Avalanche: A Blind Date Gone Wrong Romance Read online

  AVALANCHE

  A BLIND DATE GONE WRONG ROMANCE

  Sade Rena

  avalanche

  Copyright © 2020 by Sade Rena

  This novella is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher or author.

  A Novel Written & Published by Sade Rena

  Cover Designer: TCC Designs

  Interior Design: TCC Designs

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELEVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  Note From Author

  Dedication

  More Books by Sade Rena

  About the Author

  Follow Sade

  AVALANCHE

  A BLIND DATE GONE WRONG ROMANCE

  Sade Rena

  CHAPTER ONE

  ARIYA

  WHEN THE girls asked me to join their ski trip, I first looked at them like they were crazy. But as I rush out to the truck for the last of my things, pulling the collar of my coat close to keep away the wintry winds, I realize I’m the crazy one. Me and cold weather don’t mix. I’m especially not a fan of cabins, woods, or anything that lives in them.

  I’ve seen Jason, Cabin in the Woods, and the movie with Liam Neeson being hunted by wolves. Nope, not I. I refuse to fall to my death on a mountaintop trying to become one with nature and shit. Or be eaten by a bear, or a fucking mountain lion. Now, you may ask, what the hell am I doing here with all my paranoid reservations? Hell, I want to know my damn self.

  I kick the door shut and crunch my way through the snow leading back inside. Something snaps in the distance, and I freeze in place with my eyes wide. I scan the area, silently praying it is not an animal, because I will surely leave all this shit right here. Fuck these clothes. When I don’t see anything, I make a hasty dash onto the porch.

  “Tell me again why we wanted to do this?” I ask while entering the cabin we’ll be residing in for the weekend.

  Karen walks over, closing the door behind me and taking a bag from my grasp. “Because, it’ll be fun, and you need to get out of the house sometimes.” She sits my laptop bag near the stairs on the far left of the living room.

  The tips of my snow boots hit the wood casing of the last step. “I get out of the house plenty.” I grunt while dropping my overstuffed hiking bag in front of me and lean against the handrail.

  Jasmine snorts from the top of the stairs. “Going to the grocery store does not count.” She laughs, making her way down.

  “Thank you, Jas.” Karen opens the fridge to load the groceries we purchased on the way in. “We know you’re busy, but running errands is not the same.”

  I chuckle and prop my foot up on the first stoop. “Shit, sometimes I use the store’s drop-off option.”

  “See.” Karen’s voice is pitched high as she twirls to look at me.

  The three of us burst into laughter.

  I pick up my bags and climb the staircase but stop midway. “Y’all act like I’m a hermit. Like I don’t have a job or go for a run every morning. And…we have girl’s night a few times a month.”

  Jasmine reaches the bottom and drags her hand along the railing before peering up at me. “Okay, you leave the house, but even that’s a stretch because you just go to a coffee shop. You need to be around people, get you a man.”

  I make it to the top and flip the switch to turn on the lights. “The coffee shop has people. How else do you expect me to get my fix?”

  Jasmine presses her lips together and snarls in my direction. “You know what the hell we mean.” She disappears toward the kitchen area.

  “All I’m saying is the coffee shop counts. And y’all can quit the you need a man talk right now. You just better be glad I’m not cursing y’all out for waiting until we got here to tell me your boyfriends are coming,” I add.

  “If we would have told you they were coming, you wouldn’t have,” Karen pleads while putting the last of our items away.

  “Exactly. Why would I want to be the fifth wheel? But that’s all right. While y’all are cozying up with your boos, I’ll be working.”

  “No.” Jasmine returns to the bottom of the stairs with her hands perched on her hips. “You’re not working this weekend, Ariya. All you do is work. We brought you with us because it’ll be fun and different. And I thought you loved Noah and Ian?”

  “I do. They’re great.” I raise my brows and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know how they were able to convince you that coming to the mountains was a good idea, but they’re fun.”

  “What’s wrong with the mountains, Ariya?” Jasmine’s expression transforms into one of annoyance.

  “You know black people don’t do this shit.” I lean forward, throwing my hands to prove a point.

  The fridge door slams. “What?” Karen screeches just before her shadow comes into view. “Your father practically raised you and your brothers outdoors. We’ve gone camping with your family many times.”

  “And Noah’s black and he does this all the time.”

  “First of all, Noah doesn’t count. He served in the military, outdoor living is a thing for them. And my dad is a crazy conspiracy theorist who thinks the world is going to come to an end every other day. So camping with him was more about learning survival than the actual act of it. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now,” I tease.

  Karen pats Jasmine’s arm with the back of her hand, trying hard not to laugh at my antics. Jasmine caves first, tossing her arms up and shaking her head. Adjusting the hold on my things, I turn away from the girls and walk the hall in search of my room.

  “I swear I don’t like you sometimes.” Jasmine squawks with a laugh. “Well, you’re here now, and it’s going to be fun. Tomorrow we’re going to hit the slopes—”

  “No, we’re not,” I yell from the first room on the left. I drop the hiking bag on the bed and peel my coat from my body.

  “And when the boys get here, we’ll start a fire and enjoy food and conversation,” Jasmine continues as if my rejection doesn’t faze her.

  “That’s great. Y’all have fun.”

  “Ariya,” Karen squeals. “Seriously, don’t be a sourpuss.”

  I return to the hall. “Karen, I’m not trying to be kumbaya-ing it up with you and your men—” I add, before ducking back inside.

  “Oh my god!” Jas chuckles. “She makes my ass itch, I swear.”

