Hey, folks! This was originally meant to be a one shot, but the story was getting very long so now it's a two shot. And this gives me room to expand the story a little more :) I'm also using this fic as a test run for Jolex. I've never truly written them as a pairing yet and if all goes well, I will try my hand at writing a Jolex fic in the future.
Anyway, let me know what you think by leaving a review please! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or its characters. These lovely people belong to Shonda Rhimes.
Aspen, Colorado. Known for its world-class ski resorts, vacationers flocked to the small city every winter for a week full of fun on the slopes. For Alex Karev and Jackson Avery, they had been dreaming about winter break since they planned the trip in July. A week away from college classes while hitting the slopes and potentially meeting attractive women on the mountains – that already sounded ten times better than the parties they hosted at their fraternity house.
Staying at the Snowmass Inn just outside of Aspen in the Snowmass Village, the two men had hoped for the best vacation of their young lives. However, just a day into their trip, one mishap already sidelined one of them.
"We have six days left here and you decide to fracture your freaking wrist on the first day," a disgruntled Alex scolded his roommate as he plopped down beside him on the couch in the main lobby of their ski lodge. He stared at the white cast on Jackson's right wrist and shook his head. "At least that thing will be healed by the time spring football starts. Coach will probably still kill you, though."
Both men were members of the football team at the University of Colorado. Avery was one of the starting wide receivers and Karev starred at safety for the Buffaloes. They had just finished a respectable junior season, which included winning the Holiday Bowl in late December. Winning their bowl game made celebrating in Aspen even sweeter – until Jackson's accident.
"Whatever. Coach appreciates me too much to give me a hard time about it," Jackson nonchalantly replied. Of course he was pissed at himself for ruining a vacation he and his friend spent months saving up for, but perhaps there was a silver lining in it all. "Some girls dig an injured guy. While you're out snowboarding, I bet there's a woman out there who will feel sympathetic towards me."
"Dude, don't get too confident. The only chicks you'll be attracting are grandmas who end up sitting next to you to knit a sweater," Alex declared, eying their surroundings. His eyes stopped at a pair of young women entering the lobby with their luggage. "Hotties at three o'clock."
The pretty boy followed his friend's finger as he pointed out a redhead and a brunette. They appeared to be around the same age as them. Jackson was immediately drawn to the redheaded woman, who smiled at the clerk at the front desk. "Good catch, Karev. I think they're alone."
"I call dibs on the hot one," he blurted out.
"The brunette or the redhead?"
"Both," Alex chuckled, pushing himself up from the couch. He stretched his arms out in front of himself, cracking his knuckles. "Excuse me while I go make the first move. Have fun moping on the couch, Avery."
Jackson rolled his eyes. His roommate was typically arrogant when it came to meeting women. He acted like he could get any woman he wanted at the drop of a hat. His success rate was 50/50. "I broke my wrist not my legs," he muttered before standing up to watch Alex attempt to pick up the two women.
Leaning against the side of the check-in counter, Alex smugly grinned at the two women. "Need help with your luggage? I'm the lodge's official bellhop and you two look like you could use an extra hand for those suitcases," he offered. "We can discuss tipping charges when we're in your room."
The brunette briefly scanned his outfit – a black, Colorado Football hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. "Where's your little bellhop hat then?" she asked with a smirk. "And thanks, but we don't need a big, strong man to help us damsels in distress carry our luggage. We can handle ourselves just fine."
"So, you want to get a drink at the bar later?" he called out to them as they walked away.
Jackson stepped beside his teammate and patted his shoulder. "Smooth, man. You totally won them over," he teasingly said, drawing a scowl from Alex.
"Shut up. That one girl's playing hard to get. She was checking me out," he insisted.
"Or maybe she noticed your fly's open," he noted, glancing down at the opening of his friend's pants.
"Dammit!" Alex turned towards the front desk and swiftly zipped his jeans. He nudged Jackson's arm with the back of his hand. "You couldn't have warned me before I started talking to them?"
Jackson shrugged and smiled. "I hadn't noticed until now."
"Can you believe that guy?" Jo Wilson said, shaking her head in disgust as she entered her hotel room with her redheaded friend following her from behind. She set her suitcase against a wall, then she sat down on one of the beds. "He thinks he can just pick us up like that? Not even five minutes passed since we arrived and we're getting hit on by pigs."
"This resort is huge. We probably won't see him again," April Kepner assured her.
"I hope so. I feel like this trip is already turning sour."
April and Jo were psychology majors at Colorado State University. The latter also played libero for the women's volleyball team. They met when they were freshmen, having been paired up in the dorms and being complete opposites. April was a bookworm who focused on her studies, while Jo was more outgoing, yet they somehow formed a close bond with each other. It took a year for the brunette to help her roommate break out of her shell socially and in return, the redhead was the first person she confided in when she had personal problems.
Especially now.
"No, no, no. Remember why we're here in the first place?" April reminded her roommate as she sat down beside her. "This is your escape from everything going on in Fort Collins. We're supposed to have fun and I'm here to help you get over… the man whose name I won't say ever again."
Jo looked at April with a slight frown on her face. "You don't even like snowboarding."
