When a ray of sunlight wormed its way through the curtains the following morning, the first thing that she noticed was the empty spot on the mattress beside her. Nevada had expected to wake up in a similar position as yesterday, his face nuzzled in her shoulder, but all that he had left in his wake were the rumpled sheets.
Nevada sat up, rubbing at her eyes with closed fists. Cassidy was sprawled over the couch, her legs hanging over the armrest. Carter's snores continued to echo through the room, his stomach turned toward the ceiling as he slept soundly. Alicia's back was turned to her, but the slow breathing gave away the fact that she was still asleep. That meant that Sam had been the first to rise.
She kicked off the covers, her mind still in a daze as she stood on shaky legs. The door to Carter and Sam's shared bedroom was shut. Nevada didn't even think to knock before she opened it, and she was confronted with an image that imprinted itself in her mind almost instantly.
Sam's hand was stuffed down his sweatpants, his head tilted back as his lips parted, but at the sound of her entrance, his eyes snapped open, locking in on her. It didn't take a genius to realize what she had walked in on, but for a painful second, she was incapable of moving.
When her mind snapped out of its daze, her body reacted before her embarrassment could paralyze her. "Sorry!" she squeaked, yanking the door shut with more force than she intended.
Nevada strode into the kitchen, a flush working its way up her neck. She should've knocked, but she hadn't even considered it beforehand. Her first intention had been to see where he was, and it had never occurred to her that there might've been a reason he sought privacy in his own bedroom while the rest of the world was asleep.
She needed to do something to distract herself from her never-ending flow of thoughts. She opened one of the cupboards to grab a bowl for herself; without thinking, she had decided that she would have cereal for breakfast. There was half of a container of Cheerios remaining, and she tipped a large serving for herself into the bowl before pouring milk inside.
By the time Sam emerged from his bedroom, Nevada sat at the counter, eating small mouthfuls of Cheerios. The sight of him brought back the image in her mind, and no matter how much she tried to shove it out, it stuck. He seemed to be thinking the same thing, as his cheeks reddened when his gaze fell on her.
Sam scratched the nape of his neck. "Uh ... I'm—sorry. I didn't think you'd walk in."
Nevada dropped her gaze to her bowl of cereal. She couldn't face him without words failing her. "It's not your fault," she said, moving her spoon around in a circle. "I should've knocked."
"Well, yeah, I mean—"
"Can we stop talking about it?" she cut in, dropping her spoon onto the counter with a clatter. If the conversation continued a second longer, she was certain she would tear her hair out of pure mortification. She glimpsed at her reflection on the metal utensil to find that her face was a bright red.
When Nevada forced herself to look up, she discovered that the color of Sam's face mirrored hers. He was as embarrassed as she was.
"Sorry," he repeated, his eyes never quite meeting hers. "Forgotten."
"Thanks."
Cassidy rolled over on the couch, emitting a loud groan before she rubbed at her eyes. They stilled as they waited to see whether she would wake or fall back asleep. After another second, it turned out that former was correct: Cassidy forced herself into a sitting position only to squint when she realized that they were both awake.
"Jesus, you two wake up early," she muttered.
Nevada didn't respond. Instead, she picked up her spoon again and returned to eating her cereal. Sam didn't seem to have a proper reply either, as he merely shrugged before setting out to make himself breakfast.
Despite Helen's promises that the technician would arrive to fix the furnace around lunchtime, he failed to arrive before two o'clock. When the doorbell finally rang, they were met with a stout middle-aged man who had no interest in making polite conversation. His focus was entirely on replacing the furnace, and Nevada had no problem with stepping back and letting him do his job. After two days without heating, she was desperate, and the rest of the cabin shared the same thoughts.
Eager to leave the technician to his own devices, they'd headed into the outdoors. The fresh scent of pine trees greeted them the second they left the cabin, the soft rays of sunshine curling around their shoulders. Their boots crunched over the coating of snow as they ventured further into the stretch of the forest.
It was spent in comfortable silence, the chirping birds the only sound to disturb the peace. Cassidy and Alicia led the way, Carter at their heels while Nevada and Sam took up the rear.
Nevada had taken to staring at their footprints, mesmerized by the trail they had created, and it wasn't until a loud shout broke her out of her reverie that she looked up again.
Carter had thrown a handful of snow in Sam's direction, and unfortunately for the latter, his aim was impeccable. White flakes still coated the right side of Sam's face, and for a painful second, the world was still, holding its breath for his response.
