A Beautiful Dark

chocolate.
    I was stung, but it wasn’t the first time she’d gotten on my case about it. I weighed the options. Was I really so uptight?
    “Okay, fine,” I whispered, closing my eyes and waving her on before I had a chance to change my mind.
    Soon Trey and Evan had joined us, and Ian and Dan pulled up another couch.
    “Ooh, let’s play Never Have I Ever,” Ellie cooed, climbing over Ian’s side of the couch and sitting with us. Ian got up to make room for her, squeezing in next to me. We formed a little circle by the fire. Cassie was totally in her element as she passed the flask around.
    While Ellie explained the rules to anyone who didn’t already know how to play, I made a silent vow to myself not to think about Asher or Devin, or Columbia, or my grades, or the thermostat, but just to enjoy the ski trip. Cassie was right—I was starting to get too uptight, and I needed to relax and have fun. So what if Asher was intriguing, or Devin was mysterious, or that they seemed to follow me everywhere? Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen either of them since dinner. I looked around. Devin was sitting in an armchair at the other end of the room, reading a thick paperback. I didn’t see Asher anywhere.
    “Skye. Skye. Skye? ”
    “What?” Blood rushed to my cheeks. Everyone was staring at me. Cassie giggled.
    “It’s your turn,” Ian mock-whispered into my ear, nudging my arm.
    I couldn’t help it—the whispering in my ear reminded me of Asher. My mind went blank as I remembered my dream.
    “Never have I ever . . . gotten drunk on a ski trip,” I finished lamely.
    “Not yet ,” Ellie said, and Cassie gave me a pseudo scowl.
    “Do-over,” she sang.
    “Um, okay.” I bit my lip. “Never have I ever wanted to hook up with someone on a ski trip.”
    Cassie grinned. “Do they have to be on the same ski trip as you?”
    “Just drink your hot chocolate, woman!” Dan shouted from across the circle. Cassie lifted her mug, toasted the group, and took a long sip. On the couch opposite me, Ellie drank quickly from her mug. Sitting beside me, Ian shot me a sidelong glance. I didn’t meet his gaze.
    “Who do you want to hook up with?” I whispered to Cassie.
    “Uh-uh.” She wagged a finger, smiling mysteriously. “You’ll have to get me drunker than that.”
    Over the course of the next two hours, various people wandered away, and several more joined in. Ian was sitting next to me, his pinky grazing my knee. I wasn’t sure he even realized he was doing it.
    Devin stayed glued to his chair on the other side of the room, glancing over the top of his book every now and then to scrutinize us. I wondered what he was thinking. I considered inviting him to join the group. It was obvious he wasn’t as comfortable here as Asher. But would he be embarrassed to be put on the spot? I just didn’t know him well enough to know if he wanted or dreaded an invitation.
    I went to take a sip of my hot chocolate and realized my mug was empty. “Anyone else want another?” I asked, standing up.
    “Sure,” Ian said, leaning back against the couch and linking his hands behind his head. “Nice to be the one waited on for a change. Thanks.”
    I walked past Devin—who looked up from his book to smile at me—and over to the bar, where I ordered two hot chocolates. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice—warm and scratchy, with just a hint of a sly smile—coming from the vestibule around the corner, where the ice and vending machines were. My heart thumped loudly.
    The woman behind the bar looked tired as she placed two steaming mugs on the counter. I picked them up, but one handle was unusually scalding. I put it down, then gingerly I picked it up again. A blinding heat seared through my hand, and I let the mug fall back on the counter, some hot chocolate sloshing over the side. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
    The woman’s face fell as she went to get a rag from the kitchen. It occurred to me that I should get some ice to cool down the hot drinks—but that would mean walking toward Asher’s voice. I slowed as I got closer. Did I even want to see him?
    I turned to face the vestibule.
    Asher’s back was to me. A breathy giggle escaped from somewhere between him and the wall. Ellie.
    “ What are you doing?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
    “Skye!” Ellie cried, breaking away from him. “What are you doing here?”
    “Hey, Skye.” Asher turned around and smiled, leaning back against the side of the ice