My Holiday Hook-Up

Chapter 3: Come And Get It

He did not affect me. I had just broken up with my boyfriend, and starting something new with another guy on the same day? Not a chance. I didn’t even know his name.

But my mind wasn’t so easily fooled.

The next morning, I awoke in a bed that was too comfortable, but I didn’t feel rested. As soon as I opened my eyes, Stefan’s stupid face flashed in my mind, followed by images of him with that slut Eliza. Why did he have to ruin everything?

I fumed in silence. It was as though he still had some kind of hold on me, even though I knew he wasn’t losing a single second thinking about me now that he had her. I couldn’t seem to escape the memories. All night, I tossed and turned, but sleep had been elusive. The bed was amazing, but my mind was anything but peaceful.

I needed something to distract me. Something far away from him.

Thankfully, the ski trip was on for today. A day in the snow was just what I needed and, hopefully, by the end of the day, I'd be so worn out that I would sleep like a baby. I packed up all my gear for a day spent in a ski center and met up with Grams before going to the lobby to wait for the bus to come and pick us up. There were a few others waiting there, too.

I froze when I spotted him. The guy from last night. Without even thinking, I gave him a sharp, cold stare, but to my surprise, he caught it. And then he grinned at me. It was cocky, and somehow, it only made my irritation grow.

The rest of the day, I couldn’t get rid of the niggling feeling he’d left behind. He didn’t look at me, didn’t speak to me. I almost wished he would— anything to make sense of this strange, unexpected pull.

But then again, smart girls didn’t obsess over some guy who’d acted like a jerk one minute, and then disappeared the next.

Still, I found myself thinking about him. What if I did take him up on his offer? It was a holiday resort, far from home. What harm could there be in having a little fun, right? All day long I kept going back and forth. I either hated the guy for being a d**k or then wondered about his offer last night.

As I stood at the base of the lift, staring up at the steep slope, I saw him again. He was getting on the chairlift to the advanced ski piste. For some reason, that seemed like a challenge. A challenge I didn’t want to back down from.

I threw a glance at Grams, who was busy chatting with someone, and with a deep breath, I made my move. It wasn’t the plan, but I didn’t care anymore. This time, I was going to do something for me.

I climbed aboard the lift, my heart hammering in my chest. When I reached the top, he was already there, waiting— casually, like he hadn’t been waiting for me at all.

The moment stretched out. I could feel the weight of him beside me, a physical presence that made everything inside me flare to life.

“So,” I said, my voice unusually shaky, “If I were interested… and I’m not saying I am… but for argument’s sake, if I was, like, interested in hooking up... what would that look like, exactly?” I cursed myself for sounding so awkward and, insecure which is exactly how I was feeling, but I didn't want him to know that.

His laughter was low, almost mocking. "You’ve never just casually hooked up with anyone, have you?"

His condescending attitude pissed me off. "Um, I did have a boyfriend for a few months, you know. I'm not a total newbie at this just because I'm not someone who just goes around and–" I started to rant. I hated it when people made me feel bad about being responsible and more mature than others my age. I have had to take care of myself since I was very little, so patronizing was something I could not stand.

He raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. But you’re not exactly the ‘one-night stand’ type, are you?”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m not a prude just because I’m not into random s*x,” I snapped, hating that he made me feel like I needed to defend myself.

He smirked, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa, easy, darling. I’m not judging you. Let’s just dial it back a bit, okay?”

"I wasn't judging. You just..." I trailed off, wondering how to explain myself without sounding like a complete fool. What I wanted to do was to keep quiet and forget I ever started to say anything in the first place, but he wasn't going to let me off the hook that easy.

“I just…?” He coaxed, his grin widening.

I hated how he made me feel small, exposed. “You make me nervous, okay?” I finally blurted out, sounding like I was accusing him.

The amusement in his eyes deepened. “Is that right?”

