Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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The next day we finally go skiing.
While I think it's cold here, I'm also used to it from years worth of Christmases spent at this cabin and the past semester of acclimatizing to the NY weather. But Chloé is very reluctant to leave the warmth of the house. When she finally emerges, she's wearing so much clothes that I can barely see her face anymore. The second scarf is pulled up to cover her mouth and nose, and the hat is pulled so low only her eyes peek out. And they're narrowed at me accusingly like I'm the sole reason for all her suffering.
I laugh, slinging my arm around her shoulders. "You're gonna love skiing, Chlo."
She grumbles something unintelligible underneath all the clothes. With all the extra layers and her short height, she looks like a snowball in her white outfit. I'm wearing bulky clothes too, which makes my movements stiff and awkward. I firmly believe that no individual can look good in a ski outfit.
Then the door opens to reveal our last member, and I realize I was wrong. Apparently, one person on this planet can look good in anything. Mattis is wearing tight black ski pants that hug his muscled thighs and a matching jacket that is open over a snug gray sweater. He has a brown beanie on his head that makes him look just a little cute.
God dammit.
He catches me looking, and his eyes twinkle. I tear my gaze away to save myself the embarrassment of drooling over a guy in thermal underwear.
My mother and Janice are staying behind, so the rest of us get into the big SUV my parents rented for this trip. I end up sitting beside Chloé in the back. She spends the whole trip to the resort giving me the silent treatment.
My father, Nate, and I all have our own boots and skis, but the rest of them have to rent equipment, so we wait around while an unfortunate employee tries to find boots Chloé approves of. In the end, she huffs out a string of complaints when I inform her that they're not supposed to be comfortable.
"I swear to God, you owe me so much sunbathing for this," she mumbles under her breath as we make our way towards the slopes, Chloé battling the long skis while sending me sour looks every couple of feet.
I'm grinning like a sadistic jerk. My best friend has never been one to push the boundaries of her comfort zone. She loves LA and doesn't feel the need to explore. Blue skies, sandy beaches, and seventy degrees, that's all she needs. But I've got her trapped here, and I will be damned if she doesn't enjoy this just a little.
Mattis is a good sport. It's his first time skiing too, but he walks beside Nate and Andrew, talking and joking. My father is in the front, guiding us toward the lifts that will take us to different parts of the area.
Andrew has been here with us before, so he and Nate join my father on the slopes for the experienced skiers. On the other hand, I promised Chloé I would accompany her to the beginners' slope, and I drag her there with Mattis in tow.