"Yeah, but… I'm going to give it a try for you!" she cheerfully answered. "Even if I fall down on my ass fifty times on the bunny slope, it'll be worth it because you're my best friend and I'm helping you celebrate the end of your darkest hours – or last eight, dark months. Whatever."
"You are way too good of a friend sometimes," Jo politely stated and hugged her roommate. "I should've listened to you the first time you warned me about him. I just thought that… you were upset about becoming a third wheel-"
April shook her head and smiled. "No, I understand. Love blinds people. I'm just happy you're done with him."
She nodded in agreement. "You know, I'm glad to be unattached right now. He turned me into this pathetic, insecure girl that I couldn't recognize anymore in the mirror. I'm going to enjoy the single life and help you find a man."
"That's the spirit! Wait, what?" April stared at Jo with wide eyes. "That- that's not a part of the plan."
"April, you do not deserve to be single for as long as you've been single. And that pervert was hitting on the both of us, so he clearly thinks you're attractive."
"But I don't want to date a pervert! Anyway, we're not here to search for guys. This is supposed to be a single ladies event."
Jo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You haven't been on a date in six months. Your last boyfriend was over a year ago," she recalled. "Plus, you spend so much time helping me with my crappy guy problems that I should be doing the same for you. I know it takes some time for you to open up to a person, but once you're comfortable you're a lovable woman!"
"Okay, let's say you actually find me an interesting man – what's the point? What if he doesn't even live in Colorado?" April skeptically questioned. "It was bad enough getting dumped by somebody who does live in the same zip code as me. I just don't want to have false hope over some guy I may never see again."
The brunette fell back onto her bed and sighed. "Sometimes you lose hope too easily," she noted before closing her eyes. "I think I'm going to take a nap. We'll have time to check out the slopes and rent snowboards in the afternoon."
"Then, I'll go for a walk and explore. See what else there is to do aside from snowboarding," April declared, standing up and walking towards the door. "You want some coffee or something on my way back?"
"That would be great. Thanks, April," Jo answered, then she chuckled. "Hope you don't run into that gross dude."
The redhead softly smiled as she left their hotel room. She slipped on her gloves and adjusted the baby blue and white, argyle patterned beanie on her head before wandering around the resort. She spent time watching skiers and snowboarders pass through the trails, cringing at the novices who fell face first into the snow. April was positive she would be one of those people who embarrassed themselves in public, but she would suck it up for Jo.
After checking out the slopes, she continued to explore the resort. There were some restaurants they could dine at, hang out at the Snowmass Village Mall or they could take a shuttle to Aspen. April felt relieved she wouldn't have to snowboard for the entire week. She bought two coffees at the café and headed back to her hotel. Deciding to cut through the lobby, she hadn't noticed somebody leaving when she reached for the door. The door swung open, hitting her square in the face. Fortunately, she managed to cling on to the cup holder in her other hand and avoided a spilling accident, but getting hit in the face was bad enough.
"Oh! Are you alright?" Jackson panicked, his eyes wide open as the woman in front of him lightly rubbed her nose. He raised his hands and grimaced. "Did I break it?"
April moved her hand away, blinking her eyes rapidly to dry the tears. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "No, I think it's fine," she agitatedly replied. Looking up at the pretty boy, she sighed. "Careless much?"
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to-" He paused when he realized he had seen her before. She was the friend of the brunette woman Alex tried to hit on earlier in the lobby. In his opinion, she appeared even more gorgeous up close. He smiled, extending out his hand. "Hi, I'm Jackson. Jackson Avery."
"Uhh… April Kepner," she reluctantly introduced herself, shaking his hand. "Anyway, I should go. My friend's waiting for me."
Jackson blocked the entrance, so she couldn't walk past him. "Wait. I umm, I want to truly apologize for practically bashing your face with the door by treating you to dinner," he offered, flashing his pearly whites at her. "Would that be cool?"
She raised her eyebrow at him. "I just met you and you're asking me out?"
He simply shrugged and smiled again. "Yeah, so? You're a beautiful lady."
April shyly laughed, then she bit down on her bottom lip as her cheeks changed to a rosy shade of red. Men had approached her before, but they weren't as bold and confident as Jackson. Even though she felt shallow thinking about it, he was a very handsome man. He seemed to be someone who was used to women dropping down to their knees and worshipping him. There was a certain charm about him that immediately drew her in.
"I don't think anybody's ever called me a lady before," she amusingly replied. "Or is this how you coax your way into women's pants? Act sweet now and turn into a pig later?"
"What? No way. I'm a genuine person," the football player insisted, placing his arms behind his back. Jackson bounced on his heels as he smirked at her. "So, how about it? You and me at the steakhouse tonight? I really want to make it up to you for what just happened."
"Thanks, but… I'm here to support my best friend. She just got out of a bad relationship and-"
"That's perfect!" Jackson excitedly said, pointing at himself. "I'm here with my best friend too. We can do a double date, so our other halves won't feel left out. And you know, at least your friend will make sure I don't get all frisky with my hands- well, hand. I'm on the injured list."
April noticed the cast on his right wrist. "I can see that. Why are you here if you have a broken arm?"
