Emyln

I wake up with Hains' chest pressed against mine, his arm tight around my waist. For a long time, I just lie there and listen to him breathe, enjoying the feel of his body and the warmth of his breath on my forehead, the smell of his cologne – something woodsy with a hint of spice. Okay, and maybe a little bit of BO because, let's be honest here, deodorant can only do so much when you've been mountain biking like we have and when there's no access to showers. But do I care? Nope.

I begin to think about last night and my blood starts pumping a little quicker. I can't believe this is happening right now. I was so sure Hains was going to push me away for good – not take me back.

I could lay here for hours, staring at him and relishing in the feel of his arms around me, but he begins to stir. For a moment, I consider shutting my eyes and pretending to still be asleep – I'd love to see how he reacts to me being in bed with him, what he'd do and how he'd do it. But I decide against it as his eyes flicker open and he shoots a sleepy smile in my direction.

"Morning," he says, his voice gravelly with sleep.

"Morning," I whisper back, unable to stop myself from smiling.

I've got plans to say good morning in a much, much better way. A way that will put a smile on his face, but unfortunately I catch a glimpse of the time on the watch he forgot to take off last night. I'm ready to make comment about how we should really be getting up if we don't want to miss breakfast, but when I see the braided bracelet he's wearing along with the watch, I'm at a sudden loss for words.

The day I made that bracelet comes back to me, and without thinking, I reach out and trace it with the tips of my fingers. "You kept it," I whisper.

Hains looks at the bracelet. "Yeah," he says softly, "I did."

"Why?" I ask.

A moment of silence passes between us. "I couldn't part with it – it was the only thing I had left of you other than the memories," he starts. "I was mad at you for leaving, but I couldn't let it go. You and I – we've already been through so much it seemed like a waste to throw it away. So I kept it, hoping you'd come back one day." He turns to me. "You took a piece of me a long time ago, Ems, and you still have it. Don't ever give it back."

I search his eyes and catch a glimpse of the pain I caused him. "I'm so sorry for what I did," I say. "If I could go back in time and change how things went...You know I would, right?"

"Of course," he says, lacing his fingers with mine and giving my hand a good squeeze. "And you know I understand why you did what you did, right?"

I nod.

"Good," he smiles, letting go of my hand and propping himself up on his elbow. I suck in a deep breath – half his body is over mine and our legs are tangled under the warm sheets, and it's making my nerves fray one by one.

Without any hesitation, he leans down and kisses me. I relish in the facts that I can feel his body weight against mine, feel his lips caressing mine in the softest and best way possible, and that we're alone and together.

It doesn't take long before the kiss turns frantic and our hands are uncontrollable. Hains is overtop of me now, and I lift one leg over his hip, gasping as he slides his hand along it and up to the waistband of my pyjama bottoms.

I kiss the soft spot just below his ear. "Keep going," I whisper hoarsely.

He grins and slips his hand down below the waistband of my pyjamas. I squeeze my eyes shut as my body reacts to what he's about to do. God, I don't know how long I've wanted something like this to happen with him.

But, just as he's about to push my underwear aside, something outside the cabin crashes, breaking this spectacular moment between us.

Hains presses his forehead against mine, eyes shut, and mutters, "Fucking bachelor boys. Can't act their own age."

I laugh, tilting my head up so I can kiss him one more time before rolling out from beneath him. "C'mon, Hains," I say, collecting my clothes so I can get changed. "Do we really want to do something like that in a cabin when we haven't showered for a couple days?" To be honest, I wouldn't really care.

He shrugs as if to say, I know you're bullshitting me, Ems.

Another crash echoes. I think it's the sound of mountain bikes falling over, but you can never be too sure when it comes to a group of hungover bachelor boys.

As I head for the small bathroom, I glance over my shoulder. Hains is still lying in bed, staring after me and looking extra smug. I blush a little, knowing he could read me like a picture book – all the anticipation and pining was visible on my face moments ago.

