Make You Better

“I still think this is a really stupid idea.” I hummed as my eyes traced over the three suitcases that were piled up in front of me. Each one had their purposes, holding things that were going to get me through a week with four other people in a large cabin in the middle of the woods. At the time, in the blissful sunshine that showered the beaches in Mexico, when the idea came up, the thought of spending a cozy week in the snow seemed perfect.

Now that it was the dead of winter, I wanted a cozy trip to the beach, not to more snow and seclusion.

The shorter blonde woman looked over at me and sent me a smile, her piercing blue eyes disappearing as the movement forced her eyes to shut. “Come on Keaton, the guys are so much fun! Besides, you need a break from your meetings and shit. All you do is work.”

I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes as dramatically as possible at her. It wasn’t as if I woke up every morning and was happy I had fifteen things to accomplish in one hour. I didn’t try to burn myself out by two o’clock everyday, it was just how it went. Being the Head Creative Director of one of the fastest growing advertising agencies in New York wasn’t an easy job.

It did give me a hefty paycheck and the glorious freedom to live comfortably and independently. I had my loft apartment in the city, my house upstate, my cat Fitz, and my sporty Audi.

I didn’t need anything or anyone else.

Which brought me to the next reason why I was dreading this one week locked away in the mountains. It was with Lea’s boyfriend Carl, and two of his best friends from his professional hockey team. Lea had explained that the league had a week and a half off due to the Winter Olympics going on in Russia, and because one was hurt and couldn’t play, and the other two weren’t picked for their countries teams, it was the perfect chance for me to mingle with two eligible bachelors.

The idea didn’t sit with my stomach well. I had tried romance, I had tried dating, and I hated it. Dates were awkward; men didn’t have respect for women with time-consuming business jobs, which meant I didn’t have time to deal with their bullshit.

“Oh! Carl’s here!” Lea’s voice tore through my head, knocking all of my thoughts into a messy heap of incoherent sentences. Mind now empty, I looked around from the blonde to the front door, then over to the suitcases and then back down to my cell phone. As my eyes hit the screen, it lit up, still showing new e-mails. Luckily, none of them needed my immediate attention.

Leaving my body on the couch, I pressed my head into the cushion and tried to block out the sound of Lea and Carl, but as they left the front porch and came into the house, they both sang my name to grab my attention.

“The others are in the car, you ready for the best week of your life?” Carl joked as he wiggled his eyebrows at me, his crystal blue orbs swimming around my own, trying to catch the smallest glimpse of excitement. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t have the energy to muster up anything.

Forcing a small smile onto my lips, I nodded and then stood up, pressing the soles of my sneakers into the hardwood. I was hoping if I pressed hard enough my body would nail itself to the floor and I would be forced to stay in New York City instead of being dragged, up, up, upstate.

After a few words were exchanged about the seating arrangements, what car they were in, when the check in was, and where they were going to fit more suitcases, they both came to the conclusion that in order to get everyone there in one piece, two cars were absolutely necessary.

“Girls in one, guys in the other?” Lea commented as we grabbed our bags and stumbled with them out of the house and over to the new black Range Rover Sport, with tinted window and a low hum to the engine as it sat idle in the driveway. Watching as the sun shimmered off of the black paint, I sucked in a deep breath and went to offer my car when Carl interjected and walked us over to the trunk that was jammed with suitcases.

Groaning, the blonde boy pulled Lea under his arm and looked over at our things. “I don’t want to drive for three hours without you.”

“I have no problem taking my car.” I offered, my heart rate picking up in my chest, as I thought about a relaxing three-hour drive alone. Now that was something to be excited about. My music, my speed, my car, my choice to turn around and head back home anytime I wanted.

“I want to drive with my girl.” Carl groaned as he pulled Lea in for a kiss and then held her close to his chest, his fingers tangling themselves into her hair in a loving manner.

Pivoting on my heels, I bit down on my bottom lip and went to inform them whatever the decision was, I was taking my car. Halfway over to the black Audi along the sidewalk, Carl called out to me and then jogged over, holding his hand over his nose that was now tinted pink from the cold.

By the shimmer in his eyes, I knew he was going to tell me to take one of the boys. I knew by the look in his deep blue eyes and the smile hanging from his lips. Lea and I had been friends for as long a I could remember, and because we were more like sisters than friends, I knew Carl almost as well as she did.

“Who?” I growled, my eyes piercing through his, causing the ends of his lips to lower a little. I knew whoever he told me to take on the drive was going to be the man that they were going to try to hook me up with over the week in the cabin. I wasn’t opposed to the idea of making friends, but being awkwardly locked in a cabin in the middle of the mountains with someone I’m not interested in seemed more like torture than vacation.

Nodding, Carl turned toward his car and pointed to the brunette who was pulling two suitcases out of the trunk, and then shoving Lea’s in to replace his. After wedging two of the four into the trunk, he opened the passenger side door, slide them into the back seat, and then turned to her, rubbing the back of his neck as she waved her hands, probably thanking him for doing all of the labor.

