Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
Charlie
I'm wrapped in a thick blanket on the back porch, hands curled around a steaming mug of coffee, watching the morning light as it breaks over the mountains, painting them gold and pink against the deep blue sky. This view will never get old.
Sarah sits across from me, while Bash leans against the porch railing, his profile outlined by the sunrise.
"And then," Sarah continues, her eyes dancing with mischief, "this genius right here decides the best way to impress Becky Miller is to snowboard off the roof of Dad's shed."
I nearly choke on my coffee. "You didn't."
Bash groans, dropping his head. "I was thirteen. Can we please not revisit every stupid thing I did as a teenager?"
"Thirteen going on brain-dead," Sarah corrects, winking at me. "Mom wasn't home, thankfully, but Dad was in the garage when he heard this almighty crash."
"How bad was it?" I ask, already grinning at the mental image of a teenage Bash trying to be cool.
"He broke his collarbone," Sarah says.
"And my snowboard," Bash adds mournfully. "That was the real tragedy."
"Dad comes running out to find Bash sprawled in the snow, trying not to cry—"
"I wasn't crying!"
"—and little Becky Miller standing there with her mouth hanging open." Sarah leans forward. "And you know what this idiot says? He looks up at her and says, 'That was just the warm-up.'"
I burst out laughing, and Bash's mock outrage melts into a reluctant smile.
"It worked, though," he points out. "She was my first kiss two weeks later."
"Only because she felt sorry for you," Sarah retorts.
I'm still laughing, imagining the scene. "Were you always this reckless?"
"Always," Sarah confirms before Bash can defend himself. "One time—"
Bash's phone rings, cutting her off. He glances at the screen and frowns slightly. "Sorry, I need to take this." He turns and I hear him say "Hey Ty" as he steps into the house, sliding the door close behind him.
A comfortable silence settles between Sarah and me as we watch the last of the sunrise. The mountains are fully illuminated now, majestic and eternal against the brightening sky.
"I'm really glad I got to meet you," Sarah says after a moment.
I smile, warming at the approval in her voice. "Me too."
She sets her coffee down on a side table and turns to face me more fully. "Charlie, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Her expression shifts, becoming more serious. "I know about your... arrangement with my brother."
My heart drops into my stomach. "What do you mean?"
"The fake relationship," she says gently. "I know all this started as pretend."
I open my mouth, but no words come out. Part of me wants to deny it, to keep up the charade, but something in her eyes tells me she already knows everything.
"How did you..." I trail off, not even sure what I'm asking.
"Bash told me," she says simply. "He's never been good at keeping things from me."
I stare into my coffee, mortified. "I'm sorry we lied to you."
"Don't be." She reaches across and touches my hand briefly. "I'm not judging either of you. I just..." She pauses, choosing her words carefully. "I wanted you to know something about my brother."
I look up, meeting her gaze.
"After his injury," she continues, "Bash wasn't the same person. He'd built his entire identity around snowboarding, and when that was taken away..." She shakes her head. "He was depressed. Wouldn't talk to anyone, not even me. For months, he just... disappeared into himself."
My chest tightens as I picture the man I've come to know, the vibrant, confident man, hollowed out by loss.
"Eventually, he pulled himself together enough to function.
Got into marketing, started talking to his friends and family again, all the outward signs of moving on.
" She looks toward the mountains. "But there was always something missing.
Like he was going through the motions but not really feeling any of it. "
I think about the night by the fire pit, when he told me about his injury and the loss of his career. The raw vulnerability in his voice, the way he'd admitted to being afraid.
"These last two days," Sarah continues, "seeing him with you... it's the first time in years I've seen my brother truly happy. Truly himself." Her eyes meet mine, intense and sincere. "It's given me hope that he's finally going to be okay."
I swallow hard, not knowing what to say. Part of me wants to confess that I'm falling for him too, that whatever started as pretend doesn't feel fake anymore. But the words stick in my throat, too fragile to voice aloud.
"I don't know what's real between you two now," she continues. "That's not my business. But I can see how he looks at you, Charlie. And whatever this is or isn't, just..." She takes a breath. "Just be careful with him. He might seem invincible, but he's not."
"I would never intentionally hurt him," I say quietly.
"Good." Sarah's serious expression breaks with a smile. "Because if you do, I will fly down to Texas and beat you up."
I blink, startled by the sudden shift.
"I mean it," she adds, though her eyes are twinkling. "I'm very protective."
A surprised laugh escapes me. "Noted."
"I'm kidding," she says, then tilts her head. "Slightly."
"I believe you."
Sarah stands, stretching. "Addie and I need to head out in a few hours, so I should finish packing." She pauses at the door. "I'm glad he found you, Charlie. Fake relationship or not."
The door closes behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the mountain view. The morning is still crisp, but the sun has warmed the air enough that I push the blanket away from my shoulders.
What started as a simple plan to save face in front of Ethan has become something far more complicated.
When did it shift? Was it the snowboarding lesson, when Bash showed infinite patience while I fell over and over?
The night by the fire pit, when he admitted why he'd left that morning?
