Thank you for the wonderful reviews, guys! I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. This chapter got a little longer than I planned, but since it's the last one I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think afterward :) Thanks for reading!
Enjoy!
Jo impatiently checked the time on her cell phone for the fifth time. A half an hour had passed and the chairlift still wasn't fixed. Her rear end felt like it was glued to her seat and to make matters worse, Alex occasionally coughed up a loogie and spit it out into the open air, which made her quietly gag. Freezing to death wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he wasn't sitting beside her.
"My phone is either broken or these so-called mechanics down there don't have a clue what they're doing," she complained, shoving her cell phone back into her jacket pocket. "I just wanted to snowboard! Is that too much to ask?"
"Calm your tits. The lifts don't close for another five hours," Alex irritably replied. He folded his arms and sighed. "Are you always this whiney?"
"Are you always this annoying?" Jo countered, rolling her eyes. She reached into her pocket again. "Maybe I should call April and let her know that I'm not dead if we're stuck here for another two hours."
Alex snickered, shaking his head. "I doubt she'll answer. I mean, hooking up with a guy like Avery? If I was a chick, I wouldn't take a break and answer my phone," he stated, drawing a confused look from the brunette. "What? I said if I was a chick."
"Sure, okay. And I bet you're the first guy in the locker room who spanks his bare ass after a game," she quipped.
"Dude, I'm not gay," he answered, shooting a glare at her.
"Dude, I'm not a dude," she rebuked. Jo groaned as she dialed April's number. "Whatever. If I tell her we're stuck, she'll likely panic and send the fire department to come get me. That might work faster than those idiots working like sloths to fix the lift."
Alex reached for Jo's cell phone and she moved her arm away. "You don't need to call your freaking best friend for this. It's not a life threatening situation. Just let her get laid in peace or whatever." He attempted to swipe the phone from her, slapping it out of her hand. They both watched it plunge down into the snow, then he glanced back at his snowboarding partner whose mouth was wide open in shock. "Whoops."
Her shocked expression quickly changed into a scowl. "You asshole! How am I supposed to get my phone now?" She angrily pointed at the snowy surface. "That's a restricted area! You're buying me a new phone."
"Whatever. I can find it later," he nonchalantly stated.
"Give me your phone," she demanded, extending her hand out to him.
"No way."
"Give it to me, please," Jo said through gritted teeth. She forced herself to smile. "I just want to call the resort and ask them if they could retrieve my phone for me. Okay?"
Alex inhaled sharply, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. He handed it to Jo, who threw it away, and they watched it land in the snow. "Are you crazy?!"
"There. Now we're even," she answered, appearing satisfied.
They spent another twenty minutes quietly sitting around until the chairlift finally started moving again. Having been stuck in the same position for almost an hour, both of them were eager to get back onto their feet and get the blood rushing again. And Jo desperately wanted to ditch Alex as soon as possible.
When they reached the end of the lift Alex stretched his arms over his head. "So, do you want to race or-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jo bolted out of her seat and didn't waste any time leaving him behind on her snowboard. "Okay, I'll meet you down there!"
Zipping down the mountain, the volleyball player inhaled the fresh air as she sped through it and smiled. Her knees were slightly sore from sitting in the same position for a long duration, but just being able to finally snowboard was a relief. She felt a little rusty, nearly colliding with another snowboarder, though she eventually regained her balance. After she reached the bottom, she slowed down and scanned her surroundings. No Alex in sight. Suddenly, a snowball hit her right cheek causing her to gasp.
Thinking it was Alex, she spun around and was hit by another snowball – from a young boy, who laughed at her. "Hey!" she yelled. The boy, probably not older than twelve, nailed her in the chest with a snowball. "You little turd, what the hell is your problem?"
Just as the boy was about to throw another snowball, a hand grabbed his arm. "Dude, you want me to give you a massive wedgie?" Alex sternly said. He picked up the boy by his jacket and carried him towards Jo. "Apologize to the lady."
"Oh, geez," Jo mumbled. "Don't tell me he's your obnoxious little brother because I can't handle another Karev."
"No, I don't know this twerp," he scoffed, dropping the boy onto his feet. The football player nudged him from behind and nodded towards Jo. "Apologize."
"Sorry… that I'm not sorry!" the boy mischievously said, running away before Alex could grab a hold of him.
"Wow, you sure set him straight," Jo sarcastically noted. She picked up her snowboard and walked past him. "My hero."
Alex huffed as he followed Jo, trailing a foot behind her. "The least you could is thank me. Unless, you're turned on by little douchebags throwing snowballs at you," he quipped. "I know of some women with strange fetishes."
Her fingers gripped her snowboard tightly, fighting the urge to knock him out with it. She channeled April's advice and her breathing exercises – calm, deep breaths. While the football player continued to babble behind her, she ignored him and tried to find her peaceful place… which lasted for ten seconds.
"Please, just SHUT UP!" Jo screeched, drawing stares from vacationers nearby. She couldn't care less about the mothers dragging their young children away from them or the teenage boys laughing at her outburst. Stepping in front of Alex, she stood inches away from his face as he smugly grinned at her. "If you're going to keep stalking me, don't speak. In fact, just go away. You're making me have violent thoughts about you."
"That's sex-"
"Don't even say it," she interrupted, turning back around and stomping away from Alex. "I'm going back to the lodge. Maybe somebody there can help me find my cell phone."
"You mean, this phone?" Alex boasted, pulling out Jo's cell phone from his jacket pocket. She glanced back at him, raising her eyebrow when she realized he wasn't lying. "I told you I could find it. I almost got busted by some dork on a snowmobile, but I found both of our phones."
Jo bit the inside of her cheek knowing she had to thank him. His douche level dropped just a little bit. "Fine. Thank you," she sighed, taking her cell phone from Alex. It was still working, to her relief. She pointed her finger at him. "You can stick around as long as you keep your mouth shut."
