Page 54 of Better Than Gelato
We take showers and change into nice dresses.
I curl Valentina’s hair, then Carmen does my eye makeup. By the time we meet the boys in the lobby, we look pretty amazing. It feels like a double victory to look this good after beating them so bad.
“The lovely champions have arrived,” Jake says, and I give him a big smile. Diego still looks sad about losing, but Paolo is looking at Valentina, and he is definitely not thinking about darts.
The restaurant has soaring ceilings, full-length windows, and at least three large fireplaces that I can see. The food is excellent. Instead of steak and lobster, I get a Swiss dish I can’t pronounce that involves a lot of potatoes and cheese and a very tender meat. Jake and Paolo pick up the bill, which makes everything taste even better.
* * *
The next morning, I wake up to the sun reflecting off the frozen lake outside our lodge, lighting up our whole room. Carmen and Valentina are still asleep, and I tiptoe to the bathroom. I pause when I see a slip of paper on the floor by the door.
Juliet,
Not sure if you’re an early riser, but if you’re awake meet me in the library.
-J
A thrill of excitement zings through me. I brush my teeth and put on a bra. Then I slip out the door and head to the library. The wood floor is chilly on my bare feet, and I shiver. Jake is waiting in the big chair. He’s wearing faded jeans and a dark blue sweater. I don’t say a word, just fall into his lap and start kissing him. This is better than sleeping in. This is better than anything, actually.
“I got your note,” I whisper.
“I see that,” he whispers back. He smells clean and fresh, like the snow outside. But he’s all warmth, his arms and his lips. I feel my muscles warming up and relaxing, my whole body melting into his.
“This is a very good way to start the day,” he says. His voice is low and rough.
I imagine waking up this morning next to Jake instead of Carmen. The picture in my head is so clear it makes my cheeks flush. Jake’s eyes look into mine, two shades darker than normal, and I wonder if the same thought has popped into his head.
He leans in and kisses a trail from my collarbone to my jawline, then to my mouth. The world outside the two of us is distant and irrelevant as we kiss in the early morning light. As usual, it’s Jake who breaks away first. His breathing is fast and shallow. He runs a shaky hand through his hair.
“So, libraries, huh?”
“Pretty hot,” I agree.
“I think kissing you is pretty hot wherever we happen to be.”
“Sure. But isn’t there something about the two of us tucked away in a tiny library in a rustic lodge in the Alps?”
He shakes his head and gives me one more slow kiss. “You aren’t making this easy for me.”
I climb off his lap and give him a big smile. Then I start dancing the Floss.
“What are you doing?” he says with a bemused smile.
“I’m making it easier for you.”
He bursts out laughing. “By doing the Floss dance?”
“Yes. The least sexy dance in the world. Is it helping?”
He laughs. “You do look much less seductive than you did one minute ago.”
“Not fair. You can’t leave me a note to meet you in the library in the early morning hours and then call me seductive. This one’s on you.”
“Okay, you’re right. I take full credit for the brilliant idea of luring you here.”
“As long as we’re straight on who’s luring who.”
Jake stands up and starts doing the Floss next to me. We look ridiculous, I know, but I have not ripped all his clothes off, so I’ll call that a win.
