34

"Did you pack everything?" Daniella asks as she walks into her room, already dressed and ready to leave. "We need to leave soon."

"Yes, I did," I say, zipping up my suitcase. "You?"

She nods, looking over at the bed where Carrot lays. "Will she be fine with Soph?"

"She has been taking good care of Potato," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss. "She'll be fine."

She nods again, biting her bottom lip. "Ok."

"Such a worried mom," I tease as I grab my suitcase from the bed, walking towards the door. "Let's go."

She lets out a soft chuckle as she follows me, picking up Carrot before closing the door. "Ok then, let's drop her off at Soph's and we're ready to go," she says as we make our way downstairs, putting on our coats.

"Are you excited? Because heck I'm so excited."

"I'm excited too," she shakes her head, putting everything inside the car as I hold Carrot in my arms.

The first few hours of the car ride go by pretty fast, the two of us mainly listening to music and chitchatting as we make our way to Flagstaff — Daniella's hometown. "This is nice," I say looking out the window, watching the snowfall, it's funny how Phoenix and Flagstaff are only a few hours away but the temperature difference is pretty insane.

"Yeah, it's one of the things I love about this time of year," she says, glancing at me. "Are you cold?"

"A bit."

"Here," she says, turning the heat up. "We're not far from the house I grew up in."

"Will you show me your room?" I ask with a teasing tone, earning a chuckle.

"It's just a room, there's nothing special about it... all the embarrassing stuff is in the attic."

"Will you show me your attic then?"

"Absolutely not."

"I'll see all of your baby pictures eventually, wait until I'm able to bribe your mom."

"I'm surprised she hasn't yet," she groans, parking the car in front of a house — I kid you not, twice the size of her already huge house back in Phoenix.

"Holy shit," I whisper, my eyes wide open as I look at the house.

"I know, it's a little much."

"You think?" I mutter under my breath, earning a playful glare from her.

I put on my beanie as we make our way out of the car, taking Daniella's hand in mine. The house seems even bigger on the inside — it looks like a mix between a lodge and a modern-day mansion, the main area having a high ceiling and big windows that give a clear view of the garden in the back. It's insane.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit dusty, we usually only hire someone to come clean up when we stay for a few days."

"It's fine," I say, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's nice."

"Let me show you around," she says, leading me to the second floor. She opens the door to a room and steps aside. "This is my room."

I step inside, taking a quick look around — it's simple, a white bed, a desk with a small bookcase, a big window, and some photographs. I walk towards the bookcase, looking at the framed pictures. "Is this you?"

"Yeah, it's from my senior year of high school," she says with a shrug.

"Oh my Gosh," I laugh, looking at the picture of a younger version of her standing next to another girl with long blonde hair — her arm around her shoulders as they smile for the camera. "Who's that?"

She walks towards me, taking the frame from my hands. "An ex," she says simply, putting the frame back on the bookcase.

I raise my eyebrows, not expecting that answer. "Really?"

"No, just wanted to see your face," she smirked. "Why would I keep a picture of an ex from high school?"

"I don't know," I mutter. "You're mean."

She smiles, shaking her head. "She's a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I'm pretty sure she's married now."

"Did you guys ever..."

"No," she chuckles. "We were close but not in that way."

"Oh."

She hums, pointing at the one next to it — a picture of a significantly younger Daniella, sitting on a bench next to an older man. "That's my dad."

"You have his smile, it's cute."

"You think so?"

"Mhm," I nod, looking at the one above it, a picture of what I assume is her and both her parents. "But you have your mom's eyes."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Where are the baby pictures?" I ask as I sit on her bed.

"You'll never get them from me," she groans, leaning down to my level and planting a soft kiss on my lips. "Let's go."

The garden is next in line, a large area covered in snow and decorated with trees and bushes, a path leading to a small wooden cabin. I look around in awe as we walk through the snow, everything looks so peaceful — like a scene out of a movie.

"This was my favorite place in the entire house," she says with a smile. "When I was a kid I would come here to read and play much to my dad's dismay, here's where the garden tools are stored — I had no sense of danger, much like you... except I was a kid and you're an adult now."

I side-eye her. "Mean."

"Are you hungry?"

"Absolutely."

⁂

The sun is already down by the time we make it to Bryce Canyon, but the place is still very busy with tourists looking around as they make their way to the hotel rooms or one of the many restaurants scattered around.

"Wow, it's beautiful," I say as I look around, my eyes wide open as I take in the view.

"Isn't it? I wish it wasn't so cold, though," she says with a small shiver, taking my hand in hers as we make our way towards the entrance of the hotel. We check-in and make our way to the room, putting our bags down once we walk in.

"Oh, we have a balcony."

"That's nice," she says, walking towards the bathroom. "I need to shower, do you want to join?"

"Is that a real question?" I ask as I walk towards her, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

I know we're only supposed to spend the night here and continue our journey in the morning but I definitely wouldn't have minded spending our vacation here instead. The view out of our balcony is absolutely breathtaking, I could stare at it for hours. It really is a shame it's so cold, even though I'd probably die if we were here in the summer.

"Ready for bed?"

"Yeah," I say, turning around to look at Daniella standing by the door — her hair still damp like mine and wearing nothing but a white robe. "Shouldn't we dry our hair first?"

She raises her eyebrows, taking off her robe, and climbing onto the bed. "What for?"

I let out a chuckle, shaking my head as I make my way to her. "Good point."

It's not long before the sound of our heavy breathing and moans fills up the room — our bodies covered in a thin layer of sweat despite the cold weather outside. "I love you," she whispers as she holds me, her arms around me tightening as she plants kisses on my shoulders.

"I love you," I whisper back, closing my eyes and letting out a soft sigh.

We lay in silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from our breathing as we relax into each other's arms. I feel my eyelids grow heavier as sleep begins to take over, the warmth of her body against mine making it difficult to keep them open.

I wake up the next day feeling a bit sore from the previous night but definitely satisfied. I turn to my side, seeing that the bed is empty and Daniella is nowhere to be seen. "Daniella?" I call out, sitting up and looking around the room.

"In the shower."

"I'll join you," I say, getting up and walking towards the bathroom. The bathroom is warm and steamy, the smell of soap filling the air. I can hear the water running behind the glass door, but I can't see Daniella's silhouette. I open the door, stepping inside. She turns around, giving me a small smile as she pulls me under the water with her.

"Good morning."

"Morning," I reply, wrapping my arms around her waist, kissing her softly on the lips.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm."

She hums softly, leaning in to kiss me again. I close my eyes as her hand runs down my back, tracing the curves of my body. Her fingers brush against my hip bone, making me shiver. "You're beautiful," she whispers, pressing her forehead against mine.

"Don't tease me if you're just going to leave me dry with the excuse that we have to hit the road."

"I'm not teasing you," she says, her tone low. "I'm just kissing and hugging my girlfriend."

"You're a bad liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Your hand is dangerously close to a certain place."

"Is it?" she asks, a teasing tone to her voice as she continues to trace patterns on my skin, making my breath hitch in my throat. "I think I know where it is."

"Dani."

"What?" she asks innocently. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

I bite my lip, trying to hold back a moan as she moves her hand lower, tracing circles on my clit. "Keep going."

She smirks, leaning in to kiss me. "As you wish," she whispers against my lips, increasing the pressure and speed of her movements. My breathing becomes heavier as I cling onto her, burying my face into the crook of her neck. It's not long before my orgasm hits, a loud moan escaping my lips as my body shakes. She holds me close, planting kisses on my shoulders. "Beautiful," she whispers. "Absolutely beautiful."