"You're a little shit," he said at last.
Carter only had a moment to burst into laughter before Sam barreled toward him, wrapping his arms around his torso before he tackled him to the ground. The two landed in a heap on top of the pile of snow, Sam seizing the opportunity to toss a handful of snow at Carter himself.
The girls watched on in stunned silence until a stray snowball caught Cassidy in the chest. She became deathly quiet as she brushed the flakes off her bomber jacket. "Oh, you two are so dead."
What had started as light teasing from Carter had turned into a full-blown snowball fight. Cassidy launched several handfuls of snow in the boys' general direction, and they ducked to avoid them. Without realizing what had happened, everyone had joined in, taking turns in throwing snow at each other. Carter caught her several times, and even Sam had managed to hit her back with a snowball of his own.
Within minutes, Carter wasn't the only one laughing. Their quick bursts of laughter felt like it could be heard for miles, and her chest hurt from how much she was laughing herself. She couldn't help it. The sight of snow hitting someone in the face at full-force had that effect, and she had become so absorbed in the activity that she didn't give her mind the time to overthink.
She was enjoying herself. There was a gentle ache in her stomach from the aftermath of the uncontrollable laughter, her cheeks burned from smiling so much, and for once, she didn't worry about what she did before she did it. Every action made her feel carefree, and the grin she wore was genuine.
Nevada became so caught up in the fight that she didn't realize how cold it was outside until they all stopped to catch their breaths. Though her cheeks hurt from smiling, the other reason they burned was from the exposure to the cold. The harsh air bit at the skin it could reach, and as her heart rate slowed, the thundering beat fading in her ears, she heard the sound of teeth chattering. It took her a few seconds before she realized that the sound came from her.
Sam seemed to be experiencing the aftermath of the fight in a similar way: he rubbed his hands together in an effort to conserve the warmth before cupping his cheeks with his palms.
"Fuck," he said. "Now I'm cold." He shot an accusatory look over at Carter, to which he responded with a shrug.
"You could've been the bigger man and not hit me back."
Sam fell silent at that. Nevada shook as another shiver overcame her, and she buried her hands in the pockets of her jacket to warm them up faster. The rest of them were fairly unfazed by the fight. Cassidy and Alicia had remained unscathed, while Carter was too energetic to let the cold slow him down. He continued bouncing on the heels of his feet, despite the snowflakes that lingered on his face.
"I'm really cold now," Sam said, his shoulders sagging. "Honestly, I think I might head back to the cabin. I could use a shower."
Carter chuckled. "You're just going to abandon us now?"
"I agree with Sam," Nevada muttered, her voice small. When she was met with four gazes, she struggled not to remain silent. "I'm cold. I'd rather stay inside."
"You guys can go ahead if you want," Sam suggested. He ran a hand through his hair. The snow had since ruined its usual gelled-up style, but he still attempted to get it to stick up in the air with his fingers. "Nevada and I can head back, but we don't want to ruin the walk for the rest of you. We'll be fine on our own."
Carter nodded. "That's fine with me." He looked over at Cassidy and Alicia, waiting for them to object. There was a certain glint in Cassidy's eye that sent a trickle of unease down her spine, but she couldn't determine what it was before she nodded, the flicker of emotion disappearing in a second.
"Sounds good," Cassidy said. "We'll catch up with you guys later then."
Sam turned back in the direction they came. "Later."
He waited for her to follow before he began the trek back to the cabin. Nevada turned back once to catch a glimpse of their figures fading into the distance before returning her attention to the path in front of her. Their walk hadn't been more than ten minutes, but every step forward felt like agony, fueled forward by the chill that had seeped into her body.
Sam remained by her side, though there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he could maintain a faster pace if she wasn't walking with him. For each of her two steps, he made the stride in one, and she was struck again at how tall he was. If they faced each other, the crown of her head would reach his chin.
He remained oblivious to her train of thought. His goal was to reach the cabin, and thus, they continued the walk in silence. Nevada didn't mind. She struggled with words, but she understood actions.
When the cabin finally appeared in the distance, the two quickened their strides. Sam was the first to reach the door, yanking it open before holding it for her. She hurried in after him, and the first thing she noticed was the warm blast of heat that met her body the second she crossed the threshold.
Sam noticed it too, his eyebrows flicking up in surprise. "You have to hand it to them," he said, shutting the door. "They get things done quickly even it takes them a while to get to it."
