11. Will
Chapter eleven
Will
Quiz night is killing me. I haven’t been able to get Mia out of my head since our trip to Grenoble, even more than usual. And thinking of her in Grenoble takes me right back to that night in Bern under the stars.
I look through the rim of my pint at Mia, at the curve of her neck. Turns out, I’m not the only one distracted tonight. She’s staring into her own beer, eyes glazed. And Matt, who is watching a group of people deep in conversation at the bar is also distracted—but not so distracted he can’t jab me with the point of his elbow in the ribs every time me bouncing my leg pisses him off. As usual, Steph is doing her damndest to get us focused and paying attention to the quiz.
When the quiz finally wraps up I pop off my seat to grab another round of drinks. Commiseration drinks, this time. Fourth is a real downgrade for us. Most often, we end up in the top three, if not the winners. I hand Mia her glass, forcing myself to ignore the zap of electricity when our hands touch.
I watch her look around the table, and quietly clear her throat. No one else notices. They don’t pay as much attention to her as me, I guess. There’s probably no one in the world who does.
Mia clears her throat. “So, um, you guys know I’m adopted, right?” She wrings her hands together under the table. A round of nods.
“I found out a couple of weeks ago that my birth parents recently died, and I have a brother.” I sip my drink, watching the others process the information. Steph gives Mia a sympathetic, tight smile, encouraging her to continue.
“Turns out, when they died, they left me some money. They also run—or ran, I suppose—a ski resort in France. My brother, Craig, runs it now.”
“That’s where you two were this weekend, then?” Chloe’s eyes have narrowed. She looks between the two of us. It’s more a statement than a question, but not quite an accusation. Close, but not quite. I look to Mia for what she wants to divulge.
“Not at the ski resort, no. I visited my brother. He’s in hospital in France, with a pretty serious head injury.” She looks at me, and I nod encouragingly. “Will came with me for moral support.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about your brother,” Steph says, reaching out to take Mia’s hand. “How awful for you. So much to take in.” Steph’s eyes are locked on Mia, giving her that sympathetic expression most of us regular people with normal levels of empathy haven’t mastered.
“Is he going to be alright? How serious is the head injury?” Matt asks, having finally managed to drag his eyes back toward the conversation, now the person he was checking out has left.
Mia shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s stable, so he’s not getting worse. But he’s also not improving. He’s been unconscious since his accident.” Mia looks down at the table. I know she feels shit about not feeling as emotional about her brother as she thinks she should. It’s bullshit. He’s a complete stranger to her, and I wish she felt okay feeling nothing about it. Even though no one says anything, I want to defend her from the potential for criticism.
“And yeah, Steph, it’s weird finding out I have a brother then not even being able to talk with him. I have so many questions I wish I could ask, but I can’t.”
Steph, who’s sitting between me and Mia, slides off her stool, and wraps her arm around Mia, squeezing. Mia leans into the hug. I wish it was me hugging her instead.
“Thanks, Steph. Anyway, what I wanted to ask you guys, is I’m thinking about going to the resort, checking it out. Maybe I can feel connected to my birth family or something. And I’d love for you guys to come along. I was thinking I’ll use some of my inheritance to fly us over, and we can stay for free.”
“Mia,” says Steph, coming close to sloshing her wine as she sets it down on the table. “Don’t be stupid. You can’t spend it on that! It’s too generous. You should use that money to buy your own flat or go on a holiday or something.”
“You want us to go to a resort with you? A fancy pants ski resort?” I can’t tell what was going on with Clo. She looks disapproving, and her tone is almost mocking. I mean, she’s no rival to Steph’s positivity, but she’s not usually unreasonable or unkind.
“This is the holiday I want to go on. Please, guys, I have no other friends. You guys are who I want to spend time with. I can’t say I’m very interested in going to a resort full of rich assholes by myself.” Mia looks directly at Chloe, imploring her to play along.
“Well, you won’t hear me saying no to a free trip to France, rich assholes or not,” Matt says firmly. “I’m in."
“Please say you’ll come, guys. We can make fun of the assholes together? And I’ve heard it’s beautiful, Steph. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for your next book?”
Steph looks concerned, but I know her love for Mia (and the promise of something beautiful to draw) will win out. Matt catches my eye over the girls’ heads, rolling his eyes. He’s seen debates between the three of them play out before, and Mia always wins. Steph nods her head. “As long as you’re sure, Mia. I don’t want you to miss out on spending the money on something more practical. But god, I do need some inspiration.”
