Love like this didn't happen every day. This was where magic came from.
Chapter 13
Holly
“Hot damn, girl!” Aliyah whistled when Holly walked into the bedroom of their suite to grab her shoes. “Where did you get that dress?”
“It was from the hotel. Kind of a fluke thing,” Holly replied. “You like it?”
“Like it? I love it. It’s perfect. It’s like it was made for you,” Aliyah told her. “You look like a freaking princess.”
Holly looked over at her friend, taking her in. Aliyah was still in bed, a big silver bowl in the bed with her. There were saltines and ginger ale on the nightstand.
“You doing okay?” Holly asked, feeling guilt creep in at leaving her friend.
“I’m doing great,” Aliyah assured her. “Well, other than my stomach deciding that it doesn’t need to keep anything down. I’ve gotten through nearly half a season of Game of Thrones.”
“I don’t want any spoilers,” Holly reminded her. She went to the window and peeked out. Snow was still coming down hard. The entire ski basin was covered in a thick blanket of fresh powder.
“I’ll try not to,” Aliyah promised. “Is it still snowing? I heard they might let us stay an extra day if we can’t get out.”
“Are you okay with that?” Holly asked, closing the curtain and turning back to Aliyah.
“Heck yeah. I don’t want to teach like this.” She motioned to the silver bowl and ginger ale. “Besides, I still have half a season to watch. I already called the school and gave them a warning. They said it’ll probably be a snow day there, too. It’s super lucky.”
Luck seemed to be on Holly’s side this weekend. She chuckled and slid on her black heels. They weren’t super fancy, but they were comfortable. No one would see them anyway since they would be under the hem of the dress.
“Have a blast,” Aliyah told her, pulling the covers up to her chin. “I want to hear all about it. And your day. You said it was good?”
“Great.” Holly felt a warmth fill her core. “I met this guy. His name’s Nathan.”
“Ooo,” Aliyah sat up a little in bed. “Tell me more.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from creeping across my face as I thought about him. “Well, he likes to read, he’s funny, and he can’t throw a snowball to save his life.”
Aliyah laughed. “Is he cute?”
“Super cute. He’s got short dark brown hair, and these amazing dark eyes. Like, movie-star eyes. And his smile is just a little bit crooked, but in a way that makes his whole face light up when he smiles. Plus, he’s got these... You’re laughing at me.”
Aliyah sat snickering in the bed. “I’m sorry.” She put her hands to her mouth. “It’s just that you’re gushing. You look so damn happy. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re in love.”
“Love?” I scoffed. “I just met the guy. We haven’t even spent a full day together yet.”
“Maybe you found the one. Maybe it’s a Christmas miracle,” Aliyah teased. “I’m just glad that you are having fun. It’s nice to see you happy again. I haven’t seen you smile like that in months.”
“I feel happy,” Holly admitted. “Maybe it’s just getting away from all the negative talk in town. Maybe it’s being on vacation. Maybe it’s Nathan.”
“My money’s on Nathan,” Aliyah told her. “You should see the smile on your face when you say his name.”
Holly blushed. And thought about Nathan and smiled.
“Get out of here,” Aliyah told her. “I have dragons to watch. You have men to seduce and smile at.” She gave Holly a wink.
Holly shook her head and picked up her purse. She checked her makeup in the mirror by the door. It was still perfect. Flora was amazing. He looked up and down at the green dress, the curled and styled hair, and the eyelashes that went on for days.
She gave herself a thumbs up and headed down to the party.
The hotel had a beautiful reception area located to the the west of the lobby. The walls matched the rustic wood-cabin look of the hotel, but the inside was elegant and ornate. The center of the room had a dozen beautifully