He sheepishly grinned. "I broke it yesterday. Major wipeout. It wasn't pretty."
"That's a shame," she apologetically answered. "Can I go back to my room now, please?"
"You haven't agreed to have dinner with me yet," he reminded her. "Is 6:30 alright with you?"
She pursed her lips and smiled. "You won't move until I say yes, huh?" He slowly nodded in response, then she playfully rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. I'll meet you at 6:30."
"You promise? No flaking?"
"Trust me. I'm normally the one who gets blown off, so I will be there."
Jackson was slightly taken aback by April's comment. He fully expected her to have a boyfriend, so he was happy to find out she was single. Unless she was some serial killer or a nymphomaniac, why would anybody want to blow her off?
"Good," he stated, stepping aside to let her pass. "Remember to bring your friend. See you tonight, April."
"Right. I'll see you tonight," she confirmed before rushing into the lobby. April waited until Jackson couldn't see her face to start grinning from ear to ear. She had never landed a date so quickly with a person she had just met and an incredibly good looking one as well.
Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.
"I thought you were all about girl time and ignoring boys?" Jo humorously told April on their way to the steakhouse located a couple of minutes away by foot. Her roommate had returned to their hotel room with a bright grin on her face, making her immediately suspicious. When the redhead recalled what had happened with Jackson she couldn't believe her best friend was quick to accept a date with a man she just met. She was even more amused that she agreed to bring her along for a double date with his own friend without asking her. "I hope you know whatever happens tonight, it's on you if it goes wrong."
"What could go wrong? Jackson was really sweet… after he slammed the door in my face." April went out of her way to make herself look more attractive for dinner. She added a little makeup and changed her clothes. Nothing provocative, but the puffy jacket and beanie attire didn't scream sexy to her – not that she was expecting anything to come out of a friendly dinner with two strangers. "But if you don't want to stay, you can totally leave."
The brunette scoffed. "And let two potential rapists take advantage of you?"
She lightly slapped her friend's arm. "I'm 99% sure they're not rapists."
"Oh yeah? Did you interview them individually?" Jo sarcastically replied. April rolled her eyes in response. "Okay, I'll suck it up if it means I get to see you interacting with a man. Try not to snort if he's funny."
"I don't snort," she retorted. "That one time at Steve's party doesn't count. It just… came out. It was an unintentional snort. It happens."
"And make eye contact."
"Josephine! You're making me nervous!" April snapped. She only ever called her friend by her full name whenever she was upset or scolding her. The full name treatment always made Jo laugh. "I know how to talk to a guy. I already did it earlier without embarrassing myself."
Jo snickered as she entered the steakhouse with April. "Well, that's a relief."
The redhead spotted Jackson sitting at a booth and he waved when they made eye contact. "There he is," she pointed out, shyly waving back at him.
Alex sat down beside his roommate causing Jo to gasp. "That's the friend he brought along? He's the guy who hit on us earlier!" she said, shaking her head in disgust. She waved her arms in front of her chest and turned to leave. "No way. I'm not having dinner with that creep."
"You can't leave me here with both of them!" April panicked.
"Of course I can! Enjoy your first ever threesome, April," Jo firmly stated.
April grabbed her best friend's forearm before she could leave. "Please stay. How about this? Suck it up through dinner and if you're still feeling the urge to tear his balls off, you can leave. Besides, we're getting a free meal out of this," she insisted, then she took a quick glimpse of Alex. "I don't know about you, but he can't be worse than… you know who."
Although she was starving, Jo preferred eating a cheap corndog over sitting down with the obnoxious man who had attempted to hit on her. He was attractive, but first impressions mattered more to her. She sighed, rolling her eyes at April. "If it wasn't for the free meal part, I would've bolted out of here by now," she half-heartedly replied. "Fine. Let's go sit down."
From across the room, Alex nudged Jackson with his elbow when he noticed the two women approaching them. "Dude, you didn't tell me our dates were the chicks who blew me off," he muttered. "Which one do I get?"
"The one who made you look like an idiot," the pretty boy answered, smirking back at him.
"You would give me the one who probably hates me, douche," Alex responded with a scowl.
Jackson chuckled. "She wasn't the woman I hit with the door. Just don't make a fool of yourself again," he advised before smiling up at April and Jo. "Hey, thanks for coming. Have a seat."
April slid inside of the booth first, then Jo sat down beside her. Removing her jacket, April smiled at Jackson before she introduced her other half. "So, this is my roommate, Jo Wilson." She looked at Alex, who was attempting to check out her friend's cleavage. "And I'm April Kepner."
Alex smugly grinned before sipping his beer. "Ah, I like girls with boy names – and month names," he said, winking at them. He pointed at himself. "The name's Karev. Alex Karev and you already know my boy, Avery here."
"Karev…" Jo slowly repeated, furrowing her brow. She had heard of the name before and she hadn't initially connected the dots even after she noticed his hooded sweatshirt with his school's logo on it. "Oh, gross! You're the goon who basically ruined our school's football season when you injured my friend and sidelined him for the year."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
The brunette turned to face April. "Remember the home opener versus Colorado? This guy broke Shane's clavicle when he tackled him in midair!" she ranted, gesturing her hand towards Jackson. "And his buddy here scored four touchdowns on us afterwards. We got killed!"
