“There’s only one problem with this plan,” I said to the girls as we went back inside. “I didn’t bring a bikini.”
‘What?” Anna looked shocked.
“We were coming to the mountains. It’s the middle of winter. How was I supposed to know I needed swimwear?”
“Okay, I guess that’s valid,” Anna replied. “But never fear, I have a spare bikini.” She went off in search of it before I could object while Cress went to change into hers.
I still had an uneasy feeling in my gut about going over to the boys’ house. The girls had made a pretty convincing argument for the hot tub, but Wes was so on edge about anything to do with Noah right now. I believed Cress when she said Noah wouldn’t be there, but what if Wes freaked out all the same?
I considered texting Wes to check, but I didn’t want to make him worry for no reason. The thought also made me feel a little silly. I didn’t need his permission to hang out with my friends. It was the last day of our trip, and he’d left me to ski with his brother all day. Was it really so bad I wanted to have some fun with the girls?
Anna fetched me her spare bikini, and I quickly changed into it before putting my clothes back on over the top. The swimsuit was far skimpier than my own bikini, and it revealed so much of my butt I decided I was going to have to make sure no one was ever standing behind me.
It didn’t help that the bikini was red, so it was hardly inconspicuous. It made me want to skip the hot tub altogether, but the girls were so excited, and I knew if I bailed they’d feel pressured to miss out with me. Hopefully I’d be able to jump in the water before I flashed anyone too much skin.
I left a note for the twins, telling them where we’d gone and to come join us, just in case they arrived home early. When I was ready, Anna and Cress were already waiting for me by the front door, so we headed over to Luther’s house together. The niggling feeling in my stomach still told me this was a bad idea, but I did my best to ignore it. I kept repeating to myself that I wasn’t doing anything wrong and Wes would understand.
Luther was already stripped down to his board shorts when we arrived, and he waved us into the house, a bottle of tequila already in his hand.
Anna had been chatting away as usual on the walk over, but she went completely silent when she saw Luther standing there in all his shirtless glory. He was strong and muscular, and Anna certainly seemed to be noticing. Her gaze traced over every inch of him.
“Welcome, ladies,” Luther said in greeting. “Please come in.”
Anna walked right past him, swiping the bottle of tequila from his hand before taking a swig.
“Shoes off at the front door, please,” Luther instructed. “Don’t they teach you manners over there, London?”
Anna didn’t look at him but kicked off her shoes and continued walking into the house, not at all bothered she had no idea where she was going. “So, where’s this hot tub?” she called, disappearing down a hallway that led deeper into the house.
Cress and I hurried to take our shoes off so we could follow.
“It’s out on the balcony,” Luther shouted back before focusing on Cress and me.
“Does she always make herself at home like this?” he asked as we started down a long corridor that led to the kitchen and living area.
“It’s Anna, so probably,” Cress replied with a laugh.
When we arrived at the kitchen, Luther paused. “Can I get you girls a drink?”
“Just water for me,” Cress said.
“Yeah, same,” I agreed.
Luther went to the fridge while Cress and I searched for Anna. The balcony was just off the main living area, and the door outside was open. She was already in the hot tub when we reached her, still happily clasping the bottle of tequila.
“Way to take your time, you guys,” she said with a laugh. She seemed a lot more relaxed here than she had at the entrance when she’d first seen Luther topless.
“We can’t help that you practically ran through the house to get here,” Cress said. She was starting to strip down to her bikini so she could join Anna.
I hesitated for a moment, mainly because of the bikini I was wearing underneath my clothes but partly because of the view. Luther was right. The view was even better than at Wes and Sawyer’s house but only just. The balcony here was a little higher, so you could see farther down into the valley.
“Isobel, are you getting in?” Anna asked.
“Oh, uh, yeah.” Luther was still inside the house, thankfully, so I changed out of my clothes in record speed and darted straight into the hot tub. The air was crisp, but the water was warm and soothing, and as soon as my body was submerged, I knew it was going to be difficult to get out into the cold again when the time came.
Anna offered me the tequila bottle, so I had a tiny sip before quickly passing it back. I had no intention of getting drunk in a hot tub. That seemed like a recipe for disaster. Especially when I needed to keep my wits about me. I was behind enemy lines, after all.
Luther soon emerged from the house with our glasses of water. “You happy with the tequila bottle, Anna?” he asked as he passed Cress and me our drinks. “Or do you need a straw?”
She rolled her eyes and placed the bottle down on the table beside the hot tub. “I’m not going to drink the whole bottle.”
“Just half of it then?” Luther replied with a grin.
She shot him a scowl as he slid into the water next to her. It was probably a good thing the hot tub was so big and there was plenty of space between them because I got the impression Anna wouldn’t hesitate to dunk Luther under the water if he came too close.
