Chapter 2

*A Month Later*

Christmas was finally rolling in and everyone was excited for the special day. Damian, Emma, Brianna, and Kyle had decided to plan a trip to the mountains since it didn't snow where they currently lived at. All of the shopping had been done, and everyone was packing their bags into the rental car they purchased.

Kyle and Damian had gone back into the dorms to get the last of the items when Kyle decided to mess with his friend.

"So Damian…," he started. "You know, on this trip, you and Emma will have a lot of alone time." Damian rolled his eyes.

"And I guess you and Brianna will be hooking up then?" Damian asked.

"Pfft, no, never!" Kyle denied. "Man, you know I'm gonna be picking up girls while we're up in the mountains. Girls up there love city boys like me."

"They love city boys that love to gossip?" Damian inquired with a smirk.

"Haha, very funny," Kyle replied. "But I don't get why you're putting up a front. Everyone knows that you and Emma are basically dating. The only thing you guys are missing in your 'friendship' is the kissing. Otherwise than that, you guys act 100% like a couple."

"Like when?" Damian questioned. Kyle had to put down the box he was carrying before starting his rant.

"One, you guys are almost inseparable. Two, you're both protective over each other-especially you. Three, you guys can't keep your hands off of each other. Four, you guys constantly play argue, which is your version of flirting. Five, you guys share everything with each other, even the stuff neither of you like to talk about; you guys know each other's secrets…shall I go on?"

"That's what good friends do," Damian said as he kept walking towards the front of the dorms. Kyle picked his box up.

"No, they don't," he refuted. "We're friends, but do we cuddle? No."

"You're a guy," Damian explained. "I don't even think about being physical with you like that ever…that's nasty, man."

"Okay, but what about Brianna?" Kyle pried. "She's a girl and you don't touch her like how you do Emma." Damian sighed.

"That's because…she's not Emma," he said simply.

"Exactly!" Kyle exclaimed. "Stop acting like some kid that doesn't know about basic emotions! You treat Emma different from everyone else because you like her! Just admit it!" Damian punched Kyle in his chest who, in turn, dropped his box.

"Don't just yell stuff like that while we're on campus!" Damian told him fiercely. "And the girls are outside? What if they heard you?" Kyle couldn't respond, because he was one step away from wheezing. After a minute of trying to get his breath back while receiving a death glare from his best friend, he wearily stood up straight.

"…You can't do that to me, man," Kyle said. "That really hurt."

"Suck it up," Damian said as he started to walk away. "Now you know not to say that to me."

Kyle picked up the box he had previously dropped and followed his friend.

"Look, why are you so scared of just telling her?" he asked calmly. "You know Emma doesn't hate you. It's not like she would reject you really badly in front of everyone if she said 'no'." Damian sighed.

"That's the thing," he replied. "I don't want her to say 'no'. If she does, that'll ruin everything. It won't be the same, and I can't risk that. If I can't have her as more, I'll stay being her friend."

"And then you'll turn away any other guys that'll try to get with her, right?" Kyle predicted.

"I can't- I won't imagine her with any other guys," Damian said. Kyle gave Damian a sad look, but the latter just walked out of the dorm building.

"What took you guys so long?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, it's almost like you guys don't wanna leave this place," Brianna added with a smile. "Now everybody get in the car, we're about to go have some fun."

She and Emma cheered, but Kyle looked at his best friend, concerned. Damian's eyes seemed clouded over, and Kyle could only guess that the cause of it was their earlier conversation.

"I hope you can pull yourself together, man," Kyle thought.

*In the Cabin*

"These rooms are gorgeous!" Brianna exclaimed. "Me and Emma call dibs on the rooms to the right!" She quickly tossed her bags on the floor of the room and flopped onto the bed. Kyle and Damian walked in curiously behind her.

"What's so good about this room?" Kyle asked, looking around.

"Are you kidding me?" Brianna inquired as she got up and gestured towards the curtains. "Look at this view!" Through the window, you could see the entire mountain. There were cafes, skiing paths, and more. The snow was a pristine, bright white color. Kyle nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, you guys can keep that view," he stated. "Me and Damian aren't gonna need it since we're gonna go down there and experience it for ourselves, right bro?" Kyle turned around to see Damian wasn't even in the room. Kyle walked out of the girls' room and went into his room to see Damian and Emma going through stuff in there. Well, Damian was going through the room, but Emma was looking through his clothes.