"You two attend Colorado State?" Jackson asked inquisitively.
"Yes. Jo's on the women's volleyball team," April noted. "And I'm… nothing really."
He softly laughed and smiled. "I'm sure that's not true. You've gotta be something."
"A good lay," Alex mumbled, drawing a quick elbow from Jackson.
Jo waved her hand as she smirked at April. "Don't listen to her. She's really smart. Like, really smart. She can solve a Rubik's Cube easily."
"So how come you're not at a smart school like Harvard or Stanford?" Alex bluntly said. He received another elbow nudge from Jackson. "I mean, if you're really smart, why didn't you take your brain to an Ivy League?"
"I'm not a genius or anything," April murmured, glancing down at her menu.
Jackson decided to change the subject to ease away the awkward tension. "How long are you two staying here?"
"Until Sunday morning. Then we'll head back to Fort Collins."
"Oh, same here. That gives us the rest of the week to get to know each other better," he replied, smiling at the redhead. The pretty boy noticed Jo rolling her eyes, so he tried to keep his focus on April. His eyes scanned her flowing auburn hair, her pale skin and her light pink lips. He barely knew her and he already wanted to kiss her. His eyes darted down towards his menu when she glanced up at him. "I hear the steak is… good."
Alex snickered as he skimmed his own menu. "So, Jo. What do you plan on ordering? The overpriced salad to keep your figure intact?" he scoffed.
"Of course you would think that considering it seems like your brain is the size of a peanut," the brunette retorted. When the waiter arrived she didn't hesitate to order first. "I'll have the rib eye steak – medium rare – with a loaded baked potato, along with steamed vegetables and a Caesar salad on the side. Oh, and an ice cold beer, please."
The football player stared at Jo in admiration. Most of the women he brought out to dinner, which was a rarity since he mainly brought them to his bedroom in the fraternity house instead of taking them out on an official date, ordered a freaking salad. It had annoyed him greatly that he wasted money on a small salad that he hardly did the dating thing.
But he could tell this one was different. She was hard to break. And he found her feisty attitude towards him just as attractive as her appearance.
Jo quickly noticed Alex staring at her and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What? Surprised a skinny girl like me has a large appetite?"
He shook his head, snapping himself out of his zone. "I'll have what she's having," he told the waiter, smiling back at the volleyball player. "But uhh, I'll have two baked potatoes."
"I haven't even known you for fifteen minutes and you're already ruining my life," she irritably replied.
"Trust me. You'll like me by the time this vacation is over," Alex insisted, offering a wink afterwards. "Anyway, what's Jo short for?"
"Like I'm going to tell you that," Jo answered and laughed to herself. She leaned close to April, forcing herself to smile as she whispered through gritted teeth, "Can I punch him now?"
April softly smiled at her roommate. "Calm, deep breaths. You'll survive," she whispered back. Her best friend carried some anger issues rooted from her failed relationships and the last thing she wanted was for Jo to create a scene because she couldn't control her emotions. She handed her menu to the waiter after they finished ordering their dinners. "Umm… where are you two originally from?"
"I'm from Boston and Karev's from Des Moines," Jackson answered. "What about you two?"
"I'm from Columbus and Jo is homegrown, just outside of Denver."
"Hmm… Columbus? What brought you all the way out here to Colorado for college?" he curiously asked.
"Scholarship and the opportunity to live independently away from home," she chirped. "I'm assuming you have the same reasons coming from Boston, which is much farther away than Ohio."
Alex proudly pointed at his hooded sweatshirt. "Well, the Pac-12 is one of the best football conferences in the nation. Plus, Avery and I are bringing Colorado back to its winning ways. Next season, you'll definitely see us representing the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl," he arrogantly stated. "As long as Avery doesn't declare for the NFL draft, we'll be a top ten team for sure."
Jo tapped her fingers against the table. "Shane might have had potential to be a third rounder if you hadn't broken his clavicle," she insinuated, staring down at her nails.
"Dude, it's not like I purposely aimed to injure your guy," he argued. "It's football. Shit happens. Your team wasn't gonna win anyway."
"Please, we were up by two touchdowns before you hurt him," she countered. "You guys underestimated us and we probably would have routed you if things continued to go our way."
"The best offense is a good defense and your team's sucked," Alex responded with a chuckle. "You can't blame me for your crappy defense. Nobody could cover Avery. No wonder he scored four touchdowns."
Jo smirked at him. "Like how your so-called great defense allowed UCLA to score 42 points on you?" she sneered, drawing a scowl from Alex. "Yeah, I watched that game. You and your teammates in the secondary looked like sloths trailing behind on their receivers."
While the twosome bickered back and forth, April leaned forward against the table and grimaced at Jackson. "I don't know much about football, so this argument means nothing to me," she sheepishly confessed.
"That's fine with me. My life revolves around football all the time that I don't mind talking about something else," he insisted before he mischievously grinned at her. "So how fast can you solve a Rubik's Cube?"
