Page 9 of Ski You Later (Alpine Glow #1)

Banana loaf?

After triple-checking that this was the right address, I ring the bell before I let my nerves take over.

Standing on the stoop of their cute little house, I marvel at the fact that I’ve never been here before.

It wasn’t even a ten-minute walk from my house, and I can even see the university at the very end of the road.

Double checking my watch, I still have an hour before I need to be in my bone structure and development class.

There’s no movement in the house as I look through the window, so I decide to take in the surrounding area.

The whole neighbourhood has a peaceful and quiet energy, with a light dusting of snow making it look even more cute.

The trees caked in fluffy snow makes me smile and I watch as the birds jump from branch to branch .

We had a huge dumping of snow over the weekend, and I’m surprised to see the shovelled walkway of the Huxley house. I quickly text Aurora that we need to shovel our drive, as well as deal with the wicked patch of black ice at the bottom of our stairs.

Just as I add melting salt to our grocery list, the sound of steps approaching the door catches my attention.

A rustling of locks turning causes my back to straighten, and I grip my banana loaf against my chest. The door cracks open a sliver, and all I can see is an eye peeking out.

“Who are you,” a deep voice questions from the other side of the door.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I think I have the wrong house.” Giving them a smile and a wave as I turn to leave their property.

“Wait, what kind of loaf is that?” The voice asks, curiosity lacing his tone as he keeps the door open a crack.

“Banana,” I say warily. The strange person quickly closes the door to take off the deadbolt.

A very dishevelled Landon opens the door, his blonde hair sticking up in all directions as he focuses on the loaf in my hands .

“Landon, why didn’t you open the door for me?” I wouldn’t say that Landon and I are the best of friends, but I thought he knew who I was.

“Come in,” he says as he completely ignores my question, and walks into his house.

I quickly shuffle in behind, removing my platform boots and giant white jacket at the door. Strolling down their long hallway, I enter into a house that closely resembles mine. But, where my home is filled with soft light and decorations, theirs is starkly plain.

Sports gear is lying on every surface, from skis to race suits, all of it’s laid out against their walls and chairs.

Their kitchen is significantly bigger than ours, with protein powder bottles and snacks littering the entire space.

Lastly, their living room houses multiple leather couches that are dispersed around the television set.

As I survey the space, I almost miss the fact that Xander’s lying on the floor. Then before I can blink, Landon slides down to lie next to him.

“Hi Rhodes! Give us a minute, would yeah?” Xander waves at me from the floor and then stares intently at the ceiling .

The guys are wearing matching outfits, both fitted in fuzzy blue hoodies that reaches to their calves.

“Ready!” Landon yells.

“3.”

“2.”

“1.”

“GO!” They shout in unison as they both throw a handful of gummies into the air. Candy flies in every direction as each boy keeps their mouth wide open.

Xander looks exactly like Roman as he lies on the floor, but as I look closer, it’s easier to see the differences to his brother.

Where Roman’s features are on the harsher side, Xander’s are very soft, and all mesh well with each other.

He also shares the same deep brown eyes as Roman, but then lacks the natural curls of his hair.

Saying that, as they lie on the floor next to each other, the contrast between these two is as stark as ever. Landon’s skin is several shades darker than his brothers but lacks any of that in his hair. That almost black quality to Roman and Xander’s hair makes Landon’s look even more blonde.

“How many did you catch?” Landon asks Xander with his mouth full, so I can only assume he caught some .

“Your aim sucks, so I couldn’t catch any!” Xander yells at him, punching Landon’s arm.

“You didn’t catch any because you suck at this game,” Landon retorts.

I can tell they’re going to start fighting, so I quickly remind them that I’m still here. “Hey, sorry to interrupt.”

Their gazes both whip towards me, surprise flaring in their eyes. “I was just wondering if Roman’s home?” I ask and smile sweetly. I hope they give me an answer quick because they’re being really weird, and I have better things to do today.

“Oh shit, sorry Rhodes.” Xander jumps up and then extends a hand for Landon. “I have some terrible news for you; Roman’s not here.”

