--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ski equipment? Check.
Toiletry bag? Check.
Thermal underwear? Check.
You mentally tick off your packing list while loading your friend's car for the annual ski trip in the mountains. The snow trip between Christmas and New Years' has became a beloved tradition and you looked forward to spending a few days in the mountains with your friends, skiing, spending some quality time, and unwinding. It could be so perfect if it weren't for a certain person joining.
Your nemesis. The bane of your existence. Your worst enemy.
Vinnie.
"Does he really need to come, too?" you groan, pushing a weekender into the Jeep's trunk, and Maddy sighs, giving you a warning look.
"Could you just make an effort, please? Can you try and get along with him for the sake of everyone's sanity?"
You puff your cheeks before climbing into the the backseat. "It's not my fault that he-"
"Please, i don't want to heart it," your best friend cuts you off, connecting her phone to Apple CarPlay. "It's always something. He can just breath in your direction and you're annoyed."
"Correct," you respond drily, fastening your seat belt. Ever since Maddy started dating Jordan, his beast friend would tag along to your outings. Whether it was dinner or lunch, and evening at the bar, going out to concerts, or monthly movie nights, Vinnie would tag along. Ruining your mood. Irritating you. And driving you completely nuts.
"Cut him some slack. He's on a busy schedule. Spending time with his friends is important for him," Maddy says in a soft voice and you close your eyes to breath through your nose.
"I don't care about his schedule. Or that he is famous. I just want to enjoy my free time without hearing this..agitating...noise. All the time. Because he is loud and annoying and-" you stop yourself before you can get too mad and Maddy gives you a pointed look over her shoulder.
"Please, just try to not kill each other, okay?"
"Can't make promises," you mutter under your breath, mentally planning to make Vinnie's death look like a ski accident. Those things happen, right?
It's not that you haven't made an effort. You have tried to be nice. You have tried to like him. But it was just not possible. Maybe you started off on the wrong foot, maybe you were just too different. But there were differences in opinions, tastes, in points of view that made the distance between you and Jordan's best friend look like an ocean. You stare out of the window as Jordan start the engine taking in the snowy streets.
"Is Vinnie going to meet us at the cottage?" Maddy asks and only the mention of his name makes the baby hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You would have to calm yourself down or one of you would truly not survive this trip.
"Yeah," Jordan replies, reaching out to hold Maddy's hand while driving. "He'll meet us there. He's flying in from LA."
You press your lips together and try to think of something nice. Something that doesn't include a 5'11 American with curly blonde hair and a chiseled jawline. You could hate him and admit that he was hot. Those things weren't mutually exclusive. But every tiny hint of attraction you have felt towards him had been eliminated the second you got into your first argument. You avoid going done memory lane and adjust your seat belt. You knew how to behave and you would try for the sake of your friends. If this trip would turn into a nightmare it would sure as hell not be your fault.
So you make conversation with Jordan and Maddy and promise to yourself to not pick a fight as soon as you would lay eyes on the spawn of Satan, errr, Vinnie.
Time skip brought to by the nesquik bunny
The cottage is beautiful and idyllic, perched on the top of the mountain. As a part of the ski resort, it was rented out throughout the ski season and you were lucky that you were able to make the reservation, obviously ignoring the face that Vinnie had made a call to secure the cottage during the most sought out week.
You carry your suitcase after you into the wooden house and take in the cosy living room. There is a small kitchen with a wooden dining table, a fireplace, and two comfortable-looking couches. You were starting to swear in your thick cable knit turtle neck jumper while carrying your suitcases into one of the bedrooms. The view is stunning, overlooking the snowy mountains in the distance and forest with its barren trees. After unpacking a few of your things, you make your way back to the living room area, just in time for the VIP guest to arrive. You almost roll your eyes at the black Tesla Vinnie is driving and cross your arms in front of your chest as he enters the cottage, wearing a cashmere jumper and black pants, looking like he fell out of a Hilfiger ad for the hoildays.
"Hey, man, how are you doing," Vinnie grins, giving Jordan a brotherly hug before greeting Maddy just as warmly. As soon as his gaze lands on you, he gives you a small curt nod and you nod back, not giving him the courtesy of a smile.
"We just started unpacking," Maddy says, gesturing around. "Have you guys picked your rooms yet?"
"Yes, i'm in the last room on the right," you explain with a shrug and Maddy frowns, looking at the hallway and then at her phone, as if she was realizing something. You know your friend well enough to know that something was up.
"Hold up," Maddy mumbles, checking the reservation on her phone. "Are there only two bedrooms?"
Vinnie looks around, swiftly making his way down the narrow corridor. He peeks into the room you have occupied and then into the other free bedroom that hold another double bed. "Yup, two bedrooms with double beds, that's it," he stated, coming back into the living room while Maddy is pacing around, reading the reservation E-Mail.
"There must've been a mistake. I booked three rooms. One for Jordan and me and two seperate bedrooms for the two of you. Obviously," she adds, which makes Vinnie let out a snort.
Yeah, as if you would share a room with him.
He glares at you and you roll your eyes in annoyance.
