Page 40 of A DIY Christmas Miracle
The day had been perfect. Starting with the sleigh ride, followed by lunch, a short walk through the nearest small town, and finally dinner at a diner. Eli’s company was even better than I’d imagined in my wildest dreams.
He was such a funny, happy, positive person. He started joking with me the way he normally only joked with Cassy and Jack, which made me feel like I wasn’t just one of his friends but someone he cared about. Someone he was comfortable with.
I hadn’t forgotten how strange the others had behaved last night, but it seemed insignificant compared to everything that’d happened today.
If only the day could go on forever, but sadly, we were on our way back to the cabin and then our time alone would come to an end. The group that’d been skiing had asked where we were, so they’d already returned.
As reluctant as I was to give up my time with Eli, he appeared to be in a state much worse. The closer we got to our rental, the more silent he grew. The gleam in his eyes slowly dimmed, the corners of his mouth dropping with each passing minute.
“Did you have an argument with someone in our friend group?” I finally blurted. He wasn’t sick, that much was certain. But it was also certain that something was going on. Something that was affecting his mood. I just didn’t know what it was.
“Huh? No. Why do you ask?”
“You don’t look like you want to go back to the cabin.”
“Oh, yeah, I see.” Eli smiled at me, but it was one of his fake smiles that didn’t reach his eyes. A smile void of any warmth or joy. “It’s just been a long day. And I definitely want to get back — I haven’t tried the hot tub yet.”
I wasn’t going to envision Eli in the hot tub. His naked torso, his bare legs… his crotch covered by tight, flimsy…
“After being out in the cold for so long, I think I need a little warming up. Are you coming with me?”
I didn’t want to miss Eli in his swimwear under any circumstances. But I also didn’t want to walk around with an erection everyone would be able to spot from miles away.
“I’m not sure,” I said reluctantly. “I… I don’t like hot tubs all that much.”
Who didn’t like hot tubs?
No one. That was why Eli was staring at me in bewilderment before shrugging. “Okay.”
I wanted to say something. I wanted to explain to him why I was refusing. That I wouldn’t be able to control myself. That, if he was that close to me while almost naked, I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t get an erection. I wanted to explain that I couldn’t bear the thought of our friends laughing at me for getting a hard on in public, but I remained silent and stared at the dark road ahead of me instead.
When I finally couldn’t stand the silence any longer, I switched on the radio and let the soft music wash over me, even though it did nothing to calm my now-agitated nerves.
The day had been so beautiful, so perfect, and now this one conversation threatened to overshadow everything, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I just didn’t have a suitable explanation.
So it didn’t come as a surprise that Eli jumped out of the pickup as soon as we’d come to a halt in front of the chalet. He didn’t even take the time to put on his coat. Instead, he started shivering halfway to the door.
What had I done that’d made him so angry? It seemed a little extreme for him to be this mad just because I’d declined an invitation to join him in the hot tub.
Was I missing a deeper meaning again? Had his reaction had anything to do with me at all, or was it just his increasingly bad mood speaking?
I didn’t know.
I killed the engine, unbuckled my seatbelt, and climbed out of my truck.
Oh, how my father hated this pickup. He’d called it beneath me, had explained to me that such a vehicle didn’t emphasize my intellect at all and that, even as a high school teacher, I should have higher standards and own a respectable car that looked like someone sensible drove it.
In the end, it’d been my truck that’d had to pull his fancy rental out of a ditch.
Still thinking about my last encounter with my parents, I finally walked up to the cabin and went inside with a smile on my lips I barely felt. If it hadn’t been for the last thirty minutes, I’d have been beaming, but now…
“Hi!” Jack waved at me from one of the couches.
“Hi. How was skiing?”
I took off my jacket and shoes, then joined the others in the living room.
“My whole body is sore.” Marc moaned theatrically. “But I showed the girls.”
