His Wild Blue Air

Day 2

Tuesday

New Zealand was out for him. He was sure of it. The climate, the time difference, the freaking Sun; they were determined to take his life. He rolled over to his front on the bed, burying his head in the mountain of pillows, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. And yet, the damn sunlight was still slithering in, invading his vision.

Fuck.

Ethan realized that he wasn't going to win. Nature had defeated him. So he rolled back onto his back and opened his eyes very slowly and carefully, squinting at the sunlight streaming in from the window. He allowed himself some time to adjust before his eyes were opened completely.

And then he looked out the window, watching the snow flurry outside. He couldn't help but be somewhat awed at the sight. He had never had a chance to truly watch snowfall and appreciate it. He crawled out of bed and stood in front of the window, watching as the snow got stuck on trees and painting the ground white.

It was quite magnificent.

He would take more time to admire it but the cold was settling in and he started shivering. He blew a raspberry in the air and hurried to pick up the jacket he'd dropped on the floor yesterday, pulling it on. He breathed a sigh of relief when the cold subsided.

And his nose twitched as he smelled...food. Bacon. Cheese. Eggs. His stomach rumbled alarmingly loudly and he looked down with wide eyes. Come to think of it, how had he been sleeping? He surveyed the room he was in and settled on a clock perched above a door he presumed led to the bathroom.

His eyes widened.

8.30. And it was daylight. So it had to be morning.

"I slept a whole day?" he whispered, horrified.

He strode to the door in hurried footsteps, swinging it open. He nearly choked at the sight in front of him. A woman; a beautiful woman, who had her fist raised and her eyes wide and her jaw slightly agape.

He stared into the green eyes behind the glasses she had on and was shortly entrapped in their mystery before her voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Good morning, Mr Boyd," she greeted once she'd regained her composure.

He blinked. And blinked again. He managed a small smile before forming a small 'O' with his lips as he frowned at the woman. He was sure she was the owner of the cabin but-

"Skylar," she introduced herself with an amused grin. His brain blanked out a moment when he realized how serene she looked with that grin. "My name is Skylar and I own this cabin."

"Right," he said, his voice scratchy from lack of use. He cleared his throat a few times before offering an embarrassed smile. "I just...I was very tired yesterday and I just blanked out, I guess."

She nodded, her lips curled in indulgence. "Understandable," she stated. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you've been in the same outfit for more than twenty-four hours and that can't be hygienic. So why don't you clean up and meet me downstairs? I made breakfast."

Breakfast. His stomach rumbled again and he closed his eyes, wincing slightly. He opened his eyes when he heard her giggle. "Sorry," he stage whispered. "I will be down in ten minutes."

She nodded. "Cheers." And then she turned on her heel and walked away.

His lips twitched as he stared into the space Skylar had just occupied not one second ago. "Cheers?" He released a soundless chuckle before closing the door and turning back to his room.

Ethan hadn't had a chance to appreciate just how nice his room looked yesterday. He was simply too tired. But now, freshly awake and ready to start his first day of vacation - well technically it was the second but he could care less - he was impressed at his room's decor.