"Hey, but the couch could work. Look, it's a pull-out sofa," Jordan exclaims, pushing down on the cushions and pulling out the sofa bed. "This way on of you guys can sleep here and Mads and i take the master bedroom."
Vinnie exhales in defeat. "Sucks being single," he mutters under his breath and Jordan playfully boxes his upper arm.
"Come on bro, the sofa doesn't look too bad."
"Now, who said i am going to sleep on the sofa?" Vinnie responds, diverting his gaze to you. "Y/n could take the sofa and i get the the other bedroom."
"No way," you protest immediately. "First come, first serve. I've already unpacked." You give your opponent a hard stare and Vinnie clenches his jaw.
"What? Do you want to play rock, paper, scissors over who get the bedroom?" you mock with a sarcastic half-laugh and Vinnie tilts his chin up.
"Yeah, why not? I don't get why you would get the bedroom when i just got off a flight and am much taller than you which would make sleeping on the sofa bed extremely uncomfortable," He towers over you and you refuse to look up. You shoot Maddy a look that says 'i told you so'.
He was acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum over not getting his will. "Oh, I'm so sorry, the diva had a long flight," you throw your hands up. "This is ridiculous."
"One round," he challenges you. "Whoever wins, gets the spare bedroom."
"Please, guys, no fighting," Maddy pleads, standing next to you and gesture to Vinnie and his stupidly broad chest and round shoulders that look defined in his stupid cashmere sweater.
"He wants to play rock paper scissors over the bedroom," you point out.
"You brought it up first!" Vinnie retorts and Maddy lets out an annoyed groan.
"Okay, fine," you sight as if you were talking to a three-year-old. "One round."
You clench your hand into a fist and Vinnie does the same, albeit his fist is much bigger than yours and looks ridiculously large in comparison to your small fist. You shake your fists three times and form a scissor with your hand. Vinnie draws up the exact same shape.
"Tie," he mutters. "Repeat."
You almost roll your eyes but stop yourself, clenching your fist again. This time you leave your in a fist, forming a "rock" while Vinnie forms the scissor again. You can't help but notice how long his fingers are, pointer and middle finger adorned with pretty silver rings and you blink, bumping your fist against his hand. "Rock beats scissors," you smile smugly and as if your touch has burned him he retrieves his hand, flexing it.
"Fine," he grumbles. "But if i have back pain and neck strain it's going to be your fault."
"I can live with that," you reply with a triumphant grin. "Sleep well. On the sofa-bed."
He gives you another annoyed stare and you grab your remaining bags and head into the bedroom. The grin never leaved your face.
Vinnie 0 - 1 You
Time skip brought to you by emo demi lovato
The next day is spent on the slopes, skiing down the steep hill and riding the ski lift to do it all over again. It's a beautiful sunny day and even though it is icy cold, you feel warm enough in your ski suit and thermal underwear. You try to ignore Vinnie who is showing off his athletic skills on skis and the snowboard. And you just roll your eyes at him or ignore him completely every time he tries to challenge you to race him. You would just stay away from him as much as you could and maybe then, the trip would be just fine. Maybe then it would work.
After spending all afternoon in the snow you make your way back to the cottage to shower and get ready for Apres-Ski in town. You opt for a knitted wool dress and tights and keep your hair up in a sleek bun while Maddy goes all out in a sequined top and flare pants as if it was New Year's Eve already. The boys stay in cozy jumpers and you reluctantly follow Vinnie's lead to the waiting car. Maddy, ever the organised hoilday planner, has reserved a table for four a The Longhorn Saloon, a popular Apres-Ski location known for its party atmosphere. Located right at the base of the gondolas, you can already hear the loud music pumping as you approach the entrance. You take your seats at one of the small tables and order the nachos the place is well known for. Vinnie orders a round of beer for everyone and you let your gaze wonder over the party crowd. There was a group of men celebrating what looked like a bachelor's party, another group of blonde, tall guys that looked like finance bros, downing shots at the bar, and then mixed groups of people having fun and partying after another day in the snow.
The conversation is light and easy, as you go from one random topic to another, talking about mutual friends and sharing anecdotes when Jordan brings up a friend that has done someone else wrong and your table starts to debate and question if you can be friends with someone who has been mean to others. "I think there are boundaries to loyalty," Maddy explains, dipping a nacho into the delicious melted cheddar cheese. "I would consider myself a loyal friend but if my friend does someone else wrong, they might do the same to me. I don't think that's someone i would want to be friends with."
"I don't know," Vinnie says, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back into his leather seat. "If the person has never done me wrong, then i don't think i would stop being friends with them just because of experiences other people had." He shrugs, "I don't know, it depends tho."
Of course, the worst of the evening had to come from him. You shake you head after taking a sip of your drink.
"I don't agree."
"Of course, you don't," he says calmly, lips forming a smile. "You'd rather die than agree with me."
"Yes, but that's only because your opinions are always wrong and your takes are the worst I've ever heard."
Maddy and Jordan exchange a look that could be translated to "here we go again" as you and Vinnie lean forward, mirroring each other.