Chloe sighs, knowing she’s been beat. “I’m in, as long as you know it’s fucking weird to go to a resort . I feel dirty even saying it.” Mia grins at Chloe, the relief on her face evident.
“Way to be grateful to your very generous friend, Clo.” I frown at Chloe, but stop as I see Mia glaring at me. Okay, not the time to give Clo a hard time. Avoiding Mia’s glare, I wipe a trail of condensation off my glass.
Chloe pouts jokingly. “Fine then. Let’s pretend we’re super rich, it’s basically cosplay then, right?”
Three weeks later, we fly out to France on a Thursday after work. After a complicated pickup system that involves two rideshares, five separate stops, and one panicked phone call where we think we might have left Steph behind, we arrive at the airport just in time to check our luggage, much to Mia’s disapproval. Airports are just about the only place in the world she demands we show up on time to. We have a whole six days and five nights ahead of us, and I can’t wait. Work has been crazy lately, and I’m desperate for a few days’ break. Hanging out with everyone for a long weekend is a perfect way to spend that time.
Mia, Steph and Chloe are sitting together about four rows up from Matt and me. Mia has managed to snag us an exit row, and it’s an Airbus A220, so there are three seats on one side and two on the other, so we don’t even share our row with a stranger.
After we listen to the in-flight safety briefing (less attentively than we probably should have), Matt turns to me, raising his eyebrows.
“So, yesterday was what, the third skipped gym session?” We always try to get to the gym together four times a week, but normally only manage three. In the last two weeks, I’ve missed three sessions in a row, and I feel like a real asshole about it.
“Yeah man, I’m sorry. Work’s been crazy.”
“Right, work’s been crazy. Nothing to do with the pining looks you’ve been giving our favorite, most generous friend?”
I school my face to neutral. Or what I hope is neutral. God, I hope his voice hasn’t traveled and she overheard. Though, I guess my feelings toward her are hardly a secret.
“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”
Matt looks at me for a beat. “Almost had me, been practicing that?”
I grin, then shake my head. “Seriously, dude. There’s nothing to tell.”
“Sure.” Matt pats me on the knee. “Nothing happened last time you two were in France.” My face twitches. “Don’t think for a second that Clo didn’t text us all with a forensic breakdown of the backgrounds of those pics you two posted.”
I sigh, leaning toward the window. The plane is starting to taxi to begin takeoff. Mia and I each posted photos we took while wandering around in Grenoble. It didn’t take much to put two and two together and realize we were traveling together. “Alright.” I lower my voice, making certain we can’t be overheard. The engines start up. “We visited her brother, like she said. But…” I run my hands through my beard, searching for the words. “I could have sworn there were some moments. But then after she visited him, things shut down between us.”
“And did you talk about it?”
I shake my head. I want to give her space to think about things in her own time. But maybe Matt’s right. Maybe we need to have an actual conversation about it.
“Come on, dude.” Matt rolls his eyes. “There are plenty of people who would kill for something like what you and Mia have, but you have to do a little more than just hope.”
I scoff. We both know the ‘someone’ he’s talking about doesn’t include himself. Matt’s always been a player, and he’s been pretty clear he has no intention on changing his approach.
I sigh, head still resting on the side of the plane, and lower my voice. “I know. But she’s going through some stuff, and I’m trying to be a good friend.” I watch Matt’s eyes narrow. “A friend, dude, just a friend. It’s the best thing I can do for her right now.”
“Is it really?”
Although ski season hasn’t started and it’s not snowing right now, a snow sweeper has obviously been up the road to the resort since the last snow. What small amount of snow had fallen has been pushed into small mounds on the side of the road in the carpark. We’re quiet in the van on the way up the hill. All of us had spent a full day at work before heading to the airport and I think we can all do with some food and an early night.
I hop out of the van first, reaching out to help steady Mia as she steps out of the shuttle into the frigid air. She hits a slick patch and her heel slides out from under her. I grab at her waist to catch her.
“Careful, it’s icy,” I say quietly, squeezing her hand as I reluctantly release her. It takes all of my strength to let go of her. I avoid watching her walk away by turning back to the shuttle and helping Steph step out into the night.
