JAKE

The world felt quieter here.

Maybe it was the snow, falling in a slow, endless hush as if someone had pressed mute on everything else. Or maybe it was the way Lily walked beside me, her laugh still clinging to the air like the tail end of music. Whatever it was, I wished I could trap it, keep it and live inside it forever.

We had just finished another lesson calling it a lesson was generous. She taught, I stumbled, we laughed, and somehow I learned more than I expected. Now, trudging side by side toward the lodge, skis balanced over our shoulders, I felt like I belonged here. And that was dangerous.

Because I didn't.

"Hey, disaster" Lily said, grinning as she reached over and shoved something into my chest. My gloves. I hadn't even realized I'd left them on the bench.

"You're my hero" I said, stuffing them into my jacket pocket. "Imagine the headlines if I'd frozen to death twenty feet from the lodge."

She rolled her eyes. "You'd have been fine. Worst case, I would've sledded you down on your skis."

"Romantic."

"Practical" she corrected, though the corners of her mouth curved up.

We reached the path leading toward the lodge, the windows glowing orange against the purple-blue evening sky. A few people shuffled past us, the scent of hot chocolate and wood smoke wafting out every time the doors opened. Aspenridge in winter was the kind of postcard life most people dreamed of.

Most people.

Not me.

I slowed my steps, letting the crunch of snow under my boots fill the silence. The truth was swelling inside me, pressing against my ribs. I'd been ignoring it for days, pretending this was just a break, just a temporary pause in the chaos of my real world. But tonight, watching Lily tuck her hair into her knit hat and smile at something as small as a kid throwing snowballs by the entrance, I knew I couldn't pretend forever.

"Lily" I said quietly.

She turned, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold. "Yeah?"

I exhaled a cloud of breath that vanished instantly into the dark. Words weren't my strong suit but she deserved something. Some sort of warning.

"I don't know how much longer I'll be here."

Her smile faltered, just a little, but she didn't look away. "Oh?"

I nodded, gripping my skis tighter. "This... isn't really my world. Aspenridge. Ski lessons. Quiet days. I came here because I needed to get away for a while."

Her gaze searched mine, like she was trying to read what I wasn't saying. "Get away from what?"

I hesitated. The honest answer sat heavy on my tongue: the endless meetings, the constant headlines, the billion-dollar empire I never asked for but couldn't escape. But I swallowed it down. If I told her, everything between us would change.

"From the noise" I said instead. "From expectations. Back home, there are a lot of people who think they know me. Who need me to be a certain version of myself. It gets... exhausting."

Lily was quiet for a beat. The snow kept falling, steady, patient. Finally, she asked , "Do you want to go back?"

Her voice was soft, but the question hit harder than anything else she could have said.

Did I?

I thought about my phone, probably buzzing in my room right now with missed calls and urgent texts. I thought about my assistant, who had begged me to cut this trip short. I thought about shareholders, board members, press. The constant performance of being him.

Then I thought about today. About the way Lily had cheered when I made it down the hill without falling. About the way she'd laughed, bright and unrestrained, when I'd compared my skiing to a wounded penguin. About the granola bar she'd shared with me like it was some priceless delicacy.

Did I want to go back? No.

But did I have a choice? That was the real question.

"I don't know" I said finally. My voice was low, almost lost to the wind. "Not really. But it's not that simple."

She nodded, her expression unreadable. She didn't press, though. She didn't ask for details, didn't push me to explain. Most people would have. Most people always did. But Lily just accepted it.

That nearly undid me.

We reached the steps of the lodge. The lanterns above the door threw soft circles of light onto the snow, catching in Lily's hair. A few flakes had landed there, sparkling like they belonged. Without thinking, I reached out and brushed them away. My fingers lingered just a fraction too long.

Her breath caught.

"You make this place harder to leave" I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Her eyes widened, just slightly, but she didn't look away. She smiled. "That's a nice thing to say."

"It's true."

For a moment, neither of us moved. The snow kept falling, the world around us carrying on as if nothing monumental had just passed between two people on the lodge steps. But to me, it felt like everything had shifted.

She pulled her hat down tighter over her ears and gave me that teasing smile again, though softer this time. "Goodnight, Jake. Try not to fall out of bed."

I managed a laugh, though my chest ached. "Goodnight, Lily."

She turned and walked into the lodge, disappearing into the golden glow. I stood there for a long time, skis heavy on my shoulder, hands cold even in my gloves.

I'd come here to disappear. To escape the world that demanded too much of me. But with her, I felt more seen than I had in years. More of myself.

A clear sign of how painful it will be to leave her.