"Like, say, Maddy is having an issue with another friend. Would you stop being friends with her just because of that other thing that has nothing to do with you?" Vinnie asks, resting his forearms on the table and you do the same, leaning in. As you lean forward you catch a whiff of his perfume and freeze for a second. His scent is heavenly. It's musky and masculine, with a bit of wood and amber in there and you have to stop yourself from embarrassingly inhaling the scent over the table.
"Depends on what the thing is. If Maddy was badmouthing the other person or making remarks that really hurt that person or sabotaging them, then i would definitely reconsider why I'm friends with someone who acts so awful."
"Hey, I'm right here," Maddy interjects, raising a hand. "Bad example, you guys."
But neither you nor Vinnie acknowledge her remark and Vinnie leans back again, raising his eyebrows. "I disagree with you," he says calmly. "But that's okay. The wiser gives away."
"Right," you laugh sarcastically. "The wiser," you chuckle into your drink. "I'm going to get another drink at the bar. You guys want something?" You turn to Jordan and Maddy demonstratively and they shake their heads. "No we're good," Jordan says, holding up his glass and you get up, making your way to the bar. One of the finance bros is eyeing you up, obviously checking you out and you order a stronger drink, leaning up against the bar.
From where Vinnie is sitting he can see the blonde guy chatting you up and after a bit of conversation, you are touching his arm, laughing at something he said. For some weird, inexplicable reason it makes Vinnie's stomach turn and jaw clench.
"Stop staring, man," Jordan mutters under his breath as Maddy gets up to use the restroom.
"I'm not staring," Vinnie mutters, grumpily rotating his beer glass in his hands.
"You are. And it's obvious. Let her have a good time," Jordan sighs.
"Yeah, with an absolute douchebag....but maybe it fits," Vinnie mumbles before taking a big gulp, eyes back on you and the blonde guy as soon as the glass hits the table.
Jordan chuckles, nacho in hand. "Oh god, you're actually attracted to her, right?"
"No," Vinnie is quick to respond, panic in his voice. "I mean...," he reconsiders. "I can think she's hot and hate her. These things can co-exist."
Jordan shakes his head, laughing. "So, you think she's hot?"
"Well, yeah..i mean, she is attractive, obviously. But, my god, does she get on my nerves. All that self-righteousness and moral superiority complex. She's a pain in the ass," he groans, reluctantly looking away and stopping to bore his gaze into your back.
"Maybe you should hook up. Just once," Jordan laughs. "Get it out of your system, you know. All this tension..it has to go somewhere."
"No, never," Vinnie shakes his head. "That's never going to happen.
"Alright," Jordan puts his hands up in defeat. "Then go on being miserable and frustrated.. I'm just saying.. one night might just loosen things up," he smirks and Vinnie punches his arm.
"Cut it."
Jordan just laughs, shaking his head and you can feel a hard gaze on you but when you turn around, you only see Vinnie sitting next to Jordan at the table, as he is looking down at his phone.
Time skip brought to you by jeff bezos
The small dance floor is quickly filling up and Maddy and Jordan have gotten lost in the crowd, dancing to the loud ABBA song that is blasting through speakers. The DJ is playing a bunch of throwback songs, 90s music, and remixes and while you loved yo dance, you'd rather go home than join the party crowd with Vinnie in tow.
"Are you having fun?" Vinnie asks, leaning against the wall in the back of the room, standing next to you.
"No." You clutch your drink and take a big gulp.
"Yeah, me neither."
"Oh, I thought you were having a ball, i saw you laughing with Jordan earlier."
Vinnie snorts, nostrils flaring. "Yeah, Jordan was having a ball. He was joking at my expenses."
A petite brunette passes you and you can't help but notice the flirtatious look she is giving Vinnie, even tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Vinnie gives her a polite smile and she blushes, looking over her shoulder as she goes on walking.
You stare up at the ceiling in annoyance. If you had to watch Vinnie picking up girls at the Apres-Ski you might as well rinse your eyes with Clorox. For some reason, picturing Vinnie in love with a girl made you physically sick. You catch a glimpse of Maddy throwing her hands up to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and wrapping her arms around Jordan's neck and you wonder what it must be like to be so happy in love.
You sigh, melancholia taking over and you rest your head up against the wall, watching everyone else have the time of their lives. Vinnie seems almost miserable, hands tucked into the pockets of his Calvin Klein jeans.
The pretty brunette keeps looking at him, probably trying to figure out if you were a possible threat and you take a step sideways, distancing yourself from Vinnie, thus indicating that the road was clear. But before the girl can reach your side, Vinnie turns towards you, leaning in to yell into your ear over the blaring music. You can barely understand him so he grabs the side of your head, his hand moving to the back of your head where he keeps it to speak into your ear, suggesting to get an Uber. You can only watch the brunette turn away in disappointment, obviously thinking the two of you were an item. You temporarily feel sorry for her but then again, it's Vinnie. Maybe she dodged a bullet there.
You agree to take an Uber back to the cottage and shoot Maddy a text that you were leaving. Vinnie moves through the crowd effortlessly, towering over everyone and you watch him slide his black Ameerican Express through the little machine, paying the bill. A single golden blonde curl falls into his forehead and you catch yourself admiring his perfect features for a split second too long. You shake your head and grab your jacket and cross-body bag to make your way outside into the icy cold night, taking a deep breath and that almost stings your lungs.