I can’t help but frown at this; I really wanted to get this over with fast. I planned to bring him this apology loaf, tell him I’m sorry, and promptly leaving.

Xander wasn’t done talking yet because he starts waving his hands in the air as he speaks. “Don’t worry one hair on that pretty little head of yours; you can hang out with us until he shows up!” He says this with such enthusiasm that a genuine smile pulls at my lips.

We may not be friends, but the invite is kind, nonetheless. Landon crosses his arms over his chest as he stands beside Xander. The guy looking as imposing as one can look in a giant fluffy hoodie. I can tell that he doesn’t want me to join, sending Xander a warning with his eyes.

But he promptly ignores Landon as he puts his arm around me and steers us towards the couch. It’s not another minute before a grumbling Landon trails one step behind us both.

“Ignore him, we were going to play a kart racing game, but he can wait until Roman gets here.”

I stop dead in my tracks, Xander and Landon almost walking into me as I quickly turn around. “Hold up, a racing game?”

I can’t help the fit of giggles that takes over me as I win the cup for the second time today. After winning the first four races, a furious Xander had to excuse himself from the room. Angry grumbling sounded from the bathroom down the hall, and Landon and I couldn’t hold back our laughter.

I decided that I would skip my class today in favour of making more friends on the team. And who knows, if this goes well, I bet either of them wouldn’t mind being my fake boyfriend for this wedding .

As we finish the second round, I’m right in front of Xander’s cart on that last lap. Being the sneaky girl that I am, I screen peak at the exact time he throws his green shell. With only a second left, I dodge left and cross the line in first place.

“DAMN IT,” Xander roars from beside me. Standing up fully, he points his finger in my face and puts all his rage into his words. “Who trained you, woman!”

This pulls a gut clenching laugh from my stomach as his anger brings me immense joy. Xander immediately laughs along with me, throwing himself on the couch as he puts his hands on his face. Turning to the side, I see Landon wearing an easy smile as he looks in my direction.

“The king has been dethroned,” Landon announces. He turns to face me, holding two remotes as he pretends to bow down.

I sink back into the couch, dusting off my shoulders in a show of supremacy. Xander snatches the remotes out of Landon’s hand, and starts another round of races without asking either of us.

It’s nice to find myself eager to keep going, not having to stress if I’m overstaying my welcome. These guys might be childish and odd, but they have been so nice while I wait for Roman.

Halfway through this round, Xander’s beating me by a couple of points, and I find myself furrowing my brow in concentration. There aren’t any barriers in this circuit, and I can’t risk losing my pretend title.

I catch Xander’s foot reaching across Landon, the intention to kick the remote out of my hand being evident. The second I enter the straightaway, I smack Xander’s foot away and laugh at the pained sound he lets out.

“What the hell is all the noise?” Roman’s voice carries from the kitchen, and the sound of his footsteps gets louder as he approaches.

I can see him come to a grinding halt in my peripheral vision, but my main focus is on the race in front of me. Xander’s racing with one hand, the other reaching across poor Landon to try and snatch my remote.

“Rhodes, what are you doing here?” His voice sounds curious and confused, but I can’t afford to look at his face with only two corners of the race remaining.

“Oh, I just came here to talk to you, actually.” Xander’s right in my face now, and I shove him away as my car crosses the line before his. Landon cheers, happy that Xander’s getting a taste of his own medicine, as Xander dramatically flops across us both.

“Rhodes, how could you! I let you into my home, and this is how you repay me!” Xander yells and then pretends to cry. Making sure every one of his sobs is loud and drawn out.

A hand appears in front of my face, and I look up to see Roman extending it towards me. He must be used to Xander’s dramatics by now because he completely ignores him.

His calloused palm scrapes against my skin as he helps me to my feet, and Xander decides to dramatically fall on the floor.

“Roman, get this she-demon out of the house.” He throws his arm over his eyes, the other pointing towards the front door.

