2

Brilliantly bright, incandescent, are the terms which come to Nicholas upon seeing Valeria for the first time.

Don in a rose red sweater with blonde waves tied up in a loose knot atop her head, Val seems like someone who's entirely too happy in her life — an attribute Nick finds himself envying quite a bit. So, all he finds himself able to do is to stare at her with removed amusement as she extends her hand for him to shake. He stands still, his hands tucked firmly in his pockets, watching her smile dim down.

"This mute one here is Nicholas," Stella gestures to him, swooping in to save Nick the embarrassment. "A bit of a snob at first, but eventually he'll warm up to you." Winking at him, she adds, "Like, hopefully, by the time we're coming back he would've managed to utter a hello."

Nick frowns to himself, but lets it go — at least he didn't have to say anything — as the introductions move on to Richard, who smiles with his winning charm, adjusting his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

"Alright guys, now chop-chop. We've got a plane to catch!" announces Stella, throwing her arm around Valeria, leading the group toward the boarding area.

Nicholas finds himself lagging behind a bit, reluctant once again. He fidgets with the strap of his bag, contemplating his decisions one final time. And then he hears laughter, gleeful and musical, and looks up just in time to catch Valeria's eye. Looking over her shoulder, her features frozen in mid-laugh in that moment, she shoots him a smile. Instinctively Nick grimaces, but then his lips slowly quirk up at the sides in a sheepish smile, to which hers only widens before she swings her head back around.

Envy gives way to hope then, as Nick tightens his grip on his rucksack and starts moving forward. You can do this, he repeats to himself, feeling the weight of most of his worries momentarily slide off his shoulders.

With friends. To a change.

His sheepish smile widens into a real one.

To life.

~~~~~~~~~~

Wind whips past Valeria's face, blowing blonde locks of hair every which way. She rests her elbow on the ledge, peering out the open window and into the early evening sky. With Nick behind the wheel, Val sitting shotgun, and Stella and Richard dozing off in the back, the group is only a couple of miles away from their destination, the Gaick Lodge.

Soon Val spots small settlements up ahead, growing larger by the minute, until they're driving past lush, mowed grass plains, giving way to inns and shooting ranges. The car comes to halt in front of a small hut, surrounded by about ten more of its kind.

Stepping out, Valeria straightens her back and takes in a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh, mountain air. Now knowing for sure, this is exactly what she'd come here searching for.

Sluggishly the group enters the hut — a quaint little wooden house with a cosy common room, a small kitchen to the side, and two bedrooms.

Instantly Stella takes charge. "So, that one will be for the two of you to kip in," she announces, gesturing vaguely to Richard and Nicholas before pointing to the room in the far off corner, toward the back of the hut. "And this one here shall be for the ladies." Smiling to herself contently and in a haze of sleep, Stella turns around and walks off, waving behind her back. "Night you all."

"Right, so," Richard suppresses a yawn, "I guess I'll be off too then. See you guys in the morning." Nodding to himself, he, too, leaves.

Now left alone with Nicholas, Val shifts from one foot to the other, awkward around this new quiet guy, yet studying his profile from the corners of her eyes. He stands very still, she notices, looking infinitely calm, yet unsure. Soon this causes her fidgeting to cease as well. A few moments later Valeria clears her throat and begins to say, "So... I'll just um—"

"Yeah, you should," Nick replies, looking directly at her, but also not at her.

"Uh, yeah... Yes." She bites her lip, pulling the strap of her rucksack farther up her shoulder. "Goodnight Nicholas."

"Night, Valeria."

~~~~~~~~~~

Late at night, Nicholas sits on the perch of the hut, his stare fixed straight ahead into open space. Every now and then he drags in a deep breath, reminding himself of all the benefits this fresh air would be doing for him.

However, his mind keeps insisting that all he's really doing is escaping an inevitable and uncertain future. He wonders whether this trip will actually shed some light for him, lead him to the path of self-discovery. Because at the end of the day, he knows he'd still be returning to Lincoln, to an empty home — rather too filled with sorrows and loneliness for it to actually be fit to call that place a home.

Sighing, he stretches his neck, catching a glimpse of a figure moving from the corner of his eye. He turns around and finds Valeria stood by the window, staring out, at him.

Swallowing, he holds her gaze for a moment. He doesn't force any animosity into their interaction, but neither does he make it so that it would seem friendly and inviting. As much as the new girl seems nice, spreading hope and smiles all around her, he'd still rather be left alone with his worries. He doesn't know her yet. And more importantly, she doesn't know him.

Eventually Valeria looks away, before looking back up once again, smiling uncertainly at him. Though her smile is nothing like the brilliant one's she's usually sporting. She then turns around, the darkness of the house swallowing her figure whole.

Nick turns his face to the front again, taking in a huge gulp of air. The slightly chilly weather now clings to the exposed bits of his skin. Suddenly feeling cold, he rubs his hands down his arms. And then as goose bumps erect on his skin, he realises with a surprised jolt — a profound sense of loneliness, that's what has encompassed him.

Deciding that he's had enough contemplation for one night, he stands up to head back inside the hut. With his hand on the doorknob, Nick stops for a moment and chances a glance toward the window where Val had been stood watching him. Finding it empty, he can't fathom as to why a shade of sadness glosses him over.