He snickered as he followed her to a different lift station. Somewhere deep inside, Alex suspected that Jo had a thing for him. She just didn't know it yet.
Sitting across from each other at a barbeque restaurant in the resort, both April and Jackson awkwardly scanned their surroundings. The majority of the guests were decked out in their flannel shirts, cowboy boots and oversized belt buckles. Apparently, it was Hoedown Night and they had missed the memo – not that the pretty boy had ever been to one.
He glanced down at his own attire – black polo shirt, dark blue jeans and black and red Air Jordan's. Because it was an official date this time, Jackson wanted to look cleaner for April. She had done the same wearing an emerald green blouse and black jeans, even slightly curling her hair for their date. Compared to the rest of the vacationers in the restaurant, they both felt like outsiders. Even the waiters were dressed for Hoedown Night.
"I wasn't aware that tonight was a themed night. If I had known, I would have packed my cowboy boots and picked you up from your room on my stallion," Jackson jokingly said, drawing a giggle from April. "This is definitely not my scene."
"It's not so bad. I mean, I guess not for me because growing up on a farm included attending hoedowns," the redhead nonchalantly replied. "And before you stereotype me, let me just say that we didn't have hoedowns every weekend. The last time I went to one, I was twelve. It's been a while since I've attended one of these."
"So, what was your last relationship like if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired.
April softly laughed and sighed. "It was great actually. He was a really good guy."
"But…" Jackson smirked. "There's a but at the end of that sentence. I can tell by the way you're biting your lip."
"He was older, a PhD student at Colorado State. Umm, he was about eight years older than me, which isn't creepy, right? I mean, I've had much older guys hit on me in the past and I have no idea why," she continued and chuckled. "Anyway, Owen graduated and he found a job in Seattle, so he broke up with me. Since then, I've had a string of bad luck when it comes to dating guys. They want everything to happen so fast and I'm a girl who normally likes to take it slow, so I took a break from dating anybody. Maybe that's why I really enjoyed spending time with my ex. He was more mature and didn't date me just for sex. Do you find that creepy?"
"That older men are attracted to you? No, you should be flattered that you're jailbait," he quipped. April blankly stared at him and he cleared his throat, forcing a smile. "I can do a magic trick. Want to see?"
April quickly shrugged and grinned. "Sure."
Jackson furrowed his brow as he reached across the table. "Hold on a second. I think there's something in your hair," he stated, his left hand close to her ear. A second later, he retracted his arm and a quarter was in between his middle and ring fingers. "Do you keep all your loose change in your hair?"
She squealed delightfully and applauded. "That was awesome! I've always wanted to know how to do that. Please tell me."
"A good magician doesn't reveal his secrets," he mischievously answered.
"Oh, fine," she playfully groaned. "What else can you do?"
The football player sheepishly grinned while he stuffed the quarter inside of his pocket. "Actually, that's the only trick I know how to do," he admitted, eliciting another laugh from April. "You can solve a Rubik's Cube easily and I can perform one little magic trick. That makes us even in the hidden talent department, right?"
April nodded, then she turned her attention towards the center of the room. A wooden dance floor had been set up in the middle and one of the waiters was inviting all of the diners for a round of line dancing. As people started to gather in the center, she tugged on Jackson's wrist. "Let's do it! It'll be fun while we wait for our food to arrive."
Jackson grimaced. He could do many things in public, but dancing wasn't one of them. Occasionally, he busted out the chicken dance in front of his fraternity brothers when he was drunk, but actual dancing? Not his thing. Slow dancing was the only exception. And he had never done line dancing ever.
He cringed when "Achy Breaky Heart" started blasting from the speakers. It was the song played at every wedding, every anniversary party, everywhere. It didn't matter what the occasion was, it was the party anthem that everyone somehow got coaxed into dancing to. So while his drunk mother stumbled her way through the number at one of their relatives' wedding, he was hiding by the desserts and stuffing his face with cake. He preferred being a bystander than engaging in a dance that gave him second hand embarrassment.
"Uhh… you go ahead. I'll sit this one out," he insisted.
"You hit me in the face with a door," she reminded him, arching an eyebrow as she stood up from her seat.
Jackson laughed. "I thought dinner last night made up for that."
April shook her head and smiled. "Not in my book," she countered, forcefully pulling him up from his seat. She dragged him towards the dance floor, despite his protests. "Trying something new won't hurt. Besides, you can't be the worst dancer in the world."
"I beg to differ," he muttered. "We- we don't have to go smack dab in the middle, do we? I think the farthest corner away from civilization is best."
She simply laughed off his request as they joined other diners in the center of the dance floor. "Just follow my lead. It's really not that difficult, Jackson. Watch my feet."
Standing awkwardly beside April, he slipped his left hand inside of his pocket and scrunched his face. Jackson heard people around them encouraging him to dance and he started copying what his date was doing. He stumbled when he tripped over his own foot making him feel even more embarrassed. "Shit, I'm terrible."
"That's because you're not actually trying!" April chided. She removed his hand from his pocket and clutched it tightly. "You're too self-conscious about people staring at you. They'll only stare if you want them to stare. Stop worrying about what they might think and dance."
Jackson smirked as April tried to teach him the steps again. He looked down at their interlocked fingers. She was definitely not going to let him sit down until he successfully danced with her, he thought. "Your grip is a little tight," he noted.
"It's so you can't run away," the redhead innocently replied. "Now, watch my feet again."
This time the pretty boy made a better effort in line dancing with the rest of the group. While he continued to feel uncomfortable, at least he managed to avoid tripping over his feet again. And at least it wasn't the Macarena.
