Tracy is sprawled across one of the many couches in Derek’s huge living room in his lodge, staring at an old movie on TV. She doesn’t even know what’s it about; she’s so bored she can’t even find the will to focus.
Suddenly she’s hit in the stomach with a pillow and Hayden’s face appears in front of hers, a mischievous smirk dancing on her lips.
“What’s up?” She asks.
Tracy lazily stretches, throws the pillow that’s still lying on her stomach on the floor.
“Nothing much. I’m just bored. Everyone is doing something and I’m just lying around being useless.”
“Wanna go out? We could go on a winter hike or something.”
Tracy raises her eyebrows.
“I thought you hated snow.”
Hayden shrugs, falls onto the couch next to her.
“Maybe dying and coming back to life changed something.”
Tracy’s stomach twists just by thinking of the feeling of coming back to life after being dead for a month. She sits up straight and puts her head between her knees.
Hayden immediately flings herself next to her and rubs her back.
“I’m sorry, Tracy. I shouldn’t joke about that. I keep forgetting you were…. gone longer than me.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re better now, right?”
And they are. They used to be much worse. They used to be like zombies when they were with Theo. When they were with him, they didn’t have a mind of their own. It was as if they all shared one mind. His mind.
But then Theo was killed and whatever power he had on them died with him. Their personal night of the living dead was finally over.
Tracy combs her fingers through her hair, inhales through her nose and gets up.
“Come on, then. We only have a small window for sneaking out before anyone notices we’re not washing dishes like we’re supposed to.”
“Wait up!” Tracy pants two hours later. They’re climbing a steep hill covered in slippery snow and she’s having trouble staying on her feet.
Hayden stops at the top of the hill, her hands in her sides and in all probability a smug grin on her face.
“What’s up, Stewart? Can’t keep up?”
Tracy would give her the finger, but she’s too busy gripping at snow to try and keep her balance.
When she finally reaches the top – on hands and knees, but still – she grabs Hayden’s jeans to pull herself up.
“Jesus Christ,” she wheezes.
“I didn’t know I was that out of shape.”
“Yeah, where’s that girl who I used to play soccer with? Or should I say ‘who I always beat playing soccer’?”
“Shut up,” Tracy says, nudging her friend in the shoulder.
“Remember when we were on opposite teams in a game and you threw up on the ball?”
“Shut up!” Tracy pushes her harder now, trying to act angry.
“Oh, or remember when you scored for the wrong team? Thanks for that, by the way! We needed that goal!”
“You little shit!” Tracy jumps Hayden, who tries to keep her balance with the impact of their bodies slamming against each other.
But the hill is slippery, even for Miss Perfect Balance Hayden Romero, and she slips.
They both go tumbling down the hill, laughing and screaming as snow drips into their clothing and freezes their skin. When they land at the bottom, they’re both out of breath.
Somehow, Hayden managed to land on top of Tracy. Tracy can feel her heartbeat against her chest.
She touches Hayden’s nose with hers in a gesture of intimacy.
“Remember when we were practicing together and we managed to end up in the exact same position as now?” Tracy jokes. It had been warmer and they had landed on soft green grass instead of cold snow, but it’s practically the same situation.
Hayden nods, her eyes fixated on Tracy’s.
“Remember what I did back then?” She wonders.
Tracy bites her lip as she hums.
“Want me to do it again?”
Tracy’s breath hitches in her throat. She’s unable to utter a sound, just closes her eyes in response.
Hayden kisses her so softly it’s like she isn’t kissing her at all. Her lips barely touch hers, but where they do it’s like electricity.
Tracy pushes herself up a bit, trying to press her lips harder on Hayden’s. Hayden pulls back, arrogantly smiles up to Tracy.
“Is there something you want?” She asks, innocently tilting her head.
“You’re the worst,” Tracy breathes. Then she carefully grips into her hair and pushes her back down to kiss her for real.
Hayden opens her mouth for her with a sigh, even pulls back to playfully bite Tracy’s lip. When their tongues find each other, it’s pure, beautiful chaos in Tracy’s head. A million thoughts flood her mind: where to put her hands, if she is kissing her okay, the smell of Hayden’s skin – lavender and apples – the structure of her skin beneath her fingertips. But most of all the sensation of her lips on hers, the feeling of their tongues touching.
Though it’s freezing, Tracy’s never been warmer in her life.