Page 24 of Head Over Skis

Without overthinking it, I head to the counter, pay, and leave the shop before he reappears.

10

‘What do we think of Sluts of the Slope?’

I don’t dignify Tilly’s suggestion with a response.

‘I still think we should go with The Three Mu-ski-teers,’ Meghan says with a shrug, and I nod, nothing else coming to my mind.

I jot down our team’s name at the top of the piece of paper before reading the sheet on the boys’ table to see what they’ve come up with. ‘Yellow Snow, really?’

I’m glad to see they’re less creative and more immature than we are, leaving us with a better shot of winning the ‘best team name’ prize. The quiz is taking place in a rustic après bar called Sommet de la Montagne, although we’re ironically at the bottom of the slopes. I’ve watched the place slowly fill up whilst I’ve taken the opportunity to scan the room as many times as I can without anyone noticing and questioning me on it.

I go to take a sip from my pint only to realise I’ve already drained it. Mostly because of a stupid drinking game Tilly made up where the only rule is ‘sip any time Adam tries to charm me’. And so far tonight he’s been pulling out all the stops.

Speaking of the devil, he copies me and leans across the tables to peer at our answer sheet. ‘Hey, that name’s pretty good! Bet you came up with it, Lotts. You’re always great at puns.’

I mutter a thanks, and once he’s leant back towards his own table Tilly nods her head towards the empty pint glass in front of me. ‘That’s another sip. You’d better go and get another one. At this rate we’ll be carrying you home.’

I huff, hopping off my stool and wading through the groups of people standing around who arrived too late to secure a table, eventually making my way to the bar. I’m not sure drinking loads is the smartest idea when we’ve got another early class tomorrow, but my brain has been on hyperdrive since we met up with the boys this afternoon.

I’m overanalysing everything Adam does and how it makes me feel, making mental tally charts with pros and cons, and right now I really want to stop. Seeing as getting time away from Adam isn’t an option, I decide another drink will help slow down my thoughts instead.

With the quiz starting soon and the bar filling up, there’s a thick crowd between me and the countertop. While I wait, I scan around the bar again. When I still can’t find him, my stomach sinks with the realisation he might not turn up. I shouldn’t really care, I’m here for the quiz and to help Meghan and Tilly smash the boys. And yet…

Eventually, I advance far enough through the queue that there’s only one person in front of me. He was obscured before because he was leaning down with his elbows on the counter.

‘Cheers, mate,’ he says, taking a pint in each of his hands.

Hands that I’m very familiar with.

In the second before he turns to face me, I consider running away, or hiding behind someone, which is ridiculous because he’s the person I’ve been searching the room for since I arrived.

I end up not having time to move before he spots me, his hazel eyes bright in the dim light of the room.

‘Lottie, you made it.’

‘I guess I did,’ I say, trying to sound like there might’ve been a chance I wouldn’t. ‘We’ve got a team name and everything.’

‘That’s a good first step.’

Someone jostles him and a few drops of beer spill over the rim of the glass.

‘Hold on, give me one minute,’ he says, manoeuvring expertly through the crowd with the two drinks.

I take that as the opportunity to order my own. I lean forward on the bar to inspect the options they have on tap in case I want to try something else. But I make the decision to stick with the same cider as before, about to order it when I hear his voice again from my side.

‘No cups of tea tonight?’

‘I think tonight needs something a little stronger,’ I reply, still facing the bar.

I wait for the bartender to come over, only I’m drawn back to Rory when he speaks again, suddenly much closer.

‘There’s something I wanted to talk to you about earlier, in the shop,’ he says, and my breath catches.

I’ve been wondering what he’d been about to say when Tilly interrupted. I’ve considered countless possibilities, some good, some bad, and now that I’m about to find out, I start to worry. I turn to face him, nodding to let him know he can go on and hoping he doesn’t notice how my feet are shifting beneath me.

‘I wanted to say that I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier on the magic carpet,’ he says, his tone serious.