"I think you should wear this for when we go to that skiing place down there," Emma told him.

"Uh, who said I'm going skiing?" Damian asked. "I am not about to break my leg or fall off a cliff."

"I said so," Emma replied with a smile. She picked up some more clothes. "You should wear this when we're just hanging out, and- ooh! You brought the shirt I love! You're trying to turn some heads this weekend, huh?"

"It's not like a picked it out for you," Damian said, sitting down on the bed beside her. "I just tossed some stuff into the suitcase." Emma smacked him on the arm.

"Well, you may not be trying to dress to impress, but me and Brianna are," Emma told him. "We did some shopping, and I am ready to wear some new clothes. And we're gonna go have some girl fun."

"What's girl fun?" Damian asked.

"You know… going to a spa, going out to meet some guys, and shopping for some stuff," Emma said. Damian flinched at her second suggestion, but he didn't make it noticeable.

"What are you guys going to do?" she asked. Damian shrugged.

"I don't know. We'll look around first, I guess," he said simply. "Aren't we going to meet up at some point?"

"Yes," Emma answered. "When we go skiing." Damian groaned. Emma got off of his bed and started walking to her room.

"Brianna, start getting ready to go down!" she called out.

"Okay!" Brianna yelled back. Emma turned back to Damian.

"I'll see you later," she said. Damian got off of his bed and walked over to her.

"I'm going to finish putting my stuff up then we'll meet you guys down there," he told Emma. "Be careful while you're out there." Emma rolled her eyes.

"I know," she said. She hugged Damian and left the room.

*Later*

Damian and Kyle finished putting up their things and got ready to go down and meet the girls.

"Brianna said they're down at a café," Kyle said. "She sent me the directions. You ready to go?" Damian shrugged.

"Ready to see them? Yes. Ready to possibly go skiing afterwards? No." "Don't worry, man," Kyle assured him.

"You're athletic, you'll get the hang of it."

"See, the sports I played involved courts or fields, not an open hill," Damian rebutted. "I don't have the chance of going one wrong way and almost killing myself."

"If you're so scared, tell Emma to hold your hand, I'm sure it'll get a laugh out of her," Kyle teased.

"Fine, I'll do it", Damian said as he took his coat out of the closet. "I will not be called a punk by you and especially her," he said. They left the cabin and headed down the hill.

*Earlier with the Girls*

Brianna and Emma headed down to the café that was recommended on a brochure they picked up along the way. When they arrived, both of them were in awe.

"This place is huge," Emma commented.

The café was very spacious on the inside, and it contained many tables, chairs, and sofas. The inside smelled of sweet hot chocolate. There were several groups of friends relaxing together with smiles on their faces. Emma and Brianna took a seat on one of the sofas and sighed with bliss.

"I could get used to this," Emma said.

"Oh yeah," Brianna agreed.

Emma looked around and spotted a happy couple sitting on a sofa together. There were cuddled up next to the fireplace while drinking hot chocolate. Emma felt her heart drop. If only she had someone to cuddle with like that…

"You're thinking about a certain someone, aren't you?" Brianna guessed. "Why don't you call the boys and tell them to come."

"I wasn't thinking about Damian," Emma told her friend.

"I didn't even say his name," Brianna pointed out. "I only mentioned a 'certain someone'." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I guess I was just hoping...," she said slowly. "Damian would never do anything romantic like that."

"He would if he was with the right person," Brianna said pointedly at her. "Only a good woman can bring the good out of a man." Emma raised an eyebrow, but her reaction was cut short when a young man walked up to them.

"Hello, ladies, are you on vacation right now?" he asked. Emma and Brianna nodded their heads.

"Well, my name is Max, and I work here," Max said. "My job is to help visitors get the best out of their experience here."

"Oh, okay," Emma said. "I'm Emma."

"And my name is Brianna," Brianna told him. Max shook both of their hands then sat down in a nearby chair.

"Nice to meet both of you," he replied. "Okay, so right now, our most popular place is…"

*With Kyle and Damian*

"So Emma and Brianna should be in here," Kyle said as they walked into the café. "Tell me if you see them." The two young men looked around until Damian spotted them.

"Who's that guy?" he asked. Kyle could see Damian's face tense, and he began to get worried.

"Don't stress, man," Kyle said. "It's two of them. They can handle themselves."

