Secrets of a Chalet Girl (10 page)

Authors: Lorraine Wilson

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Collections & Anthologies, #General, #Short Stories (Single Author)

“But, the thing is, it doesn’t seem fair to you…after you’ve escaped that kind of relationship. You see I’m never going to stop wanting to look out for my mum so I can’t promise what happened will never happen again, you know?” Zac sighed heavily, the weariness from the previous nights clear in his face.

She wanted to soothe away the stress and let him sleep in her arms. She wanted to make things okay for him. Could she? Would he at least let her try?

“I wouldn’t expect you to. You don’t need to worry about me. I can look after myself, hey I can even look after you when you need it. It’s not a one way street.” She planted a soft kiss on his lips and then buried her head on his chest, not even knowing how the distance between them had closed. “We can look after each other.”

“What if I turn out to be…like him,” Zac said in a low voice. With one ear against his chest she could hear his heart beating, it was kind of comforting. “You must have thought I was like your ex when you saw what happened with my Dad.”

“No! You had to stop him.” She pulled her face away from Zac’s chest to stare at him. “How can you even think that? I’d have done the same. You are nothing like my ex and nothing like your dad from the little I’ve seen of him, which was enough. Look I have something to show you.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Look!”

Scrolling down the screen she showed him the few listings she had on Etsy for the bags she already had made and had pictures uploaded. “I went through that paperwork you gave me and I’ve made a start.”

“I thought you hated me sticking my nose in.” Zac raised an eyebrow.

“I kind of did. At first anyway,” she admitted. “It pushed my buttons, you know, having someone telling me what to do… But I’ve realised what the main difference is between you and men like my ex and your Dad – they only ever try to belittle the women in their lives, to make themselves feel bigger. Whereas you…you do the opposite. I’ve been stupid, okay? Stupid and scared.”

He pulled her into a hug but she held her face away, maintaining eye contact. This had to be said and she needed to know he was listening.

“You want to help me. You’re trying to build me up. That’s why you’ll never be like…them.” She wiped the stray tears escaping from her eyes. “Oh no, I’m sorry, I appear to be leaking again! Do you think we could stop talking and you could kiss me? That usually seems to fix it.”

“I thought you simply walked up to guys you wanted to kiss and went for it. Isn’t that the way you usually operate?” The corners of his mouth twitched and his eyes crinkled in amusement, teasing affection replacing his previously haunted expression.

She glowered at him and he grinned at her outraged expression.

Then he dropped his mouth to hers and they kissed. With all the doubts bulldozed away her body filled with pure, unmitigated joy. No guilt. No shame.

No regrets.

She never knew kissing could be this good and didn’t want it to stop. She clung to him and ignored the wolf whistles from the crowd around them. This time she didn’t give a stuff.

When they eventually pulled apart she whispered in his ear. “Want to play Truth or Dare with me?”

She did have something prepared, this was part of her script, but now she was here in front of Zac she worried he might find it a bit cheesy.

“My Truth is I think I’m falling in love with you Flora.” He held her face in his hands and although he’d ruined her lines she loved that he got it, that he’d even copied her speech idea without realising. “My Dare is I dare to trust you.”

“And your Forfeit?” she asked, holding her breath.

“Well…My Forfeit is… Wait, I’ve got it, I want to forfeit being single. I want there to be an ‘us’ instead of just a ‘me.’ What do you think?”

His usually confident expression wavered a little, a hint of vulnerability had crept into his eyes and it made her love him all the more.

“And you, what’s your Truth?” Zac’s grin was infectious. Flora’s own mouth stretched into a wide smile.

“Well my Truth is I think I love you too.” She giggled, deciding not to care if her lines were cheesy, she meant them. “And my Dare is to take a leap of faith with you.”

“Oh, what sort of leap?” The corners of his lips twitched. “Will you let me teach you to snowboard?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged and, in an attempt to casually lean back, managed to lose her footing on the snow, sinking down into an unexpectedly deep patch. She reached out to grab his sleeve and deliberately pulled him over with her into the drift. She got the giggles as they tumbled onto the ground next to each other.

“And what do you Forfeit?” He murmured in her ear, brushing some snow out of her hair. “Other than your sanity, which you’ve clearly lost already.”

“Oi, you,” She swatted him. “I’m merely proving to you I don’t care what other people think any more. My Forfeit is…me. I give you me.”

She snuggled up against him, pressing into his body, suddenly not feeling cold anymore.

He groaned. “I’m quite happy with that Forfeit.”

Even through their thick layers of clothing her body responded to him, darts of excitement and anticipation finding their targets. She didn’t care about the whistles or calls to ‘Get a room’ from those around them. She could have laid like that for ages, the snowfall was fresh and powdery, making a comfortable bed. But then her gaze fell onto Zac’s watch.

“Help! We need to get going. Hold that thought for the moment.” She got up to her feet and reached out her hand to him. “Let’s get my skis and your snowboard. We’ve got a wedding to go to.”

The End

Don’t miss the first in Lorraine Wilson’s Chalet Girls series,
Confessions of a Chalet Girl
available now!

Buy Confessions of a Chalet Girl

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