by Dalia Aims
I knock on her door and for a split second wonder if she’ll even answer. It opens excruciatingly slowly and she beckons for me to join her on the bed. She starts. “I’m sorry for not telling you about me and Zach. I know it sounds crazy but I swear it just sort of happened,” she cries with a shrug. “He puts on a front like he’s loud and confident but he’s so nice and sweet when we’re alone. I really got to know him when I was taking care of him.”
“Of course, I can’t stay mad at you. You’ve always been my best friend, and you always will be,” we hug. “I just want us all to be happy. No secrets anymore.” I tell her I need to make all this right again but I don’t exactly know where to start untangling this epic mess.
“The Mona I know always has a plan,” she laughs.
“I need to make up with Kurt next.”
“Ummm, he went off on his snowmobile. He could literally be anywhere in the woods right now,” she vaguely gestures to the wide expanse of trees outside the window. “It’s like impossible.”
Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I give her a simple answer. “I know exactly where to find him.”
It should have taken me fifteen minutes to find the secret spot but nothing looks familiar. I make wrong turn after wrong turn and I wonder if I’ll ever find him. I pass the same tree with the red X on it three times before I realize I’ve being going in circles. Running through my head is a picture of him finding me frozen to death somewhere in the woods when I finally see it. A fresh pair of tracks running off the beaten path. I know it’s him. Ironic that a secret romance would lead to a secret place.
From my angle it looks like he’s in deep thought, seated with his elbows resting on his knees, shoulders bouncing from wringing his hands. I try to sneak up behind him, but the snow crunching under my boots gives me away. I join him on the trunk of the fallen tree sitting overlooking the frosty waters. He turns quickly to see me and wipes a tear from the corner of his green eyes. The silence lingering begs for me to speak first. “Hey you. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Cold air just burning my eyes,” he lies. The words echo my own from last time we stood in this exact spot.
Silence fills the air again as we both stare out at the glassy surface of the stunning lake. “Mona, I’m so sorry that I spilled like that about Zach and Renee today. It wasn’t right the way to tell you.”
“It’s fine. I mean it kind of sucks being lied to. I guess I’m just happy that I know at all now.”
He shakes his perfect head of hair at me in disagreement. “It’s not fine. I could have let them have the chance to break it to you. It’s no excuse, but please believe me when I tell you I was put in a hard place.”
I place my hand in his. “I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” he replies, rubbing my hand with his thumb, making my heart flutter.
“I can understand why my brother would be mad about us now. Being the only one to not know things is a really crappy feeling. And I may not agree with Zach, but he did find out about us in like the shittiest way possible.”
He cringes, no doubt having a flashback of my brother walking in on us. “Don’t remind me.”
“Well, Renee and I are fine now. You and I are good. Now we just need to go to the Town Bar to get my brother and get a drink and get over all of this. I can’t let this ruin all our relationships.”
I put my hand on the log, ready to lift myself to leave. I’m fired up about the last puzzle pieces to my plan to get everyone made up. But Kurt grabs my hand before I can take a step.
“Mona, there’s one more thing. I have to tell you the truth.” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear before delicately placing a kiss atop my head. “I hope Zach forgives us. I truly do and I hope we can get back to being best friends again. But I don’t care if he can’t let go of it. I choose you.”
“No one needs to choose okay.”
“I’m just going to say it. I’m in love with you.”
My heart jumps out of my chest. My mouth opens but no words come out. I’m speechless but my teenage self is somewhere screaming with ecstatic joy at the top of her lungs. How could this sweet, gorgeous man have fallen for me?
“The truth is I think I sort of always knew, but since this trip now I know for sure. I can’t be without you, Mona.”
I still can’t articulate my words so I wrap my arms around his neck instead.
“You’re stuck with me now. No returns on Black Friday items,” he laughs.
Before I can chide him for that ridiculously cheesy joke, or tell him that I’m falling for him too, my cell phone rings.
It’s a text from Renee:
Big trouble at Town Bar.
You guys need to get here NOW!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kurt
It feels so good to finally admit my feelings to Mona. As long as I had her, I knew everything would turn out okay. I want to kick myself for waiting so long to make my move. I should have done it years ago. We’ve wasted so much time.
The truth is that there was a few times before that I came close. In middle school, I saved my allowance and bought her flowers from the corner store. I was walking up to their doorstep when Zach came out crying. His dad had just gotten into the accident and was life flighted to the closest hospital. I lied and said I had heard and that the flowers were for his mom. It didn’t feel like the right time for a long time after that.
Then once during my senior year, I hand wrote a note, telling her I thought we should give it a try. It seemed like a good time then. I was going to be free from high school soon. I wouldn’t see her brother on a daily basis. We were becoming adults. I placed the addressed envelope inside my mailbox and that’s when I saw the college acceptance letter I’d been waiting on. I realized that I’d be leaving the state. I didn’t think that she’d want something long distance. She’d be busy with her own life. I didn’t even really know if she liked me like that.
But that’s all in the past now. She’s mine now. All my cards are on the table. If we can get to Town Bar and make up with Zach then I will have won the jackpot.