I immediately regretted it. "This was a mistake. I should just—"

"No," he interrupted, his voice low and teasing. "What you should do is stay right here. I've been waiting all day for you to come and talk to me You’ve been all over the place today, but now that you’re finally talking to me, we can get to the fun part."

I swallowed hard. “If you’ve been waiting all day, why didn’t you just come talk to me?”

He leaned in slightly, his eyes dark and intense. “I wanted you to come to me. I wanted it to be your choice. Also, I thought it was pretty hilarious watching you squirm all day.”

"Jerk!" I said and swatted his arm, but he just laughed at me, and before I could react, he skied off down the slope, calling out, “Come and get it!”

The challenge hit me like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, I was no longer thinking about how terrified I had been earlier, or how much I wanted to avoid him. Instead, I was chasing him.

My heart was racing as I zoomed after him, adrenaline pumping through my veins. But just as quickly as I’d gotten excited, I realized what I’d done.

I screamed in frustration, feeling like a complete i***t, but I couldn’t help it. I saw him laughing in the distance, completely at ease on his skis.

And then I ate snow. Hard.

I landed in a twisted heap, limbs splayed out like a starfish, my body skidding off course and into the deep snow. For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the clear blue sky, feeling completely dumb.

"Hey, pretty lady, you still alive?" came his voice, smooth and mocking.

I opened my eyes to find his handsome face hovering above me, his lips curling into that smirk I was starting to get familiar with. "Yeah, I’m great," I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just making a snow angel."

"A snow angel?" He raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering a little too long on me.

"Yup, had to do it," I said, fighting a grin. "The snow angel business called to me."

He scoffed, shaking his head, before pulling me to my feet. He didn’t let go of me at once, though. His grip lingered, warm, strong.

"You should sit down for a minute, killer. Let me buy you lunch. You look like you need it," he said, the teasing edge to his voice softening, but there was an undeniable heat there.

I wasn't really hungry because I had already eaten a couple of hours ago, but I did want to hang out with him a little longer. "Alright, let's go."

***

We went to the skiing center's own restaurant. Everything in there was outrageously overpriced but, because there was nothing else for miles, all the people who came there to ski were forced to either pay with diamonds for a simple cup of coffee or starve to death.

I ordered a Coke whilst the guy I was with pretty much ordered the entire menu. I couldn’t help but stare.

"What? I’m hungry," he said, noticing my gaze.

I shook my head at him and decided that it was time to change the subject. "So, when are you going to tell me your name? I can’t keep referring to you as Stefan’s friend." I asked. It bothered me that I had to keep referring to him as 'that guy' or 'Stefan's friend'. Every time I thought about him, I was also forced to think about my i***t of an ex.

"Never," he said with a devilish smile.

I arched a brow. "Are you kidding me? Why won't you tell me?"

He shrugged, not at all fazed. "You’ve gotta earn it."

I laughed, a little thrown by how comfortable this felt. "Is that right?" I said, my voice a little more seductive than I intended.

He leaned forward just a little, eyes darkening. "You’ll find out eventually."

The sudden shout from across the room had both of us looking up. "Matty!" A woman— his mom— was calling him, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Matty?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, the perks of traveling with family," Matty sighed. "And actually..."

"Matthew Leslie Carlton, I mean it! The bus is leaving," his mom, I assumed, shrieked. She was nearing our table, and I had a feeling she'd drag her son out by his ears before letting him be late and that I should get going too, but I couldn't help but mess with him a little more.

"Jackpot," I whispered. Not only had his mother revealed his first name, but his full name. If only he had had some really embarrassing middle name... No, wait, his middle name was pretty embarrassing. The only Leslie I had ever known was a mean fat girl from Tacoma. Not the best mental image to have associated with that name.

He gave me a withering look. “Yeah, now you know. Happy?”

"Maybe." I grinned.

"So? Aren't you going to do me the courtesy of telling yours?"

I shook my head. "You're going to have to find that out on your own," I said playfully and left before Grams could pull the same stunt Matty's mom had.