hands. Chinese food, by the smell.

Seeing that stupid grin, Y/N felt her knees go a little weak. Y/N’s priorities for this trip shifted from “avoid mom and Geoff” to “learn more about Chris.” It had been a while, but surely she could remember how to talk to a man? She’d been tied up in Austin for so long that she couldn’t remember the last time she earnestly chatted up a guy. Not to mention all of the times she just avoided talking to men in general to avoid sending Austin into fits of jealousy. This seemed low stakes enough, a good way to ease herself back into things. She didn’t presume to think someone that looked like Chris would truly pay her any mind. It could be good practice for when she decided she was done being single.

Daisy sauntered up next to Chris, breaking Y/N out of her stupor.

“You are such a gentleman for going out in that to go get the food! Maybe we can go in the hot tub later?” Daisy lilted. Her voice was too high to be natural, and it felt to Y/N like a weird come-on. She tossed her long, brown hair over one shoulder and looked at Chris through her lashes.

If Daisy’s body language didn’t scream ‘flirtatious,’ her outfit certainly did. It said ‘lodge bunny’ not ‘isolated cabin in the woods.’ Each article of clothing clung to Daisy’s lithe frame in a way that suggested she wasn’t too worried about how the ensemble would hold up to the elements. She moved a little too close to Chris, making it impossible for Y/N to decipher their relationship. Y/N had been under the impression that Daisy and Tom were a couple, but she could have been wrong about that.

And honestly, she didn’t care. If there was anything to come out of this trip, at least it’d be some eye candy. Y/N could use some of that right now. Her break up had left her a little fragile, closed-off and pessimistic on just about all things love. Maybe having someone cute around could raise her spirits? Chris seemed to be doing just that, the red in Y/N’s cheeks deepening as she got a good look at him. 

“Maybe,” Chris replied. Daisy looked pleased with herself and pranced away. Y/N felt a hot breath on her shoulder as Chris then mumbled, “Maybe when hell freezes over.” Y/N got goosebumps and just prayed it was because of the cold wafting in.

So not a couple, she thought. Noted.

It seemed like her initial impressions of the couples within the group were correct. Mary and Joe obviously were together. Based on Mary’s texts, Mickey and Edward were sharing a room. The way Edward had draped his arm around Mickey left little room for doubt that they were also a couple. Daisy and Tom could just be friends, and Daisy could be crushing massively on Chris. But the way Daisy plopped into Tom’s lap, and the way Tom grabbed her by the waist, was distinctly non-platonic.

Leaving only Y/N solo on this trip. And Chris.

Y/N shook herself out of her thoughts again and went to take a seat next to Mary at the table. Despite the awkwardness to start, she was glad she might be able to spend some time with her best friend. Work and life made it so hard to see each other with ever-changing schedules. On top of not wanting to hang out with her mom and Geoff, this was as good an excuse as any for Y/N to sneak up and see Mary.

Mary made room for Y/N and looked at her pointedly. Her ice blue eyes made her gaze feel more intense. “So, Chris?” Mary said. Y/N rolled her eyes. Not telling her Chris was hot was definitely not an oversight - it was a surprise. Mary was always trying to set Y/N up, she knew the drill here. Y/N looked at Joe for help, but Joe just shrugged. He was crazy about Mary, and he always went along with her schemes. Joe wasn’t going to help Y/N; it wasn’t even worth it to try.

“Look, Mary, I’m not trying to jump into anything serious right now. Austin and I just broke up; it’s too soon,” said Y/N. It felt too soon. Austin was a controlling dick who had her under his thumb for years. When she found out he was cheating, Y/N had given him the benefit of the doubt. She’d told all of her friends they must be mistaken. She trusted him implicitly, and the rumors had to be just rumors. So she didn’t even get the satisfaction of calling him out and breaking up with him. In the end, he left her for his latest side piece. She was still too heart-broken and angry to seriously consider a new relationship.

“I know you need time, I get that, Y/N. But… it’s been 6 months, and I really feel like it might be time to just start looking? Who said anything about anything serious?” said Mary. “I don’t give a shit if you rebound with my cousin. I don’t think he would mind all that much either.” Mary eyed Y/N with a playful look.