Meanwhile, Alex and Jo entered the restaurant, their starving stomachs growling at them to be fed. They stopped by the hostess' podium in time to see the line dancing party in the middle of the room. Seeing Jackson struggle to keep up was an amusing sight to see for his teammate, but it still wasn't enough to convince him to stay.
"Screw this," he scoffed, turning to leave.
"Yeah, let's go," Jo concurred, rushing out of the restaurant. "I told you we were better off buying dinner at that corndog stand at the mall. We just wasted like five minutes walking across the resort for nothing."
"Well, how was I supposed to know it was Yippee-Yo-Ki-Yay night?" he retorted. "I just wanted some freaking barbeque for dinner, but I'm not gonna line dance for it. And you said I could choose where we could eat after I played the quiet game for you. You can't take that back."
She pinched the bridge of her nose and softly groaned. "Yes, you're right. Dammit."
"But you know, corndogs sound pretty awesome to me now," Alex decided and began walking back towards the direction they came from.
They returned to the mall and bought themselves a cheap dinner of corndogs and soda. Sitting beside each other on a bench, they quietly ate their food after a long day of snowboarding. At least when they were out on the slopes, neither of them really had to interact with each other. Jo didn't for the most part. However, sitting together on a bench in complete silence made everything awkward between them.
"So, Avery and Kepner are hitting it off pretty well," he started, though he truthfully didn't care about Jackson's hook ups and relationships. He wanted to bring up a topic that he thought Jo would be interested in without the snide remarks.
"He's not some playboy I have to warn April about, right?" she inquisitively asked. "Because she deserves respect and I refuse to see her get hurt by some guy who is faking his charm only to get into her pants."
"Nah, Avery is one of those guys that everybody likes because he's got charisma or whatever. He's the pretty boy. In the frat house, that's his nickname. All the chicks are mesmerized by his eyes, but he doesn't sleep with just anyone, you know? He's not a major fuck up like I am."
Jo smiled to herself. "Well, it sounds like he and April are a match made in heaven. Between the two of us, she's the innocent one. It's not that she's afraid to take risks, but she's also smart enough not to put herself in a stupid situation, which tends to be my biggest flaw," she explained. "I fall for the dumbest men."
Alex sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Dean's List three years and-"
"Yes, I know," she replied with a smirk. "No need to flatter yourself. That doesn't necessarily excuse your frat boy act."
"Well, we all can't be like Avery, can we?" he sneered.
"If it makes you feel any better, he's not my type," Jo admitted, then she laughed. "Even his pretty boy eyes don't fascinate me. I mean, he seems like a cool person, but the whole clean look just reminds me of my ex-boyfriend. I doubt Jackson is anything like Matthew, though."
"Would I be able to kick this guy's ass?"
She playfully rolled her eyes. "Honestly? Considering you can break a person's clavicle by accident, I think you can take him."
He fist pumped making her chuckle. "That's all I ask."
"You're kind of a dork," the brunette teasingly said, then she stood up. "Although, you're still a more likable person when you're not speaking. Maybe tomorrow we can race on our snowboards."
Alex laughed to himself as he threw his trash away. Jo was playing mind games with him. He couldn't tell which side of her would come out whenever he spoke – the annoyed side or the side that didn't mind his company. Regardless, she was making him work for everything and he was determined to succeed.
Alex paced back and forth in front of Jo and April's hotel room debating whether or not to knock on the door. He had gotten up earlier than he normally did on a daily basis just to pay them a visit, but now he was getting cold feet. Hanging out with Jo was like playing hot potato. Sometimes they got along, but when he said one minor thing that offended her it was game over and he was back at square one. The fact that she hadn't told him to leave her alone after snowboarding was a good sign, he thought.
Unlike most of the women he had encountered prior to meeting her, the brunette actually slightly intimidated him. Not because she looked intimidating, but rather she was forcing him to work hard to impress her. His pickup lines weren't going to work on her. She wasn't gullible like his previous hook ups.
He took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door. Stuffing his hands inside of his jacket pockets, he half-smiled at April, who had opened the door. "Oh. Hey, April."
"Hi, Alex," she greeted him, suspiciously raising an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing here? You know it's barely past seven, right?"
"I'm aware. What are you doing up?"
"Early riser. I grew up on a farm. Anyway, Jo's still asleep."
"That's cool. I'm actually here to see you."
April peeked her head outside. There were some other vacationers walking around with their snowboarding gear, but no Jackson in sight. She stepped out of her room and partially closed the door. "Umm, why?" she asked, folding her arms as the chilly air hit her body. "You're not trying to hit on me, are you? I'm not promiscuous."
"Dude," Alex chuckled. "You and Avery already do it?"
"No, we didn't do it," she retorted, imitating his voice during the last two words. "Why are you here?"
He quickly shrugged his shoulders. "I just… want some advice from the only person who knows Jo best. We sort of hit it off yesterday and uhh, I thought maybe I could take her out on a date or whatever. You think she'd want to go out with me?"
"Well, she wasn't complaining about you last night, so that tells me you're not lying about you two getting along," April noted, then she sighed. "I suppose so. As long as you're not too demanding or obnoxious when you ask her. And if she says no, don't push her buttons. She will likely give you a black eye."
"Is violence always her freaking answer to everything?" the football player jokingly asked.
"She still has a lot of leftover rage from her last relationship," she muttered.
Alex scoffed. "That Matthew guy? I could take him. Jo said so herself."
"Uh huh," April half-heartedly replied. She chewed on her bottom lip and decided to change the subject. "Does Jackson talk about me to you? Like, is he sincerely interested in me?"
"Oh, great. Girl talk," he groaned, scratching the back of his neck and grimacing. "Uhh… even though you made him take part in that line dancing crap, he seems obsessed with you. Not in a creepy stalker way or anything. All that dude did last night was talk about you when he got back to our room. I had to throw a pillow at him to shut him up."