Nevada hummed her agreement, but her mind was elsewhere. All she could imagine was the comfort of a warm shower, streams of hot water running down her body until the cold was banished from her skin. Unfortunately, Sam had the same idea.
He strode in the direction of the bathroom, and Nevada had the sense to blurt out, "What?" before he made it inside.
"What?" Sam echoed, looking at her over his shoulder, a furrow between his eyebrows.
"I need the bathroom too," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can I shower first? I'm freezing."
"I can shower really fast," he pleaded. "I'll be in and out. I promise."
Nevada pursed her lips, but she came to the realization that the longer they stood outside bickering, the longer it would take before she had the chance to shower herself. She waved him off with a flap of her hand. "You have five minutes," she warned.
"Thanks." Sam wasted no time in locking himself in the bathroom, and after a few seconds, she heard the running water that signaled that he had just started his shower.
Nevada hovered in the living room, unsure of what she should do. The flames in the fireplace burned strong, providing an extra gust of warmth that she craved, and she stood in the middle of the room, trying to not to count down the seconds until she had the bathroom to herself.
A half hour passed before Nevada emerged from the bathroom, her damp hair twisted into a messy bun on top of her head. She hadn't bothered reapplying her eyeliner to make the best impression. Sam had seen her in the early hours of the morning when her face was bare and her eyes were bleary; she doubted her appearance would matter much now. Instead, she had hopped into a pair of sweatpants and slipped on a jumper. The warm lining of her clothes provided the extra layer of comfort, and when she wandered back into the living room, she was prepared for a lazy afternoon spent in front of the fire.
Sam had chosen a similar clothing selection: a baggy sweatshirt hugged his body while gray sweatpants hung from his hips. Water droplets continued to cling to his blonde locks, and he hadn't bothered gelling his hair again, instead allowing his damp hair to stick upwards on its own. He clutched a controller in his hand, and Nevada stole a glance at the television to find that he had a race in GTA V queued on the screen.
His eyes flickered over to hers when she entered the room, and he patted the spot on the couch. "Come join me," he said.
Nevada couldn't find a good reason to object, so she obliged, settling down on the couch on his left side. The couch emitted a soft sigh as she dropped down beside him, and she was pleased to find that her body continued to warm up as the warmth from the fire radiated towards them. Releasing a soft sigh of her own, she nestled further into the couch, her attention stolen by the game.
"Are you just going to race?" she asked.
Sam nodded without looking over at her. "Yup. You don't have to stay here if you think it's boring by the way. I won't be offended."
"No, it's okay." Nevada had discovered a newfound interest in watching Sam and Carter play videogames. She didn't know what it was, but joy always blossomed in her chest when she watched them celebrate after they won a Fifa match. She had a feeling that her fascination came more from Sam's interest in the games rather than the games themselves, and she didn't understand why this fact unnerved her.
Ever since Cassidy had mentioned that Sam liked her, her words had played themselves on an endless loop in her mind. Her brain struggled to let important tidbits like that go, and no matter how harmless Cassidy's intentions were, her statement was imprinted inside her head. He really likes you. You know that, right?
It had been days since the encounter, and yet, Nevada couldn't formulate an answer that she knew was the truth. If she was being completely honest, her feelings towards Sam were complicated, a bundle of emotions that she couldn't untangle herself. She didn't want to confuse gratitude towards him reaching out to her with romantic feelings. It wouldn't be fair to him. He deserved better. That was why she had yet to determine the right answer because she hadn't realized what it was yet.
As she mulled over her thoughts, her gaze slid over to him. He had started a race without her realizing it, and his entire attention was focused on the game itself. He didn't notice her staring, and she took the opportunity to admire his features. She had never noticed how distinct his cheekbones were before, but she found that she rather liked them. There were several things she liked about him.
Nevada became so fixated on his face that she didn't realize the race had come to an end until Sam faced her.
"I came in fifth. Okay, I guess."
She couldn't do anything but nod. She hadn't realized how close they sat together until his eyes were a foot away from hers. When he spoke, his warm breath fanned her face.
His presence was overwhelming. He had taken over all her senses until the only thoughts running through her mind were of him. She was so lost in her own mind that she didn't register his mouth nearing hers. He didn't allow her shock to force her to rear back before his lips met hers.
here it is! hope you enjoyed this chapter! let me know what you thought! & sorry about the cliffhanger (not really).
x carolina