“So, newbie, how are you enjoying your first trip to Aspen?” Luther said.
“It’s been…interesting.” I wasn’t sure how to describe the trip so far. I’d enjoyed the mountains, the snow, and hanging out with my friends. The surprises? Not so much.
“Are you having a good time?” I replied.
“Yeah, but I’m more of a sunshine guy myself,” he replied. “Which you would know if you’d spent any time at all with us…”
Luther knew exactly why I hadn’t spent any time with them, and I really didn’t want to get into the details of the awkward situation between his best friend, my boyfriend, and me.
“Well, I’ve been busy,” I said.
“Busy neglecting your BFF.”
“We’re hardly BFFs, Luther.”
“Yeah, we’re her BFFs,” Anna protested.
“Ah, but have either of you serenaded her in public?” Luther joked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Because I’m not sure you can truly call yourself a bestie if you haven’t sung to each other.”
“Please don’t remind me about that,” I groaned, which only made Luther laugh.
“Seriously, though, I’ve missed you this trip, newbie. We all have.”
“I’m on this trip to hang out with my boyfriend, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Well, both you and your boyfriend are very boring,” he replied. “Maybe you should upgrade to a better model…”
“If you asked me here to try and push your Noah agenda on me, I’m leaving,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Yeah, Luther,” Anna said, splashing water at him. “She’s not going to dump Wes and start dating Noah again just because you asked.”
“It was worth a shot.” Luther shrugged, but there was a cheeky grin on his face. “But I guess I’ll try my best not to bring up how incredible Noah is. How handsome, noble, gracious, good at snowboarding…”
I lifted my eyebrows. “So, you do want me to leave.”
“No. Definitely not.” He lifted his hands and pretended to zip his mouth shut. Only two seconds later though, he was talking again. “I’m just sad this is the first time I’ve managed to drag you over here.”
“Luther…” I said. “You know why I haven’t come over here.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, because of No—” He stopped himself and pretended to cough in an attempt to cover up the fact he’d just been about to say Noah’s name. “You worry too much, newbie. Everyone knows you’re with Wes, and you know who respects that.”
“Perhaps,” I said. “Though I’m not sure Wes would agree with you.”
“Getting a little jealous, is he?” Luther grinned.
“You don’t have to look quite so pleased, Luther,” Cress scoffed.
“Pleased? Me? Never.”
“You’re pushing it, Luther…” Anna’s voice trailed off when we heard the sound of the front door opening.
“Luther? You home?” It was Kaden, and as I recognized his voice, the water surrounding me suddenly felt as cold as the snow around us.
I shot Luther a wary glance, but he had turned away from me to look through the door into the house, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I prayed Kaden was alone, and my heart raced with uncertainty.
“We’re out here,” Luther called.
“We?” Kaden looked confused as he stepped out onto the terrace, and then his eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks as he saw Anna, Cress, and I sitting in the hot tub. His gaze flicked straight to Cress, and his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Hey, Cress,” he said with a cautious smile.
“Hey, Kaden,” she replied, her cheeks flushing even more than his. “I thought you’d be gone all day.”
“That was the plan,” he said. “But the conditions were terrible up there. We probably would have killed ourselves if we’d attempted the run we wanted to do.”
“Well, I’m glad you saw sense.”
“Me too,” he replied. “Especially now that you’re here.”
I probably would have found the two of them adorable if I wasn’t so thoroughly freaking out.
“What’s going on out here?” My heart froze as Noah’s voice confirmed my worst fear. I sunk a little lower in the hot tub, wishing I could disappear as he emerged onto the balcony. He was still dressed in his ski gear, and I had to admit Anna had a point about him. Noah did look pretty hot in his baggy snow pants with his ski jacket hanging open to reveal a Weybridge Academy hoodie underneath. His hair was tousled, and his cheeks were pink from being out in the cold. I never thought a guy could look appealing in such messy, baggy clothes, but Noah somehow made it work.
He was grinning as he came out to see what was happening, but surprise flashed on his face, and his mouth cracked open slightly when he saw me in the water. I guess I was the last person he expected to be out here.
He got over his shock quickly though, and his gaze softened as he looked at me. There was a hint of a smile, and his expression seemed hopeful. I hoped me being here wasn’t going to give him the wrong idea.
“Isobel, you’re here.” He was speaking to me like we were the only two people out here, and I felt myself sink a little farther in the water.
“We were just about to leave.” I stammered out the words.
“No, you weren’t,” Luther replied. “You only just got here.”
I shot Luther a scowl, but he simply grinned before he returned his focus to his friends. “Are you guys getting in or what?”
“Yeah, I’ll just get changed,” Kaden replied.
Noah glanced at me as if he were waiting for my permission. I didn’t want him in the water with us, and I was still getting over the surprise of his arrival. But this was his friend’s house, and I could hardly insist he stayed inside while we were all out here enjoying the hot tub.
