Chapter Eighteen
When Lucy woke up the next morning, both beds had deflated, and Nate wasn’t in either of them.
She lay in the dark stillness of the attic for a moment, taking an inventory of the state of her compound hangovers, and all the bruises she’d incurred from hours of rolling around on a wooden floor.
Her head felt pretty OK, all things considered, but her knees felt like they might never recover.
It was definitely worth it, she mused, wondering if it would be considered bad form to grab another three-minute shower.
Surely they’d be getting off this mountain today?
She took a moment to work out what day it was, and eventually came to the conclusion that it was Sunday.
Her flight back to Bristol was booked for this afternoon, and presumably if they were rescued this morning that would still go ahead.
She could be in her bathtub back in her flat by the end of the day, then relaxing in her lavish superking bed.
She even remembered to change the sheets before she left, just in case she fancied putting a call in to Marco or Anthony on the way back.
Occasionally she went to one of their places, but she preferred it if they came to her.
Neither of them lived like pigs, but her flat was guaranteed to be spotlessly tidy and she could vouch for the sheets being clean.
Talking of being clean, where were her clothes?
She remembered washing them, but then what?
The realisation dawned that she’d come straight upstairs after her shower in a state of sexual anticipation, and forgotten to go down and hang them up in front of the fire before she fell asleep.
She reached over and clicked on the torch, and sure enough, there was a mound of damp clothes by the wall, probably permanently staining the wooden floor.
She sighed, wondering if Chantal had some things she could borrow, then she could take her wet stuff home in a plastic bag.
Or actually just throw them in the nearest bin.
How will last night change things between Nate and I?
she wondered. She’d definitely be leaving Switzerland with a very different impression of Nate to the one she’d had when she arrived.
Was that going to make office encounters awkward?
Probably, but they were both adults, and if he could hide a relationship with a member of senior management, he could definitely hide a one-night stand with Lucy.
He’d go back to whatever his thing was with Sasha, she’d go back to Anthony and Marco, and this would become a memory of a thing that happened in a crazy and surreal situation.
Why hadn’t he told her he had a girlfriend?
The most obvious answer was that his relationship with Sasha was just a casual one, like she had with Anthony and Marco.
So he wasn’t answerable to her, and could do what he wanted.
The alternative was that they were a couple but it was an open relationship, the rules of which might compel him to tell Sasha that he and Lucy had slept together.
This idea was less palatable, but that wasn’t her decision to make.
She wondered what time it was, and whether Nate might be interested in another roll around on this hard floor before breakfast. What were a few more bruises between friends?
He’d been something of a revelation, in the end – not as much of a virtuoso as Anthony, or as romantic as Marco, but something else entirely.
Parts of it had been tender and intimate; the kind of sex you have with someone you know inside and out and feel entirely at ease with.
Other parts had been unexpected and fearless and had taken her breath away, quite literally.
The idea of doing it again, but sober this time, was actually very appealing.
Nate reappeared up the stairs, and Lucy could see in the murky light that he was carrying two cups of coffee.
He sat cross-legged on the edge of her deflated mattress and put the two mugs on the floor next to her, taking the opportunity to drop a kiss on her forehead as he leaned over.
It felt like such a familiar, domestic gesture, like there was no awkwardness or regret on his part.
There was none on Lucy’s, obviously, but she’d half-expected Nate to be spinning out about the impulsive, terrible thing they’d done.
‘You’ve had another shower,’ said Lucy, noting that his hair was wet and he smelled of citrus and toothpaste.
‘I have,’ said Nate. ‘Monica was hovering outside, so I made it quick. Didn’t want her to think I was . . . you know.’
‘You know . . . what?’ asked Lucy, entirely confused.
‘Like, having a wank.’
‘Why would you be having a wank?’ she laughed.
Nate pulled back the duvet and snuggled in beside her, draping his arm over her naked waist. He was far too close, considering Lucy’s morning breath, but there was nothing she could do about that other than clamp her lips together and breathe through her nose.
‘I wouldn’t,’ said Nate. ‘I don’t need to, obviously. But I thought that if I took too long, she might think I was.’
‘Wouldn’t she think you were just diligently washing?’
‘I don’t know. I wasn’t prepared to risk it.’
