The man smiled and gave her a wave before picking up his own drink cup and heading back to the elevators.
Holly watched him go, trying not to stare at his butt. The sweatpants accentuated the muscle underneath and told her that the man did not skip leg day.
“Aliyah would tell me to get his number,” Holly said to herself. She nearly went after the handsome man, but held back. She needed to take care of her friend. Maybe she’d run into the man again tomorrow over waffles.
It was possible.
Chapter 5
Holly
Holly stretched out in the soft bed and sighed with contentment. There was something magical about not waking up to the sound of an alarm clock. She snuggled into the fluffy comforter for a moment, enjoying the dark silence of the hotel room.
Then she remembered that she was going skiing today. With a grin, she threw back the covers and got out of bed. The floors were heated and she nearly moaned with delight. She’d gotten so used to keeping her apartment cold to keep the heating bill down, she’d forgotten how nice it was to wake up and be warm.
In the next bed over, Aliyah slept. She still looked pale, but better than the death-warmed-over look she had last night. The poor thing had spent most of the night in the bathroom dealing with the aftermath of food poisoning.
No more gas station sandwiches for either of them.
Holly tip-toed to the bathroom and enjoyed the heated tile floors in there. If she ever built a house of her own design, heated tile floors in the bathroom were definitely on the list. It felt amazing to have warm feet while she brushed her teeth and put on her ski clothes. She put her hair up in a ponytail and quietly left the bathroom.
“Hey.” Aliyah’s voice was hoarse and sounded painful.
“Hey. Did I wake you up?” Holly asked, pausing by the bathroom door.
“No, I’ve been awake for a few minutes. Believe it or not, I didn’t sleep great last night.”
“I’m sorry,” Holly replied.
“Not your fault.” Aliyah shifted around on the bed. “You going skiing?”
“Yeah. Are you going to come? How are you feeling?”
“I’m going to stay in bed all day. And maybe the tub. I think I can handle a bath,” Aliyah said. “I’m no longer puking my guts out, but I don’t want to move more than the four feet to the bathroom.”
“Can I get you anything?” She hated that her best friend wasn’t feeling well. They were supposed to spend the day out in the snow having fun. Instead, her friend was going to stay inside being sick.
“More of that ginger ale would be great. I’m sorry I can’t ski with you today.”
“Me too.” Holly pouted and shrugged. “But, at least if you’re going to be sick, this is the place. The toilets are all clean and you don’t have to clean up after.”
Aliyah chuckled. “Yeah. And they have cable here. And HBO. I’m watching Game of Thrones all day today.”
“Don’t spoil anything for me,” Holly replied. She crossed the room and put her pajamas in her suitcase.
“They all die,” Aliyah told her. “Even the dragons.”
“LA LA LA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU,” Holly shouted, putting her hands over her ears. She then stuck her tongue out at Aliyah.
Aliyah lay back on her pillows. “You should get going. It’s almost time for the lifts to start. Got to get that fresh powder.”
“Okay. I’m going to go grab some breakfast and hit the slopes. I’ll bring you back some ginger ale. You want any food?”
Aliyah turned a little green at the mention of food. She shook her head. “I’ll order room service if I get hungry.”
Holly nodded and waved before heading downstairs. She followed the scent of waffles to the dining area. The room was comfortably full, with enough open chairs that she didn’t have to wait, but not so empty that she felt strange eating alone.
The waffles were amazing, just as the man had said the night before. Holly ate two and sipped at a large mug of coffee. Outside the big windows snow started to fall. Holly grinned. It would be a good powder day.