Life is full of uncertainty. For example, not knowing when Harry's coming back.

Winter break is approaching, and my mom decides to plan a small trip for us. My sister is super excited, considering she gets off school.

We decide to go drive up to Chicago. One of my uncles owns a cabin up there, in the suburbs. Since it's winter, it's starting to snow.

I love the snow. I've always wanted to see it, but never got the chance.

I made sure to call off work as soon as we figured out. We're only going for a week because my mom can't afford to miss too much work.

We pack our bags and drive up. My poor mom. She's the only one who can drive. Having my license would be helpful right now. I see her struggling to stay awake, stopping for coffee multiple times. 

When we arrive at the cabin, I'm a little disappointed. There's no snow at all.

The view itself is beautiful. There's a lake in the back, which would be so fun to swim in if it wasn't freezing.

We unpack the car and load our luggage into our selected rooms. Lucky for us, Lily and I don't have to share a room!

My mom turns on the fireplace and we watch half of a movie before we decide to head to bed. 

I send Harry a goodnight text then close my eyes.

~~~

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My sleep is disturbed by the repetitive sounds that play outside my room.

I grab a robe and slippers and go out to find the source. 

Hunched over is a beautiful blond. He's wearing a thin plaid shirt, jeans, and winter boots. I notice he's chopping wood.

"Excuse me," I call out. He looks up at me and freezes. "Hi, yeah. You see that cabin?" I point to the building that's 10 feet away. "That's where I'm staying right now with my family and we'd appreciate if you didn't chop your damn wood at 7 am." 

He stands still and doesn't respond.

"Oh shit, do you not speak English? Sorry! Why the fuck am I apologizing, he couldn't understand me anyway." I ramble on.

"I speak English," he chimes in. "I'm Clyde. I uh work for these cabins. I chop the firewood." He reaches out his hand for me to shake.

"Oh. Hi, I'm Ellie. This is my uncle's cabin, but we're spending the week here." I gesture to the house once again. "So anyway, it would be great if you could not be loud so early."

He smiles and nods. "Got it ma'am. How does 9 am sound?"

"Sounds like my alarm hasn't gone off yet. Try noon?" I tease while making my way back into the warm house. I hear his chuckles as I leave him behind. 

I immediately rush to Lily's room and wake her up. "Lil, you have GOT to see this guy," I whisper harshly.

She groans but I pester her until she wakes. We both peep out the window to see the hot blond pack up his supplies.

"It's not my birthday, but thanks for the cake!" Lily squeals when he bends over. I laugh and playfully nudge her. 

Wow, he's hot. 

~~~

12 pm hits and sure enough, hot blond reappears.

"Whatcha girls looking at?" My mom asks, holding a mug tightly. She comes over to the window and sees Clyde. "Well hello there, who's that?"

"Clyde," my sister and I sigh in unison. 

"He's the one who cuts the firewood for the residents," I add. My mom smiles at the two of us. 

"You guys should go talk to him."

"Already did," I say.

At the same time, my sister yells, "Sure!"

"Whatever you do, please stop stalking the poor guy." She laughs and ruffles our hair.

"El please please please come with me to talk to him!" Lily begs. I sigh and agree. I'm the one who told her about him in the first place anyways.

Once we're dressed warm, we step outside.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Early Bird," he teases.

I smile, "Hey Clyde. This is my sister Lillian."

Her eyes get wide and she slaps my arm. "Everyone calls me Lily though."

I snicker at her misery. It's fun to mess around with her. Besides, he's way too old for her. Never going to happen.

"Hey, we're going ice skating at the rink later. Would you like to join?" I offer.

He looks a little surprised that I even offer. "Uh, yeah! Sure! I'll meet you here?"

I smile and nod. Lily is beaming at his acceptance. We both run back inside before we freeze our asses off. 

"Mom!" Lily calls. "He's coming with us!" She runs to my mom's room to explain.

What a cute kid. 

H: What are you up to today?

Me: Ice skating tonite! Met a hot dude ;)

H: Hotter than me?

Me: Possibly...

H: :O Well don't have too much fun without me.

I smile as we text. He's so cute, even on the phone.

Lily and I get ready for our night.

We both dress super warm. We bundle up in multiple layers. As Florida kids, we don't handle the cold well. 

Once we're outside, we meet Clyde. He greets me with a wave and Lily with a high-five. My mom finally hustles out of the cabin and introduces herself.

We all make our way to the rink, which is luckily within walking distance.

My mom sweeps Lily away and I'm left alone with Clyde. 

We lace up our skates. He stands and I grab onto him for support.

I never learned how to skate before, so it'll be a fun experience. 

"I've never done this before," I laugh as I stumble. Clyde is quick to catch me. "Thanks."

He laughs. "No problem. I'm honored to be your support." He flashes me a white-teeth smile.

Getting on the ice is scary. Many people there are experts. They zoom past, doing cool tricks as they did. Intimidating.

"It's okay, I got you," Clyde reassures me. I step onto the ice and immediately begin to slip. He grabs on to my waist before I can hit the floor. 

I laugh, trying to cover my embarrassment. He smiles and assures me that I'm fine. 

"Okay, now I'm going to skate backward while holding your hands. This will help you with the flow." He explains. I nod, glad he's taking it slow. 

We begin gliding and I feel good.

BAM.

Clyde knocks into the barrier, and I knock into him. We both fall down, with me on top of him. 

My mom's laughing in the corner while my sister's sending me a death glare. A couple of strangers around help us up.

I keep apologizing. He probably knows how to skate really well, and I'm taking the fun out of it. 

"Stop saying sorry! It's not your fault." He laughs. "Let's start again."

We begin attempt number two. It goes more smoothly.

After some time, he begins to speed up and I begin to feel confident.

"Let go!" I yell. 

"Are you sure?"

I nod and he lets me go. I glide straight until I reach the barricade.

"I did it!" I squeal. Clyde slides over and gives me a hug. "Thank you!"

The rest of the time is spent with me gliding from one wall to another.

I'm definitely not a pro, but I came out knowing more than when I went in, and that's all that matters. 

When the night comes to an end, Clyde joins me to take off my skates. 

"Thanks for the invite." 

"Of course! Thanks for teaching me," I exclaim. 

He says bye to the rest of the family. As he's leaving, he turns around and yells, "see you at noon," with a wink.

Okay, I know my fate is decided or whatever, but he's hella cute. Of course, I'd never pursue. It actually feels good to have a new friend. 

My heart swoons, but Lily is head over heels for him. 

A/N:

I don't like the way this chapter is written, so I might change it later. Sorry it's so rushed.