Y/N was looking, that was for sure. I mean, it was hard not to. Chris was tall and loud; he practically seemed to fill up the whole cabin. He was passing out food and cracking jokes. His laughter seemed contagious, and it was difficult to keep from staring. Looking was okay. Open-mouthed gaping was not.

“How did you rope him into coming on this couples’ trip?” Y/N asked, stealing another glance in Chris’ direction. “You said he just decided to come the other day. I know I’m your sad, lonely third-wheel, but why is he here?” 

“Honestly, he just likes doing winter shit. He’s weird. I told him we were coming to do fun winter activities, and he sort of invited himself.” Mary shrugged. “I told him it was a couples thing too, but he still wanted to join. I also told him Daisy was going to be here, and that didn’t even seem to phase him.”

“Why would that be a problem?” 

“Have I never told you about Daisy? Well, we’ve known Daisy since we were kids. She’s always had a thing for Chris, but Chris never really felt the same way. Once - I was probably like 18 - we all got really drunk at a family barbecue, and Daisy and Chris made out. I don’t think it meant anything to Chris, but Daisy acted like they were soulmates. He let her down gently at first. He’s not so nice about it anymore.”

That checked out with what Y/N saw earlier. She found it kind of suspicious that Chris would come even if Daisy was here, but maybe he thought she’d moved on. Daisy and Tom were all over each other, after all. Honestly, they were acting kind of gross, and Y/N wasn’t sure she wanted dinner anymore after watching the two of them feed each other. Chris seemed to notice the pair too and shook his head. Y/N saw him chuckle to himself. She sort of wished she knew the private joke that ran through his head.

“So how do you know Mary and Joe?” Y/N started at the question. Edward clearly was trying to make some small talk, which was kind of him. He was tall and rather lanky, the picture of a Northeastern college kid in a red flannel and L.L Bean boots. His dark hair was windswept, but too perfect to be natural. His whole vibe leaned more towards fashion than function.

“Mary and I were roommates in college,” Y/N said. “What about you? How do you fit into all of this?”

“Oh, I don’t,” confessed Edward. “Mickey is the one who fits into this mess. I just got dragged along.”

Y/N laughed. “So where does Mickey fit into all of this then?”

“Mickey’s family is friends with Mary’s family. Mary, Mickey, Daisy, and Chris all grew up together. I just have the pleasure of marrying into the group.” Edward didn’t make it sound like it was a pleasure. “Honestly, it’s too confusing to keep up with beyond that, so I don’t ask for details. I can never keep up with the emotional tangles.”

Y/N liked Edward already. He was brusque and sarcastic, and she was jaded. She felt like they would get along well. “Well with that in mind…who don’t we like? Who should I avoid?”

Edward chuckled. “Well, Chris looks like Mr. Perfect, but based on some of Mickey’s stories, I think he’s hiding some deep seated issues. I try not to get too involved if I can help it, but a man that good-looking can’t be nice too. It would be unfair,” Edward joked.

Despite the humor, the logic seemed sound. All the hot men Y/N ever knew were jerks, and Chris was probably hotter than any of them. Mary was such a good person though, but hey, you don’t pick your family.

Y/N tried to look busy, anxiously looking around for something to do as Edward ran back to the car, realizing his backpack was still in the trunk. Failing to find a task, she took a seat in the nearest armchair and looked out the window, her mind drifting elsewhere.

She could easily throw caution to the wind and see where this trip decided to go. On the other hand, Y/N didn’t need any more drama in her life. Her career seemed to be going nowhere. Her design portfolio was good, but she was still fresh on the scene. No one would trust an interior designer that had only worked on a few projects before. And she couldn’t improve her credibility without working. It was a vicious cycle. Y/N desperately wanted to go back to school, despite the staggering amount of debt she was already in. She was just waiting to hear back from the ones she applied to. She was never good at handling stress, and her life was packed with stress. Between her mother’s new relationship, her breakup, and her career prospects, she felt like a vacation from it all wasn’t too much to ask for. Y/N had been stuck in her head for a few moments, but she came back to reality when she saw Chris approach her.