I make a mental note to thank Renee for being a wingwoman. And also to apologize for outing her secret. I’ll happily be her wingman with Zach when we get to the bar. Maybe the three of us together could talk some sense into my friend. I know that he was prideful though. And stubborn. I’m so deep in thought that we’re there in a flash. My brain had been on autopilot while steering the snowmobile to the local drinking hole.
We step into a shitshow. It’s the three degenerates from our last time here. Mr. I’m Missing Three Teeth Townie Toby has Zach up against a wall by his shirt collar. His two friends are at his side ready to pummel Zach into dust.
“Three against one? That’s a little unfair,” I shout, gaining their attention. They looked shocked to see us. I can only guess that they must have seen Zach drowning his sorrows in the bottom of a glass of whiskey. They probably thought they could gang up on him, the cowards.
“Hey, assholes. Get off of him,” my booming voice fills the small room. The two friends come charging after me, low and ready to lunge. I start throwing punches back and forth with the chubbier one. I still don’t know his name but he strikes me as a Bubba.
The shorter who reminds me of an angry chihuahua is trying to get to me too but the girls are holding him back, both latched on to either arm. They’re holding their own for a while. They are feisty in their own right. Their guy is trying to shake them off, getting more and more irritated with every second they succeed in holding him back. He gets the strength to pivot and throws Mona off first. She falls to the ground and my blood reaches its boiling point. All I see is red. I will kill him for that. Renee jumps on his back like a wild animal. He’s swatting at her to no avail.
Zach sees his sister on the ground and that asshole swatting his girl and it flips a switch. Powered by a burst of either energy or adrenaline he delivers a powerful punch to Toby. That one punch put his lights out. I wa
tch Zach grab Renee off her guys back and then square up with him. Renee tends to Mona, helping her up from her place on the floor.
Meanwhile I’m still throwing punches with Bubba. He’s gotten in a few good licks. I’m not the best fighter but I’m doing okay. I’d be doing a lot worse if I didn’t have a burning hatred in me from seeing Mona get thrown to the ground. No one touches her like that. I’d make him pay.
“Who pushes down a girl? This is for my sister,” Zach yells and punches the shorter guy square in the nose. He smiles at me before he looks back to his opponent. “And this is for my best friend” he smacks his fist into to mans nose again. I can hear the crack of bone and cartilage before the blood begins to gush and he holds his hand up red with surrender.
My knuckles find my way into the jaw of Bubba with such a force that his head spins. He sees his shorter friend waving the white flag with a broken nose. He knows he’s outnumbered now. Just like my friend was before we got here. I think he’s going to go for another round, but instead the biggest one of them all, Bubba stumbles back and then runs away like a coward.
A groan emerges from the floor as Toby is waking up now. He sees one friend giving up and the other running away and stumbles to get to his feet.
“I’m tired of this shit, Toby. Y’all are banned again until after the New Year. I’m calling the cops,” the bartender yells across the room, shaking an old land line phone in hand.
“I’m so sorry sir. We can pay for the damages,” I tell him. I’d hate for my family to have a bad name around these parts. My parents still weekend here several times a year.
The tired bartender looks over the surroundings. Aside from a stray chair here and an overturned table there, nothing was broken. “There doesn’t look to be any damages.” He shrugs and runs a wrinkled hand through his graying beard. “I know it was an unfair fight to begin with.” He chuckles. “I’m just glad I got a concrete reason to kick those hooligans out for a while. Y’all kids get out of here now,” the bartender says.
I’m still beaming from Zach calling me his best friend. I knew these bonds were too strong to break. Renee walks hand in hand with Zach. Mona and I follow behind, her tucked under my arm. We walk back to the cabin victorious, ready to put a cap on an emotional day that we never saw coming.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mona
Blood drips onto the stark white snow as we trudge back to the cabin. The sound of snow crunching under my boots is the only thing interrupting my mulling over the contrast between this morning and this evening. I would’ve done anything earlier to escape this place but now I’m thrilled to be back in our safe haven. Without hesitation, Renee orders Zach to the guest bathroom. As I lead Kurt past, I see her delicately holding toilet paper to clean the red running from his nose.
I take Kurt by the hand, and lead him to his master bathroom. He sits on the toilet and watches me while I dampen a washcloth with warm water. He winces as I begin to wash his eyebrow and dab at the cut in his lip. How the hell can he still look this hot with a face full of blood? He resembled a warrior back from battle. I can already spot blooms of purple and blue bruises when I run my fingers along his ragged knuckles.
He stills my hand, putting his on either side of my face. His green eyes gaze into my brown ones. “Stop worrying about me for a second. Are you doing okay?” he runs a warm hand over my shoulder where I landed earlier at the bar.
I was aching, but he was the one bleeding and injured here. “I’m fine.” I flinch when he touches the most sore part of my flesh.
“I wanted to demolish him for doing that to you. I’ll never let that happen again.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, I know you don’t need me to, but I promise that I’ll protect you from now on Mona Fox.”
