Never Winter Again

Chapter Seven - Maybe

20 February 2020

Score: Late Night Talkin' - Harry Styles

Lydia

"I'm going to the saunas," I tell Gloria and Alex.

"Do you really need to get even more dehydrated?" Gloria looks at me with mock concern. "You're going to wrinkle like a raisin,"

"Haha." I sneer. "I need to sweat it all out," I say. I just feel like I need to go in the saunas. I have never been in such a state before, so I don't know if it's the smart thing to do, but I just need to get in there.

"Suit yourself," Gloria says. "Just don't forget dinner's at eight. And don't you two dare leave me alone with the old folks tonight." Gloria waves a finger in the air between me and Alex. Alex lifts her hands to her shoulders and looks at her innocently.

"You," I point a finger at Alex myself, "Owe me. You'll have to repeat everything you told her," I jerk my head in the direction of Gloria.

"I'll tell you even more, baby," Alex winks. "Ouch!" She shrieks, as Gloria pinches her arm viciously.

"We'll see about that," Gloria says.

"OK, I'm going in there."

"See you upstairs in two hours." Gloria waves her hand.

I get up to my feet and walk into the sauna area.

There is a lot of folk at this hour because people are back from a long day of riding the slopes (Unlike you, Lydia, my subconscious eagerly reminds me), and are now back to warm up and relax. I check the sauna out, as I prefer it to the steam bath, but it's fully packed. I sigh in frustration and walk over to the steam bath.

I open the door and the moist heat instantly hits my face. The room is teamed up and I can't see a thing, but the edge of one of the benches. It's empty and I decide to take my chance.

I walk in and close the door behind me. I sit on the hot, wet stone, close my eyes and lean back. I allow for the steam to warm up my skin and penetrate my every pore.

I look around, but the steam is too thick and it is too dark to make out anything, but it is eerily quiet, and I decide there aren't any other people around, so I allow myself to take out a long, audible breath.

Oh, my, it feels sooo goood. The heat finally warms me up, inside and out, chasing away the awful chills I've been having all day. I lay my head on the backrest of the stone bench and practically feel the tension dissolve and leave my body with every breath of hot, moist air that I take.

A gush of steam blows from an invisible gauge inside the steam bath. The steam is infused with the scent of lavender and eucalyptus. I am in fucking heaven.

I give out a loud moan, as I lift my feet onto the bench.

Suddenly, a chuckle comes from my left. I jerk my head in the direction it came from, but I cannot see anything, as the steam's even thicker now.

"You must be really enjoying this," a voice cracks. I immediately recognize it.

"Are you fucking stalking me?" I blurt out, annoyed.

"It works the other way around, Caramel." Mark laughs. "I was here first." I hear his flip-flops across the wet floor. He's coming towards me, I'm sure, though I cannot see him yet. I can feel him getting closer. "Which means," his body emerges from the balls of steam. "You are stalking me." His slender torso looks sleek with perspiration. He is so close to me right now that I can see the droplets of water or sweat, chasing each other down his toned chest and abs.