Friendzoned in London

Skis and Secrets

I didn't sleep that night. Apart from a sugar cookie coma and a slight hangover, I laid in bed thinking about my new sibling. The shock still hadn't gone away.

 The sun hadn't even rose yet and already I could hear a soft knocking on my door. I turned on my side so the knocker couldn't see my face, "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," I could instantly tell Nathalie had leaned her small frame against the doorway. 

I pretended to be asleep. I didn't have the guts to face her just yet, she, however, had other plans in mind. Before I knew it, Nathalie had climbed onto my bed and began jumping next to me until she believed I was awake. I sighed, opening my eyes to her lovely smile. She flopped down, straddling my knees and gave me a cheery grin.

"Morning," I grumbled to her. 

"You look awful," she turned her body to face me, a look of concern swept over her face. 

"Thanks, so do you,"  I sat up to face her, the last thing I wanted to do. 

She gave me a playful glare, "You didn't have that much to drink last night, did you?" 

I gave her a shrug, not really feeling in the mood to talk.

"The silent treatment? Really?" Nathalie sighed, hopping off my bed. "You better get over that quickly, because my mum and your dad," our dad, I thought, "want to spend the whole day with us."  

I groaned, pulling the sheets back over my head. 

"I know," Nathalie went back to leaning on the door frame, "Can't make fun of our parents if you're not speaking to me..." 

I let out a shy laugh, revealing my face to her once again. 

"That's the spirit! Now, get up and get dressed!" she ordered, "I'll be waiting downstairs." 

I purposefully hit my head against the headboard of my bed as I watched Nathalie exit my room, "Unbelievable," I muttered. 

After throwing on a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, I stopped to look in the mirror and fix my hair. I shook my head after realizing how silly that was though, who was I trying to impress, anyway? My sister? The thought gave me a chill and I messed my hair back to the way it was. I skipped the contacts as well, leaving my thick rimmed glasses perched on my nose.

"About time," Nathalie complained when I finally made it down the stairs, "What? Couldn't decide between a lumberjack and a hipster?" she poked fun at my outfit. 

I crossed my arms at her. 

"Kidding," she smirked at me, "You look cute." 

Please, don't say that. 

"Are we ready for our fun-venture?" My dad was awfully peppy this morning. 

"Fun-venture?" I questioned my dad's word choice.

"You know, fun...adventure," he patted my back enthusiastically on his way out the door.  

I gave him an eye roll which made Nathalie grin widely, "Come on, Brenden, our fun-venture awaits," she mimicked my dad's pat as she followed out the door behind him. 

I could tell that it was going to be a very long day. 

"Where are we going, anyway?" Nathalie piped up from the back seat. We had been driving for a while, and I didn't think Nathalie could handle another one of my dad's stories. 

"Yeah, where are we headed, Luther?" Nathalie's mom seconded the question. 

"It's a surprise," my dad enthused, instructing Sam to take the next right. It was starting to seem as if we were in the middle of nowhere. 

"Is this where you..." Nathalie gulped, "kill us?" she teased, and my dad let out a chuckle.

"Are you even sure you know where you're going?" I chimed in, "We are in a foreign country, afterall." 

"I have no idea," my dad grinned from ear to ear, "but the gps does," he held up his phone as if it were the best dad joke of the year award. 

I slumped back into my seat. There were a few moments where Nathalie reached for my hand while in the backseat, but I had to resist the urge to reciprocate. It was all too weird. I tried to maintain my focus out of the window, taking in the scenery around me.  

I was trapped in the vehicle for nearly five hours. I was being tortured with the Christmas humming escaping Sam's mouth, my dad's awful puns, and Nathalie's flirtatious advances. I would've rather been one of the victims in the Saw franchise. 

Finally, the car began to slow down, "We're here!"  my dad screeched like a little kid in a toy store. 

Sam had pulled into the parking lot of a ski resort in the North Pennines. 

"Oh no," I said under my breath. Although my dad and I were both experienced skiers, and Sam used to accompany my dad on his ski trips in college, I knew that there was one person who was not going to be happy. 

I glanced over at Nathalie and could instantly see the panic on her face. She was too afraid to get on the London Eye, let alone the top of a ski hill. My dad and Sam nonchalantly exited the vehicle, but I remained seated, still buckled in my seat.

"Hey," I nudged Nat's arm, "he didn't know," I attempted to defend our dad. 

She looked at me worryingly, "He's not going to make me go up there, is he?" 

"Not on my watch," I assured her. 

She gave me a quick hug and unclipped her seat belt, "I'll watch you from the bottom." 

Once we were all finally geared up and ready to go, it was time to hit the slopes. I was following my dad and Sam towards the ski lift when Nathalie caught my arm. 

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she pulled me aside. Her brown curls were tucked under a light blue snow cap that matched her parka perfectly. Her dainty hands were tucked inside a pair of mittens, and although I couldn't feel her fingers through my ski jacket, I knew her touch was warm. Internally, I groaned. Why was she making this harder than it had to be? 

"Are you feeling okay?" she raised an eyebrow at me, "because if this is about the kiss last night..." her gaze flitted to the ground. 

I shut my eyes tightly, "It's not the kiss," I admitted, "I...I have to tell you something..." 

"Bren!" My dad called out for me, "hurry up, would you?" 

"Guess it'll have to wait," Nathalie gestured towards my dad and let me go. 

I took a deep breath and decided not to focus on anything but myself, my skis, and the slopes for the rest of the day. 

It felt freeing, gliding down the side of the hill. The wind was hitting my face ferociously, but the frost was only nipping my nose. I bent my knees, swaying to and fro until I reached the bottom. It reminded me a lot of skiing at home. 

In Wisconsin, we had always gone to Wilmot Mountain to ski ever since I was seven years old. The North Pennines were much taller than Wilmot. I would be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't intimidated at first, but the moment I clipped into my ski and pulled the goggles over my eyes, all the uncertainty went away. My head became so clear as I made my way down the slope. 

Soon, I reached the bottom and I knew what I had to do. 

I found my dad at the base of the hill, making his way back over to the lodge. I caught up with him quickly and tapped him on the shoulder, "Dad," I took a moment to catch my breath, "Dad, I have to tell Nathalie." 

Just then a sweet voice interrupted, "Tell Nathalie what?"