Dinner ran fairly smoothly – for Jackson and April anyway. Jo and Alex kept to themselves while they stuffed their mouths with food, but their other halves carried on a conversation that they both listened to. Jo sensed that Jackson was a good match for her roommate. Alex simply thought his teammate would be getting laid soon based on the way April laughed at his corny jokes. Now if only he could get as lucky with his counterpart, but every time he looked at her she gripped her steak knife tightly in her hand.
After they finished eating, Alex wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hooded sweatshirt and stood up. "I gotta take a leak."
Jo waited until he disappeared into the men's restroom before she slid out of their booth. "This is my chance to bail. No offense, Jackson. You're a nice guy and all, but your friend is… well, I'll keep that to myself. Thank you for dinner," she hurriedly said as she wore her jacket. She looked at April, pointing her finger at her. "Don't give him our room number."
April nervously laughed as she watched Jo literally run out of the restaurant. "She's… she's having trust issues after what happened with her last boyfriend," she explained. "And she's not exactly ready to date anybody right now."
"What about you? Are you looking to date?" the pretty boy inquired.
"Umm… yes. I mean, I haven't had a boyfriend in a while, but I also haven't been desperate for one," she shyly responded. "I- I've had boyfriends. They just weren't the one for me or more like I wasn't the one for them."
Jackson half-smiled at her. "I've been there. Sometimes it takes a while to find your perfect match."
Alex returned from the restroom, scratching the back of his head when he noticed Jo was missing. "Dude, where'd your friend go?" he asked confused.
"She wanted to go to bed early," April lied. "But she said thanks for dinner."
"I'm not even the one paying," he chuckled, slapping his hand against Jackson's shoulder. "Hmm… maybe I can still catch up with her. She doesn't carry pepper spray with her, does she?"
"No, but I'd stay far away from her fists," she warned.
Jackson shook his head when Alex rushed towards the exit. "He's a bit of a horndog, sorry."
"And what are you?"
"I'm a… gentle puppy," he claimed, flashing his charming grin at her and making her laugh. Jackson quickly took notice of the single dimple on her face that appeared whenever she laughed or smiled. "Do you want to split a dessert?"
April lightly patted her stomach, slightly grimacing. "It's tempting, but I'm pretty full."
"Maybe next time then."
He waved over their waiter, so he could pay the bill. They left the steakhouse together and started walking back to their hotel. Along the way, they discussed more topics about themselves – growing up in their hometowns, their families, their majors in college. April was impressed to learn that Jackson was a premed student. He wanted to secure a back up if football didn't work out for him at the professional level. She aimed for a PhD in psychology, so they both were interested in becoming doctors of some sort.
Most of the time, Jackson was infatuated with April's face while she spoke to him. He constantly stared at her lips wondering how soft they were. A confident guy, he hooked his left arm around her waist and planted a firm kiss against her lips. She was taken aback with her eyes wide open, but she gradually relaxed against him and returned the kiss.
He slightly pulled away and softly laughed. "I'm sorry. I've been wanting to kiss you since we first met. That probably sounds incredibly creepy, but I couldn't help myself."
"I'll admit I've never been kissed by a guy after an unofficial first date, especially one I still don't know very well," April replied. Her cheeks had changed into a bright shade of red, likely from a mix of the cold hitting her face and blushing from the touch of Jackson's lips. "But it was nice."
"Hang out with me tomorrow," Jackson requested, slipping his hands inside of his large jacket pockets. "I don't want you to ditch Jo since I know you're here together, but if you can find the time, maybe we can do something together. Well, if you want to."
"I promised her I'd go snowboarding with her tomorrow, but I'm sure we won't be on the slopes all day."
They quietly stood across from each other, both unsure of what to say next. April could barely make eye contact with Jackson, especially with the way he continued to smile at her. "Okay, well if you change your mind, I'll wait for you in the main lobby," he reminded her. "Can I walk you back to your room?"
She quickly nodded, smiling as she bit her bottom lip. "I'd like that."
Jackson grinned to himself when April walked a few steps ahead of him. He caught up with her as they strolled through the resort side by side. Kissing her spontaneously and not receiving a slap for it?
He was looking forward to knowing more about her.
The following day, Jo and April were dressed for a full day of snowboarding. They had rented their snowboards the day before and were ready to test out the slopes. Because the redhead was a beginner, her roommate wanted her to try one of the easier hills before forcing her to join her at one of the expert trails. Bringing April to the expert slope eventually was Jo's way of punishing her for making her sit through dinner with Alex.
"You won't ditch me or pretend you don't know me if I'm flat out terrible, right?" April asked concerned as the two women stood outside by one of the lifts. "You wouldn't be that harsh."
Jo tossed her head back and laughed. "God, April. I'm your best friend not some person who's being paid to hang out with you," she scoffed. The sound of a man whistling behind them caused her to look back. She groaned loudly when she found Alex standing a couple of feet away with his own snowboard. After dodging him for the rest of the night, she hoped she would never see his face again. "What do you want?"
Wearing a red beanie and snowboarding goggles over his eyes, Alex smugly grinned as he nodded his head towards his snowboard. "Thought I'd join you ladies since my wingman is unavailable." He eyed the sign located beside the lift. "You know this is a bunny slope, yeah?"
