Page 20 of Boarding Pass
Austin shrugs. “What are twin sisters for?”
“Support,” I say dryly.
He slugs me in the arm. “Where’s the fun in that?”
It’s been three months since Sophie and I stood on the edge of the Seine, fumbled our way through figuring out what “this” was or wasn’t, and decided to give it a shot. Somehow, through train rides, cheap wine, incredible sunsets, unbelievable sex and so many laughs, we made it here.Back to Seattle.
Together.
“Okay, Miles, enough stalling.” Shay motions me over. “You’re not getting out of this. You promised stories.”
I smirk. “You just want to hear about the time I nearly broke my ankle so you can torment me forever.”
“Obviously. She settles deeper into the couch. “Dad wants the travel recap because he’s decided you’ve been ‘squandering your youth,’ despite the fact you could buy a small country at thirty.”
From the armchair, my dad—Goran Stojanovic, the hockey legend himself—raises his hands in mock innocence. “No need to rest on your laurels.”
“Don’t pretend you’re not dying to hear about all the places your son fell on his face.” My mom, Annika, nudges him with her elbow.
Sophie stifles a laugh with the back of her hand and it pulls my attention to her like a magnet. She’s radiant—flushed cheeks, dark sweater falling off one shoulder in the effortlessly elegant way she has. When our eyes meet, for a moment, I forget anyone else is in the room.
“Ahem.” Austin smacks my back with the palm of his hand. “Less ogling. More words.”
“Fine, fine.” I lean against the fireplace, my beer dangling from my hand. “I’ll give you the highlight reel of Europe. Keep in mind, Sophie’s the organized one. She had a camera bag, an itinerary, and the magical ability to navigate every train system we encountered. I mostly carried our bags and smiled like an idiot.”
“Sounds accurate.” Sophie nods and purses her lips playfully.
Everyone laughs, and I shake my head. “Anyway. The trip started in Paris, obviously. Sophie took me to all her secret spots—places you won’t find on Instagram or in guidebooks. Like a little café in Montmartre that served croissants so delicious I actually got emotional.”
“Emotional,“ Shay scoffs disbelievingly. “Like,tears?”
I fix her with a mock pointed glare. “Uh,yeah. You had to be there.”
“Then I ruined it by dragging him to the flea market,” Sophie chimes in. “Miles thought I was trying to ditch him in the middle of nowhere.”
“Okay, in my defense,” I point at her, “it washuge. Rows and rows of stalls. I lost her twice and panicked both times. Also, someone tried to sell me a 19th-century chamber pot.”
This earns another round of laughter, even from my dad. Sophie shakes her head at me and points to the floor by the front door. “Instead, you bought a weird leather satchel.”
“It’svintage,“ I argue. “It has character.”
“It smells like mothballs, the whole place stinks now,” Shay mutters.
“Moving on,” I say cursorily. “From Paris, we went to Switzerland. I convinced Sophie to snowboard with me in Zermatt.”
“And?” my mom prompts, leaning in.
“She’s a ringer,” I pout. “I found out she’s been boarding since she was five years old. She’s way better than I am.”
Sophie rolls her eyes, but I catch the way she’s holding back a smile. “Not true. I didn’t want to hurt your fragile ego.”
I move toward her, unable to stay away. “You were graceful. I fell into a snowbank and disappeared for a full minute.”
Dad—ever the athlete—lets out a booming laugh and points at Sophie. “Tell me you got all of this on camera.”
“Oh, you know I did,” Sophie says proudly. “It’s my favorite video of thetrip.”
“Traitor,” I grumble, though I can’t help but kiss her temple. “Then there was Italy,” I continue. “Cinque Terre was my favorite town. We stayed in Vernazza in an Airbnb built into the cliffs where the streets are basically stairs. I still don’t know how Sophie found the place but it had a balcony overlooking the ocean. We had the best meal of my life—pesto pasta, fresh fish caught an hour before it was served and tiramisu I’m still dreaming about.”
