The Shadow That Smiled At Me

Chapter fifteen

For the New Year, Vincent went skiing with his family in the Alps in Europe. They took me with them. To tell the truth, I don't know how to ski, so I rejected their offer at first, but Vincent convinced me day after day, persistently trying to talk me into it, promising to teach me. In the end, it was his parents who made me change my mind. Apparently, I have a good influence on Vincent, which they didn't think about a while ago. A welcome change. Vincent was excited, but he had to promise me that I wouldn't break my legs there, to which he amusedly replied that he would try.

Before leaving, I had to buy warm clothes, because due to the fact that I spend my whole life in warm countries, I never needed any, and therefore I didn't even have any. Jessica was very happy to help me. We went from store to store for a few days until Jess decided I had everything I may need. In my opinion, we bought more than I'll ever need, but she defended it by saying that it's also winter in New York and I'll need it there, which I couldn't deny.

We were only going for two weeks, and I had packed more suitcases than I did for Paris. All those jackets, sweaters and hats took up a lot of space. Vincent was laughing if I was moving. I just need an outfit for every day.

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As soon as I got off the plane, I felt a rapid drop in temperature. It was colder than I expected. I was shivering, but the fur in the jacket warmed me quickly.

As we drove to the cabin, I leaned my forehead against the cool glass, my warm breath leaving a mark on it, and I watched the dense coniferous forest and the rolling mountains beyond. The entire wide landscape was covered in a white blanket. The sun was hiding behind a veil of clouds. A cold and silent world. I was fascinated by the gloom interspersed with beauty.

The cabin we stayed in was modernly furnished, cozy and luxurious at the same time. Three floors of living space. The first floor - the ground floor - was occupied by the entrance hall and storage for skis, snowboards and other equipment for winter sports. On the second floor, there was a living room and a kitchen with a dining room. On the third, highest floor, there were four spacious bedrooms with their own bathroom and balcony. One belonged to Vincent's parents, the other to his younger brother Bradley, and the third to Vincent. The fourth was for guests like me, but Vincent moved me in with him.

The bedroom was paneled with wood. Standing against one wall was a large bed with a high headboard made of cut tree stumps. Opposite stood a gas fireplace lined with rough, gray stone. Sheer white curtains covered the windows and door leading to the balcony. They probably served more for decoration than for a specific purpose. The bathroom was dominated by a free-standing bathtub with a view of the snow-capped hills. In the corner of the room, there was a glass shower corner lined with natural stone. With the rest of the walls paneled in wood, it felt like a spa.

On the first day, we were just resting from the long flight. I got used to the darkened weather and the absence of sunshine. At early sunset, Vincent and I went for a walk around the area. The paths created between the tall trees in the forest were slippery, so Vincent had to hold me the whole time so I wouldn't fall on my ass. He even made a fool of me when we passed under a lower branch, he pulled it and cold snow fell on me. Not even my coat protected me from the icy shock. I wanted to take revenge on him and threw a hand full of snow behind his collar. He then wanted to return it to me, then I to him, and so on and so forth. And so we started playing. We covered ourselves with snow, freezing, until the waning rays lost among the dense pine needles, which made the forest grow dark all the faster, drove us back to the cabin.

We spent the rest of the evening warming ourselves under the blankets, watching movies and eating popcorn.

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