"Broooooo...I...I think I'm crushing hard on [y/n]."
The short-haired brunette nearly spat out his drink as he looked at his blonde friend, green eyes wide in shock.
"So you finally admit it, Cochise," Josh grinned from ear to ear. "I'd drink to that!" He laughed, raising his glass of Coca-Cola up, clinking it with Chris', despite him not doing it in return.
"I wouldn't..."
"Why's that buddy?" Josh asked, taking a swig of the soda
"I dunno. She just seems...too good for me," Chris shrugged. "And..I..I kinda like Ashley-"
"Are you hearing yourself right now?" He glared at Josh, taken aback by his remark. "Bro, you're a total nerd...with your phone and dream of being an app designer. And let's be honest, [y/n] is 100% geeky."
"Josh, that's not-"
"She loves technology as much as you do, not to mention video games, writing, drawing....you two practically click!"
"Josh..."
"And the way you both flirt with one another is cute~"
"Josh please-"
"I'm telling you! She's the one!" He patted him on the back. "The way you're going you'll be sailing right into bone zone with her-!"
"Will you knock it off?!!" Chris slapped Josh's hand away, his face red with embarrassment. He had too much respect for you to do whatever things the brunette had in store for you, even though they were in the mountains miles away from civilization.
"Ow...I'm hurt," Josh muttered, recoiling his hand. "Just leave me alone in my misery..." Chris groaned, putting his head down on the countertop. "C'mon Chris, I'm just trying to help you. Now I got a question-"
"Not interested-"
"Just..!" Josh sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before he could get any more frustrated. "Just... hear me out one time: what does Ash have that [n/n] doesn't, hmm?" He pressed his lips together, anticipating an answer.
"What's the point?" Chris' voice was muffled as he buried his head into his arms. "I-I think [y/n] likes Matt more anyways..."
Now this surprised Josh. "Whaaaaaat? Since when did the jock fall in love with the geek-"
"Since 6th grade!" The blonde sat up, glaring at him. "You and I see the way he looks at her! Why do you think she insists on going to every single game Matt's played in high school?!"
"Because....she likes sports?" Josh shrugged. "You know, [y/n] was never afraid to get her hands dirty...and I don't mean that in the perverted way..."
Chris just shook his head, before staring back at his empty glass. His friend had a point, though. You always loved playing outside with the boys when you were little, making art, and not worrying about how good your nails or your hair looked. Like him, you were funny, a bit nerdy when talking about [current fandom you're into], and flat out cool.
That's what made him fall in love with you to begin with.
"And besides.." Josh started, snapping his friend out of his thoughts. "Aren't Matt and Emily a thing now?"
"Yeah....but I'm willing to BET that he'd ditch her any chance he has to be with [y/n]-"
"Unless YOU beat him to the punch, Cochise!!" Josh exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. "You can't let another knight steal your girl! Besides..one: Matt's too nice to breakup with Em. And number two..would you rather have [y/n] date Mike or you? He might be with Jess, but even so he's a real heartbreaker...and drama is the LAST thing we want tonight."
Chris thought about it for some time. 'I don't know if I should...but if I don't then Matt JUST might ditch Emily and get with her...then it'd be a hate triangle between [y/n], Em, and Jess. If I do get to be with [y/n]...then the only one who might be hurt here is Ash....'
After looking at both ends of the spectrum, he made his decision.
"You're right..." He stood up abruptly. "I gotta stop being a wuss."
Joshua grinned widely, standing up as well. "Atta boy!" He gave him a fistbump. "You better go get her before she's gone for good!"
With a nod, Chris headed out of the kitchen towards the front door of the lodge.
"Oh, and Josh?"
Said man looked up to meet his friend's eyes...and smile. "Thanks, bro. I really needed that."
Josh only smiled back, giving him a salute as he opened the door and headed out into the snow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sammy?"
"Yeah?"
"....you think if I fell down here, would my head hit the ice hard enough?"
