Chapter 12 Mia #2
“Well, I went to a private school with Luka,” Evan told her. “We also had tennis lessons, French tutoring, and coding classes. In the summer, we went on family vacations to Cape Cod or the South of France or somewhere else, and in winter, we usually went skiing in Aspen or the Alps.”
Mia chuckled. “Okay, we won’t find many similarities there. I was an only child, I went to public school, and my after-school activities were going to the community center pool, hiking, and babysitting. We went on vacations, too, but mostly camping, like I told you.”
“Okay, our childhoods were pretty much opposites.” Evan chuckled. “Tell me more about these camping trips.”
“We’d drive to a nice spot, usually in a national park or along the coast,” Mia explained. “We had an old, battered tent that barely fit the three of us, and we’d stay up late under the stars roasting marshmallows and singing.” She smiled. “Those were good times.”
“It sounds like it.” Evan paused. “I’ve never been camping.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Mia chuckled. “Okay, tell me about one of your vacations. Tell me about... skiing in the Alps.”
“We usually went to Chamonix,” Evan said.
“We had a vacation house there for a few years. We’d wake up early every day and have breakfast together, which was rare for my family.
Then we’d bundle up in all our clothes and hit the slopes.
We had to take one lift up to the snowline, then a second lift to ski from.
Luka is three years older than me, so he was always the better skier, but he’d go slowly with me, at least for the first few runs of the day, and he’d make up little games to make it fun.
” Evan smiled. “We’d have to ski in each other’s tracks, do a certain number of turns on one hill, or sing a song while we skied. ”
“That’s sweet.” Mia’s heart warmed at the story. “You know, you make a big show about being distant from your family, but I think you actually care.” She ended the sentence with a teasing note, and Evan chuckled.
“Maybe a little.”
“More than a little. That story was downright cute.” Mia nudged him with her arm. “Maybe you can take some time to actually enjoy this wedding, like how you enjoyed vacations when you were a kid.”
“I can’t back off from work.” Evan shrugged... but then he sighed. “Maybe I can try to do a few activities.”
“Yes!” Mia gave a fist pump, and Evan burst into laughter.
“That was adorable.”
“Hey, I’m not adorable. I’m enthusiastic.” She grinned.
“Well, I think it was adorable.” Evan nudged her with his arm. “Now, tell me another story about your childhood.”
“Okay.” Mia considered. “Does college count?”
“Sure.” Evan leaned back in his chair, bracing his hands behind his head.
“When I was in college, I came back home for Thanksgiving one year, and my parents had made a special dinner for me. Not a Thanksgiving dinner — I was never a fan of Thanksgiving food, really — but all my favorite things. Mac and cheese, sushi, chocolate-chip cookies, everything. It was so sweet, and I was so happy that they had done that for me.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. You’re not a fan of Thanksgiving food?” Evan shook his head. “What kind of weirdo are you?”
“Hey!” Mia chuckled. “Come on, are you seriously telling me that you’d eat mashed potatoes, turkey, and cranberry sauce on any day other than Thanksgiving?”
“Maybe not, but those foods are tradition.” Evan shook his head. “I don’t know how you can be my fake girlfriend if you don’t like Thanksgiving food.”
“See, this is the kind of thing we need to know about each other if we’re going to pull this off.” Mia grinned.
“It sounds like your family was good at holidays,” Evan continued.
“Well, yes, although after making all my favorite foods, they tried to convince me to switch my major away from education.” She shrugged. “They meant well.”
“I’m sure, but still. My family did the same thing when I was in college.”
“They made you special food on Thanksgiving?”
Evan rolled his eyes playfully. “The other thing. They tried to convince me that I was making a mistake by pursuing my dream of starting my own business, and they even attempted to bribe me.”
“Bribe you?”
“Yep.” He chuckled. “They said that if I agreed to give up my business ideas, they’d buy me a boat.”
Mia burst into laughter. “That’s hilarious. Did you consider it?”
“Maybe for a minute.” Evan laughed sheepishly. “It would have been fun to have a boat.”
They smiled at each other, then Mia said, “It’s funny how similar our childhoods were, even though they were also polar opposites.”
“True. Maybe this is why you’re so good at dealing with my family. You have plenty of experience with your own.”
“Maybe.” Mia tilted her head back to look up at the sky, which was studded with glittering stars now. “Or maybe I had low expectations after meeting you.”
Evan was silent for a minute, and Mia glanced at him. She was worried the last comment had offended him, but he didn’t look offended. He looked thoughtful. After a while, he sighed. “I... I am sorry. That I didn’t reply to you. That was a real jerk move.”
“It was.” Mia folded her arms across her stomach.
“We had a great time together at the last wedding,” Evan said.
“At least, I did. But I didn’t want you thinking we were going to be anything more.
” He looked at her, his eyes bright in the darkness, and Mia bit her lip.
A mix of feelings welled in her — happiness that he’d apologized and that he’d said they’d had a great time.
Hurt that he’d avoided her for weeks. A steely resolve not to let herself fall for his charms again.
Instead of replying, Mia took out her phone and glanced at the time. “I should probably sleep. It’s getting late.”
“Me too.” Evan sighed. “Although I do have work to do…”
Mia glared at him. “I don’t think you even slept on the flight. Sleep now.”
“All right, all right.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine.”
They both stood, stretching, and Mia tried not to look at the ripple of muscles beneath his T-shirt.
Inside, they took turns in the bathroom.
When Mia came out, having showered and washed her hair, Evan was balanced on the couch with one of the pillows and a spare blanket, apparently trying to decide which armrest to put his legs on.
“How’s that going?” Mia leaned against the door, hand on her hip. She was wearing the pajamas she’d brought: a pair of shorts and a tank top printed with a donut pattern. Evan had changed, too, into a pair of boxers and a white T-shirt.
“Great. I’m really enjoying myself.” Evan tried to lie down, but his feet were propped on one armrest and his head on the other. He looked like a grown man trying to fit in a bed made for a toddler. He looked up at her, grinning. “Are you going to take pity on me?”
“Fine.” Mia crossed the room and got into bed, then grabbed a few of the pillows and put them in the middle. “That’s your side.” She pointed to the far side of the makeshift wall.
“Thanks.” Evan climbed into bed. Even though they were separated by a wall of pillows, Mia was deeply aware of his every movement and breath.
Despite herself, she remembered the last time they’d been in bed together — Evan kissing her as though she were the only person who mattered in the world, his five o’clock shadow brushing her cheek.
Him whispering that she looked beautiful.
Her hands tracing the outline of his back.
Their night together was burned into her mind, ready to replay at a moment’s notice.
“Good night, Mia,” Evan said.
She blushed, hoping he hadn’t been able to see what she was thinking about on her face.
“Good night, Evan.” She reached over and flipped off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
Still, though, she lay awake, her heart racing and her stomach flipping as she remembered the last night they’d spent together.
Each time Evan rolled over or shifted, she felt the movement.
Only when his breath slowed into a deep, sleeping rhythm did she finally drift off herself.