My hesitation didn’t give Noah any indication either way, and the silence left the door open for him to make a decision. Eventually he pulled his gaze from mine to look at Luther. “Sure, I’ll just be a sec,” he said.
Noah and Kaden disappeared into the house, and I tried to convince myself sharing a hot tub with Noah wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like we were alone, and I could always head home if it got too awkward. I still didn’t feel all that comfortable with the idea though.
Anna leaned across and punched Luther’s arm as soon as the guys were gone. “You told us they’d be out all day.”
Luther plastered a forced look of pain on his face, and he rubbed the spot on his arm. “I thought they would be,” he said. “You heard Kaden; they decided to come back early.”
Anna’s eyes narrowed on him before she sank back into the water. “I guess, but I’m still annoyed with you.”
Luther chuckled. “When aren’t you annoyed with me?”
Anna ignored him and turned to me. “Are you happy to stay?” she asked. “Because we can head back home if you want?”
I desperately wanted to leave, and Anna was clearly giving me a way out, but we’d only just gotten here, and I could see she wanted to stay. Cress seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for my response. Now that Kaden was here, I knew she’d want to stay more than ever. I also knew they’d both insist on coming with me if I left.
I released a breath and shook my head. “We can stay a while longer,” I said. “It’s too cold to get out anyway.” The cold wasn’t the only thing stopping me from getting out. I didn’t want anyone to see the ridiculously small bikini I had on, and at least the water provided some concealment.
“That’s the spirit.” Anna nodded and gave me a reassuring smile.
Only moments later though, I considered braving the cold and running for the hills as Noah emerged from the house without his shirt on. I may have wanted nothing to do with him, but that didn’t mean I was oblivious to how good Noah looked topless. It was a small relief when he got into the hot tub between Cress and Luther. But only small. He wasn’t sitting next to me, but he was right across from me, which meant I had to look at him.
I’d told my friends we could stay just a little while longer, so I was going to suck it up and stick it out for them. Still, I did my best to keep my focus on the view of the mountains and as far away from the boy sitting across from me who was watching me with his intense green eyes.
“I wonder what’s taking Kaden so long,” Cress said. “Maybe I should go check on him.”
“Oh, yeah, check on him,” Anna joked, earning herself a glare from Cress as she got out of the hot tub.
I rubbed my arms, feeling more and more unsettled. Guilt was starting to build within me. It was one thing to come over here when Noah was on top of a mountain somewhere but a whole other thing now he was in the water with me. I knew Wes would hate this, and I really didn’t want to upset him. It didn’t help that every time I glanced Noah’s way I couldn’t stop myself remembering the way he’d wrapped his arms around me when he’d rescued me from crashing on the ski slope.
“How are you feeling after yesterday?” Noah’s voice made me jump slightly as it interrupted my thoughts. It appeared I wasn’t the only one thinking about the moment he’d come to my rescue. There was genuine concern in his eyes, and I knew he was only trying to be polite, but I didn’t like the way my heart beat a little faster when he looked at me that way.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine, thanks, but I should go,” I said, pushing myself up so I could climb out of the hot tub. The freezing air hit me as soon as I left the water, and a chill raced down my spine. I didn’t look in Noah’s direction once as I scampered across the terrace to grab a towel and wrap it around me. I didn’t want to see his reaction when he got a glimpse of my skimpy bikini.
“Isobel,” Noah called out to me, but I ignored him. “Did I say something wrong?”
I heard movement in the water and splashing as someone stood up. “Just let her go, Noah,” Anna said.
I didn’t wait to hear if he would listen to her warning and headed inside. I needed to get out of this house. I needed to get away from Noah. I wanted to hang out with my friends, but there were so many conflicting feelings churning inside me, and the swirling waters of the hot tub were just making it worse.
Once I was back inside, I realized I’d left my clothes on the balcony. There was no way in hell I was going back out there though. You couldn’t pay me enough to face Noah again in just a towel and this bikini. I spotted one of the boys’ sweatshirts on the kitchen bench, so I grabbed it without a second thought. I dropped my towel and pulled it over my head. Thankfully, the hoodie was big enough that it almost fell to my knees.
I headed for the entrance and quickly put on my shoes. I pulled open the front door but gasped when I nearly collided with Wes and Sawyer who were standing right outside.
‘Guys, you scared me,” I said, placing a hand against my chest.
“We got your note.” There was nothing warm about Wes’s tone, and I got the impression he wasn’t pleased.
“Yeah, it was icy as hell up the mountain, so we came back early,” Sawyer said. “What’s this I hear about a hot tub?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s out on the balcony,” I said, gesturing inside.