“Want to talk in my room, or we can go outside if you’re more comfortable with that?” I let him know that his room is perfect, and he doesn’t let go of my hand as he leads me away.

Before we leave the living room, I turn and pretend to tip my hat to Xander and Landon. “It has been an absolute honour, boys.”

They both stand up, bowing at the waist as Roman tugs me away from them. As he leads me towards the stairs, I can’t help but think how I just now became friends with two guys I’ve known my whole life.

The thought makes me smile as I stop and grab my loaf I left on the kitchen table. He leads me up the carpeted stairs and turns into the first bedroom.

Walking into the cleanest room I’ve ever seen comes to me as no surprise. I take in the small space and wonder how he calls this place his room. He leaves the door open as he walks towards the desk, and I take in the whole space.

While the bedspread and chair are both dark blue, everything else is shades of cream or tan.

The desk, dresser, and bedside tables are all neutral colours, with a few items scattered about.

Based on the vibe of the space, I know their placement is intentional, and he would be annoyed if anything were to be moved.

Roman pulls the chair out from his desk and motions for me to sit; he then rests at the end of his bed and faces me. He doesn’t say anything, just reclines his arms back on the bed as he waits for me to start.

Without thinking about it, I find myself studying him as he watches me.

His dark hair is just long enough to frame his face, and the strands compliment his paler complexion.

The freckles on his nose are stark and make his glare look less menacing.

None of us have seen the sun in months, so everyone on the team shares the same sickly pallor.

Roman decided to battle the cold weather today in a dark green cable knit sweater, and black corduroy pants. I’m slightly astonished at how well he dresses; the outfits being simple and flattering.

Focusing back on the situation, I clear my throat as I realize how obvious it was that I’ve been staring. I start to panic and just grab for the loaf at my side.

“I made this for you.” I push it toward him, praying that this will take his attention off me.

“Um, thank you,” he says quizzically. Slowly taking it from my hands and inspecting it all around. “Why do I have a loaf of bread?”

“It’s a banana loaf and it’s an apology for my behaviour yesterday,” I state.

“Well, then, I can’t accept this.” He extends this stupid loaf back to me, waiting for me to take it.

“What? Why not? It took me an hour to make that.” I promptly push it back in his direction, not letting him have an opportunity to give it back.

“Rhodes,” he says on an exhale. Placing the loaf beside him, he puts his arms on his knees as he looks at me. “I won’t accept this because there’s no reason for you to be apologizing. I’m the team captain; it’s my responsibility to tear the course down.”

I narrow my eyes in suspicion, he’s being weirdly nice, and I don’t trust it. “Why are you being nice to me?”

“I’m always nice,” he responds with indignation.

Raising my eyebrow at him, I smile as if we are sharing an inside joke. “Now, that is just not true.”

He lets out a frustrated breath, sitting up to his full height as his expression turns serious. “Alright, well, I hope that I’ve always been nice to you. I like to think I’m nice to my friends.”

My eyes widen a fraction, his casual use of the word friend surprising me. Sure, we’ve never been unfriendly towards each other, but I wouldn’t have gone so far as to call us friends.

Although, Roman has always been someone who kept to himself. In his brain, I bet our pleasant interactions must have been friendship to him all these years.

A twinge of sadness goes through my chest, and how I was unaware of the friendship he thought we had all this time .

“Well, no matter. I should’ve never yelled at you; that was extremely rude of me, and I’m sorry,” I say meaningfully. Giving him a small smile, I stand to leave, and hope he can accept my apology.

In no world did I plan on being here for so long, and Aurora’s going to die when she hears about this afternoon. “I’ll see you later,” I say and wave at him as I make my way towards his door.

“Did you just apologize because I’m your team captain?” His voice is small, and he keeps his head down as he stares into the banana loaf.

Something about this doesn’t sit right in my brain, obviously being more to this question than he’s letting on. Either way, I answer him honestly. “No. I apologized because you’re my friend.”

He looks up at that, with his eyes expressing more emotion than his face ever will. “Thanks, Langley. I’ll see you later.”