Snowed In

Pushing her hair behind her ear, Brenna attempted to push away the scowl that covered her face. She didn’t want anyone to know how mad she was, and Elsie would be the first person to notice – the exact person she didn’t want to notice.

She refused to talk to Elsie – refused to even look at her – because she’d seen Zayn and Elsie together the night before. Brenna wasn’t stupid. She had seen them whisper to one another, though she couldn’t hear what they were saying. She had seen them nearly share in a kiss. They hadn’t, but they were close enough. Whatever Zayn and Elsie had, that had died so long ago, was being brought back to life.

Brenna never thought that Elsie would be the one to cheat on her boyfriend, but it was obvious what was going on. Elsie still had an emotional connection to Zayn and it just pissed Brenna off even more.

As fleeting as the thought was, when she and Zayn had been in the basement the morning before, she thought she might actually have a chance with him. It was the way his hands felt on her and the way he pulled her closer to him that gave her hope, but Elsie ruined all that, just like she’d ruined it months before.

Every time Brenna had a chance with Zayn, Elsie found some way to ruin it.

Even though Brenna could never really date her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, that hope made being next to him just a little bit easier. It made her feel as though the fire in her chest wasn’t for nothing.

Everyone had gathered in the resort lobby, where Annie had gathered up food for breakfast. Brenna wasn’t hungry, but she ate anyway, just to keep from having to talk to Elsie. She didn’t know what she would say when she finally had to, but she hoped that by then she wouldn’t be as angry. Maybe then she wouldn’t yell in Elsie’s face and out her to everyone.

Luckily for Brenna, Elsie was cuddled up with Louis on the opposite sofa, looking as happy as ever. You’d think she hadn’t spent the night sharing whispered words with Zayn. The girl was clearly very good at hiding. How long had she and Zayn had their secrets?

Brenna kept shoving her dry Raisin Bran into her mouth. She made sure it stayed full, so no one would have a chance to speak to her.

Across the room, Harry and Niall shared in a few angry glances and it was obvious Brenna wasn’t the only one causing tension in the room.

With the way things were going so far, there would be slim chance that the group could stay together for more than a week without slitting one another’s throats.

“Can anyone think of anything else we need to get done?” Annie asked, as she tossed a baby box of corn flakes in Liam’s direction.

After thinking for a few moments, the group gave a simultaneous shake of their heads. No one could think of anything they needed. They had food, shelter, and the generator was running well enough to keep them warm. As long as nothing changed, they would be fine, but that couldn’t last forever.

“How long are we going to wait for help to come before we do something?”

Elsie’s voice sounded scared, but frankly Brenna didn’t care. Elsie had both Louis and Zayn to cuddle with, so if the generator went out, she’d be the last one to freeze to death. If anyone should be scared it should be Brenna. The only thing she had to cuddle with was a bunch of old skis.

Louis turned to Elsie, comforting her before anyone else could answer. Louis’s soothing words would be enough to calm the girl down until she got another dose of reality.

With a new, sudden hatred in her chest, Brenna stood up from the sofa.

“I’m going to grab another blanket,” Brenna said, to no one in particular. “I’ll be right back.”

“You shouldn’t go alone. It’s not safe.”

Brenna used every ounce of self-control she had to prevent herself from glaring at Elsie when she spoke. It was just a blanket and it was just in the other room. What could possibly happen? She needed to get away from everyone and Elsie tagging along certainly wasn’t going to give her the breath of fresh air her body desired.

“I’ll be fine.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Brenna stepped quickly away from the group and towards the hallway. The maid’s closet would have a spare blanket and it was just far enough away that Brenna could get her much needed break. She was starting to get stir crazy. It made her want to snap, even though she was usually so quiet.

When she reached the closet door and found that it was locked, she let out a deep sigh. Her back pressed against the surface, as she slid slowly to the ground.

“Locked, huh?”

Brenna’s eyes moved up, immediately meeting Zayn’s dark ones. Of all the people Elsie could send to keep watch over her, she had to pick her secret boyfriend. Did Elsie know that she knew? Did she want her to ask Zayn questions?

Taking a deep breath, Brenna pursed her lips before speaking. “I don’t know why Elsie sent you after me. What does she think is going to happen in a locked ski lodge?”

“You know how Elsie is. She just worries.” Zayn chuckled, shaking his head. “And she didn’t send me. I needed some time away from all of them.”

“Me too.”

Brenna brought her eyes back to the floor, where they focused on the colorful shapes that covered the carpet. Just knowing that she wasn’t the only one who was getting sick of all the people made Brenna feel a little bit better, and the fact that it was Zayn who had spoken those words only helped.

Of course, he was probably sick of seeing the love of his life cuddling with another guy, but it was basically the same thing.

“You’re a terrible liar, Dawson.” Zayn sat across from her, his back against the wall. His lips were turned up in the faintest of smiles, almost as if he was encouraging her to divulge all of her secrets.

“What am I lying about?” Brenna was quick in her response, almost too quick.

Zayn chuckled. “You don’t just need time away. Something’s bothering you.”

Biting her lip, Brenna looked back to the ground. She had to keep her head together, or else she’d risk telling him everything. Looking into his eyes wasn’t going to make that any easier.

Her mouth wanted to move so badly. It was dying to let out the words she was holding in. She wanted to yell at him and ask him how he could let Elsie cheat on Louis like that. She wanted to scold him for being the one to cause Elsie to stray.

Mostly, she wanted to yell at him for not thinking she was good enough, not noticing her instead, and not seeing that if she had him she wouldn’t be doing what Elsie was. If she could have Zayn, she would never look at another boy again. She would never have let him get away.

Her breath fell slowly from her lips. She was going to respond, but she hadn’t been quick enough, and it only made it more obvious that something was, in fact, wrong.

“Brenna, you know you can tell me, right?”

Zayn’s voice was soft and soothing, the way it always was when she had a bad day. His usually sarcastic tone was replaced with the one that went straight to her hear, melting it instantly, and she silently cursed him for that.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at him. She had to think of something to tell him, or else he’d just keep pressuring her. She couldn’t tell him how badly she wished he was hers instead of Elsie’s, so she went with her very first thought.

“I just miss home is all.”

Zayn’s eyebrows furrowed, as he cocked his head to the side. “I know you’re lying, Daw. But until you’re ready to tell me, it’ll have to do.”

She kept her eyes on him for a moment. His dark eyes looked sweet and comforting, and she felt like she was drowning in them. She’d spent far too long dreaming about those eyes, and spending this much time next to him only made it harder to fight her feelings. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep pretending she wasn’t head over heels for him, but she hoped it would be long enough for all the snow to melt.