Turning around, I say, "Wipe that smug grin off your face. You just wait until later."

And with that, I leave him thinking about what could possibly be stirring in my mind.

* * *

Hains and I are split up during the ride down, just to make sure everyone is accounted for. I fee a pang of sympathy for all the boys – even Scout. Hangovers are a nasty business to deal with. I know that from personal experience. And I'm not just talking about how much you feel like shit the next day. I'm also including the decisions that come back to haunt you. My first example is how I agreed to come here. I will, however, say that my liquid confidence decision ended up being a good one. The second example would be the groom's. Apparently they were all playing truth or dare last night like a bunch of teenagers and he was dared to shave off half an eyebrow. Poor guy. I hope the hair grows back by the time the wedding comes around.

I do my best to focus on the trails and work-related stuff, but I slip when we're about half an hour away from the store. In the distance, I can hear the sound of kids screaming and laughing and the buzz of tourists around Lost Lake. Those noises are nothing compared to the way Hains looks right now, though.

Sweat glistens on his forehead as we begin the final descent, and he's wearing a tight muscle shirt that he definitely wore to tease me. And don't get me started on how good the shorts look on him. Though I do still prefer those boxer shorts he was wearing last night.

As we take a corner, Hains looks back at me and winks, almost causing me to go right over the edge.

Behind me I hear Scout mutter, "And they say men get whipped."

I don't take offense to that muttered comment. So what if I'm whipped? I know Hains is worth it.

Clamping down on my feelings for the remainder of the journey, I think about how often Hains has had to do stuff like this and he's not even nineteen yet. It's great to be out in the wilderness, breathing in all that alpine air, but having to constantly be and the beck and call of the clients and my mom on top of that...Wow. I can't help but admire him. In just over a month, I'll be in Ontario for university and Hains will still be here. At least until it snows and mountain biking is no longer safe for these parts. I wish there was a way I could bring him to Ontario with me.

In order to distract myself from the sudden sadness tugging at my heart, I think about all the things we can do while I'm here – the numerous hikes, his birthday, hanging out at the beach, and just exploring The Village. Maybe I can even see if Mom will hire another person so we can get some time off and spend some alone time together.

When we arrive at the shop back in the heart of Whistler, I notice my mom skulking behind the door of the staff room, no doubt wanting the full details about the trip and how shit went. I'm tempted to tell her it was awful and everything that could've gone wrong did. But that could result in me getting fired and losing time with Hains, so I go for the truth.

Once the bachelor boys have left, Mom demands information. While I give input, I notice that Hains hasn't smiled once around her. Not even a fake smile. I know he's never really liked my mom, but I wonder if this new level of coldness is from what I told him about what Mom said to me. I wouldn't be surprised – he looked both devastated and pissed when the words came out of my mouth.

The conversation lasts about fifteen minutes – we give her the rundown of how the bikes worked and if there were any problems (Hains did have to patch up a hole in one of the tires on the way down, but that was it); if the cabins worked out (we exchange a half-ass look of guilt and nod our heads); and if it was just fun all together. Eventually, she's satisfied and tells us that she's going to head home. She even asks us to shut the shop down for the day.

I want to argue and tell her that she should be the one doing it because we were working for the past three days, but I bite my tongue. She hasn't given us a time limit. The more time we spend here, the longer Hains and I get together.

When Mom leaves, Hains and I collapse on the couch in the staff room.

"I'm exhausted," he mumbles, shutting his eyes.

I poke him in the side. "How can you be tired? Look at the shape you're in, you athlete."

"Christ, Ems," he laughs. "I may be in good shape, but even athletes get tired. That was some hard-core shit we did in three days."

"True," I say, snuggling closer to him. "Speaking of athletes...When am I allowed to come watch you play hockey?"

"You want to watch me play?"

I sit up and turn to face him. "Of course I do, Hains," I frown. "Why wouldn't I want to?"