The words Kyle were saying were going through one ear and out the other for Damian. In his eyes, he could only see some stranger and Emma clearly smiling and laughing with each other. Why would she be talking to some guy so quickly? Who was the guy? Damian began to walk towards the group and Kyle grabbed his arm.

"Calm down, man," Kyle commanded. "What are you gonna do? Fight him? Why? Emma is not your girlfriend, so you can't try to be some white knight every time she talks to a guy. You'll look like a jerk and an idiot."

Damian glared at him but didn't move. Deep down, he knew Kyle was right. He just hated the feeling he got whenever Emma seemed to really want to be around a guy other than him. The emotional side of him was saying, "please be mine" but the slightly possessive side of him was saying, "she is mine". It was really crazy, but that is what Emma brought out in him.

Damian tugged his arm away from his friend, clearly frustrated.

"Fine," he said reluctantly. He started to walk away, but Kyle stopped him again.

"Look, Damian, you're a really good friend of mine," he started. "I want you to be happy, but what you're trying to do right now isn't working. Just tell Emma how you feel."

"I already told you why I can't do that," Damian responded.

"Then try to get over her," Kyle told him. "I'm not saying to go find bimbos to fill the space in your bed every night, but you have to do something. Find a decent girl and commit to her." Damian sighed and rolled his eyes. Nevertheless, he walked towards the girls and the guy with a calmer attitude.

Damian walked up to the three young adults and said, "Hey". Emma stood up and gave him a hug.

"Hey, Damian," she greeted. "Max was telling me and Brianna about all the stuff we could do while we're here."

"Cool," Damian said nonchalantly. He looked at Max. "So what ideas did you have?" he asked.

"Oh, a whole lot, man," Max said energetically. "Your girlfriend already told me about your fear of skiing, so don't worry, I've ruled out all activities related to that." Emma, Brianna, and Kyle laughed and Damian narrowed his eyes.

"I am not afraid of anything," he stated confidently. "I'd just rather keep my feet on the ground, but I already decided that I would do it so you guys would get off my back." Emma patted his back.

"You don't need to push yourself, D," she said, smiling.

"I said I'll do it," Damian told them impatiently. "Where is it?"

"Up there," Max said as he pointed to a tall mountain. "Are all of you ready to go?" Everyone nodded their heads, and they all headed to their destination

…

"Damian, this hill is pretty big, we can still turn around if you want."

"Emma, I swear to God, I will push you off this thing in a heartbeat."

"All this snow and you still can't chill out."

Damian and Emma were on a ski lift heading to the drop-off point at the top of the mountain. Emma was trying to comfort Damian, who was staring intently at the almost endless amount of snow. They reached the top and they jumped off of the lift with Kyle and Brianna behind them.

"Well, here it is, you guys," Kyle said. "No backing out now. The only way out is down the hill."

"Who's backing out?" Damian asked. "You might wanna be careful standing next to the edge like that, though. If your legs shake any harder, you might slip and roll down the cliff."

"Oh shut up, it's cold up here," Kyle said.

…

After Max gave the group some skiing lessons, they were ready to try the real thing.

"I suggest you guys try the trail for beginners first," Max said. "You know, get your feet wet first."

"Frozen," Damian muttered. Emma laughed.

"Cheer up," she told him. "After this, we'll go get hot chocolate, okay?"

"How old do you think I am?" Damian asked her.

"Not too old for hot chocolate, obviously," Emma replied.

"Well I'll let you guys stand here and flirt a little longer," Brianna said aloud. "I'm gonna get to business." She put her goggles on and headed down the hill.

"Don't leave me here to third-wheel," Kyle said, following her. Damian looked at Emma.

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing to the hill.

"How do I know if you'll really go if I go first?" Emma inquired. Damian put his goggles on.

"Oh, please, I was just trying to be nice," he said. "Even if I'll give you a head start, I know I'll beat you to the bottom."

"Oh, it's on," Emma said. She put on her goggles and began to go down the hill.

…

After some hours of trying out different courses, everyone was ready to change and do something else. Before they left, Max stopped Damian and spoke to him in private.

"Hey, man, I've got some good advice for you," Max said. He handed Damian a map with a specific place circled with a red marker. "Take your girlfriend here," he continued. "Not many people know about this spot. Mainly only locals that know about it go, so it shouldn't be crowded. It's beautiful and it has a great view, a perfect place for some alone time, am I right?"