Rolling my eyes as Carl turned back to me and looked down with a huge smile, I held my hand up to stop his attempt at a hug. Grabbing the faub on my belt loop, I unlocked my car, then popped the trunk and let out a long sigh as I started to walk away from the blonde boy, anxiety and tension surfacing in my stomach.

“Whatever, whatever. Lets just go?” I huffed and listened as Carl called out to the boy and then walked over to him, grabbed one of his suitcases and then led him back over to me. Placing my last suitcase into the trunk, I turned to see the two men standing there, their eyes on me as I brushed my hands off on my black jeans, leaving large dust marks.

Clearing his throat, the brunette stuck out his hand to me and sent me a soft smile, “Derick Brassard, nice to meet you.”

Making eye contact was a force of habit for me when shaking someone’s hand. In the high-end corporate world, it showed a sense of professionalism while also portraying an ego and usually a sense of dominance. It showed that there was respect, but absolutely no fear.

“Keaton Adams, pleasure.” I stated and watched as the man’s eyes held mine, letting me examine his smooth features and scruffy beard. After our hands had fallen back to our sides from the embrace, I felt a genuine smile surface on my lips. “I assume you’re my co-pilot?”

“Seems so.” He responded and then quickly piled his two suitcases in the trunk and then pulled the door shut. Placing his hand on the back windshield, he went to speak when Carl put his hands on our shoulders and pulled us into his sides.

“See!” He tightened his grip on us, forcing groans from our lips, “You both didn’t want to go, but look, you’re already best friends! Told you this was a great idea!”

Derick went off in a string of French as the blonde let us go and sent us a kissy face before jogging back over to his car and hoping into the drivers seat. Shutting the door, I watched as the car lurched forward, and then swung around in the middle of the street to face the direction in which mine was parked.

Exchanging a now awkward glance with the brunette, I sighed and then motioned him to walk around the car. Once at the door, I pulled it open and slid into the two-tone black and red leather seats just as he did. By the look in his eyes as he surveyed the whole car, I could tell he was impressed, and I couldn’t help but to feel a surge hit my normally dormant ego.

Before I could speak, I turned the car on, let the engine hum, and then watched as Carl pulled up to the window and lowered his own. Adjusting my seatbelt across my body, I hit the window down button and watched as the blonde came into full colored view.

“Follow me, alright? It’s mostly highway, but there are a few tricky turns.”

“Yeah, of course.” I called out nodding as I watched the black SUV roll past us.

Closing the window, I put the car into drive and pulled out behind Carl’s car. After a few turns, we hit the highway and I felt my nerves start to group in the pit of my stomach as I glanced over at the boy and watched as he mindlessly swiped through different screens filled with apps on his phone. A part of me wanted to start a conversation, but I honestly had no idea what to say. When I was with Carl and Lea, I could talk about work or the games, but with him, I didn’t know what to bring up. I knew some of the guys didn’t like discussing work outside of the locker room, especially with people who had no idea what was going on with the season.

An hour flew by in what felt like five minutes.

The tension between the two of us was staring to grow. With every passing minute, I couldn’t help but to fantasize about pressing my knuckles right between Carl’s eyes for doing this to the both of us. It was evident we didn’t want to be stranded with a strangers for a three hour drive. It was even more evident that we really didn’t have any interest in trying to create a friendship or whatever they hoped would happen with this type of seclusion.

Once another hour was about to pass, and I was on the verge of pulling over to the side of the road and tearing every strand of hair out of my head, the brunette in the passengers seat cleared his throat, and spoke.

“Do you have any pets?” The question caught me so off guard that I nearly swerved into the other lane from my nerves jumping under my skin. Adjusting the car and blinking a few times, I glanced over at the man who now had a light pink blanket on his cheeks. Staring at him for a minute, I felt a small smile surface on my lips from just how frightened he looked by my reaction.

Nodding, I whispered a short apology for the jerky driving and then swallowed the saliva in my mouth. “I have a cat.”

“You should have brought him with you.”

I laughed, my eyes crinkling at the sides as I found myself stealing glances at the brunette as I followed Carl weaving in and out of traffic. “Yeah, I wish I could have.”

“You live in the city?”

“Hmm,” I hummed as I focused on cutting across two lanes and exiting off right behind Carl. “I have a small apartment in a high rise and a house upstate.”

The brunette was silent for a moment, his deep brown eyes wide as his mind processed everything I had just told him. As he looked around the car, and then examined me for a moment, he sunk down in his seat and cleared his throat again. “So, uh, what do you do?”

“I’m the Head Creative Director for an Advertising agency in the city.”

“And you’re how old?”

“Twenty-six.” I said with a smile and watched as the brunette sent me a large smile in return, showing the small gap between his two front teeth.

“You go, girl.”

Sharing a laugh, I ran a hand through my wavy blonde hair and looked over at him as we slowed to a stop at a red light. Shifting in my seat, I watched as Derick looked over at me and flashed me another wide smile, our eyes connecting again.

Maybe this week wouldn’t be so bad.