“I know. She’s a pill…but what can you do? Hopefully the storm will blow over soon.”
She gritted her pearly white teeth. “It’s not supposed to. Could be a long weekend. At least we can ski, right?”
“Right,” I said, pressing my lips into a thin line.
I’d never skied. Not once. And I wasn’t planning to do it for the first time in a snowstorm—especially since I lied and told Lyra I was great at it.
Not sure why I did that.
Holly/Polly polished off her drink and placed her martini glass on the heavy wood bar. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse from the back of her barstool. “Look, my friends and I are gonna grab some dinner. Do you want to join us?”
“Nah, that’s okay. I think I’ll stay here for a bit.”
“All right. Well, it was nice to meet you, Dan.”
“Um, it’s Dev.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
I guess I deserved that, Holly/Polly.
“No worries. Take care.” I raised my glass to her and gave her a wink. She blushed and walked to a corner booth, joining a group of girlfriends who were just as cute as she was. If I was still single, I’d be following close behind.
I grabbed my phone and texted Trupti.
-Stuck at resort. Avalanche. Peter & Maren couldn’t make it here in time so I’m stuck with ‘She who shall not be named.’ Wish you were here.
If I was honest with myself, though, I wasn’t missing Trupti as much as I thought I would be. Hell, I was missing Peter more than Trupti. As much as I cared for Trup, and as much as I’d always wanted a future with her, her flakiness was grating on my nerves. And if I was honest with myself, I knew there was a reason for her hesitance to be a part of my life in any real way. She claimed to want my parents to know, but she knew there was a simple way to make that happen. Spend some time with my friends, prove she was all in. Until then, I was holding back—and I could feel a wall building between us. A wall that I would have fought tooth and nail to destroy just two years ago. But today…today I found myself looking the other way as each new brick was added to it.
My phone buzzed with Trupti’s response.
-That stinks. I’m sorry. I know you can’t stand her.
-Drowning my sorrows at the bar.
-Try not to overdo it, Dev. You’re not known for your alcohol tolerance.
-Gee, thanks, Trup.
I put the phone down for a second, rolling my eyes with a sigh.
-Sorry, just being honest.
-Yeah, well, I guess I’ll update you tomorrow.
-It’s fine. You can just tell me all about it when you get back. I’ve got a lot on my plate.
-Wtf, Trup? A lot on your plate? You can’t spare a few minutes to text me? Aren’t you the least bit concerned that I’m stuck in a hotel room with another woman?
-Whatever. Lyra doesn’t concern me.
-Wow, okay. So what is it then? What flew up your ass?
-Let’s not get into it now.
-What are you trying to say?
-Nothing. I’m just upset about earlier, that’s all.
-Well, maybe we have that in common.
-Maybe we do.
I put my phone back in my pocket, knowing that was the end of the conversation. We were at a standstill. I ordered another drink, watching the football game on the big screen above the bar. I ordered another drink and then another. My phone buzzed. A text from Peter.
-How you holding up?
-Meh.
-Did you get a drink?
-Uhhh….half a dozen.
-Lyra has vomit-phobia.
-Oh…does she now? Maybe I’ll have a few more…
-Dev, play nice. The road definitely won’t be cleared by morning, but we’re going to try to head back tomorrow night.
-Be real. You’re not coming, are you?
-Not sure, but we’ll do our best.
-And Scott?
Peter didn’t respond right away and, not being a moron, I knew exactly what that meant.
-They decided to stay home. Allison hates snowstorms and we’re getting much more than they’d predicted.
-Shocker! But wtf? How much more snow are we supposed to get?
-They just increased it again—about a foot overnight and possibly another foot tomorrow.
-Shit, dude. I won’t be seeing you, will I?
Another pause.
-Pete!
-Dev, all I can do is try. And you’ll just have to make the best of it if we can’t make it.
-With Lyra? Impossible.
-She’s not that bad!
-You keep saying that and yet I have to call bullshit…again!
-I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?
-Sure, fine.
When the game ended, I hauled my tipsy ass back to the suite. Lyra was reading in the same armchair I found her in when I first arrived.
“If you’re not careful, that chair is going to have a permanent indent of your ass.” I let out a burp and a laugh.
“Lovely,” Lyra said, returning her attention to her book. “Just so you know, I’m not holding your hair back if you puke.”
“Um, I have short hair, so no assistance needed, thank you very much,” I said and let out a hiccup. A pleasant smell wafted my way and I inhaled deeply. “Mmmm, what is that?”
“One of Maren’s candles, cranberry and pine.”
“You travel with candles?” I asked, thinking that was one of the most absurd things I’d ever heard.
“Yeah, so?”
“So, that’s weird, don’t you think? That’s like traveling with air freshener. Do you do that too?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“You’re even stranger than I thought, Lyra Castillo.”
“Why don’t you go sleep it off? This conversation is boring me to tears.”
“Always a pleasure, Lyra.”
“Wish I could say the same.” She gave me the fakest smile imaginable, then pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. Lyra wasn’t playing.
I put my arms up in surrender. “Message received, okay?”
She looked down at her book. “You may go now.”
“You don’t have to be a bitch.”
She slammed her book shut. “What did you call me?”
“You heard me,” I sneered, tipping my chin forward. “Look, we’re stuck here. It’s obvious that Pete and Maren aren’t gonna make it. And look, I’m just as pissed about it as you are, but you don’t have to be a pain in the ass. So just calm your tits, all right?”
“Screw you, Dev.” She rose from the chair, book in hand, and grabbed the candle glowing from the coffee table. She scowled at me before walking to her room and slamming the door behind her.
“Sweet dreams!” I yelled with a sardonic laugh before walking into my room and passing out, still fully clothed, on the enormous king-sized bed. It was soft and inviting, and I drifted off into a welcome and sleep.
At least I could escape Lyra in my dreams.
Chapter 4
LYRA
I didn’t sleep well at all. Between my fight with Dev and knowing Maren probably would never make it to the resort, my head was spinning. I couldn’t relax. And so I’d tried to focus on my book, but found myself rereading the same paragraphs over and over as Dev’s words lingered in my head.