Two men, smartly dressed in all black join us outside and help the shuttle driver load our suitcases and bags into a trolley. The warm, yellow tinged light emitting from lamp posts casts a beautiful glow around the entrance making it look so cozy.
“Welcome to Montagne étoilée. Please, follow me, and we’ll get you checked in and up to your rooms,” one of the men says.
We file into the rustic foyer, unbuttoning our coats as we take in the gorgeous wooden floors and massive, roaring fireplace. The four of us settle on to the smart brown leather couches in the lobby, waiting like well-behaved children while Mia heads up to the front desk to get our room keys.
“This place is beautiful.” Steph’s eyes are huge as she takes in the lobby. She nudges Chloe with her elbow. “Look at those ceilings! I wonder whether they'd let us roast marshmallows over it?” She snaps a couple of photos, no doubt to draw later.
“It’s more understated than I was expecting, to be honest,” Chloe admits reluctantly, twisting her white scarf in her hand. I wonder how she keeps it so clean.
Mia takes off her jacket and slings it over her arm, then reaches into the back pocket of her jeans to take out her phone. I must have been staring at her ass for too long, because Matt, on my other side, nudges me with raised eyebrows.
So much for him believing the ‘just friends’ dynamic.
I drag myself back to the conversation where Steph is raving about the stained-glass windows.
Mia has five electronic key cards splayed out in front of her. “Damien said we’re on the top floor, which has the best view in the place, apparently. We’re the only ones who have access to our floor. We’ve got two rooms on one side of the hallway, and three on the other, so they’re close together.” She hands us each a random card as we pull ourselves off the comfortable couch and head to the elevator. “The restaurant is open until ten, then it’s only room service after that,” Mia says.
Matt lets out an exaggerated groan. “Thank god, I’m starving. See you back here in ten minutes.”
“Cheers, Mia!” We clink glasses after Matt calls for a toast.
“Thanks for inviting us. This is delicious,” he says, holding his large burger in one hand.
Hopefully, my pasta tastes as good as it looks; perfectly cooked, perfectly sauced, piping hot and cheesy. It’s served with two toasted crispy garlic baguettes on the side.
“Damn, I’m glad the kitchen’s still open. I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” I say, twisting linguini onto my fork. My mouth is watering before I bring the fork to it.
“They had turned my electric blanket on—did they do yours?” Steph asks. I guess she approves, then. “And I’ve got a bath. I wish I had brought a bath bomb with me.”
“Bet you anything you like Mia brought extras,” I say, crunching on garlic bread. “She always brings bath bombs. Even if she knows there won’t be a bath where she’s going. It’s a disease.”
“How do you know that?” Chloe flicks her gaze between us, never missing a beat.
“Yes, Will, do tell. How do you know that?” Mia asks. Her eyes are clouded with emotion I can’t quite read.
“You told me once, that time we all went up to Wales. They had a bath, but the jets didn’t work? You texted me at five in the morning to complain about it.”
Matt laughs, throwing his head back. “God, I had forgotten about that. Will, you had to talk her down, she was about to call reception in the middle of the night.”
“It was not the middle of the night!” Mia says, indignant
“It was five in the morning. Maybe you’ve got us on a technicality, but no reasonable person would call reception before dawn except for an emergency. An actual emergency, not some sort of bath bomb emergency.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin to wipe away any stray crumbs. “Also, when you got your hoodie out of your bag at the airport, I saw about ten Lush bags in your suitcase. As far as I could tell, you brought about five pairs of socks and twenty bath bombs with you.”
Chloe and Steph laugh while Mia pouts dramatically.
“Hey, I brought that hoodie too. But, Steph, if you want a bath bomb, I have some extras you’re welcome to—just one or two extras, Will, not a whole suitcase full like you’re imagining.” She stabs at her pasta. “You never know when you might end up with a surprise bath. It’s the curse of not having a bath at home. You should always be prepared.”
It dawns on me that Mia could afford to redo her bathroom with a bath now. No question about it. We lock eyes fleetingly over the table. I wonder whether she’s thinking the same thing.
“I was gonna suggest we pop back into town sometime while we’re here, maybe tomorrow. It’s not that far is it? I want to have a bit of a look around, it looked super cute. And Steph, you can grab some bath stuff too,” Chloe says, giving Mia a grin. “I’d hate for Mia to have to part with any of her precious bath bombs.”