He sat on a dining room chair like a substitute teacher trying to be cool, backwards. It should have looked ridiculous, but it didn’t. He looked directly into her eyes and said nothing. She noticed he had the same piercing blue eyes as his cousin. Y/N felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze. He was smirking, which pissed her off. It’s like he knew how much he made her skin crawl.

“Mary talks about you a lot,” Chris stated, after what felt like an eternity.

“I’m sorry?” Y/N hated how flustered she sounded.

“Mary talks about you a lot,” he repeated, slower.

Dick.

“She’s always saying how her college roommate is amazing and funny and nice and blah blah blah.” He was still smirking, and his eyes had a laughing glint in them. “So is it true? Are you as perfect as Mary says? Because I gotta say, I’m underwhelmed.”

Y/N didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just stared at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but her brain had apparently stopped working. She wordlessly closed it.

“She never said anything about how good a conversationalist you are. It’s really a talent.”

Y/N decided she no longer wanted to hit on him, she just wanted to hit him.

Her brain finally started working enough to tell him off, but before she could, he got up. He winked at her as he walked over to talk to Mickey instead.

Yeah, it was going to be a miracle if she got through this entire vacation without slapping him. Right across his admittedly beautiful face.

This was not how this vacation was supposed to go.

The blizzard outside not only scared her half to death on the road, but now she was late. Y/N read the 8 texts on her phone as she sat in her car. They gave her a detailed play-by-play of when each room was claimed and by who. The texts urged her to get to the cabin faster, so she could claim a bed. As she got up to date, she saw that the last notification said ‘30 minutes ago.’ 

>Mickey and Edward just got here

>Sorry I couldn’t save you a room. Vacay rules :(

So that’s how she found herself in Upstate New York, in a cabin in the woods, with only the couch to sleep on. She got out of the car, grabbed her bag, and trudged into the house.

Now Y/N was on vacation, pathetically playing third-wheel to her best friend Mary and Mary’s boyfriend Joe, and she didn’t even have a real bed. Normally, she would have no problem sharing a room with someone on a trip. But as much as she joked she was the third half of their relationship, Y/N wasn’t actually going to sleep with Mary and Joe. That felt like a bridge too far. Everyone else on the trip were strangers to her, and she definitely wasn’t going to share with a stranger. 

So the couch it had to be.

She grumbled to herself as she walked up to the cabin, frustrated because she wasn’t even supposed to be here. Mary invited her last minute out of pity, and Y/N would do anything to get away from her mother’s annoying new boyfriend. Geoff was insufferable, and her mom and he were being couple-y and gross. No way she was spending a weekend doing whatever the fuck macrame was. No thanks.

It can’t get much worse than that, she thought to herself as she walked in the front door. She found herself in a tight embrace virtually immediately. 

“I’m glad you finally made it!” Mary said as she squeezed Y/N. “I thought you died.”

“Nope, didn’t die. Thank you for inviting me though, or else I think I would have.”

“Geoff,” Mary spat. “You’re obviously welcome. Come on, let me introduce you.”

The cabin wasn’t small, but it was cozy. There was a large central main room that did double duty as a living and dining room. The couch that would be her bed for the duration of the trip was in there, as well as a few chairs around the room. They framed a large fireplace on one wall. Y/N could see a sliding door behind the dining room table that led into the backyard. This room was attached to a modestly sized kitchen. It was a little dated, but it all seemed in good shape. She had a few ideas on how she would spruce up the place if given the opportunity, but she was here as a guest, not to consult. To her left and right were two ‘wings.’ Each wing had two bedrooms and a bathroom.

They walked over to the table, which looked like it had been there for a long time. It was weathered from many family meals. Joe - a friendly face, she was glad to see him -  introduced Y/N to the others around the table: Tom, Daisy, Edward, and Mickey. She looked around again, counting in her head - wasn’t there supposed to be five? Mary had said something about a cousin of hers deciding to also join them last minute. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t know much about Cousin Chris. She knew almost everything about Mary, but her family life was a glaring blindspot. Y/N hadn’t noticed until Mary invited her on vacation with some family friends.

She heard the door open, and a gust of cold wind accompanied it.

“Sorry it took so long! The snow is crazy.” 

Hey now, you’re an all star

listen to what I orchestrated