Sawyer didn’t need any more encouragement, and he waltzed right by me into the house. Wes didn’t move though, and my stomach dipped unpleasantly as he frowned at me.
“Whose sweatshirt is that?” he asked.
I glanced down. I’d forgotten I wasn’t wearing my own clothes. That my legs were bare, and I’d stolen one of the boys’ hoodies. It was only now, as I looked down at the Weybridge insignia across the front of it, I realized it wasn’t just any boy’s hoodie. It was Noah’s. His initials were on the front, and I was guessing his surname was sprawled right across the back of it.
“Isobel?” Noah’s voice called out behind me, making me grimace. Wes was clearly already upset I was here, and Noah showing up wasn’t going to help. “Look, I’m sorry. I—” Noah’s voice cut off as he came to my side and saw Wes.
Both boys became rigid as they scowled at each other, and I wished Noah hadn’t chosen to stand so close to me. It somehow made everything look so much worse.
“Wes…” I reached out to him, but he took a firm step back as he glanced between Noah and me.
The anger in his eyes was palpable. “You’re here with him,” he said.
“I’m not here with him. Noah wasn’t even supposed to be here.”
“Right, and that’s why you’re wearing his sweatshirt?”
“Wes…” I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t give me a chance.
“If you’re not here together, why was he chasing after you?”
“Because—’
“Did you cheat on me?”
His accusation chilled me to the bone, and I let out a shocked breath. “No! I would never.”
Noah stepped forward as if to protect me from Wes’s words. “She didn’t cheat on you,” he growled. “And if you believe she’d even consider that for one second, you clearly don’t know Isobel at all.”
Wes stepped forward too, squaring up to Noah so they were inches apart. “This is none of your business, Hastings.”
Noah didn’t back down, and his scowl deepened as he stared at Wes. The boys were matched in height and build, and it felt like only the tension filling the air between them was stopping them from colliding.
“It became my business when you started hurling baseless accusations,” Noah continued. “When you started dragging my name through the mud right along with hers.”
“This is between me and my girlfriend,” Wes fired back.
Noah stood his ground though, maintaining the barrier he’d created between Wes and me. Standing between us only seemed to be aggravating Wes more though. Noah was making everything worse.
I pushed my way past Noah and turned on him. “Noah, would you please just go back inside?” I pointed into the house. Over his shoulder, I could see Anna, Sawyer, and Luther poking their heads out from the corridor that led through to the balcony. They’d obviously heard the commotion.
Wes let out a dry laugh when Noah didn’t immediately move. “Well, if he won’t leave, then I will.”
He turned on his heel and marched away from the house. I shot Noah a scowl before I took off after Wes.
“Wes, wait,” I called after him, but he continued powering across the driveway toward his house like he hadn’t heard me at all. “Wes, please.”
He didn’t look back, and it wasn’t until he got to the front door that I managed to catch him. I reached out to lightly touch his arm. “Would you just talk to me,” I said. “I can explain.”
Wes stepped back from me and shrugged off my grasp. “Explain?” he balked. “Isobel, you’re wearing Noah’s hoodie…”
I’d never seen him like this before. He was practically shaking with anger. “I didn’t know it was his,” I said. “It was the first sweatshirt I could find when I got out of the hot tub. I didn’t cheat on you. I would never.”
“You were still in the hot tub with him.”
“For about three seconds.” I folded my arms across my chest. “And it’s not like we were alone.”
His eyes were narrowed as he considered my explanation. “Is this why you didn’t text me to tell me what you girls were up to? So you could spend time with him?”
I was starting to get frustrated now. “No, I didn’t text you because I didn’t think I needed your permission. And like I’ve already told you, Noah wasn’t supposed to be there.”
He looked like he wanted to argue with that, so I cut him off before he got a chance. “I was just hanging out with my friends, Wes. And yes, Noah turned up, but I decided to leave once he arrived.”
“You didn’t think he’d be at the house he’s staying at?”
“Oh my gosh, Wes! Luther said he’d be gone all day, and Cress thought so too.” I shook my head. “But that’s not the point. The point is you don’t trust me. And if you can’t do that; if you can’t believe me when I say nothing happened, then something about this relationship isn’t working. It shouldn’t be this hard!”
“Yeah, maybe it’s just not worth it.” His face was stern, and his jaw clenched. He was deadly serious. I couldn’t handle this right now. I couldn’t deal with yet another heartbreak. So, I turned from him and ran down the driveway away from the house.
“Isobel!” Wes called to me, but I didn’t stop. And he didn’t chase after me. So, I kept on going. I ignored Luther’s place and continued down the road. I must have looked ridiculous wearing only my snow boots and an enormous hoodie in this weather, but I didn’t care. I was too upset to go back to Wes’s house, and Luther’s was the last place I wanted to be. So, I kept moving forward, trying my best to ignore the cold as I hurried away.