Her face suddenly beamed. Even though she barely knew Alex, he was a blunt guy. She knew he wouldn't lie to her. "Did he… did he mention anything to you about any plans he had in mind? I thought maybe I could snowboard with Jo today-"
"No!" he panicked, raising his hands in front of his chest. Alex sheepishly grinned, while April scrunched her nose at him in confusion. "I uhh, I heard Avery tell me from the bathroom last night that he wants to visit downtown Aspen with you. Think of it as a really long date."
April slowly nodded in approval. She did want to explore downtown Aspen prior to the end of their vacation. "Umm… do you know what time he plans on picking me up?"
"I don't know, Kepner. Call his freaking cell."
"He never gave me his number."
Alex threw his arms up in frustration. "What the hell, you guys? You don't screw, you two don't exchange numbers – you two suck at this hooking up thing," he chided, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He opened his contacts and found Jackson's number. "Here, memorize this and then we'll pretend this never happened."
"You are so sweet. No wonder Jo loves being around you," April sarcastically replied. She pushed open the door of her room and stepped inside. "Anyway, thank you. I'll tell Jo to meet you in the lobby when she wakes up."
Alex pursed his lips after the redhead quickly shut the door before he could respond. After he returned to his own room, his best friend was just waking up. "Why are you already awake?"
"I should ask you the same thing," Jackson groggily responded while he rubbed his eyes. He sat up on his bed, squinting his eyes at his teammate, who took a seat on the opposite bed. "Where'd you go?"
"To Jo and April's room. We had a threesome," he mischievously answered.
"Right," the pretty boy mumbled. "Seriously, why'd you get up so early just to visit their room?"
Alex lay sprawled out on his bed, his arms tucked beneath his head. "Oh, I wanted some inside information from April about Jo. Also, I told her you were taking her to downtown Aspen for the day, so your date's all set thanks to me," he informed him. "She thought about going snowboarding, but I need to step up my game with Jo."
Jackson smiled as he climbed out of bed. "Fine by me. Why are you so desperate to hook up with Jo?" he curiously asked on his way to the bathroom. "Normally, you just move on to the next woman you meet after the last one rejects you. What's different about her?"
He quickly shrugged. "I don't know. I have a feeling she's somebody who gets me or whatever. She still hasn't completely warmed up to me, so that's why I need to be alone with her some more. Now I got a question for you, Avery. Why haven't you sealed the deal with April? I thought you two would've done it by now."
Peeking his head out with a toothbrush in his mouth, Jackson furrowed his brow at Alex. "The timing hasn't been perfect," he said with a mouthful of toothpaste. "And I have to ensure that you're occupied. I don't want you bursting in on us in the middle of sex."
"Dude, just put out the 'Do Not Disturb' sign tonight and I'll know not to come in. Well, only if Jo doesn't threaten to kill me and ruin my day," he declared. "April like freaking asked me if you're seriously into her. It's like she thinks you're using her for sex and then you'll hang her up to dry."
"I don't think that," Jackson disagreed. "She's pretty amazing."
Alex guffawed. "More amazing than that Lexie chick you have stashed at home in Boston?"
Back at home, Jackson had a former girlfriend named Lexie Grey. They dated all through high school and broke up when the former left for Colorado. However, they had made a pact declaring that they would marry each other if they were both single by the time they were thirty years old. So far, it wouldn't be happening if she remained in a steady relationship with her Harvard law student boyfriend for the next eight years. They were good friends, but it was too early to tell if that promise between them would actually happen.
Jackson stepped out of the bathroom after he finished using it. "Maybe so. I want more time with April, you know?" He gestured his hand towards Alex. "And you. If you want to impress Jo, stop acting like a dick. Smile more too. You'll probably scare her off with that scowl of yours."
"Smile? Like this?" His teammate flashed the cheesiest and fakest smile, showing off his teeth.
"Uhh, sure," he reluctantly answered. "That'll work… I think."
"And by the way, I gave April your number. You guys are obsessed with sucking each other's faces that you both failed to even do the first step in hooking up," Alex scoffed. "Amateurs. I feel like I'm doing all the dirty work for you two."
"That's why you're dependable half the time," Jackson acknowledged, winking at his friend. He gathered some clothes from his suitcase and began to change into them. Another full day with April? He was loving his broken wrist more and more.
For most of the day, Jackson and April spent time walking around downtown Aspen checking out shops and searching for decent restaurants to dine in. The redhead found an ice skating rink and forced him to join her. He was very reluctant about it, claiming he hadn't gone ice skating since he was a child. But just like the line dancing incident, she managed to convince him to go through with it. She was amused by how tightly he held her hand like he was deathly afraid of falling down. He eventually felt more comfortable – as long as they were close to the railing.
While they played tourist in the area, they shared more information about themselves. They visited an art museum and later watched a jazz band perform at the park. They dined at a cozy Italian restaurant for dinner before riding a shuttle back to the Snowmass Village. It was a day-long date they both thoroughly enjoyed.
During the ride back to their resort, Jackson casually stared out the window until April rested her head against his shoulder. He smiled down at her as he wrapped an arm around her. In the few days they knew each other, he was already falling hard for her and he hoped the feeling was mutual.
On their way to his hotel room, he stopped in front of the door and nervously laughed. "Umm… today was better. No line dancing."
She chuckled and playfully nudged his side with her elbow. "I had fun today, though."
"Me too," he concurred, leaning in to kiss her. Jackson blindly reached for his keycard in his back pocket. "Karev's leaving us the room for tonight…"
"Oh, yeah? I umm… I don't usually move this fast with a guy, but… I will make an exception," April murmured in between kisses. "Where's Alex going to sleep then? Please don't say my bed."
Jackson snickered as he opened the door. "Beats me. He can take care of himself," he insisted, pulling her into his hotel room and shutting the door.
