[Excerpt]:
"Does it bother you?" He asked, after an incisive moment of silence.
"Does...what bother me?" I immediately returned, unable to decipher the objective behind the closed-ended question.
"The way I stare. At you." He pondered, as his dark...
"Nice to see you, Sasha." Ahmad greeted, as we also shared a brief hug.
"Hey. This is my fiancé, Isabella." Sean waved at me, and the blonde woman beside him stepped forward to embrace me into her firm arms.
"Hello Sasha, it's wonderful to finally put a face to the name." I detected a strong European accent from the pronunciation of her words. Giving her a quick once over, I could see that she was very fit and wondered whether she had been some sort of personal trainer or athlete.
"Same here! Congrats on planning your wedding." I returned, as she squeezed my arms even tighter.
"Thank you so much! Ughh, it's been so stressful, but I know that it'll all be worth it in the end."
We talked for few additional minutes, until Sebastian eventually arrived with Vivian. I took the time to introduce them to the group. Once everyone was more or less acquainted, we finally boarded the plane.
Naturally, everyone fell into seating pairs with their respective partners. Aside from me, of course. Instead, I sat alone at one of the few tables aligned along the windows, fading out the background noise and snacking on complementary snacks that the flight crew had provided.
"Sorry I'm late. I had a few things to take care of."
That deep, rich octave voice I'd been inadvertently looking forward to hearing reverberated through the plane and found my ears.
"Kendall, glad you came man." Ahmad greeted, urging him to take a seat. He had only two options, which were the ornate couch in the middle of the aisle or the vacant chair across from me.
Unsurprisingly, he opted for the couch and sprawled his long limbs across the surface. Flexing one of his arms under his head, his commendable arm muscles became pronounced through his casual tee. The residual effect of tucking his hand above his head resulted in his t-shirt lifting up, revealing the nape of skin just below his belly button, along with an eminent happy trail.
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When I reverted my attention to his face, he was no longer staring at Ahmad. Instead, his stormy eyes were locked on mine. I wondered whether he had observed me unabashedly exploring his torturous build. That notion was confirmed when he spared me a subtle wink before his lips crept up into a cunning grin.
I groaned in embarrassment, deciding to tear my gaze away from him and pretend the entire ordeal hadn't occurred.
"Someone must be tired." Isabella muttered, causing Kendall to shift his focus away from me.
"I am. In fact, wake me up when we're there." He turned his body to face the inside of the couch, positioning himself into a more appropriate manner for sleep.
"Bro, you are too damn big. I feel bad for that couch." Ahmad teased, tempting everyone to laugh at the ironic spectacle of Kendall's long extremities squished onto the small cushion.
Our flight finally took off when Kendall's assistant, whose name I still didn't know, was the last to arrive. I couldn't believe that he had actually brought her on what was supposed to be a friend's trip. Then again, he seemed like a workaholic. She took the seat across from me, immediately opening up her laptop. I didn't care to spare her another glance, as I prepared myself for a light nap.
By the time I awoke from my sleep, we had already arrived at the lodge. Since the property had a landing pad, the jet was able to land directly on the estate grounds. I was grateful for the addition, since it meant we wouldn't be forced to trek too long in the snow. As we approached the winter mansion, I was able to garner a proper look at the luxurious abode.
The house was large and cozy, truly designed for the winter scenery. With a total of six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, there definitely hadn't been enough rooms for each of us to individually reside in. Especially when Marco would be arriving the following morning.
Thus, the sleeping arrangements were as follows: Ahmad and Coco would be sharing the master suite, Sean and Isabella would take the room next door, and Kendall and Sebastian would each have their own rooms. I would be sharing my room with Marco and Vivian would be sharing hers with Kendall's assistant, aka Sebastian's ex, and whose name I had finally learned was Jennifer.
"Alright, everyone go ahead and unpack and we can reconvene in the living room for some fun later tonight." Coco instructed the group, as Ahmad grabbed their belongings and headed straight for their end of the hall.
I didn't hesitate to do the same. When I found my room, I was content to see that it had been decently sized. A large bed took up the majority of the space, while a fire place kept the four corners warm. Though it had been snowing outside, the room effectively insulated the heat. I loved how well the wall-length windows gave the illusion that I was practically sleeping outdoors.
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Not intending to waste any more time, I carelessly discarded my bra, unmade the bed, and tucked myself beneath the thick covers. I gradually fell asleep to the peaceful sound of firewood chipping in the background.
Unpacking could wait.
~~
How are you guys liking everything? Kendall and Sasha's relationship is Toxic with a capital T!