"I don't know," he shrugs, opening his eyes. "You said you didn't play hockey anymore. Thought maybe you'd lost your interest in it or something."

I raise an eyebrow. "I've never missed a Canucks game."

He shakes his head. "I meant anything under the NHL level, y'know?"

"Oh, okay. That makes more sense," I reply. "But no – hockey is hockey. Of course I want to come and watch you play."

"Okay," he smiles. "Then you can come tomorrow at seven. The same arena we used to practice at when we were kids."

I nod, trying to hide the excitement that's vibrating in my body.

"Sooo..." I say after a couple seconds of listening to the small fridge in the corner buzz with electricity. Devilishly, I run my hand beneath his shirt, along his corded muscles. "I do believe you were in the midst of doing something before we were so rudely interrupted by the bachelor boys."

He cocks an eyebrow, an equally playful smile spreading across his lips, and plants a quick kiss on my forehead. "We're still disgusting – full of sweat, dirt, and dust."

I move around on the couch until my thighs are around his hips. We fit perfectly together, I realize. God, why didn't we do this sooner? I know we were young, but who cares? If the love is there...

I lose any train of thought when he slides his hands up my bare arms, up and up until he finds the ponytail that's holding my hair up. He takes that out, wrapping the elastic around his wrist, and then cups my face with his rough, calloused hands.

"God," he murmurs. "I've missed you."

Electric current flows between us. It's full of past, present, and the possibility of a future together. Last night and today feel like dreams that have come true, while the days he kept pushing me away seem like a lifetime ago. I couldn't possibly ask for more. We could stay like this, without kissing or doing anything remotely romantic, and I would be content.

But he wants more.

As he kisses me, I tug at the hem of his shirt. The fabric is cool and soft between my fingertips, though I'm sure it's going to be a helluva lot colder when he picks it up off the floor later.

The kiss heats up. Faster than it did last night and this morning combined. We're so desperate for each other I'm surprised we haven't knocked over the lamp or something like that. Not that I'm complaining or anything. To be honest, I like these hectic kisses and motions between us.

When Hains pulls at my shirt, I break the kiss and strip it off as fast as possible, tossing it to the ground without a second thought. I'm just reaching for the clasps of my bra when I hear someone clear their throat behind me.

I pull away, panting, lips swollen and cheeks red with blush.

My first thought is: Why do we keep getting interrupted?

My second though is: Oh, fuck. Mom must've forgotten something. Even though she's the worst mother in the world, she's going to kill me.

"Now, now, you two. Let's keep things PG around family members."

I know that voice, and so does Hains because he looks up and smiles one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. For a split second, I'm excruciatingly jealous of his reaction to my big sister. But I quickly shake that off. If Rosa had shown up before I managed to talk to Hains, he would have done the same thing he did to me; he would have pushed her away and been cold as ice. The only reason he's happy to see her is that we've dealt with the shit.

The two of us quickly throw our clothes on, feeling a little sheepish because we got caught red-handed by my big sister. When we're finished, we both rush over and give her a hug.

"Hey, Rosie," I say.

"Fuck," Hains says, "I've missed you."

"So," Val says as she struts in with her usual swagger. "Was I right? Were they doing X-rated shit?"

Rosa rolls her eyes and tucks a lock of her dark brown hair behind an ear. "My sister is smart enough to know that you do that kind of stuff when you're behind a locked door with the blinds closed." She shoots me a warning glare. "Am I right?"

My cheeks burn. After me, Rosa, and Dad left Whistler and moved to Abbotsford, Rosa sort of took over the role of "mom" for me. She wasn't bossy or anything like that. She looked out for me and even gave me "the talk" so Dad didn't have to. It was awkward as hell, but way better than if Dad had been the one to sit me down and give the speech. All I can say is thank God for my big sister. I really don't know what I'd do without Rosa.