Standing ten feet away from their room, Alex cursed at himself as he watched the couple makeout and stumble into the room. He hoped he could take a shower and change after hanging out with Jo on the slopes until they closed all of the lifts for the day, but his roommate and his female companion beat him to the room. She had gone to her own room to do the same and he promised he would meet her there, so they could get something to eat afterward.
And unsurprisingly, he watched the door slightly open and Jackson's arm pop out to hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign. Alex softly groaned in frustration and walked to the women's hotel room. He knocked on the door, impatiently waiting for an answer. Jo was likely in the shower, so he knocked harder to try to get her attention.
A minute later, the door partially opened and the volleyball player was slightly caught off-guard to see him. "Done already? You're still wearing the same clothes."
"Avery is busy screwing April, so I can't go in there," Alex grumbled. "Can I come in?"
"Umm… sure," Jo hesitantly answered, opening the door wider for him. She donned a white towel around her body and her hair was dripping wet. After she closed the door, she rushed back into the bathroom. "Make yourself comfortable on the bed closest to the door. And don't touch anything!"
Alex smirked as he passed by the bathroom. Seeing Jo in a towel was a lovely surprise for him. She was always covered in winter clothes, so the towel look drew a smile on his face. He set his snowboard against the wall and plopped down onto her bed. His initial plan was to take her out to one of the restaurants in the resort as a date, but without being able to freshen up, he doubted she would want to be around him when he reeked of sweat.
He lay back and stared at the ceiling, recalling their day in his mind. They had taken on every expert course they could face and competed to see who would reach the bottom first. It had gone back and forth, one winning over the other and then the reverse. On their last hill, they agreed that the loser would buy dinner for the winner.
In order to make it feel like a date, Alex purposely let Jo win.
Minutes later, her voice filled the room as she left the bathroom wearing a new set of clothes and a towel around her head. "I was thinking we could just do room service. My legs are sore and I'm kind of tired," she suggested. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, I guess," he replied, trying to hide his disappointment. "But I'm supposed to pay for dinner 'cause I lost."
Jo dismissively waved her hand as she skimmed the room service menu. "You can make it up to me tomorrow. No biggie," she nonchalantly answered. "Burgers and beer good?"
Alex sighed as he removed his jacket. "That's cool."
A whole day without any real bickering, no snappy reactions from Jo and they managed to get along. Yet somehow, it felt like strike two for him. He wasn't sure what else he could do to earn points from her anymore.
The following morning, Jackson woke up from his sleep feeling quite satisfied after the night he had with April. Plus, he was grateful that Karev listened to him and didn't barge in like he normally did back at their fraternity house. Then again, his roommate had his own plans with Jo. Otherwise, he most definitely would have ruined their night by walking in during sex.
He smiled as he turned his head to make sure she was still beside him. April remained asleep flat on her stomach. Her auburn hair covered most of her face and he quietly chuckled as she lightly snored. He gently brushed aside her hair, so he could see her face. He hadn't minded that she was in control for the most part. Sometimes he preferred letting the woman be on top. As much as he hated that he only had one reliable arm, his other half made up for it. The redhead he had brought back to his hotel room knew exactly what she was doing.
Prior to arriving in Aspen, Jackson had hoped to score with at least one woman without any emotional attachment. However, meeting April changed his initial plan. He wanted a relationship with her. She was the type of woman he knew he could trust and they would only be an hour away from each other by car. They could make it work, he thought.
The pretty boy carefully slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. In his mind, he was already making plans for their next night. He had never been so infatuated with a woman like he was with April. While he didn't have a long list of past girlfriends, there were plenty enough to compare her to – and none of them matched up to her. She was different in a very good way.
Meanwhile in the bedroom, April stirred in her asleep. Her arm reached for Jackson, but her hand landed on the mattress. She opened one eye to find nobody beside her, though the sound of the shower assured her that he hadn't bailed. Reaching for her cell phone on the bedside table, she checked for any missed calls or messages from Jo. Nothing from her best friend, which meant she hadn't murdered Alex last night.
She gathered her clothes from the floor and started to dress herself. It was rare waking up in the guy's bedroom. In the past times she had sex, it always happened in her room. Sleeping with Jackson felt different from her few ex-boyfriends. He made her feel comfortable and he clearly wasn't bored with her after three days of getting to know each other. She normally didn't jump into bed with a man so soon. They weren't even actively dating. April typically waited until she was dating somebody for a couple of months before even thinking about sex. For the majority of her romantic life, she only reached that level a few times.
The shower turned off and April patiently sat on the edge of the bed. Jackson eventually appeared wearing a towel around his waist. His muscular and athletically toned body continued to make her blush. He laughed after she caught herself staring and immediately looked away.
"Good morning," he happily greeted her as she jumped up onto her feet. "Leaving already?"
"I uhh, want to take a shower in my room and make sure Jo's still alive somewhere," she sheepishly answered, her eyes staring down at the floor.
Jackson raised his eyebrow at April. "Are you okay? Was last night a mistake or…"
She quickly shook her head. "No, no! It's not that. I just… have a hard time looking at you right now when all you're wearing is that towel. I mean, I've seen you without anything in dim lighting. Well, now that I'm seeing you with better lighting I'm- I'm a little overwhelmed."
He smirked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hoping you wouldn't have woken up before I finished in the bathroom. I wanted to wake you up myself – the Jackson way."
"What's the Jackson way?" she curiously asked.
"How about I keep that a secret and wait for the next night we have together?" Jackson mischievously stated, tilting April's chin up with his thumb and pressing his lips against hers. "There will be another night, right? I want to continue seeing you."
"That sounds very tempting," April playfully replied. She placed her hands against his chiseled pecs and smiled. "The more time I spend with you, the more charming you become."
