we’ve never skied or done anything remotely woodsy.”
He shrugs, closing the door behind him. “Well, maybe it’s time we tried. Hmm?” He shoves him dark hair back off of his forehead. “I think I’ve put us in a high pressure situation. So this is me trying to release some steam that has been building up.”
My lips quirk. “Ah. You’re talking about how I lost my cool at the Air Base Karup, I’m guessing.”
He shrugs. “I mentioned to Erik that we needed a break. He suggested a cabin in this area. Now here we are.”
I turn around, giving him a soft hug. “Thank you. It’s very thoughtful. Maybe I could use a break, now that you mention it.”
The hug lingers for a second too long before he steps back, clearing his throat. “Want to try skiing? Or better yet, we can snowboard.”
I laugh. “Sure. Let me just change into more layers. Then we’ll try whichever you want.” I pause, tilting my head. “As long as I make myself clear. I think that too much exercise is for people who secretly hate themselves.”
He grins. “Come on, get dressed.”
The next few hours are fun, if not productive. Lars trying to snowboard and failing. Me trying to ski and ending up on my ass, over and over. Both of us laughing as we hold hands and sled down the huge hill behind our house on a big double raft.
By the time the sun starts to dip behind the trees, I’m completely done for. I wave a hand, stuck in a snow drift with my skis askew.
“I give up!” I laugh. “I am not any better at skiing than I was a few hours ago.”
Lars frees himself from his snowboard, which he’s actually annoying okay at. He walks over and grabs my hands, helping me up.
“Ja, I’m ready to call it a day. I’m also so hungry at this point that I could eat a bear.”
I follow him to the cabin, my eyes dropping to the spot on his ass where he’s landed enough times to make his pants damp. “Mm,” is all I have to add to the conversation.
We head inside the cabin, shedding our clothing before the snow that clings to it melts. I head into my bedroom, just upstairs. Digging fresh clothing out of my suitcase, I change into a loose, flowy white dress.
I guess I don’t fully understand that our bedrooms are connected by a bathroom. Because I step into the bathroom, my mind on my hair. And I see Lars with no shirt on, just buttoning a pair of dark, low slung jeans.
He turns around and catches me looking at him. He smirks as my cheeks grow red.
“Don’t let me stop you,” he jokes. “By all means, little witch. Take all the time you want. Stare away.”
I shoot him a glare. “Ha ha.” I clear my throat and drag my gaze to the big mirror in the shared bathroom. He pulls a white tee shirt on as I try to futz with my halo of insane curls. I try not to notice that he fills up almost the entire doorway with his sheer height.
Lars leans in the doorway, his biceps gently bunching as he crosses his arms. I won’t let myself notice.
Just because he’s unspeakably hot and I have wanted him forever doesn’t change anything at all. First, I am a fucking liar. I have been since the week we met.
And there is the fact that our friendship is more important than anything else. We can’t forget that, can we?
“What are you thinking about?” he wonders.
I blush, looking at his reflection in the mirror. Ja, I’m not answering that one.
“What’s for dinner?” I ask instead.
He smiles slowly, pushing off the doorway. “The oven is heating up for a frozen pizza. I also think there is a salad.”
I turn. “I’m starving. Let’s go raid the fridge while we wait.”
We eat pizza and talk about inane things for the next hour. Up here, in his jeans and tee shirt, Lars is imperceptibly more laid back. His smiles are more frequent, his jokes are mostly terrible. There is none of the posturing and bravado that usually follows him around. He’s just… happier.
I realize that he probably needed a break from everything almost as much as I did. That thought comforts me a little bit.
Lars eventually opens a bottle of wine and pours us each a glass. I swirl the contents of my glass gently, looking at him as he settles on the couch.