‘Right,’ said Lucy, noting that Nate’s anxiety clearly wasn’t just restricted to flying and avalanches. They were both quiet for a moment, enjoying the luxury of being together, with nowhere else to be.
‘Incidentally,’ said Lucy. ‘If wanking is on your agenda, I’d be happy to help.’
‘It’s definitely on my agenda,’ said Nate. ‘In fact, it’s my entire agenda for the rest of the morning.’
Lucy shivered as his hand trailed down her ribcage to her hip, bringing her out in goosebumps as he pressed himself against her.
‘We might be rescued this morning,’ she said, weaving her fingers into his to prevent further activity until she’d at least cleaned her teeth.
‘That would be very disappointing,’ said Nate, kissing her shoulder. Lucy noted that he didn’t suggest moving his agenda to Bristol, presumably because Sasha would be there. It felt weird not knowing what was happening outside this tiny bubble, and feeling so disconnected from everything.
‘Oh wait,’ said Nate, sitting up suddenly. ‘That reminds me. I have news.’
‘What?’ said Lucy.
‘Apparently Gunther got the generator going for a bit earlier. But then something else went bang.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. I saw Willem in the kitchen when I was getting coffee. He was awake, so he went out with Gunther and tried to help.’
‘So there was electricity and Wi-Fi and everything?’
‘Yeah,’ said Nate. ‘For about half an hour.’
‘Shit,’ said Lucy. ‘That’s annoying. I could have checked in with Jonno and charged my phone.’
‘We were both asleep, but Alex was all over it, apparently. He uploaded their engagement video and let his TikTok followers know he’s not dead.’
‘Did any of them think he was dead?’
‘Apparently there was some kind of panic about him being missing, because he hadn’t been online for thirty-six hours. Somebody had started a crowdfunder for a helicopter rescue.’
‘Why am I not surprised?’ Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Jonno would have definitely followed Alex on TikTok or Instagram by now, in case he posted any updates from the Guntherhütte.
‘Did Gunther or Monica manage to get any information about our rescue?’ she asked.
‘Yeah. Gunther spoke to a couple of people in the village, the signs are good for rescue today. Monica’s going to brief us all in the bar in an hour.’
‘OK, great.’ Lucy thought about the list of people who would be wondering if she was all right, and it was very short.
Jonno, obviously, and the others from LUNA and Titan who were probably enjoying being on the fringe of all the drama.
Presumably her mother had messaged, and was either in deep denial or permanently on hold to the Swiss Embassy.
But other than that, she was pretty sure nobody was crowdfunding for a helicopter rescue for her.
‘So what do we do for the next hour?’ said Nate, detaching his fingers from hers and restarting manoeuvres down her left hip.
Lucy laughed, sitting up and leaning over him to grab her coffee. She took a gulp, feeling inexplicably, ridiculously happy, then immediately having a panic response to such an unfamiliar emotion.
‘You know this is just an extreme holiday romance, right?’ she said, trying to keep her tone light.
‘Yes,’ said Nate, raising his eyebrows. ‘And even if it wasn’t, you don’t do proper relationships.’
‘I do not. But hey, we’ll always have Zermatt.’ She said it breathlessly, like the star of a drippy romcom movie, making Nate laugh.
‘But just on the off-chance there’s a rescue vehicle coming,’ he said, his voice muffling as he dipped his head under the covers, ‘I’d quite like to make the most of your naked body.’
‘I haven’t had a shower,’ shrieked Lucy. ‘Let me out!’
‘No,’ said Nate. ‘I’m half French, washing is strictly optional. You smell filthy in the best possible way.’
‘Yes, but I’m NOT half French.’ Lucy laughed as she reluctantly batted him away. ‘I need to wash.’
‘Fine. But I need you to come straight back to bed and not get dragged into one of Gunther’s schemes to fix things.’
‘I promise,’ said Lucy, extracting herself from his grip and crawling onto all fours as she looked for Monica’s discarded pyjamas. ‘While I’m gone, can you pump one of these beds up? I’m going to have bruises for days.’
‘I will kiss every one of them better.’
‘You’re too good to be true,’ laughed Lucy, draining the rest of her coffee. ‘You know that, right?’
Nate shrugged. ‘Maybe you bring out my best side.’
‘Hmm. Maybe it’s the altitude.’
‘Does it matter? I’m still going to be here waiting when you get back.’