"[Y/n]," Sam turned to you, giggling. "I..don't exactly think that's gonna get those lovey-dovey thoughts out of your head."
Your cheeks started turning pink, so you pulled your scarf over your mouth and looked away. "Awhhh, c'mon," she teased, pulling at the [f/c] fabric. "Just admit it: you're crushing hard on Chris~"
"O-Okay maybe I am!" You shot back, narrowing your eyes. "So what? Five bucks says he likes Ashley more-"
"That's where you're wrong, honey," Sam cut in, holding up her index finger. "You guys are practically inseparable: the nerd and the geek...it's a perfect match!" She clapped her hands together, though you were having none of it.
Only now do you regret ever trying to flirt with Chris. He was always able to cook up a flirty response..and then you shot back at him with another. Then it repeats until you both just run out of things to say and it just becomes....awkward.
That's why you and him denied being in love with the other, and the fact that your friends knew and were pressuring you to confess only made you want to push those feelings even further away. You may have known Chris before any of the other guys, but you couldn't risk losing a great friendship.
And Chris wouldn't want that to happen either.
"Since when did you start being my matchmaker?"
"Hmm.." The blonde looked at her non-existent watch. "Right now. But seriously, [y/n]: you and Chris got together so many times to play video games and talk about [fandom] and whatnot, not to mention all the school projects you've done together and being good ol' study-buddies~. Those kind of things create bonds to last a life time!"
"...I-I'm sorry but I couldn't hear you over the wind howling-"
"[Y/n], there's no use in denying it," Sam sighed, putting her hands on your shoulders. "It's now or never. Besides..I bet you that your knight in shining armor is on his way right now." She smiled.
'More like a doofus wrapped in tin foil.' You rolled your eyes, only to freeze when you heard a familiar voice.
"Hey [y/n]!"
"Told ya~" You glared at Sam. "Don't worry girl, you got this!" She gave you an encouraging thumbs up, before saying "toodles" and disappearing into the forest.
"H-Hey, Chris.." You greeted, turning to smile at the cheerful blonde. "How are you?"
"Pretty good, pretty good," he replied, putting his hands on his hips. "Sooooo..who were you and Sam gossiping about this time~?" He asked, almost in a whisper.
"No one actually..." You glanced back at the mountain range.
"We were just talking about how beautiful the view is."
Chris looked at you as if you had three heads. "Uhhhhh hello? Is [y/n] there? Because the [y/n] I know didn't give a rat's ass about the trees.."
You looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Ohhhh really now? Well congrats, Sherlock...you found out about my secret obsession with admiring nature!" You clapped your hands slowly.
Chris chuckled, deciding to play along. "Well I AM the greatest detective to ever live, Mr. Watson."
"Heh..no wonder you've been so nosy lately," you teased, remembering how he snatched Jess' letter to Mike when you, him, and Sam met her at the cable car station.
"W-Well it's only fair since your buddy was snooping around on my phone!" He shot back. You rolled your eyes, before turning back around.
"Speaking of phones, this place seems picture-worthy, don't you think?" You took out your phone, turning on the camera before snapping a photo of the scenery. It would definitely make a killer background for your laptop..which you unfortunately left at home since this place had no WiFi.
"Hashtag mountains are sooooo cooooool~" Chris teased, sticking his tongue out. "Oh hush..." You lightly punched him in the arm, before looking back at the mountains.
"Owie.." He whined, feigning hurt, before he walked up beside you, gripping the steel railing.
The blonde looked at the landscape along with you, sighing. "This is soooooo borrriiiiinggg..can we go now?" He asked, nudging your shoulder.
"Chris would it hurt to just look for a few seconds?"
"Ugh fine.." And he stared at the mountains, wondering what was so fascinating about them. But the longer he looked at the scene... the more it entranced him.
You were right. It was definitely a breath-taking sight, with tall trees strewn across the base and the Moon shining through the cloudy night sky, casting a glow onto the snow-covered mountains.