Damian fought back an irritated sigh. He couldn't be mad at Max for assuming he and Emma were dating. After all, it was a group of two guys and two girls- anybody would think it they were some people on a double-date vacation or something. But no, he was just in the pathetic friend-zone.

"Partially," Damian answered. "It sounds nice, but me and Emma aren't dating." Max's confident smile faded. It was replaced with shock then with awkwardness.

"Oh, my bad, man," Max said. "…She's your sister?" Damian just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, bro," Max said.

"Look, can you not act like that?" Damian asked, annoyed. "Don't act like you feel bad for me or something. Who said I even like her? You just assumed and tried to poke into my business."

"Man, I said 'sorry' already, what else do you want me to say? You didn't even correct me the first time I said it earlier!" Max told him. "As far as I'm concerned, I was just trying to be a nice guy. My job is to make sure all visitors get the best out of their experiences here. If doing that made you so upset, then sue me. It wasn't my job to go out of my way to propose this for you. Can you at least be grateful?"

Max shook his head and began to walk away. Damian thought about just letting him go, but he didn't want to leave an impression that he was 100% a jerk.

"Max, I'm sorry, I know that I was totally uncalled for," Damian called out. Max stopped and turned around.

"It's fine," Max responded.

"No it isn't," Damian replied. "Look, to be honest, I've been having this problem for a while now and I just don't know what to do." Max walked back over to Damian and led him to a bench. They both sat down and Damian put his face in his hands.

"I've known her for years," Damian told Max. "I'm basically a brother to her, I just know it."

"Relax, man, I know it seems hopeless, but I know you have a chance," Max assured him. "I can tell by the way she looks at you. She's interested for sure."

"She doesn't act like it," Damian muttered.

"Do you?" Max inquired. "As far as I can tell, you do not work with emotions well. Besides, most girls expect guys to make the first move." Damian sat up.

"But how?" he asked. "If she says she's not interested, everything will go bad. We'll never be able to hang out like we do now."

"If she isn't, you'll be able to move on," Max said. "Isn't it better to know and be with her or move on, or would you rather sit in silence for the rest of your life feeling like you missed your one opportunity of happiness?"

"It's not that easy," Damian said.

"I know it's never easy," Max agreed. "I used to like one of my friends."

"And how did that end?" Damian asked.

"Well, she didn't like me in that way," Max told him. "Sure it hurt for that moment, but if I had never asked, I wouldn't have met my current girlfriend. I would've been too hooked on my friend."

"You're right," Damian said, standing up. "I can't hide from her like this. What do I look like being scared? A punk. And I refuse to be punked by life!"

"Exactly," Max cheered. "You got this!" He handed Damian the flyer. "Remember, take her here, and it'll work out perfectly."

"Thanks, man," Damian said.

The two young men shook hands and Damian went on his way. He looked at the flyer and saw that the place Max was talking about was a secluded Jacuzzi area called Sunset Lights. There was a bar there and everything. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and saw that he had received a text from Kyle. It read:

"When you're done talking to your new friend, meet us at this place called The Heat"

Damian rolled his eyes but smiled. He was ready to man up.

…

Damian walked into The Heat confidently with the flyer in his pocket. He looked around and saw Kyle talking to some girls.

"Yeah, and then I told him that he needed to calm down, because you already know nobody talks to me like that," Kyle said with false bravado.

"Not to interrupt storytime, but where's Emma?" Damian asked him.

"Oh, here's my friend, Damian, I was telling you about earlier," Kyle said to the girls.

"Hey, Damian," the girls gushed.

"Hey", Damian said flatly. He turned back to Kyle. "Where's Emma?" he asked.

"Man, can you stop asking about other girls while I'm talking to girls?" Kyle whispered. "You're messing up my game. They're gonna think I have a girlfriend or something. And chill out, she and Brianna are probably just looking around. I thought you were trying to get over her. This is a perfect chance for you." Kyle turned back to his previous audience.

"Hey, girls, Damian's been feeling a little bummed out lately, so I was hoping you guys could show him some fun," Kyle said. "Of course, we can," one of the girls said. She and one of her friends each grabbed one of Damian's arms, led him to a sofa, and sat down.

"Kyle, I don't have time for this," Damian argued.

"Can you pull that stick out of your butt?" Kyle asked. "We're on vacation. The girls are probably having fun with some other guys anyway."

