𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 - Book 1

~Chapter 24~

                                                                                          Leonor

     When I woke up in the morning, Gavi wasn't in a bed. I could hear the shower running, so I figured he had gotten up early to get ready. I rubbed my tired eyes as I rolled out of bed and made my way to the window.

     Gentle white snowflakes were falling outside of the window, landing on the hill below. Tons of people were already out skiing, even though it was early. I smiled to myself as I took in the scene. It was really breathtaking.

     I had packed a winter jacket and snow pants just for this occasion. Sofia let me borrow her ski goggles and gear. I dug it all out of my suitcase excitedly, throwing clothes on the floor as I did so.

     When Gavi emerged from the bathroom, he was wearing a similar snowsuit to mine. It was all black and fitted him nicely. His hair was wet, and it dangled in his eyes.

     "Still cold?" He teased me as he walked by.

     "Not anymore," I replied. I was going to go down to the lobby later and see if they couldn't fix my room. I needed my personal space.

     In the bathroom, I braided my messy hair out of my eyes and began to strip out of my pajamas. I pulled on my black winter jacket and snow pants, plus a pair of white boots. I propped the ski goggles on my head and stood back to assess myself.

     I looked like a proper skier, if I do say so myself.

     When we were both ready, Gavi and I made our way downstairs in the elevator. When we reached the lobby, I made my way to the front desk to fulfill my request.

     "Good morning, I was having some trouble with my room door last night. The lock seemed to be jammed," I told the nice lady behind the counter.

     "We'll get it checked out immediately. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience," she apologized. I told her everything was fine and rejoined Gavi.

     "We're actually early," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

     "Because you didn't take forever in the bathroom," he teased. He did have a point.

     A few minutes later, Gio and Chloe stepped out of the elevator. Chloe was wearing a similar outfit to mine, except that hers was white. Gio was wearing a one piece snow suit, with his goggles pulled down over his eyes. He looked ridiculous.

     "Good morning," I greeted her, giving her a welcoming hug.

     She returned the favor, and we began to talk about our night. She seemed to find it very interesting that Gavi tried to cuddle me in my sleep.

     Hannah and Elena joined us a few minutes after that. They were wearing all black, just like me. Hannah had her long hair in a braid as well.

     A young man, who I assumed would be our tour guide, emerged from behind the desk. Maybe I had missed him, or maybe he had just arrived. He walked over to our group and gave us all a small wave.

     "Good morning, everyone. My name is Jacob, and I will be your tour guide for your skiing adventure today," he said warmly. Everyone nodded.

     Jacob's eyes lingered on me for a little too long. He was tall, with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. Somewhat good looking.

     "Has anyone here not skied before?" He asked, his eyes scanning the group. They landed on me slightly. Embarrassed, I raised my hand.

     "I've never skied," I said quietly. He just nodded and reached out to touch my arm.