LILY

The glow of the laptop screen painted my small living room in soft blue light, contrasting against the crackling fire in the corner. My cabin wasn't much just hand-me-down furniture, squeaky floorboards and a heater that coughed more than it warmed but it was home. Usually, I loved that about it. Tonight, though, it felt a little too small.

I pulled the wool blanket tighter around my shoulders and stared at the application form open on my screen.

"Administrative Assistant – Ryland Corporation."

The words looked almost intimidating in bold black font. I'd stumbled across the listing last week when I was at the town's little library, scrolling through job boards while the kids I taught skiing were warming up by the fire. Normally, I wouldn't have looked twice at something like that. Big company. Big city. Big expectations. Definitely not Aspenridge material. Definitely not me.

But the description had stuck with me: detail-oriented, organized, adaptable. Benefits that sounded like more than just scraping by. A chance for something different.And after tonight, after that conversation with Jake on the steps of the lodge, I couldn't stop thinking about the idea of leaving.

I still couldn't imagine not teaching kids to ski, not breathing in the cold mountain air every morning but maybe stretching myself, proving that I could be more than the small-town girl everyone thought I was.

I typed a sentence, deleted it, typed it again. My résumé wasn't exactly shiny. Ski instructor, summer waitress, part-time cashier at the general store when they were desperate. Not exactly "corporate material." But I had heart. And I was nothing if not hardworking.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. For a split second, I thought it might be Jake ridiculous, really, since we'd just said goodnight outside the lodge but my stomach still did a little flip. It wasn't him. Just my best friend, Sophie, sending me a blurry picture of her cat in a Christmas sweater.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. Sophie had been telling me for years I was wasting my time here. "You could do anything, Lil" she'd say. "But you keep teaching ski bunnies and tourists because it's safe." Maybe she was right.

Safe.

That word gnawed at me as I scrolled through the application questions again.

Why do you want to work at Ryland Corporation?

I chewed the inside of my cheek, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Because I need something more. Because I want to prove to myself I can. Because I'm scared if I stay in this bubble forever, I'll never figure out who I'm supposed to be.

I typed, because I'm ready for a new challenge and I believe I can bring dedication and warmth to your team.

Warmth. That made me smile. It sounded silly, but it was true. If I could wrangle a dozen five-year-olds into ski boots and have them laughing by the end of the lesson, surely I could answer phones and file reports with a smile.

The fire popped, scattering sparks against the screen's reflection. I sighed, curling deeper into the blanket.

Jake's words replayed in my head. This isn't really my world. Aspenridge. Ski lessons. Quiet days.

Something about the way he'd said it made me ache. Like he carried an entire universe on his shoulders. And even though he'd been vague , I believed him.

He wasn't like most of the tourists who breezed in for a weekend and left bragging about their "authentic mountain experience." He carried himself differently. Polite but practiced, like he'd learned how to smile and deflect a hundred times before. When he spoke about "expectations" and "noise," it felt heavier than just a stressful job. But maybe I was reading too much into it.

Either way, his words had stuck.

And maybe that was why I was sitting here, filling out a job application I never would have considered before. Maybe his reminder that there was a bigger world outside this valley had nudged me to stop waiting for something to happen and start making it happen myself.

I glanced at the clock it was almost midnight. My lesson with Jake tomorrow was at nine. He'd probably be bright-eyed and pretending not to be nervous. I'd probably tease him, the way I always did. That thought warmed me, the familiar comfort of routine.

Still, I clicked the button.

Submit Application.

My heart did a little somersault as the confirmation screen popped up. Just like that, I'd tossed a snowball into the wind, not knowing where or if it would land.

I shut the laptop and leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling beams overhead. For the first time in a long while, I felt different. Nervous. Excited. Maybe even a little daring.

Somewhere out there, in some shiny skyscraper office, my application was about to be skimmed, judged, probably tossed aside. But who knew? Maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, it would stick.

I closed my eyes and let the fire's warmth lull me toward sleep, the snow still whispering outside.

If tomorrow was the same as today, that was okay. But part of me hoped it wouldn't be. Part of me hoped something bigger was waiting and I couldn't have known then but that "something bigger" was already standing in Aspenridge, grinning awkwardly at me as he tried not to fall on a beginner slope.

Tomorrow will be another dat to enjoy,teaching Jake brought joy into my world leaving butterflies in my stomach.I knew that was bad especially for a stranger I had met only weaks ago but as of tonight the '' road'' is what we would be walking on and tomorrow I would tell Jake of the feelings I have for him.

This night,the fireplace felt warmer with the flames dancing on the floor and the glow lulling me to sleep.