My mom stood on the tips of her toes to wave down the rest of our family when she saw them coming our way. A heavy silence hung in the air around us, and I wondered if they had these awkward silences when I wasn’t around.

I doubted it.

When we reached the bus, we all piled in, everyone holding their ski gear except for me. Finn supposedly had some for me from another girl, which didn’t surprise me at all. I was sure taking women to the resort was something he did regularly. I made a point to sit far away from Sarah to avoid any unnecessary conflict. The last thing I needed today was her trying to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with me.

Taylor sat next to me and played with the ends of my blonde hair. She and Matt had been coworkers for a long time and when they finally started dating, she became a dear friend of mine. I had overwhelming guilt for not being able to see her and Matt as much as before, but traveling back and forth from Florida to Colorado took time and energy that I didn’t have to spare.

“Are you excited?” Her voice shook, like there was another question lying underneath the one she had spewed out.

“Yeah, I haven’t been skiing in a long time.” Even when I did go as a kid, I was horribly uncoordinated, so I had no idea how this was going to turn out. Probably with me skiing right into a child, dragging us both downhill and creating an avalanche. Maybe that would give me an excuse to leave.

“No, I mean are you excited for us to hang out with Finn? He seems like a good guy,” Taylor said, and I did my best to portray some form of excitement.

I smiled softly. “Yeah, I think it’ll be fun.” And temporary.

Matt's deep voice rose from the aisle opposite us. “I can’t believe you didn’t even tell me you were dating someone.”

Matt was always protective of me. Every boyfriend I ever had, he would make me give him all their information before I even went on a first date. He always said they had to go through him first, and if they passed his tests, then I could continue. Like he was a secret detective instead of an accountant.

“I didn’t really plan on him showing up at dinner, I was hoping to let you guys meet a few days after I settled in.” My stomach twirled as the lie slipped out. How was I supposed to pretend all day long?

Matt opened his mouth to protest but Taylor spoke before him. “He’s very cute. You lucked out on that one.”