The drive back to the house goes by in silence with the occasional short conversations between you and the Uber driver. "They're saying that a snowstorm is approaching," the Uber driver tells you, turning around in his seat as you have arrived. "So, be careful out there," the bearded guy says and you nod.
"Yeah, I've seen the warning in the weather app. Hope it's not too bad."
"Take care, guys," the driver waves you off.
"You too," Vinnie says before thanking him and closing the door.
You make your way up to the front door and you fumble with the keys as your hands are freezing. "It's too freaking cold," you say with chattering teeth, finally turning the key in the lock.
Vinnie follows you inside, closing the door and you head towards your room, checking your phone. Maddy has responded to your text with a thumps up emoji and you look around the room, pondering how to warm up. You could use the sauna and shower before bed. Or you could dip into the warm jacuzzi outside and relax before a good night's sleep. You're a bit dizzy from all the white wine but you manage to rummage in your weekend bag to retrieve a black string bikini that you've packed because Maddy had been so excited about the whirlpool that came with the house.
You are quick to change into the bikini, throwing a fluffy bathrobe over it and heading onto the terrace. But it's when you reach the jacuzzi that you are about to do a U-turn. Sitting in the hot, bubbly water, his back to you, arms outstretched, was your nemesis.
"Oh, fuck," you mutter under your breath.
It wasn't low enough for him to not hear it and Vinnie turns his head, his gaze meeting yours.
"Nevermind," you say waving it off. "I'm just gonna use the sauna." You turn around on your heels, ready to dart in the opposite direction when you hear him call out your name. You freeze, slowly turning around.
"Come in, I don't mind," he says, waving his hand as if he wanted to say 'come here'.
You hesitate, nibbling on your bottom lip. The jacuzzi looks inviting, though, and you already have your bikini on. Why would you have to give up on the whirlpool just because Vinnie was in there? You had just the same right to use the jacuzzi as he had. So you step closer, sensing the warmth of the bubbling water as you approach it. You open your bathrobe, place it on a nearby stool, and climb into the jacuzzi, ignoring Vinnie's gaze that was traveling over your bikini-clad body. He moves to the side and you sit down on the bench, positioning yourself in front of one of the massage nozzles. You tilt your head back, exposing your neck and sigh softly as the hot water engulfs you.
Vinnie is still fixating on you, sitting across from you, arms resting against the edge of the whirlpool. From where you are sitting you can see that he is wearing black swimming trunks and the water droplets on his fair skin make him look ethereal. You hate to admit that he looked good. You try not to stare at his defined pecs or chest hair so you look down, hoping that your bikini top stayed in pace during the water massage. You sit in silence, not one of you saying a word and you slowly look up, watching him watch you.
You clear your throat and before you can get a word out he beats you to it. "Why do you hate me so much?"
You blink, caught off-guard. You stare at his wet chest, trying your brain to work to the wine-induced fuzz.
"It's gonna be hard to just come up with one reason."
He laughs, exposing pearly-white, straight teeth to you and your heart makes and irrational jumpy beat at the sound of his laugh.
"No, for real, what's your problem?" he asks, brows furrowing a little. "Because I've tried to be friendly. It's just... no matter what i do.. it seems like I'm not doing anything right."
"Well," you exhale, "I just think we don't get along. Period. We're always fighting and we can't help it. We're just different. You know how you sometimes meet people and the chemistry is just..off," you try to explain, the hot water sloshing around you. "I think that's the case with us."
Vinnie nods slowly. A small, sad smile forms on his lips. He sighs as if he was wrestling with himself about what to say next. "Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. What if we started over?"
"I think it's too late for that now," you say in a tired voice, leaning back against the wall of the jacuzzi.
"You barely know me," he replies quietly.
"Oh, I've seen enough," you respond drily and he bites his lip in frustration, looking away.
"You know..I really liked you in the beginning," he starts, nervously running a hand through his curls that are void of any product of any product and you narrow your eyes at him. "I..I even wanted to make a move but you rejected me instantly."
You gasp at his confession, shaking your head. "What are you talking about? You never made a move, we got into an argument the first night we met and we haven't stopped fighting ever since. If it wasn't for Maddy dating Jordan, we would never see each other again."
Vinnie looked pained, and you start to feel bad about your words but then you remember all the times you felt ridiculed by him or hurt by his words, so you give him an icy glare.
"Y/n, come on, you knew i was into you," he sighs and you stare back at him in shock.
"Excuse me? No, I didn't?"
"You were so quick to shut it down, there wasn't even time for us to get to know each other. You didn't even give me a chance," he whispers, breath coming out in puffs and you feel sick. What the hell was going on?
"How much did you drink?" you breathe out, voice strained. "You don't know what you're saying."
He was never into you, it couldn't be.
"This is absurd," you whisper, trying to get up but the water is so nice and warm and his gaze is captivating, mesmerizing.