"April is just learning how to snowboard. It would be rude of me to lead her to her death by going up to one of the harder slopes first," Jo irritably answered. "And no, you can't join us. Go away."
"C'mon, it's more fun going as a group," he pleaded. "Besides, your disappearing act last night was a douche move."
The brunette smirked at him. "Let's not get started on who the douchey one is."
April tapped her fingers against her snowboard and chewed on her bottom lip. While she never mentioned it to Jo, the idea that Jackson was waiting for her in the main lobby was tempting. She preferred not to leave her alone with Alex, but at least she wouldn't be alone. She sensed her roommate would hate her for what she was about to do. "You know, you two can go ahead. I'll catch up," she casually said. "I have to… get my chapstick in our room. I hate dry lips, especially during this type of weather."
Jo narrowed her eyes when her friend started walking away. She chased after her, yanking her arm and turning her around. "You little liar. You're gonna leave me with that guy, so you can search for Jackson," the volleyball player accusingly stated.
"Maybe I am," she sheepishly replied. "I like him. He's really sweet."
"April Kepner…" Jo slowly shook her head and smiled. "I don't know if I should be offended or proud that you're ditching me for a boy. I mean, he's attractive and totally not disgusting like his friend."
"He kissed me last night," April added.
Jo playfully slapped her friend's shoulder. "And you didn't tell me? I feel like I don't know you anymore," she quipped. "This is the fastest I've ever seen you make progress with a man, but do you really have to ditch me with Alex Karev today?"
Peeking over the brunette's shoulder, April watched Alex attempt to flirt with two women passing by. Whatever he said caused one of them to slap his cheek before they left him alone. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she insisted. "Instead of judging him for what happened yesterday, why don't you try to get along with him? Maybe he's not a bad guy after all."
"And ex-boyfriend who shall not be named was such a sweetheart," she sarcastically said. Glancing back at Alex, she sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll suck it up. It's possible I can find a way to lose him again on the slopes. I should tell you that you owe me, but given everything you've done for me in the past, I won't. At least ease my torture away later by providing some details on how it goes with Jackson."
"I will," April chirped.
The two women parted ways. Jo decided to suck it up and go snowboarding with Alex, while April walked to the main lobby hoping Jackson would actually be there. She carried her board in one arm as she entered the building. To her delight, the pretty boy sat alone on the couch like he said he would be. She was amused to find him playing with a Rubik's Cube as she approached him. He was nowhere near solving the multicolored cube.
"Where'd you get that?" she chuckled.
"Saw it in one of the gift shops this morning. Thought I'd give it a try." Jackson softly groaned in frustration, dropping the toy onto his lap. "And I'm terrible at it."
"It's okay. Doesn't make you a loser. Just somebody who sucks at solving a Rubik's Cube."
He smiled as he pushed himself up from the couch. "So you decided to meet me," the football player said, changing the subject. "And Jo's alright with you skipping out on your original plan?"
"Alex is taking my place as her snowboarding partner," April cheerfully answered. "Not necessarily her first preference, but he'll do. Don't worry about it. She's fine. Your friend isn't a rapist, is he?"
"Karev is a lot of things, but he is no rapist. Trust me," Jackson confirmed and winked at her.
Be bold, she thought to herself. April had never really been the one to make the first move. Sometimes she waited too long and no move was ever made. It was time for her to be the proactive person. "Do you want to hang out in my room?" she shyly asked, gently biting on her bottom lip afterwards.
"Hang out like…" He watched her slightly nod. Of course he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to be alone with April in her hotel room. "Sure."
She tried to hide her excitement as she turned around and led him out of the main lobby. He had taken her to her hotel room once, but their unofficial date ended at the door. No kiss goodnight, only a lazy hand wave before she went inside.
April set her snowboard against the wall when they reached her room. She opened the door, then she grabbed her board before walking inside with Jackson. "So, this is my room. I bet it looks exactly like yours," she awkwardly noted.
"Pretty much except for the feminine hair products in your bathroom," Jackson jokingly replied. Taking the snowboard from her, he set it aside against the wall. He slipped his arms around April's waist and kissed her lips. "Has anybody ever told you that you have really soft lips?"
She smiled against his lips. "Nope."
"Well, you do."
Before he could kiss her again, April gently pushed him away. "Make yourself comfortable on my bed. It's the one closest to the window. I'll meet you there in a minute," she instructed, ducking around Jackson and walking into the bathroom. She pulled out her chapstick from her jacket pocket and quickly dabbed her lips with it. After removing her beanie, she ran her fingers through her hair to rid of the messy hat hair. She quietly took a deep breath before returning to the bedroom.
Jackson lay sprawled out on the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. His basketball shoes were neatly lined up beside the bed. "We're strictly making out, right? I'm completely down with that, by the way," he politely stated. "I just have to be careful with my right arm."
"Yes- yes, that's fine with me. To be honest, I wasn't inviting you into my room for sex," April admitted while she removed her jacket. She hung it against the back of the desk chair, then she looked back at the pretty boy. "Umm… do you want to take your jacket off too?"
"That's probably a good idea. Might get a little hot in here," he teasingly answered and unzipped his jacket.