Or was it happening all along, from that first night at the club when we couldn't keep our eyes off each other?
I watch as Bash helps Sarah load the last of their bags into her car, his easy smile matching his sister's.
Addie bounces around the driveway, snapping photos of the house, the mountains, and anything else that catches her eye.
My parents hover nearby, exchanging contact information with Sarah and promising to visit Colorado sometime.
"We're definitely doing this again," my mom says, embracing Sarah. "You and Addie are always welcome to join us."
Sarah looks genuinely touched. "That would be lovely."
I step forward as they finish, opening my arms to Addie. "It was great meeting you."
She hugs me tight, then pulls back with a mischievous grin. "Try not to break my uncle. He's, like, surprisingly fragile for someone so tall."
"Addie!" Bash groans, but I can't help laughing.
"What? I'm just saying." She shrugs, the picture of teenage innocence. "Most guys are emotionally constipated, but Uncle Bash is especially bad at processing feelings. He needs, like, extra fiber or something."
"Oh my god." Bash covers his face with his hand while Sarah doesn't even try to hide her amusement.
"I'll keep that in mind," I promise Addie, fighting a smile.
She nods seriously. "Good. Because I actually like you, which is weird because I usually hate everyone." With that philosophical gem delivered, she climbs into the car and immediately pulls out her phone.
Sarah steps up next, wrapping me in a tight hug. I'm surprised by how much I'll miss her. In just two days, she's become someone I genuinely care about.
"Remember what we talked about," she whispers in my ear, her voice low enough that only I can hear. "I wasn't joking earlier. If you break his heart, I will absolutely hunt you down."
She pulls back, her expression warm but her eyes intense.
"He deserves someone who sees him," she continues softly. "Someone who isn't afraid to fight for him."
I swallow hard, nodding. "I know."
Sarah squeezes my hands once more before turning to say goodbye to my parents and Emily. The knot in my stomach tightens as I watch her embrace Bash last, whispering something that makes him roll his eyes but smile.
What am I doing? This whole thing started as a way to avoid humiliation in front of Ethan, but now—now I'm in so deep I can barely see daylight. The worst part is that it feels so natural with Bash, so easy, that I keep forgetting we have an expiration date.
In three days, we’ll fly home. The following week, we’ll return to our offices, where I'm still the project manager and he's still the consultant brought in to help with sports accounts. Whatever bubble we've created here will burst, and we'll both be left picking up the pieces.
Bash catches my eye across the driveway, his smile softening in a way that makes my heart ache. He thinks he wants this—wants me—but what happens when the fantasy ends? When there's no more pretending, no more playing house in a mountain paradise?
I can't be someone's vacation romance. Not when I already know how this story ends.
We spend a week playing pretend, building memories in this snow-covered fairy tale, and then reality swoops in like a cold front.
We go back to our lives with the forced smiles and awkward pleasantries and I'm left alone in the wreckage, trying to explain to my heart why it should have known better.
The thing about Bash is that he makes everything feel possible.
When he looks at me with those icy blues, I almost believe I could be enough to make someone like him want to stay.
And that's the most dangerous part about it all, not the falling, but the hope that comes with it.
The treacherous little voice whispering that maybe this time is different, maybe he's different.
But I've been the placeholder before. I've been the girl who thinks she's changed someone, only to discover she was just a chapter in someone else's story. Four years with Ethan taught me that lesson in excruciating detail. I refuse to be naive again, to mistake a beautiful moment for a future.
Sarah and Addie drive away with a final wave, and everyone starts heading back inside to escape the cold.
"I need some air," I announce, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears. "I'm going to take a walk."
Emily frowns. "Now? It's freezing."
"I won't go far." I force a smile. "I just need to clear my head a bit."
Her expression shifts to concern. "Want company?"
"No." The word comes out too sharp, and I wince. "I mean, no thank you. I just… I need a minute alone. I won't be long. Just cover for me."
Without waiting for a response, I turn and head down the driveway toward the walking trail that circles the property. The cold air burns my lungs as I pick up my pace, trying to outrun the jumble of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm falling for him. I'm falling for Sebastian. A man who agreed to fake-date me to make my ex jealous. A man who kisses me like I'm the air he needs to breathe and touches me like he's memorizing every inch.
I reach the edge of the property where the manicured landscaping gives way to natural woods. The path narrows here, winding through tall pines whose branches hang heavy with snow. It's quiet, the sounds of the house muffled by distance and trees.
The truth is, I'm scared. Terrified. Not of Bash hurting me or me hurting him—though that's certainly possible—but of how badly I want this to be real.
How easily I can picture a future where we're not pretending anymore.
Where we spend holidays together, where his sister and niece are part of my life, where we build something lasting.
I slow to a walk, my breath forming little clouds in the frigid air.
But we started this whole thing on a lie. How can anything real grow from that?
I find a fallen log cleared of snow and sit, staring at the mountains in the distance. Their peaks are stark and beautiful against the blue sky, indifferent to my small human problems.
"This is such a mess," I whisper to myself.