It takes all of your willpower to get up, tryng to reach the small silver ladder but before you can grip the handrails, you feel a strong grip around your elbow. "Y/n, wait."
You stumble, almost slipping on the wet surface, and land in Vinnie's lap straddling his thighs while he grips you, his minty breath hitting your face. You have never been this close to him and you can barely breathe, holding onto him. It feels like time and space are freezing into place, the world stopping to spin and you blink, trying to get your body to move. You can see his long dark eyelashes and the tiny shadows they are casting on his cheeks. The tension can be felt, can be cut with a damn butterknife.
"I'm sorry," you mumble.
"Careful," he whispers and he is so close you can feel his breath on your lips. You exhale shakily and only now notice his hands that are gripping your wrists. He lets go as soon as he senses you staring at his hands and you get up, climbing out of the jacuzzi. You grab your robe and rush back to the cottage, putting the robe on while walking. Your head was spinning, breath coming out in quick puffs. It was impossible, there was no way your sworn enemy used to have some sort of attraction to you at one point in time. You shake your head. There was just no way.
He must have had too much to drink.
You quickly open the door into the living room, making a beeline towards to the bathroom to take a hot shower. You needed to wash his gaze from you, his touch. You shampoo your hair and massage the body wash into your skin. Every part of your skin tingled where he had touched you. Your elbow, your waist, your wrists. It was as if he was still touching you, holding you down, voice thick with urgency as he was begging you to stay.
You rinse off the foam and turn the water to cold. You needed to come back to your senses, needed to sober up and forget about what he said. You hate feeling so confused and unsure of yourself. The cold shower seems to help and you step outside to dry yourself with a large towel. After blow-drying your hair and applying a moisturizing night cream, you had got back into your bedroom to put on fuzzy pajamas, crawling underneath the covers. You check your phone for more messages from Maddy but your lock screen is blank except for the time and date.
You pinch the bridge of your nose and try to not reply to the conversation with Vinnie in your head. With your phone plugged in to charge overnight, you pull the covers up and turn to the side, trying to fall asleep. You can hear the shower turning on and you try your hardest to not imagine Vinnie showering. Don't try to imagine hunky, muscular Vinnie standing underneath the shower, rubbing shower gel into his abs.
You silently scold yourself for your thoughts, as if you had committed the greatest sin. You had to admit to yourself that there was something about him because why was the thought of him - naked and wet - making you clench thighs and press them together together underneath the duvet? You groan, shoving your face into the pillow and you hear footsteps approaching and then stopping. You almost forget how to breathe, looking at the closed door. But then you hear the footsteps fade away and you exhale again. He's gone. You can imagine his tall frame having to squeeze into the narrow sofa bed and you almost have to laugh. You lay still in bed, waiting for sleep to come but as much as you toss and turn, you lay awake, thinking about Vinnie's words and every one of your interactions that have led to this.
Finally, you give up and push the covers aside and slide into your slippers. Maybe a glass of water or hot cocoa could help. You step into the dark living room area, trying to not make a sound while grabbing a mug from the shelf.
"Can't sleep either?" a deep voice cuts through the darkness and you gasp, turning around just to bump into a hard wall of muscle. Vinnie was standing in front of you, holding a glass of water that he must have wanted to put back into the sink.
"Y-yeah," you stammer. "Fuck, you've scared me."
Vinnie chuckles softly, looking down at you. "Shh, Jordan and Maddy just came back and went to sleep," he whispers. "And sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Or maybe I'm not sorry, who knows."
You almost laugh in relief, as you were back to your old ways, gone the awkwardness tension and lingering touches from before.
"Why can't you sleep?" he asks, voice low and you lean against the kitchen island.
"Our conversation earlier," you confess. There was no use in beating around the bush or making up lies. He knew his confession unsettled you. "I can't stop thinking about what you said," you whisper. "I had no idea that you used to be into me at one point."
Vinnie exhales shakily, he is standing right in front of you, caging you in.
"I meant it. Every single word." His breath is fanning over your face and you swallow thickly, slowly looking up at him. His hands move, almost in slow motion, from the counter top to your hips.
"I'm still into you," he mumbles. "I'm so into you it hurts," he whispers into your ear, his lips touching the shell of your ear and you instantly wonder if this was a prank. Was he really going to prank you like this? He's pressing into you, his hips pressing into your lower belly and you almost forget how to breathe.
"But...how? We hate each other."
"I could never hate you," he whispers. "I know we have this constant banter going on but is it weird that it turns me on?" he almost growls against your neck and you grab his t-shirt, bunching up the white cotton fabric while his hands wander down and underneath your pajama top. His warm hands slide underneath, gently caressing your skin.
"You drive me fucking insane," he breathes. "And I can't fucking stop thinking about kissing you. Slamming you against a wall and shutting your pretty mouth up. Putting you in your place. It consumes me."
God
You try to assess the situation you're in. You're pressed up against your insanely hot, gorgeous, and very attractive enemy-the guy you hate. But why is your heart beating so fast and why do you want nothing more than him to slam you into a wall and have at it? Images of angry hate-sex flash through your mind and you shut your eyes at the image of Vinnie holding you up against a wall, your legs wrapped around his waist...