"And I'm wearing compression pants underneath my snow pants, so don't assume I'm stripping down just to makeout," she replied with a smirk.
Jackson watched her remove her snowboarding boots before taking off her snow pants. The tight, black compression pants revealed a well-rounded ass when she bent over to set her boots against the wall. He immediately nodded in approval, then he pretended he hadn't been staring at her backside when she turned back around. "You have nice legs," he complimented.
April laughed as she climbed onto the bed. "I beg to differ. They're super pale." Straddling Jackson's lap, she draped her arms over his shoulders and he settled his hands against her hips. Their faces were inches apart, but she felt reluctant to throw herself at him. "I'm not hurting you, am I? I don't mean to crush anything below your waist if I am."
"I'm comfortable. Stop worrying," he insisted, firmly pressing his lips against hers.
His left hand reached up to lightly grasp the back of her head, deepening the kiss by sliding his tongue into her mouth. There were plenty of things he wished he could do with two hands, but the large cast covering his forearm and half of his hand prevented him from doing everything he wanted. In the back of his mind, he was somewhat frustrated. Fortunately, April's lips kept him from being completely frustrated with himself.
Moving his hand down to her backside, he gently squeezed her rear end. She softly moaned against his lips in response, then he parted from her mouth and began planting kisses along the side of her neck. His teeth lightly grazed her skin and the touch of his tongue caused her to slightly gasp.
She clutched his cheeks, bringing his face back to hers and devouring his mouth. "Have dinner with me again," Jackson mumbled in between kisses.
"What was that?" she asked after pulling away from him.
He snuck his left hand underneath her shirt and gently stroked her lower back with his fingers. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? It's an official date this time."
"What happens if I say no?" the redhead mischievously questioned. She leaned in to kiss him only to move away before their lips could touch. He softly groaned in frustration, making her giggle. "Of course I'll have dinner with you."
"You're one of those innocent teases, aren't you?"
April playfully pushed Jackson onto his back, eliciting a grin from him and surprising herself in the process. She soon realized she enjoyed being in the driver's seat. "Maybe… maybe not," she humorously answered before grasping his cheeks and connecting their lips once again.
Silence. That summed up the interaction between Jo and Alex since the beginning of their chairlift ride. It was a long and slow trek towards one of the many expert trails on the mountain. The brunette sat closely on one side, while her obnoxious companion was on the opposite side leaving significant space in between them. She had threatened to throw him out of their chairlift if he attempted to place a fingertip on her.
Jo briefly glanced over at Alex, who was twiddling his thumbs against his lap. Physically, he was attractive, but his personality turned her off completely. On campus, she tried her best to avoid his type – the chauvinistic pigs who only viewed women as their personal sex toys. She loathed the men who grabbed her ass as she passed by. Being a volleyball player made it easy for them to do it. Spandex was her frenemy. She considered herself to be a tough cookie, but only one person ever broke her down and made her feel weak. Fortunately, she managed to pull herself out of the situation in hopes of starting over.
But the dude next to her made that almost impossible.
"Checking me out?" Alex smugly asked, smirking at Jo as she looked away.
"In your dreams," she scoffed and huffed as she folded her arms. "You may get a lot of dumb women to fall for your fake charm, but I'm smarter than you think. A pretty face does not make me easy."
"Well, I got the hint after you fled dinner last night. And for the record, playing football doesn't make me a dumb jock," he retorted. "We have something in common, you know."
Jo softly laughed to herself. "And how much are you paying the nerdy person who sits beside you in class to write your papers?" she sneered. "What's your major anyway? Beer pong?"
"Funny," he sarcastically replied. "Actually, I'm a 4.0 student studying Mechanical Engineering. You still think I'm an idiot?"
"How do I know you're not lying?" she skeptically asked. Removing her cell phone from her jacket pocket, Jo used the browser to search for Alex's profile on Colorado's athletics website. Most profiles listed their academic accolades and she was surprised to learn he wasn't bluffing. "Three straight seasons on the honor roll. Fine, you win."
Alex proudly grinned. "Thank you."
"But if you're so smart, why do you act like an idiot?" Jo asked while she slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. "Not all women find guys who play stupid attractive. We just think you're annoying."
"I'm just a guy who does stupid things and I don't realize it's stupid until after I've already done it," he insisted, shrugging his shoulders. "I bet you're not perfect either, Princess."
She groaned loudly. "Oh my God, don't call me that." If anything pissed her off more than perverted men, it was perverted men calling her girly pet names like Princess. Just as she began to slowly warm up to Alex, he had to do that. "The last man who called me Princess lost feeling in their balls for an hour."
Alex snickered, then he asked, "So is April your project or whatever?"
"My what?"
"You know, that chick you groom to become hot and then take credit for it later. I'm only asking because it seems you two don't have anything in common except for reproductive parts."
Jo scowled at him. "She's my best friend. We've been roommates since freshman year," she defensively replied. "And it doesn't matter that we're almost complete opposites. April knows me better than anybody else does. I trust her with just about everything. And even though she ditched me for your friend, I'm happy for her. It's not often guys notice her the way Jackson has."
"Is it because you steal the guys she's interested in before they can approach her?" Alex quipped.
