The Unlikable (Book One) // h.s. [COMPLETE]

Chapter 15

The girls were getting up and getting ready for the first day of skiing. I'm sure they all have done this millions of times. On the other hand, me, I've done this one time, and that one time was right now. So, you could say my nerves were about as high as the clouds.

"Ready ladies?" Alaric knocked on our closed door.

"Yeah!" Alex screamed for us.

"Be at the gates in fifteen minutes, no later. We don't want to be stuck in the long line."

"Ok Alaric!" Alex gasped.

After a few minutes of finishing up and making sure we were all bundled, all the kids headed up to the gates. We had to trek through snow to make matters worse. This was not going to be fun. This was going to break my leg. This was going to make me colder. I don't like skiing and I haven't ever even done it. But it doesn't seem fun. It seems like creating your own death sentence.

We got to the gate and I saw Alaric and James just a few bodies in front of us. Only a few families and groups were clustered before us all.

"Ever done this before, Callie?" Harry asked at my side.

"No, and I never planned on it either," I frowned.

"It's fun, I promise," he smiled.

I shook my head frustrated with myself and this upcoming long day. My nerves were acting up and I didn't know what to expect.

"What-how-I don't know how to ski? What the heck am I doing here?" I mumbled so only he could hear me.

"I'll be right beside you. You'll be fine, Callie," Harry was laughing now. I stared up at him and he snaked an arm around my waist pulling me into his chest. "You'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."

His sparkling green eyes peered down at me and I found myself in awe. This hunk of beauty wants me. He wants me. Wow. Do I want him, though? Surely, I do. Right? I wanted him last week, so why would that change this week?

"Ok." He didn't take his arm around my hip off and I surely didn't mind. I was so close to him that I could feel his body heat radiating through his jacket. And I could smell that heavenly cologne of his. Mmmm.

 

 

Once we were all settled outside and I had these long boards attached to my feet, Harry came right beside me.

"Ok," he smiled at me. He pulled down the goggles still on my forehead and positioned them over my eyes and tucked away the loose hairs that fell from my top knot. "Have you ever been ice-skating?"

"When I was a kid. What does that have to do with this?" I muttered in frustration.

"Hold you horses, Callie," Harry laughed. "You know how you push with one foot and the other glides you out?"

I nodded my head.

"Well the same thing applies with skiing. You just push with one foot and glide the other out to get started."

"What do I do with these things?" I raised the long sticks that were attached to my hands.

He chuckled and hit my sticks with his. "Sword fighting."

"Harry," I pushed his shoulder making his body shift to the right.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he giggled. "They can help you move forward or keep you balanced. You'll be fine Callie. Stop worrying so much!"

"I just...ugh," I shook my head ready to get this freaking day over with. "How do you turn?"

"If you want to go to the left, you just put some of your weight onto your right ski. And if you want to go to the right, put your weight onto the left ski. Understand?"

"I think," I muttered.

"Are you sure? Because I don't want you to go out there and you break down in tears because you don't know how to-," he mocked me.

"I can handle it!" I said over him.

"Alright," he laughed.

We got over to some snow and I tried pushing myself forward in my skiis. I glided for a second and then decided I didn't like the feeling.

"I don't like this," I panicked.

"Oh stop whining," he smiled. "Try again."

"Ughh," I groaned. I glided forward even more and Harry slid up to me in his skiis.

"You're doing good, Calz," he smirked at me. "Keep going." I continued sliding forward with him right next to me. "Try turning."

I positioned my weight to turn to the left and I ended up turning to the left! YES! Finally I can do something!

"GOOD! Good!" Harry exclaimed. "Now come with me," he smirked as he pulled his goggles on over his eyes. He ushered me to a more remote area where a lot of kids and families weren't clustered. "Ski with me."

"I thought we were?" I questioned looking back at where we were.

"This part is a little more difficult," he smirked.

I was still a little confused at why we had to move but Harry being Harry, I thought he might just be being difficult.

We skiid for a little while longer and made small talk along the trail. After I had had enough we took the skiis off and trekked in the snow over to the lodge where the coffee parlor was. Harry ordered for me as I took a seat by the window still overlooking all the skiers.

Harry came over once my coffee was ready and sat it on the small round table in between us.

"It's a caramel macchiato," he smirked as I took off my gloves and slid my fingers around the warm cup.

"Thanks," I muttered staring out the window.

"Did you enjoy that?" I looked at him as he sat back in his seat and smirked at me.

"Not really," I laughed. "Skiing is obviously not my thing."

"I think you did pretty good," he smirked leaning forward again and resting his elbows on the table and his forearms stretched towards my hands. He massaged circles on my arms with his finger tips and I smiled awkwardly. "We can try again tomorrow."

"I don't think there'll be a tomorrow," I grinned awkwardly and removed my hands from the table making his arms retreat from me. He nodded his head and huffed a laugh.

"And why not?" he smiled but his smile didn't meet his eyes.

"It's just not my thing, Harry," I scoffed seeing his anger take hold of his facial features.

"It's not your thing?" he mimicked me.

"Yeah," I eyed him. "But I guess I can always try again tomorrow...maybe. We'll see how sore I am," I muttered removing my eyes from his.

"We'll see," he sipped his coffee. "You'll be sore and you won't want to go. Just tell me the truth, Callie. You don't have to be so conservative."

"We just had a nice time and now you're being a jerk," I muttered so only he could hear it and no lingering ears in the coffee shop could.

I think I took him by surprise because he just got up and left. Hopped out of his seat and left the lodge leaving me sitting by myself and feeling rejected. My mouth fell open and I found myself staring at the empty seat in front of me. What did I do to make him so angry again?