I spun away from the guys to find a girl who looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. “Hey,” I said, hoping she’d say her name.
“Congrats on the sponsorship.”
“Thanks.”
“Will you be competing in Switzerland?” she asked.
“That’s the plan,” I said.
“Maybe we can hang while we’re all out there?” she asked.
Reagan Myers. Snowboarder from Canada. That’s it. “Sounds killer.”
She smiled before taking off for her group of friends who were waiting on her.
I caught sight of Giselle heading toward the restroom. She promised not to ghost me, and that’s exactly what she’d been doing. Knowing it had been long enough, I made a beeline for the restrooms. I leaned my back against the wall outside the women’s room. I’d stand there all night if I had to. She couldn’t hide from me forever. Two tipsy girls stumbled out, eyeing me appreciatively. I nodded before they took off, giggling. A little girl came out next.
“Hey,” I said to her. “Is there anyone else in there?”
She nodded. “A girl in a red dress.”
Giselle
I stood at the mirror, stalling before going back out there. I was so damn happy for my brother and Thayer, but seeing Thayer and knowing we were right back to where we’d been before Park City really sucked. That’s why I was in the bathroom, ultimately hiding.
The restroom door flew open, and I gasped, my heartbeat walloping in my chest.
Thayer stepped inside.
“Are you lost?” I asked as my heartbeat continued to race.
He locked the door and then moved by each of the open stalls, pushing the doors in and checking to see if anyone else was in there. Once he’d established we were alone, he stopped in front of me. “I wanted to say hello.”
A small huff of laughter spilled out of me. “In the bathroom?”
“I would’ve done it out there, but you seem to be avoiding me.”
“I figured a big snowboarder with a sponsorship deal wouldn’t want anything to do with a nobody like me.”
He cupped my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but lean into the feel of his strong hands on my skin. It had been far too long. “I missed you.”
My racing heartbeat didn’t let up. “I missed you, too.”
His eyes dropped to my lips.
I knew it was wrong, since I hadn’t broken things off with Gino, but I willed Thayer to kiss me. I missed the way we fit together so perfectly.
He lowered his forehead to mine, and I could see it was taking all of his resolve not to kiss me. But he hadn’t forgotten how we’d left things in Park City. And, I hadn’t chosen him.
There was a knock on the door.
We jumped apart.
Thayer’s lips twisted regrettably, as if he hadn’t said all that he wanted to say. But instead of saying anything, he moved to the door and unlocked it. When he opened it, Shay stood there with wide eyes. “Hey,” he said, slipping by her and disappearing.
She came into the bathroom and looked at me with the same wide eyes.
“Yes,” I said to her unasked question. “It was exactly what it looked like,” I explained. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”