'This doesn't seem so bad...'
Chris then looked over at you; seeing your smile, your [e/c] eyes shining, and your [h/c] hair fluttering slightly in the wind made him get butterflies in his stomach. 'Not to mention that scarf...God why does she have to be so cu-'
"You could have gone back to the lodge without me."
Chris blinked, looking at you in surprise. "Huh? Why would I do that?"
You simply shrugged. "Dunno..you'd usually just be in there on your phone, letting the fireplace warm you up....even though your phone might actually do a better job."
"Well..I..I..."
"What is it Chris?" You glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm listening.."
"..I'd much rather be out here with you," he confessed, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "And you're kinda right...the mountains do look pretty......b-but you're prettier!"
"What?"
"What" Chris blinked, acting as if he hadn't said that out loud.
"Look, Chris," you sighed. "You gotta cut the flirting and the pick-up lines. I was flattered before but now it's getting ol-"
"That wasn't flirting! I am being serious!" He suddenly blurted out, startling you both.
Que several moments of awkward silence.
'Oh shit..oh shit..I fucked up...fucked up real bad..oh man...I-'
"Y-You really meant that?" You asked, a wide smile forming on your face. Chris swallowed nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away from you, embarrassed. "U-Uh..yeah.....I just wanted to say that I...I.."
"You like me?"
He did a double-take. You giggled at his shocked expression, walking over to him and hugging him.
"Oh Chris. I..I've actually liked you for a while, too," you confessed. "..but I thought you liked Ash more."
"Nah." Chris shook his head, hugging you back. "You're the only one who really gets me, [y/n]. It's funny...because I-I thought you had eyes for Matt-"
"Seriously? Him?" You pulled away, looking into his eyes. "Matt's too sports-minded for my taste. I don't really ship him and Emily together, but I'm sure they'll work something out."
"Riiiiiight. So...does this mean we're dating now?"
"Well.." Your [e/c] eyes gazed over towards the mountains, before looking back at Chris. "Isn't this technically a date~?" You winked, causing the blonde boy to blush.
"I guess so..."
"Man..we're just two nerds in love, aren't we?" You giggled, letting go of him before taking his hand. "You know I think hanging out in the lodge, curled up by the fireplace sounds nice...so let's go."
Smiling, Chris gave your hand a gentle squeeze before he leaned in to kiss you. It was short and sweet, kinda like him. "As you wish, princess."
You blushed as the nickname he gave you. "I'm flattered...my legs are kinda tired from walking all the way up here."
"Soooo you want a piggyback like old times?" You did a double-take, surprised by his kind offer.
'Guess he's a true gentleman after all.'
A wide smile formed on your face. "Like old times."
"Alrighty, get on and hang tight." Nodding, you climbed onto his back, wrapping your arms around his neck.
"Let's get going, Sherlock~."
As Chris carried you up the snowy trail towards the lodge, you wondered how you were going to explain this to everyone else. But you're certain that they would understand.
Well, maybe everyone except Ashley.
~Extended Ending~
"Man, we are good matchmakers!" Sam grinned, letting go of the telescope to pump her fist into the air.
"Yep," Josh chuckled, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "I'm so proud of my bro...Cochise is finally a big boy now."
"What are we looking at?"
Startled, the two friends turned around to see Ashley behind them, curious. They looked at each other for a few seconds, before Sam looked back at the red-head, shrugging.
"Oh nothing. The telescope's broke."
"Oh really?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Funny, cause that's the same lie I told Matt-"
At that point, the snow began to fall even heavier. The freezing wind picked up at such a speed that it almost blew off Ash's beanie.
"Yikes!" She squeaked, keeping a tight grip on her beloved hat. "The storm's getting worse! L-Let's go!" Turning around, she ran back towards the lodge, her two friends not far behind.
"Seems Mother Nature decided to play in our favor," Sam muttered.
"Yeah.." Josh nodded. "Funny how that works."