"If you want me to stop, tell me to stop," he rasps, greedy hands gripping you tightly, pressing you against him and you shake your head no, a small gasp escaping your lips as he squeezes your sides while you wrap your arms around his neck, fingering the baby curls at the nape of his neck.
Vinnie dips his head and you think there are constellations of galaxies exploding behind your eyes when he speaks again. "Can i kiss you?"
You nod and before you can say anything he clasps your face into his hands and slams his lips against yours. His lips are surprisingly soft and you whimper into his mouth as he kiss is frantic, heated, angry. He kisses you passionately as if all the fighting and all the arguments have led to this. He kisses as if all his frustrations needed this one release. His lips move effortlessly and he nips and bites at your bottom lip before you teeth clash against his and he is breathless, fisting your pajama top and then gripping your waist to press you into his body.
"Fuck," he whispers incredulously at to how good the kiss felt. The darkness engulfs you and you stand on your tippy toes, going in for the second kiss. He presses his lips on yours, fierecly and with a force that pulls the air out of your lungs. He kisses you as if he wanted to breathe you in.
"Goddamn," he chuckles to himself and you touch your lips, which are already swelling from kissing and the biting and nibbling.
"I- I should get back into my room," you whisper, head spinning. You feel so dizzy your legs might give in.
He nods, his hair falling into his face and you take a step backward. You don't know what to make of this. Vinnie didn't kiss you once, he kissed you twice and with all the passion there could be. Your legs still feel wobbly as you climb back into bed, forcing your eyes shut. This was fucking insane.
Time skip brought to you by sam golbachs tiny nips
"You guys missed the best part last night. There was a happy hour and karaoke!" Maddy tells you over breakfast and you stare into your coffee mug, trying hard to not make eye contact with Vinnie. Awkward was an understatement for what was going on between the two of you. He is avoiding you and you both are acting weird around each other. You can barely look at him after what happened last night.
"Sounds great," Vinnie says, mindlessly scrolling through his phone as if he was reading the newspaper.
Maddy sighs happily, putting each hand on yours and Vinnie's. "I'm just so glad you two are getting along. I was really worried before this trip.
You give her a tortured smile and Vinnie barely looks up from his phone. "Well, we can be civil," Vinnie mutters and you bite your lips at the same spot he bit last night in the kitchen.
He glances at you and heat reaches your cheeks. You look away.
"Maddy and I are going to drive down into town to get some groceries. They're saying that a snowstorm might hit us and we should be prepared, just in case we get stuck here," Jordan says over his coffee and Maddy nods in agreement.
"Yeah, do you guys need anything?" she looks between you and Vinnie and you both shake your heads.
"Um, maybe more wine?" you suggest. You would need something more to drink to cope with this situation. Maddy laughs. "Alright, then we'll going. You guys should hit slopes."
"Mhmm," Vinnie hums, putting his phone away and he practically storms off, leaving you wondering and confused at the kitchen table.
"Is he okay?" Maddy frowns, pointing in the direction Vinnie just left and you shrug.
"Why would i know," you whisper and Maddy shrugs, gesturing for Jordan to get going.
Time skip brought to you by ron weasly
"They're still not here. I hope nothing happened," you say, nervously checking your phone. The weather app shows multiple warnings and news channels are urging people to stay inside as the artic winds and freezing temperatures are causing chaos in traffic and at the airports. After a round of skiing, you and Vinnie went back inside and he stayed silent, glued to his phone and occasionally talking to people on the phone you didn't know.
"They should be here soon, maybe they had to drive further away to get everything. The grocery store in town seemed pretty small," Vinnie responds, his back turned to you. He has finally put his phone aside to start the fireplace and the fire crackles warmly, casting a cozy glow upon the living room. You scoot closer, warming your hands and staring into the flickering flames.
Silence falls upon you. Again. If he wanted to be awkward about last night and not talk about it, fine - you wouldn't being it up either. Eventually, Vinnie gets up and walks away without saying a word and you close your eyes briefly as you exhale, wondering why you still feel so unsure of what to think. His behaviour was not only irritating, but it was also making you feel all sorts of things - a little upset, a little angry, but most of all confused.
You sigh, picking up your phone that has started buzzing on the sofa. Maddy's contact name appears on the screen and you feel relief upon finally hearing from her.
"Hello?" you speak into the phone and Maddy's voice comes out rushed and breathy.
"Hey, so we're not going to make it back up to the cottage today."
"What do you mean?"
"They've blocked the road. Because of the snowstorm.They're not letting anyone in or out of the city centre. Apparently, there's a tree that fell over or whatever. And we won't make it back up. Jordan and I are looking for a hotel for the night."
You feel like you're running out of air. "What- how... oh no, Maddy, don't do this to me. Don't leave me here with him."
"Girl, there's nothing i can do. They're saying it's a safety hazard. Hold on, we're asking this hotel if they have availability for tonight."
You hear shuffling on the other line and you pace around the room, feeling panic in your chest and throat. You can already feel the tears starting to sting as you blink rapidly. This was the worse-case scenario. Jordan and Maddy usually were buffers between you and Vinnie. Without them, you'd be left to your own devices. Alone with him. Talk about a real safety hazard.
