Page 27 of The Season
Lily’s boot sinks into a particularly deep patch of snow, and she stumbles forward. I frown, wanting to reach out and steady her, disliking how much distance there is between us. Even if I’m the one who’s created it by storming ahead. She lifts her head, eyes visible through her cracked goggles, lips pursing at the sight of my frown.
“I think you should sit this run out,” I tell her. The rest of the class is rushing past us, the fastest of them already kicking free of their back foot bindings, looking at me expectantly from the base of the lift. “Have a rest while I take the class on another run.”
Lily shakes her head, jaw ticking faintly at my suggestion. “I’m good,” she flashes me a grin. The same grin I’ve seen her give the guys in the class before. It’s strangely empty, cold compared to her soft smile from earlier.
She tosses her board onto the hardpack snow in front of the lift, her movements stiff but determined as she bends to strap in her front foot. “I’m good, Coach,” she says again, lifting her head to give me a look full of unspoken challenge. “I’m riding.”
Chapter8
Lily
“What happened to your face?”
Eddie stares at me with wide eyes as I follow Liam and Matty into the condo. I give him a half-hearted glare, then glance down the dim hallway to the currently empty bathroom with unmasked longing.
I’ve been fantasizing about a hot shower for at least the past three hours.
“One of the guys in our class ran into her,” I hear Matty say as I trudge into my room. “Such a jerk. Barely even apologized…”
I shut the door to my room behind me, then drop my damp coat and helmet in a heap by my bed before stripping off my sweat-soaked thermals. All the while, Matty’s voice rises and falls from the other side of the door, his anger audible even if his words aren’t. Concern flares warm in my chest, alongside a twinge of irritation. The way he’s been going on about it, you’d think he was the one Akiva clipped instead of me.
I wrap a towel around my naked body, my toiletries and clean clothes clutched to my chest, and stare for a long moment at the closed door, silently debating. It’s not like I’m particularly shy or anything—I’ve spent enough time running around in my bikini to be comfortable in my body. And the towel is so big, it practically touches my knees.
It’s more that I know they are still talking about me.
The door flies open and I stumble back, barely avoiding getting hit in my already-mangled face as it thuds with force against the wall. Tom blinks in surprise at the sight of me, then gives a stupid little grin as his eyes track down to my exposed legs.
“Watch it,” I snap, my brow dipping in a scowl at the feel of his beady eyes crawling over my skin. “And if the door is closed, knock.”
I push past him, not waiting for his reply, making a point of not looking down the hall to where Matty, Liam and Eddie are still talking in the kitchen. It’s only a matter of time before someone else wants the bathroom, and I’m not taking any chances. That shower is mine.
I turn on the shower, letting the water warm up as I examine the damage done to my face in the mirror. It doesn’t look great.
My split lip is swollen, like Botox gone wrong, and the outline of my goggles is visible in a purple ring around my eyes. I lean forward, baring my teeth in the steaming mirror, and feel a surge of relief that at least I didn’t do any dental damage. Bruises heal. My goggles and gloves will be expensive to replace, but that’s nothing compared to trying to pay a dentist on my very limited savings.
I give my battered face one last lingering look of dismay, then step into the shower.
“Oh wow,” I gasp, half in pain, half in bliss at the feel of the hot water on my aching muscles.
I tip my head back, letting the water run through my sweaty, tangled hair, waiting for my body to adjust to the heat. When I turn to rinse my face, my split lip stings, but it barely registers compared to the cramping pain in my back, my legs, even the soles of my feet.
“Hmm,” I moan, when some of the tension between my shoulder blades finally starts to ease. “Wow, that’s good.”
I’m not sure if the pain radiating through my body is from my fall, or from spending the past several days pushing myself on a snowboard, but it’s intense. I wince as I bend to pick up my shampoo, shoulders aching when I reach up to wash my hair.
By the time I’m finally done with my usual routine, my legs and arms are trembling with exhaustion. I quickly dry, conscious of the six other people probably wanting the shower, then pull on my sweats, a comfy bralette, and a worn T-shirt over damp skin. I towel off my hair, but the ends are still dripping, wet patches forming down the back of my shirt by the time I relinquish my claim on the bathroom.
I open the door, steam billowing down the hall around me as I hobble to the kitchen.
Eddie is leaning against the counter, his face lighting up in a grin at the sight of me. “My turn,” he calls loudly, casting a challenging look around the open-plan kitchen and living room before darting down the hallway to the bathroom.
No one argues with him, and the most reaction he gets is a raised eyebrow from Liam and a chuckle from Matty as they sit eating their dinner in silence at the table. Seth must have arrived while I was in the shower, because he’s standing at the stove, stirring a pot of something and shaking his head in quiet amusement.
“Oh, hey Lily,” he smiles at me over his shoulder, but the smile quickly fades at the sight of my face.
“Just had a little fall,” I say dismissively before he can ask. “I’m fine. It looks worse than it is.” I give him a reassuring smile, the movement stinging my lower lip, then roll my aching shoulders and open the fridge.
I’m not sure what I’m looking for, since I haven’t exactly bought a bunch of groceries. I sigh at the bag of carrots, the lonely bruised apple, and the hummus I picked up after checking out of the hotel yesterday.