A knock on the door interrupted their next kiss and Jackson pulled away to answer it. "Probably Karev. At least he has the rare courtesy to knock instead of coming in here and ruining our privacy." He opened the door and instead of his roommate outside, it was a woman with dirty blonde hair. The football player stared at her with wide eyes. "Leah?"
The woman forced her way into the hotel room. "A voicemail? You dumped me via voicemail?!" she angrily shouted. April cleared her throat causing her to look back at her confused. "And who is this?"
Jackson rushed in between the two women, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe you followed me here," he mumbled before facing April. "Umm… this is Leah Murphy. She's my-"
"Girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend. Who the hell are you?" Leah agitatedly interrupted.
"You've had a girlfriend this whole time?" April inquired, furrowing her brow at Jackson. Suddenly, Mr. Perfect turned into Mr. Douchebag. She walked past the other two and headed for the door. "You asshole!"
"April, she's not my girlfriend!" he insisted, running after her. Before she could leave, he pressed his hand against the door. She refused to look at him, but she deserved to know the whole story. "I broke up with her before I came here. I haven't been lying to you."
"So that makes me a rebound, right?" she murmured.
Pushing his arm away, April opened the door and hurriedly left his room. She returned to her own hotel room, fumbling with her keycard and slamming the door behind her once she made it inside. The loud noise caused both Jo and Alex to shoot up into a sitting position after waking up simultaneously. Standing a few feet away from the bed, the redhead stared at them appalled, while her roommate covered herself up with her blanket.
Alex squinted his eyes as his vision zoned in on the furious expression on April's face. "Dude… you and Avery do it?"
Jo scrunched her nose in confusion when her best friend groaned loudly and stormed out of the room. "What the hell just happened?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Hmm… it's time for you to go. I have to find April and figure out what's wrong."
"Can you do it in like fifteen minutes?" He leaned in and peppered kisses along her shoulder. A night that was initially disappointing turned into a night that pleased him greatly. Perhaps ordering porn and making fun of it while they ate their dinner was the key to getting through to Jo. Or it could have been the beer. Either way, he appreciated how the night ended. "She may need to be alone and let off some steam."
"Yeah, but if it has anything to do with your friend, I might have to kick his ass," she implied, reaching down towards the floor and picking up Alex's jeans. She threw them at his chest and searched for the rest of his clothes. "Last night was amazing, but you need to leave."
"Fine," he muttered and dressed himself. "Do you want to meet up for breakfast after you're done dealing with April's chick issues or whatever? I'll give Avery some crap if this is his fault, okay?"
"You're such a sweetheart," Jo sarcastically answered, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face. "Let's see how long this will take first. I have a feeling I will be handing her a ton of tissues later."
Alex finished getting dressed and stood up. "Alright, I'll go find out what Avery did then. Just don't pretend this never happened when we see each other again. Your sounds last night said otherwise," he quipped, ducking after Jo threw a pillow at him. "I'm going, I'm going!"
He left the room and walked back to his own with a smile on his face. The sex with Jo had been great, but he truly enjoyed spending time with her. Although it took some time before she softened up to him, he was positive he met somebody who understood him better than any other woman he previously hooked up with. And she was no pushover. He had to earn her respect.
When he entered his hotel room he found Jackson lying down on his bed wearing nothing but basketball shorts. His roommate's eyes were covered by his left forearm and he appeared to be upset about something. "Dude, what happened with Kepner?" he inquisitively asked while he removed his jacket. "She showed up in her and Jo's room, made some weird sound and left. What the hell did you do?"
Jackson shot up into a sitting position and pounded his fist against the mattress. "It wasn't me! It- it was Leah!" he exclaimed, drawing a surprised reaction from Alex. "She's here! About ten minutes ago, she showed up at my door."
"I told you that chick was crazy," he chuckled, shaking his head as he walked towards his own bed.
"She thinks breaking up with her via voicemail doesn't count, so she introduced herself to April as my girlfriend. I tried to explain to April that we weren't together, but now she thinks she's a rebound," the pretty boy bitterly responded.
"No offense, man, but she is a rebound," Alex noted.
"But I don't see her that way!" Jackson retorted. "I don't want to pretend I never met April after this trip is over. I want to date her, drive to Fort Collins to see her whenever I can. I like her a lot, Karev. And now she can't stand to be around me."
His teammate stared at him uncomfortably. "Are we having a sappy, chick talk?"
"C'mon, this is serious. Quit being an ass and be a real friend for once."
"Avery, it's not my fault that you never told her about Leah. All you had to tell her was, 'I just got out of a relationship last freaking weekend', but you didn't. You were too busy drooling over her to be straight with her. So you know what? You deserved what just happened to you. Your Prince Charming demeanor might work for you 99% of the time, but you screwed up. Instead of being a total pansy, man up and go talk to her," Alex bluntly stated. "I may be your wingman or whatever, but I'm tired of being the guy who has to stand next to you, so you can look good."
Jackson remained speechless as Alex went into the bathroom to take a shower. He was used to his best friend speaking his mind whether it was appropriate or not. But dammit, Karev was right. Then again, neither of them expected Leah to follow them to Aspen, which for him proved that his ex was too clingy. It was his mess to fix and moping on his bed wouldn't help the matter. He got himself a new change of clothes and rushed out of his hotel room to search for April.
Even in a large resort, Jo knew where to find April. She ruled out the mountains because her roommate wasn't a snowboarder to begin with. There had been numerous times when the redhead needed to unleash her anger through physical activity, though she found it rather quirky. It wasn't kickboxing or beating a punching bag, but something that was supposed to be fun and not violent.
The recreation center wasn't located too far from their lodge and to her delight, Jo found April in one of the many gyms playing badminton with a young boy possibly no older than twelve. Her best friend, though, wasn't giving the boy much of a chance as she consistently smashed the birdie at the helpless victim with her badminton racket. She knew that when this happened, the normally calm and collected woman was pissed.