"Y/n, are you there? Okay, okay, so, we have to stay in town, there's no other option," Maddy explains in a rushed tone, background noises making it harder to hear. "Oh, excuse me," Maddy says to another person and you press your lips together. "I'm so sorry. Let's just hope they're unblocking the road tomorrow. A police officer told us they're expecting the storm to hit tonight, so maybe we can drive up tomorrow. I know this sucks."
"Yeah, its..," you take a deep breath, "that's really bad, Mads," you gulp, "but don't worry, we'll be fine. You'll be fine. We hopefully reunite tomorrow. Take care, okay."
"You, too."
The line goes dead immediately after you hear Maddy's voice and you stare at your phone screen. Well...shit.
You look around the empty living room and decide to check the fridge. There were still some groceries and drinks that would help you survive even it you'd be cut out from the outside world. Outside, snowflakes are swirling in the cold air and the sky looks cloudy and gloomy. Now, where the hell was the other annoying houseguest?
You frown, looking out of the window and decide to put on your big puffer jacket to go look for Vinnie as you need to tell him abut the current happenings. You step outside and walk around the house. No trace of a tall, curly-haired guy that gets on your nerves - and has the audacity to kiss you in the middle of the night. You stop yourself from thinking about it again, when you see him, coming out of the sauna, looking broody. He's in a bathrobe, one towel slung around his shoulder and you yell his name until he notices you.
"Where have you been?" you angrily shout at him and he gives you a confused look.
"I just got out of the sauna," he responds casually and you hate how glowy and rosy his skin looks. It looks so soft, you crave to touch it. You cross your arms in front of your chest before your hands so something stupid. Like, reaching out for his face, for example.
"What's going on?" he asks, noticing the distressed look on your face.
"They're blocking the streets because of the snowstorm. Jordan and Maddy won't make it back up and they have to stay in town for the night," you tell him breathlessly.
He stares to you and you can't read his facial expression. He runs a hand through his sweaty curls. "Fuck," he mutters under his breath and walks toward the cottage, "I'll be in the shower. If you come angrily searching for me again," he yells over his shoulder and all you want to do is to give him the finger but you breathe through your nose and count to three and go back inside. You would just avoid him and not speak to him and this too shall pass.
Time skip brought to you by the pg tips monkey
The evening goes by in silence. You are both on your phones, a news channel blabbering in the background while you keep up with meterological forecasts and local news stories. It's and uneventful evening and when you start to feel sleepy, you get up from the couch, feeling gracious enough to wish Vinnie a good night. He's sitting on a lounge chair, quietly strumming his guitar that he found in one of the closets.
"Good night," you mumble and you hesitate near the doorframe, lingering to hear him strum the guitar. It's a beautiful sound, you have to admit.
"Good night," he says, finally looking up from the strings and you swallow, pondering if you should say something.
"Why did you kiss me last night?" you blurt our, hating yourself immediately for it and Vinnie avoids your gaze, staring straight ahead.
"I'm sorry about that, just forget about," he mutters and you feel weirdly betrayed. First, he confessed he used to have feelings for you, then he kisses you in the middle of the night in the kitchen, and then he doesn't talk to you and tells you to forget about it?
You groan in irritation and walk off, running two hands through your hair. There might be a snowstorm outside but the inner turmoil inside of you was non better as feelings of hurt and confusion collide. Under the covers, you drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep and hope this trip comes to an end very soon.
Time skip brought to you by bugs bunny
When you wake up the next morning, you know something is not right. Your throat feels sore, your nose is stuffy and you feel weirdly hot and cold at the same time. A scratchy cough makes you sit up in bed and close your eyes. Great. Feeling extremely under the weather and getting sick was just what you needed. You lay back down, trying to get some sleep but your sore throat and stuffy nose won't let you fall back to sleep so you just lay in bed and look out of the window at all the masses of snow outside.
You finally manage to doze off again, when a knock on your bedroom door wakes you up.
"Yeah?" you rasp weakly and after a beat of silence, you see a head of curly blonde hair peek inside.
"Hey, are you up?"
You nod and Vinnie seems hesitant to come in. "Just wanted to say that Jordan called. They'll drive up this afternoon - hey, are you okay?"
He comes closer, a worried expression on his handsome face and you sink further into your pillow. "You're so pale."
"I...I think I'm getting sick," you cough out and Vinnie sits down on the edge of your bed and you are too weak to flinch or shoo him away so you let him sit and look at you.
You feel the weight of his warm, large hand on your forehead. "I think you have a fever," Vinnie says, worry lacing his voice and you shrug, trying to get up.
"I'll be fine." you sigh but before you can get up, a wave of dizziness hits you and you have to hold on to Vinnie's shoulder.
"Whoa, you stay in bed," he orders, softly pushing you back into the covers, and tucking you in. "I'll make you a cup of tea. And I'll tell Jordan Maddy to make a pit stop at the pharmacy?"
"Why are you being so nice to me?" you say in your throaty voice and he just gives you a pointed look as his lips form a line.
