IF SCARLETT PARKER had to choose her least favorite season, it would easily be winter. The biting cold and stinging snow was enough to convince her that winter was three months of hell on Earth. She never understood the hype around it. She hated the season so much, she moved out to the sunny city of Anaheim just to avoid it entirely.

Yet, she currently found herself in the back seat of a toasty limo, staring out the window with pointed eyes at drifting, lazy snowflakes. Scarlett and her coach, Faraday, were on their way to a mountain resort in Switzerland, and the boxer found herself to be having one of those 'how did I allow this to happen?" moments in her head.

She was inwardly brooding about the entire situation. Weeks ago, her mother and father had staged an intervention of sorts to confront her about her downward-spiral lifestyle, as they as so kindly put it. The pried about her drinking and her quitting her job - but neither of them dared pry about the divorce. If there ever was a way to turn Scarlett irate in seconds, it was mentioning the divorce.

The intervention had lasted for a few hours; her mother cried about how Scarlett was allowing herself to become an alcoholic and was slipping into obscurity in her career or some bullshit like that. To appease her mother, the blonde had agreed to go to some sort of "detox resort" in the mountains. At her mother's insistence, Faraday was coming along to make sure she didn't hit the bottle too often. That, and Scarlett had a sneaking suspicion that her mother secretly wanted the two to hook up.

Anyways, that was how she ended up in the situation she currently found herself in. Now that she was actually doing it, she was rather upset with herself for actually agreeing to it. She was going to be stuck up in this snooty resort with a bunch of washed up celebrities who were going through coke withdrawals or some other bougy issue. And she had to suffer through it all with no booze to get her through it.

"You don't have to look like you're going to meet Kim Jong-un, y'know, it's alright to look a little excited," Faraday teased, beaming his million-dollar smile at her when she shifted her stormy gaze in his direction. "Do you know how many people would kill for a getaway in the Swiss Alps?" He hinted at her ungrateful attitude in hopes of provoking a conversation. He was unsuccessful, earning an eye roll for his efforts.

Faraday was three years Scarlett's senior, entering into his mid-thirties. He was attractive for his age, though he only looked to be in his late twenties. His dark hair was never out of place. He was neat, calm, and collected - much an opposite to his firecracker fighter that he struggled to keep in line.

The resort finally came into view as the limo crested the mountain. The resort itself was cozy and warm to the eye, built entirely out of deep colored wood that invited you in from the winter cold. The many windows flickered with candlelight in the daytime, alluding to the beautiful aura it offered at night. The roof was an odd green color, reminding Scarlett of the Lincoln Logs set that she used to play with growing up. Above the large doorway was a sign that read Pine Grove Resort in big, green letters. She could barely catch a glimpse of the lobby as the limo split off towards the parking lot.

"I want to go home, Faraday," Scarlett disrupted the quiet air with an unimpressed sigh.

The coach frowned and considered his options. He could take her back home and win her favor by allowing her to drink and party as she pleased, but that wasn't going to bring his fighter back to the ring, was it? So, it was option two - force her to dry out in this luxury resort and hope she came to her wits.

"Not an option, princess," Faraday shrugged, shrinking back a little when she nailed him with her indignant gaze. "On your mother's orders," he was sure to interject.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and huffed with annoyance. "Who chopped off your balls and gave them to my mother?" She grumbled as she grabbed the door handle, pushing it open to expose herself to the rushing mountain wind. 

Faraday sat in shock for a moment before whispering, "I'll have you know, my balls are still attached, thank you very much."

The pair exited their warm limo to enter the frigid air. The trunk was already popped so they could retrieve their bags and enter to the check in area. Scarlett grabbed her two suitcases and started for the main door, not waiting around for Faraday to gather his things. As far as she was concerned, she was going to spend this entire time trying to give him the slip.

Scarlett made the short walk to the lobby and took grateful refuge in the warmth of the little fireplace as she waited for Faraday. The lobby had high ceilings with a beautiful glass chandelier that hung from the center of the room. The room was accented with green and dark brown to match the exterior of the resort. There was the main desk to check in at, along with a little Christmas tree in the corner that was quite charming. Then, there was the small brick fireplace that Scarlett found herself gravitating towards. However, she wasn't the only one standing near it.

There was another man, tall and slender in figure. He had a mess of dark hair on his head, and she could still see little snowflakes sparkle in it when he shifted his gaze. He was wearing a dark parka and jeans, and his bright eyes flickered up to Scarlett's as she observed him.

Embarrassed that she had been caught looking, she gave him that brisk little head nod that solved most awkward situations. Thankfully, he returned it and continued to warm up by the fire.

Faraday came busting into the lobby with a breath of white air, snow tracking in after him. He looked a bit disheveled, holding his bags at awkward angles as he looked to Scarlett for help. Instead, she acted as if she hadn't seen him and walked over to the check in.

"Two rooms reserved under Parker," she commented offhandedly. The worker nodded and clicked a few buttons on the computer before pulling out a few sets of room keys.

"You'll be in rooms 207 and 208," the worker reported with a mandatory smile.

Scarlett took her keys and returned to the fireplace where Faraday was struggling to readjust his bags. The stranger was pretending not to watch with slight amusement.

"Here," Scarlett tossed his room keys on top of his precarious pile of bags. "You're in 207, I'm in 208."

The woman grabbed her two bags and turned to find the elevators. She heard a crash behind her and looked to see that Faraday had dropped all his bags, leaving him looking flustered. She simply shrugged and pressed the up button on the elevator.

"Ma'am," the hotel attendant called from the desk. Scarlett looked at her with a raised brow as the elevator doors slid open. "You'll want to go to the ballroom at eight tonight! There's going to be a little cocktail mixer, a formal event!"

Cocktails! That was a good start.

"You hear that, Faraday?" Scarlett grinned genuinely - although exaggerated - for the first time since she got into the car. "Cocktails!"

The elevator doors slid closed behind her before the coach could chastise her or ask for help. He sighed and gave up on the bags momentarily, sinking down into the chair next to the stranger.

"Your wife seems like a handful," the stranger commented with a wiry grin.

"She is not my wife," Faraday corrected him with exhaustion.

——————

@thescarlettparker posted a new photo!

ask me how happy i am to be shut up in some freezing resort for a week! 🤦🏼‍♀️🙅🏼‍♀️ #thanksmom

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user765: where are you, i'll come rescue you 😍

faradayaway: wow thank you so much for helping me with my bags you're literally the best like how could i have ever done it without you
     ↳ thescarlettparker: 🙄🙄

user872: omg are u in rehab?????

user99: omg i love pine grove it's so amazing