"Hey, stop it!" the boy yelled after getting nailed in between the eyes by her.
"Oh, be a big boy and suck it up!" April barked, pointing her racket at the boy. Inside of that petite body was a feisty competitor who showed zero mercy to her opponents. "My point. Your turn to serve."
"No! You're gonna kill me!"
She rolled her eyes and blew some hair away from her face. "Serve the damn birdie!"
Jo intervened, stepping in front of April and wrapping an arm around her waist. She forced a grin as she glanced back at the scared tween. "Sorry about that, kid. We're leaving now," she apologized before dragging her roommate outside into an empty hallway. "Are you trying to get arrested? You could've blinded that kid if you beamed him in the eye!"
April pouted. "Well, he's a boy and when he grows up he'll be just as stupid as the rest of them," she muttered, setting the racket aside and folding her arms.
Placing her hands on top of the redhead's shoulders, Jo sighed. "Did Jackson do something to you? Because if he did, I'm willing to spend a night in jail for you. He only has one good arm to fight with anyway," she jokingly said, but April wasn't laughing. "Seriously, what happened?"
"He has or had a girlfriend who showed up this morning that he didn't tell me about," she murmured with a frown on her face. "And he broke up with her in a voicemail! How immature is that? I don't care if she's obsessed or crazy. You don't do that to a woman!"
"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry," she sympathetically replied, pulling April in for a hug.
Her friend suddenly broke down crying. "I'm just a rebound," she sobbed, burying her face into Jo's shoulder. "Why can't I f-find a decent man? Am- am I doing something wrong?"
"No, you've just been unlucky," Jo comforted her, rubbing her back. "Is there anything I can do?"
"My ideas consist of you going to prison, so there isn't much to say," April mumbled. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand after taking a step back away from Jo. "Can we just… actually, I want to go home."
"Are you sure?"
She slowly nodded. "Look, I know this entire trip was my idea for you. You're free to stay because you have this thing with Alex and I don't want to ruin that for you, but I don't want to be here anymore. I'm sorry, Jo."
Jo waved her hand and sadly smiled. "Don't be. You know, I don't really know how it happened. We were just joking around and one thing led to another…" She paused when April frowned at her. "Alex turned out be a pretty awesome guy, but you're more important to me. I don't want you going home alone," she declared. "I'm going with you, okay? We'll have plenty of girlfriend, junk food eating quality time together in our apartment."
"You'd do that for me?"
"We're best friends! Of course I would," she chuckled. "No man comes before you, April. I learned my lesson with Matthew and I'm not going to put anybody ahead of you, especially when an idiot shatters your heart the way Jackson did."
The two women left the recreation center together. Jo comforted her roommate, wrapping an arm over her shoulder while she let April quietly cry beside her. She had been in her best friend's shoes before, so she understood exactly how it felt to feel worthless. And she had been hopeful that Jackson was perfect for April.
They returned to their hotel room to pack their belongings. After bringing their luggage to the main lobby, Jo checked them out early, while April waited outside for a shuttle to take them to the airport. Alex arrived at the lobby and quickly approached the brunette.
"Hey, you two leaving?" he asked curiously.
"Yes. It's not because of you, obviously. This is for April," Jo confirmed, turning around after she received her credit card. She placed her hand against Alex's chest. "Listen, I know I was hardly polite to you in the few days we've been here, but you are a good guy."
"Damn. I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight," Alex dejectedly replied, stuffing his hands inside of his pockets. "Can't you convince Kepner to stick around? I'll tie down Jackson to a chair in our room if it means he'll stay away from her."
Grabbing a pen from the front desk, she picked up his hand and scribbled numbers on his palm. "That's my number. Call me if you don't want to pretend last night didn't happen," the volleyball player instructed. She kissed his cheek and smiled. "See you later, douchebag."
A smile formed off the corner of Alex's mouth as he watched Jo exit the lobby. He gazed down at his hand and stared at her phone number. His eyes were too focused on the hand he wasn't sure he would wash again that he failed to notice Jackson approaching him.
"Finally give up on Jo?" he muttered.
"Nope." Alex waved his hand in front of Jackson's face and grinned. "This, my friend, is her number. She voluntarily gave it to me after we did some naked dancing last night in her room."
His roommate rolled his eyes. "Good for you, I guess. Have you seen April? I can't find her and nobody's answering the door in their room." He watched Alex point at the pair, who were climbing into the airport shuttle. "Wait. Are they leaving?"
"Affirmative, dude."
"And you're letting them?!" Jackson exclaimed with wide eyes. "I still need to talk to April!"
He sprinted towards the exit only to be cut off by Leah. "There you are. You and I have unfinished business," she gleefully greeted him, grasping his arm. She noticed the cast on his right arm and gasped. "You poor thing. Want me to buy you some hot cocoa?"
Jackson groaned as he watched the shuttle drive away. He politely but angrily pushed Leah aside and cursed out loud. "We're broken up! I broke up with you! That means we are broken up," he irritably replied. "And breaking up with you wasn't an invitation for you to crash my vacation like a stalking ex-girlfriend, which is basically what you are now."
She scowled at him. "Who dumps their girlfriend through voicemail? It either means you're an asshole or you're too much of a coward to tell people how you feel to their face. No wonder that other girl you were with hates you. I bet you never told her that you just got out of a committed relationship."
"Six weeks isn't what I call a committed relationship," he retorted. "I should've listened to Karev when he told me you get attached too easily."
Jackson stormed outside and dialed April's cell phone number. Unsurprisingly, he was automatically sent to her voicemail. He wanted to chase her down and stop her from leaving, but he suspected she wouldn't listen to him. They had only known each other for three days. Any trust they built between each other in that time was likely lost.