"Voice rest for you," he saying with a pointed finger. "I might be enjoying this a little too much," he smirks and then adds, "just kidding."
You roll your eyes at him and watch him leave your room. He comes back shortly after with a big tea mug and places it on the nightstand. "I added a teacup of honey. Helps with the throat," he explains and you wonder how soft his tone has become all of a sudden.
"God, you're shivering," he says after assessing you and it's only then that you realise that your teeth have been chattering. One second you felt hot, the other you were cold and your hands and feet feel like ice cubs.
Vinnie sits down on the bed again and you feel a little weird about his presence, his tall frame taking up so much of the bed but you let him squeeze in and you scoot over.
"You'll just get sick, too," you protest weakly but the warmth of his body, paired with the scent of his cozy sweater is too nice to push away so you let him scoop you into a half a hug and maybe it's a fever dream, maybe it's a complete delusion, but for a moment you do not feel the need to fight back. You slump against the side of his body and let him warm you up.
"You should try to drink your tea," he whisper into the crown of your hair and you nod weakly as he passes you the hot cup. You take a sip. And then another one. And you lean back into the pillow and pass out.
You are not sure how many hours passes when you open your eyes again, but Vinnie is still in your bed, still holding you close to his body and you have stopped shivering. There's a bead of sweat on your forehead and you slowly lift to look at Vinnie's face. He looks completely peaceful, eyes shut and you wonder if he has fallen asleep when he blinks slowly.
"How are you feeling?" he mumbles and you try to ignore your erratic heartbeat.
"Kinda shitty, to be honest."
You still feel feel like you're at the deep end of a fever dream when he brushes a strand of hair behind your ear, every touch shooting little electric sparks through you.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, " I actually did mean what I said to you in the kitchen. Last night."
"I can't do this right now," you mumble, shaking your head and he nods, softly pulling you closer to his chest. And maybe it's because he thinks you're back asleep again, maybe it's your fever talking, but you hear his voice, while your cheek is resting against his chest.
"I meant it, I meant it when I said that I'm into you. I love when we fight. It makes me feel challenged. I love how smart you are and how sassy and how it drives me insane, in the best way possible. And i wish things were different. But i don't regret kissing you last night." He pauses and you feel him play with your hair. You stay still, wanting him to go on. "I didn't want to talk about it because i fear you might not feel the same way about me. And I'm so confused. About how how I'm feeling. But i can barely think straight when you're around. And I get so fucking jealous when other guys flirt with you which is ridiculous," he chuckles to himself. "But you are so hot when you're angry and it makes me so-" he sighs, "I don't know.. I just know you drive me mad and i need to be close to you and I.. I want you, and I don't know if you want me too and now you're sick and I shouldn't say these things or even think about..." he stops himself again and your eyes flutter open.
"Don't stop," you whisper, slowly pushing into his chest with one palm and he gently cradles your head, tilting your face up to him.
"Y/n, you're not feeling well, you should get some rest, I-"
"Shh," you whisper, pressing one finger against his bottom lips and he stops talking and just looks you in the eye and your heart keeps beating violently against your chest and he takes your hand and presses it to his chest above where his heart is and you can feel it pound so fast, too.
"I can't do this any longer," he breathes out, "pretend to not be attracted to you when i want you so badly."
"I think.. I think i want you, too," you whisper. "You drive me insane. But I.. I can't pretend to not be attracted to you."
He exhales, a smile forming on his rosy lips. "If you weren't ill right now..," he growls, one large hand coming up to squeeze your hip and you shiver, not from your cold, but from his touch and you press your forehead against his chest. "If you weren't ill right now, I don't know if i could guarantee anything, being in the same bed," he rasps and you have to giggle into his chest while his long fingers play with your hair. You hate how fucking miserable you feel but even the scratchy throat and the fever can't help but make the butterflies in the pit of your stomach startup.
"I secretly loved to fight with you, I think," you whisper and he grins at you, brown eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, i could tell."
You stare into each other's eyes, wondering how you'd got here and he cups your face, thumb brushing over your heated cheek when your phone rings.
"It's Maddy," Vinnie says, glancing at the screen and you reach for your phone, picking it up.
"We're on our way up!" Maddy shouts happily through your speaker you gulp, looking at Vinnie to see his reaction as he is listening, too.
"That's great," you rasp and before Maddy can notice that you're sick, she says: "I hope you guys haven't murdered each other, yet."
You cuddle up to Vinnie, feeling safe and sound in his strong arms and you smile at eachother.
"No, not exactly," you answer with a huge grin and Vinnie almost fails to hold back his laughter. "I think we might get along better now," you smile into the phone, your eyes not leaving Vinnies's and when you hang up, he takes the phone to put it on the nightstand, scooping you up into a hug.
"We're getting along better, huh?"
"Seems like it," you say nonchalantly and he smiles, pinching your cheek.
"Get well soon," he whispers, "I feel like we have to catch up on a few things."
And this time you don't feel any need to fight him on it.
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not proof read i apologise for any mistakes.
Credits: @futurecherry on tumblrr
had to kill three spiders while writing this feeling like bear grylls
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