"No, you moron. She's just not as confident as I am when it comes to speaking to the opposite sex," the brunette retorted, shooting another glare at him. "I don't treat April like crap if that's what you're thinking. I help her as much as I can because she's always been my support system."
"Okay, okay. I got you. You two have that whole friendship bracelet relationship and stuff," he amusingly answered. "I guess it's a good thing she's not one of those backstabbing weasels who tries to steal your boyfriend."
"Oh, trust me. April never once thought about stealing my most recent ex," Jo firmly stated. "She knew he was trouble, but I was in denial for a while. We almost broke up our friendship because of him."
"Must have been a major douche then," the football player suspected.
She laughed to herself. "He wasn't when I first met him. The guy definitely knew how to work his charm and I ate up every word that came out of his mouth. Normally, I'm pretty good at recognizing the bad seeds, but not this one."
"Who's this dude?"
Jo took a deep breath and sighed. She hated it enough talking to April about her ex-boyfriend, so she felt uncomfortable bringing him up to a person she hardly knew. Then again, it wasn't like Alex would go around town telling everybody about her horrid dating history. Based on her assumptions, he likely had an awful streak as well.
"His name was Matthew," she started, staring down at her glove covered hands. "We met at a party and he was really sweet to me. He was a member of this environmentalist club, so he seemed like harmless person. But a few months into the relationship, he started to become controlling and verbally abusive. He would say anything to make me feel smaller and I let him. Then, he would apologize and my stupid self would forgive him. April despised him, but I accused her of being jealous and it caused this rift between us. This thing with Matthew went on for eight months. I don't know why I let it go on for that long. I don't normally allow people to break me that easily."
Alex slowly nodded, then he half-smiled at her. "Want me to kick his ass?" he offered.
"I don't need to be saved. I managed to break away from that relationship without any violence involved," she answered with a laugh.
"You act like a woman who doesn't take crap from anybody, so why the hell did you let this guy treat you that poorly?" he curiously asked. "Not trying to offend you or anything, but was he great in bed or what?"
Jo couldn't help but laugh. She wondered how often a person like Alex engaged in a deep conversation with the opposite sex. He deserved some credit for trying to understand her, but clearly, he wasn't used to digging this deep into an acquaintance's personal life. "You sure know how to make me feel better about all of this," she jokingly replied. "Like I said, I don't know. Maybe I was afraid of being alone."
"Alone? I bet you're popular. Member of the volleyball team, pretty face and stuff," he insisted.
"A person can have everybody wanting to be your friend and still feel completely alone," she noted. "The only person I fully trust with my life is April. I know she would never stab me in the back. If anything, she's probably my only truefriend."
"I suppose I can say the same thing about Avery," Alex concurred. "I probably piss the guy off at least once a day, but he still doesn't mind hanging around me. I think it's because he knows I don't give a crap about his pretty boy face and we don't talk about his rich, snobby family that he secretly despises. We suffered through the same hazing as freshmen when we were pledging for our fraternity. We're practically brothers."
"And now my best friend and your frat brother are off doing who knows what in one of our rooms," Jo amusingly replied. Their chairlift came to a halt, causing them to slightly swing back and forth. She turned around in her seat and noticed that the entire lift had stopped working. "Are we stuck?"
They were about thirty seconds away from reaching the top of the mountain when the circuit of the chairlift stopped abruptly. It was a very high drop from their seat if one of them were to fall out. Alex glanced down at the snowy, white surface below. He swung his legs to rock their bench and the brunette beside him immediately scowled at him. "What? I bet these things are sturdy as hell," he claimed.
Jo cringed when she heard a squeaking sound above them. "Seriously, stop that! You're probably loosening a screw!" She reached over, grabbing Alex by his jacket after he ignored her demands. "If you don't stop swinging your legs, I will throw you out of this chair!"
He smirked as he steadied his legs. "You're even cuter when you're angry."
She groaned in frustration, pushing him away from her and folding her arms. "Just when I was starting to warm up to you…"
"And until they get this thing working again, we can get to know each other for even longer," Alex boasted, stretching his arm across the back of the bench and resting it behind Jo. He quickly retracted his arm when she shot him another scowl. "Gonna tell me your full first name yet?"
"Never."
"Can I buy a vowel and guess?"
"Shut up, please."
Alex rolled his eyes as he stared straight ahead. It only took him ten seconds of silence before he began whistling a tune, to Jo's dismay. He smiled knowing she would crack sooner or later. And he was fully aware that she didn't have the guts to physically throw him out of their chairlift. "You know, things would be a lot easier for the both of us if you just cooperated. Want me to start singing? I know the lyrics to every Eminem song out there."
Just as he cleared his throat, she covered his mouth with her hand. "Josephine! My name is Josephine!"
"Huh, Josephine… my grandma had a cat named Josephine," the football player recalled. "Can I call you Kitty?"
Jo buried her face into her hands, shaking her head. She hoped the chairlift would be fixed soon because she was tempted to risk her precious legs by jumping out and possibly breaking both of them upon landing. At this point, anything seemed better than being stuck with Alex in a tight space with very limited escape options.
Part two will come soon! And just because one pairing is doing well and the other isn't, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way ;)