“I believe we got interrupted back at the lake,” I say as I place myself in his lap. His arms wrap around my waist to pull me closer. “I believe you said that you love me?” I trace the lines in his face, heart beaming that this handsome man is now mine without any objections. “I love you too,” I whisper. Leaning in to plant a soft kiss on the corner of his lips, we share a laugh when he winces again.
I retrieve the first aid kit from the depths of the the cabinet beneath the bathroom sink. “First Aid Kit Party in the living room guys,” I yell as we make our way down the hall and past the second bathroom. Renee and Zach follow behind us. The four of us seat ourselves on the expansive sectional. Renee and I take turns picking out various bandages to fix the boys up. We all share a laugh when Renee fishes out a bag of frozen vegetables to place on Zach’s swollen face just like in the movies.
“Hey, thanks for bailing me out today. I’m glad you guys showed up,” Zach says as Renee dabs some antibiotic ointment on his cheek. “I don’t know how that would have played it if you guys hadn’t have been there.”
“Of course, dude, we’ll always have your back. And, three against one? Those guys were asking for it,” Kurt says with a pat on his back.
“Hey, let’s get my future brother-in-law here a beer,” Zach says out of nowhere. Did he just say future brother in law? The band-aid I was holding drops out of my hand. I almost thought I heard him wrong, but judging by Kurt’s beaming face he said exactly what I thought he did. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. It was officially the best day ever now.
“Okay, how about movie night? Kurt, I believe it’s still your choice,” Zach holds the bag of frozen peas to his eye as he gestures towards the movie cabinet. Renee busies herself making popcorn on the stove.
“I know just the one,” he replies, thumbing through the expansive collection. He holds it up in the air with a smile when he turns to showcase it to us.
“I’ve never heard of that one. What’s it about?” Renee asks, placing herself under Zach’s arm as they settle onto the love seat.
“It’s an action movie. About a band of four unlikely characters who end up going into battle and emerge closer as family,” he grins at the irony of it all and is met with three grins back at him.
The smiles don’t last long though. “I didn’t think I would be so sad to leave,” I say before the movie comes to a close.
“I can’t believe it’s already our last day tomorrow,” Zach chimes in. “It went by so fast. I’m not ready to go back to reality.”
Once again, Kurt smiles at us. “That’s the beauty of an annual trip. We can all come back next year. That’s a promise.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Epilogue- Mona
Three hundred and sixty something odd days later, the four of us find ourselves at the cabin for a holiday trip. We light up the fireplace, turn on the twinkle lights, and reminisce on the magic the past year has been. The double dates, the family gatherings, the glorious group summer vacation has all been double the fun since I’ve been with Kurt and Zach has been with Renee. In some ways it’s like nothing has changed but it is also like everything has changed. Sure, Kurt and Renee had always been around but not like this.
My mother cried tears of happiness when we first broke the news to her. Our little family movie nights had been increased from our trio to include our new loved ones. We can’t wait to see her face on Christmas morning when she unwraps a tiny onesie. I can’t wait when we tell her that Zach and Renee are expecting. I melt thinking about Kurt and I babysitting, playing peek a boo, and being the cool aunt and uncle.
So we’ve come full circle, finding ourselves back at the winter wonderland cabin where it all started. We’re sitting around gorgeous island in the kitchen with an empty bottle of rum and an empty carton of eggnog.The drinks are flowing, for those who can drink, but this time I can steal a kiss from my handsome man whenever I want.
The last time we came to this quaint cabin in the woods, we were four people harboring secrets and denying our feelings. We came in like tiny time bombs that put on happy faces until we exploded that fateful evening. But we left as a family and that was how it had been the last year. The f
our of us grew closer with each passing day. And because of that, this cabin will forever hold a place in my heart.
“I want to make a toast,” Kurt announces, the white liquid sloshing around in his cup almost flowing over the edge. “I know we joke that you know I’m properly smashed when I start making toasts but I have some things I need to say.”
“I know it’s not Thanksgiving anymore but I want to talk about what I’m thankful for and that is everyone in this room right now.” He sits up from where he’s sitting and places a hand on Renee’s belly. She’s only a few months along but there’s no denying her adorable growing baby bump. Zach smiles lovingly at her as he begins his toast. “I’m thankful for my friend Renee, for being the best wingwoman of all time. And for making my best friend here, Zach, the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
He turns to Zach and places my brother under his wing. “Zach, I’m thankful for you for giving me your blessing to be with my beautiful Mona. And accepting me into your family. We wouldn’t all be here together if it weren’t for you. I can finally call you brother now.”
My brother beams at his friend and the two share a heartfelt bear hug, the kind with excessive patting on the back. It may have been a trick of the light, but I can see the twinkling of a tear in my brothers eye. Kurt then turns to me and brushes a stray stand of hair behind my ear before placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“My dear Mona, you are what I’m most thankful for this year. I’ve never told you this but when your father was in the hospital, he made me promise to take care of Zach and take care of you. And I am so eternally thankful that I can keep that promise to him.”
He pulls me in close for a hug, engulfing me in his warm embrace. The smell of his cologne making me dizzy with butterflies trying to escape my stomach. We share a quick kiss before he pulls away. I swear I can feel him shake and I wonder if I should turn the heater up. He continues with his speech.