She's also part of the reason why I didn't back out of coming here after I inadvertently agreed with mom when she called me. Rosa is the one who convinced me to come and try to straighten things out with my best friend. She told me to ignore mom and her new family and focus on what really mattered in Whistler: Hainsey. So that's what I've been doing.

Again, what would I do without my big sister?

"Christ," Hains says as he takes a step back. "When did you get so short, Rosa?"

Rosa slaps his arm. "I was never short – you're just eerily tall, Hainsey."

I smile to myself. They were always the ones in our group that would throw banter back and forth at each other. I didn't realize how much I truly missed the four of us being together.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

Rosa shrugs. "I was in Seattle for a summer university thing. Drove down there just before Em left. On the way home I decided I might as well stop by and see everyone and how everything has changed. So I called Val and asked if I could stay at her place for a couple days." She glances around the place. "Not much has changed from the looks of it." She looks back at Hains and Val and me. "But it's brilliant having the gang back together."

I glance at my sister and she makes eye contact with me. There's a hidden meaning behind our exchange, and it goes like this: I'm a little jealous that she's able to stay with Val and I have to stay with Mom, while she's sorry that she didn't buck up and stay in her old bedroom. But there's also understanding between us – I know she can't handle Mom, and I don't blame her. So if staying with Val is what needs to happen for her to stay a couple days, then so be it. I'm just happy my big sister Rosie is here.

"Anyways," Val says. "Rosa and I were wondering if the two of you wanted to come out for dinner with us tonight."

Rosa rolls her brown eyes. "Val. I told you I'm not going out unless they come too. That was the whole point of this; for all of us to get together and have some fun."

"Whatever," Val says, waving her hand. "You two lovebirds in or what?"

Hains makes a strained sound, runs a hand through his hair. "Man, I don't know. There might be too much estrogen in the air for me."

I roll my eyes. It certainly didn't seem like that a few minutes ago.

The other two laugh.

Hains winks at me. "Okay, yeah, I'm in. But first I need to go home and shower, make sure my mom's good. All that shit, y'know?"

Us three girls nod, and then say our goodbyes.

Once Hains is out of earshot, Rosa squeals. "So?! How did it go? Did your plan work?"

"Plan?" Val frowns. "What plan?" She squints at me. "Oh no, Emyln Juliette Walker, you did not keep secrets from me, did you?"

"Sorry," I shrug, "but you and Hains talk way too much – I couldn't trust you with something like this." I look at my sister. "Damn right it worked. The cabin mix-up was a great idea. Thank you so much, Rosie."

My sister wraps an arm around my shoulders and starts guiding me to the door. "Please, Emmy – it was all your idea. I just tweaked it a little. Besides, what are sisters for? I had to help you get him back." She looks over her shoulder and addresses Val next. "When did he become such an eye-candy, Val? Damn. How'd you keep your hands off of him?"

"Hey," I say, poking my sister. "He's mine. Back off."

Val and Rosa laugh. "Please," Val says as she wipes away a fake tear. "He's been yours and you've been his since the moment you two exchanged a simple glance. Every girl in school knew not to touch him or else you'd lose your shit, girl."

I shrug. "I saw him first."

"Oh, Emmy," Rosa says. "You're so cute."

"Cute schmute," Val says, pinching her nose. "You reek of sweat and wilderness. Go home and shower. Rosa and I will text you the deets. Maybe you can pick up your boyfriend too."

"You guys are such jerks to me," I mumble as I head for the trail that can lead me back to the house. I would ask for a ride, but considering the fact that Rosa completely avoided running into Mom, I push it away. The last thing I want is for the two of them to run into each other. I know I was – and still am – pissed at her, but Rosa? I think she'd go for the throat. The last thing I need is to spend the later hours of tonight scrubbing blood off the hardwood floor.

"We love you, too, Emmy!" Val and Rosa call out in tune.

I flip them the bird over my shoulder, and then break into a jog.

I can't wait for tonight – it's going to be just like the old times; something I've been craving for as long as I can remember.