That put a bad feeling in Damian's stomach. He wanted to be the one having fun with Emma, not some random guy. On the other hand, part of him was starting to agree with Kyle. Emma had no problem leaving their friends to find other guys to hang out with. Was he really that easily replaceable?

Damian tried calling Emma, but she didn't pick up the phone. He stayed at The Heat for a while with Kyle, hoping to see her, but he had no such luck.

"Look, man, I'm going back to the cabin," he told his friend.

"It's only 7:00," Kyle said, exasperated. "What do you need to leave for? It's not your bedtime, is it?" Damian tightened his jaw. He knew Kyle was just trying to get him to stay by messing with him, but he wasn't in the mood. Damian stood up.

"No, but I have important things to do," he said as he left.

…

Damian walked to the cabin, slightly irked at the fact that Emma still hadn't called him back.

"Why would she just take off like that without letting me know?" he thought. "When is she gonna be back? I hope she's okay. Brianna better be with her."

Damian unlocked the cabin and walked inside to hear noises. Concerned, he tip-toed towards the sounds that evidently led to the girls' room. He walked into the hallway to see the girls' room was cracked opened. He silently glanced in there and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Emma. He pushed the door opened.

"Emma, how long have you been here?" Damian asked. "I thought you, Kyle, and Brianna were at The Heat?"

"I've only been here for a little bit," Emma answered, shrugging. "And I was there. I just left after a little bit."

"Well, how long were you actually there?" Damian pried.

"For a while," Emma said. "You probably didn't notice because you were busy talking to Max up at the skiing area."

"And why didn't wait for me at The Heat?" Damian questioned.

"I did, actually," Emma said with a hand on her hip. "You and Kyle were busy flirting with girls."

She started pulling out clothes from her side of the closet and laying them out on her bed. Damian walked over and sat on the edge of it.

"You could've came up to me and said 'let's hang out' ya know?" he said.

"I didn't want to interrupt you guys," Emma explained. "Don't worry about me though, I've found a way to occupy my time."

"How?" Damian inquired. He thought about the flyer in his back pocket.

"Well, Brianna and I met some guys that are from around here, and they were nice enough to want to take us to one of their hotspots," Emma said happily.

"Hotspots? For what?" Damian asked.

"To hang out, duh," she said as if stating the obvious. "They already told us about it, and it sounds great. There's gonna be music and hot tubs and stuff…I think he said it's called Sunset Lights. I have the cutest two-piece that I can wear too…"

Damian's heart dropped. Sunset Lights. That was the name of the place Max told him about. If only he hadn't argued with the guy, he would've met up with Emma earlier and beat those other guys to the punch.

"Don't look so bummed out. I won't be gone forever," Emma said, tapping him on his arm. "Now, I'm gonna have to kick you out for a second so I can get dressed." Damian left and sat on the couch in the main room. He took the flyer out of his back pocket and stared at it sadly. He stuffed it back in his pocket once he heard Emma walking his way.

"I'm about to go," she announced. "How do I look?" She was only wearing her purple snow jacket with black pants- a simple outfit, but in Damian's eyes, she looked very cute. However, he wasn't excited at the idea of Emma getting dressed up for other guys.

"You look fine," he said. "But…"

"Yeah?" Emma said slowly.

"Never mind," Damian replied. "You can go." Emma walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.

"Damian, are you okay?" she asked. "Is there something you want to say? Do you need something?" "I said it's nothing," Damian told her. "Go have fun." Emma gave him one last look over then hugged him.

"Okay, me and Brianna will be back later," she informed him. With that, she left.

*With Emma*

As Emma walked away from the cabin, she couldn't help but wonder what Damian was thinking about. She sighed. He really didn't care if she went out with other guys. It was obvious. Even when she gave him a direct opportunity to tell her to stay with him, he basically said "Go hang out with those guys".

Even while Brianna and Emma were hanging out with the guys from The Heat, Emma's mind was occupied with thoughts about Damian.

"Girl, can you please cheer up?" Brianna asked. "I'm sure he does care, but he doesn't want to come off as desperate or clingy."

"No, he watched me get my outfit together and didn't even try to get me to stay," Emma huffed. "I should've known he doesn't see me that way. Maybe I shouldn't have got my hopes up."

*With Damian*

Damian sighed in defeat after Emma left the cabin. He took the flyer out of his pocket and tossed it into the trashcan. He decided to just go to sleep, so he lugged himself to bed. He got into bed with a new resolve that night: he needed to find a girlfriend and get over Emma.