He wasn't ready to give up, though.
Two days passed and April remained glum after returning to Fort Collins. Stuffing her face with ice cream barely made her feel any better. It only gave her stomach aches. She tried her hardest to get over Jackson. Perhaps it was best that they weren't in a serious relationship. Otherwise, the fallout would have been more painful. She couldn't stop thinking about how charming and kind he had been to her, though. And one screw up had to ruin everything.
There will be other men like him, she thought.
She shook her head as she stared at the TV from the couch. Oh, who was she kidding? Jackson carried every quality that she found perfect in a man and he blew it. She was back in Single Town.
Jo entered the living room with a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. "Look, I didn't burn these this time," she proudly announced, setting the plate on the coffee table. "My baking skills are getting better, see?"
"But do your words match the quality of the cookie?" April teasingly said with a smirk.
"I should be offended, but I haven't tried it yet either, so I'll withhold my judgment. How about we watch a movie?" she suggested. "Which sappy chick flick that I'm normally opposed to will I sit through next? Did we go through your entire Nicholas Sparks collection? I can do without those."
"Umm… let me go check in my room," the redhead murmured. She stood up and walked to her bedroom to find a movie to watch.
Jo reached for one of her cookies and bit into it. Her smile changed into a disgusted expression as she spit it out in her hand. "Crap. I knew I mixed up the salt and the sugar bowls," she muttered to herself, taking the plate and tossing the cookies into the trash can. There was a knock on the door and she answered it. Jackson stood in front of her and she slightly glared at him. "It's you."
The football player removed his beanie and twisted it back and forth in his hands. "Is she here?" he asked eagerly.
"Maybe," she replied, furrowing her brow at him. "But why should I let you see her?"
"Because I brought Karev with me," Jackson answered, pointing over the balcony at Alex, who was sitting on a park bench outside. "And he also got your address from you, so we could drive up here after we came back from Aspen."
Jo held up a finger. "One second," she said, closing the front door. A minute later, she opened the door again. This time, she stepped outside wearing a thick jacket and a pair of UGG boots. "Go inside and don't make her cry. She's still a little fragile."
He smiled as he walked past her. "Thank you."
She strolled down the stairs leading to her apartment and met with Alex at the bench. He stood up, spreading his arms out as he grinned at her. "Hey, babe!"
"Ugh, don't call me that," Jo scolded him before throwing her arms over his shoulders and kissing his lips. They had texted back and forth to each other since she left Aspen, but she kept that from April, so she wouldn't feel singled out. "So, you think letting him in was a good idea?"
"He's been patient and really annoying with his moping, so give the guy a chance," Alex insisted, then he scanned the area. "Besides, I want to find that Matthew guy. I want to shake his hand – and then break it."
She let out a laugh. "Actually, he's studying abroad this semester."
"What? You got me all excited to finally meet this dude and he's not even in the same country as us?" he whined, shaking his head.
Jo playfully shrugged and she smiled. "Sorry. You'd rather see me, though, right?"
Alex smirked as he leaned in for another kiss. "You'll do," he jokingly said, causing her to punch his shoulder. He winced and rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder. "Well, you definitely don't hit like a girl."
Meanwhile in the apartment, Jackson waited for April on the couch. She finally emerged from her bedroom holding three DVD's in her hand. "Not Nicholas Sparks, Jo, so you can relax." She stopped a few feet away from him after she noticed him in the living room. "What are you doing here?"
Jackson stood up and slowly approached her. "I wanted to see you. How are you?"
"I'm… fine," she timidly replied and bit her bottom lip. "Why are you here?"
"C'mon, you know why. You never gave me the chance to explain myself. Maybe I didn't deserve that chance, but I'm here because I care about you and you should know how I really feel about you," he firmly stated. "Okay, so when I first arrived in Aspen I wanted to hook up with someone to take my mind off of my crazy ex-girlfriend. I'll admit that, but when I met you I never saw you as a one night stand or a rebound. Not once."
"And why should I believe you?"
Jackson dropped his arms to his sides and frowned. "If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have taken the time to drive up here to apologize. I thought a couple days would be enough to give you some space." He let out a sigh. "I really like you. I should've been a little more open about my past relationships since you opened up to me about your ex-boyfriend. To be honest, I didn't think it was a big deal because I wasn't expecting my ex to show up like that. I'm sorry that I made you think you didn't mean anything to me. Just give me one more chance to prove to you that I'm not the douche you think I am."
April quietly thought to herself, while he anxiously waited for an answer. "Don't expect me to jump into your arms right away, but umm… do you want to go grab some coffee?" she softly asked. "We can talk more then."
"I like coffee," he answered, sheepishly smiling at her.
She slightly smiled as she turned away and returned to her bedroom. Moments later, she came back wearing a jacket and shoes. "You're paying," she stated, opening the door and leaving her apartment.
"That's okay by me," he happily replied and followed her outside. The twosome found Alex and Jo waiting for them on the bench. "We're gonna get some coffee. Want to join us?"
"Well, since that doofus Matthew isn't even around, sure," Alex agreed. He kept his arm draped over Jo's shoulder as the foursome started walking along the path. "April, did Avery ever admit to you that he broke his freaking wrist ice skating?"
"No…" the redhead slowly answered, suspiciously looking at Jackson. "Really? That's why you were afraid to ice skate with me?"
Alex chuckled. "Dude, he was trying to show off to some chicks and he fell flat on his face. He tried to use his arms to break his fall and his wrist snapped like a twig," he recalled, laughing until Jackson reached over and slapped him upside the head. "Hey, if you plan on being honest with her now, you gotta tell her everything."
Jackson rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. Very typical of his roommate to blurt out his embarrassing moments in front of a woman he liked. "Fine. That's the truth," he mumbled, then he leaned towards a smirking April. "Remind me to kill Karev later."