  “Seriously, though. I’m here and I’ll make the best of the trip, but I really am bothered you lied to get me up here. You guys planned a couples’ trip, and I’m just tagging along. Noah and Ian are awesome, but it’s not like we’re a group of friends just hanging out.” I exit the room and navigate the corner for the stairs.

  “But we are a group of friends. Just loosen up, leave work out of the equation, and have fun. I promise you’ll have a good time and will not feel like the fifth wheel,” Karen requests while moving aside for me to pass by her.

  Jasmine’s in the living room with her legs propped up on the arms of the sofa. I enter the kitchen in search of something to drink when a car pulls up outside. Peering through the window over the sink, I recognize Ian in the driver’s seat.

  “It’s the boys,” I announce while searching the cupboards for a glass, only to decide on the plastic ones we brought with us.

  Both girls jump up and race out to the porch. From my place inside, I watch their interaction. Noah’s at the back of Ian’s Jeep, retrieving whatever items they have with them.

  “Hey, babe,” Ian calls to Karen as he exits and joins Noah in the back. His voice is slightly muffled with the distance and barrier between us, but I’m still able to make out what was said.

  Karen and Jasmine both offer greetings to their men. Though I’m unable to see their expressions from here, I imagine they’re both perked and giddy with happiness. The thought warms me up, and I smile at the idea of an enjoyable weekend.

  I don’t necessarily like tagging along on what was obviously meant to be a romantic getaway, but Noah and Ian are great guys. We’ve hung out before, and it was always a decent time, so I guess I don’t see why this will be any different. If I feel pathetic and left out, I can respectfully excuse myself and get some work done.

  The trunk closes, sending a sound wave through the air, and the birds in a nearby tree fly away. I take a sip of water and make my way toward the door to greet them. The porch creaks under their weight before the sound of them patting their feet against the welcome mat fills the space.

  “Hey, bae,” Noah’s voice rings out as he plants a noisy kiss on Jasmine’s lips. “So, what did she say?” he continues but is shushed.

  I frown and slow my str
ides, trying to determine if he was really silenced or if I’m hearing things.

  “Yeah. Did you tell her about him?” Ian joins in.

  “Shut up,” Jasmine says in a hushed tone.

  “Shh,” Karen adds softly. “We haven’t told her yet.”

  I clench my jaw and tighten my grip on the cup. “Told me what?” I blurt out.

  The four of them dart their heads in my direction, clearly surprised to see me standing there. Both men give me oh shit expressions while glancing away, and the girls stare at me with pleading eyes.

  “Hey, Ariya,” both Noah and Ian say sheepishly.

  “Uh-uh. Tell me what?” I straighten my shoulders, daring them to answer my question.

  Ian squeezes pass with Noah just inches behind. It takes everything in me not to be petty and block the entrance until they all spill the beans. I look to them and back to my friends who are mumbling something to each other. Jasmine bites the corner of her lips, refusing to be the one to speak up, so I direct my attention to Karen. She can’t hold water, so she’ll cave soon enough.

  “So, you know how we said you wouldn’t feel like a fifth wheel?” Karen drags out her question, twisting and turning to avoid eye contact.

  I interlock my fingers in front of me. Pressure builds in the pit of my stomach, so I force a breath to help contain my composure. The sad and apologetic look in her blue eyes only pisses me off more, and the fact she’s stalling tells me I’m not going to like what she says next.

  The thing is, I already know where this is going. The two of them were hell-bent on bringing me up here, knowing I would say no. So they’d saved the bit about their men joining us, so I couldn’t back out, being fully aware of how I would react.

  “Spit it out, Karen.” My left leg shakes feverishly.

  She sighs. “We might have invited one of the guys’ friends here to meet you.” She bunches her nose while pulling her shoulders up to her ears.

  I open my mouth only to close it again as the words lodge themselves in my throat. I don’t know why I’m surprised by any of this, it’s just like them to continuously put their noses in places they don’t belong. Turning on my heels, I push out a deep breath and storm past both Noah and Ian who are standing in the middle of the room looking stupid. They pretend they aren’t listening by quickly shifting and facing in the opposite direction.

  “Ariya, wait,” Jasmine calls out, her heavy footsteps sounding off behind me.

  Jogging up the stairs, I ignore her calls and slam the door to my bedroom. I pull my fingers into a fist and flop down on the bed, the mattress squeaking under me. A moment later, there’s a knock at the door before it’s pushed open. I curse myself from not locking it behind me. Jasmine sticks her head in and lets her shoulders slouch.

  “Don’t be mad.” She steps inside and closes the door. “We’re going to have a good time.” She keeps her distance by standing against the wall.

  I look up at her, my face twisted into a frown. “How could you possibly think this would be a good time? Maybe for the four of you, but not so much for me. I’m already the odd woman out, and now I have to force myself to get along with some strange dude while the rest of you are all cozied up.”

  She huffs. “We weren’t trying to make things awkward. We just wanted you to have some fun. Noah told me the three of them had plans to come out here, and I thought it would be fun to join. I asked Karen, and she was down. Then Ian mentioned not wanting the guy to be here by himself.”

  “And you thought I would be fitting for this?” I snarl.

  “Why can’t you just go into this with an open mind? You might actually have fun and might like the guy.”

  I close my eyes, rolling them under my lids, while leaning back and staring at her as if she’s crazy. She pushes off the wall and strolls over to take the seat beside me, her natural curls bouncing around her shoulders.

  “Ariya, there’s no harm in enjoying yourself and getting to know the guy. We want you to be happy.”

  “Jas, a man is not going to do that. And I am happy. I don’t get why you two feel like you have to constantly try to hook me up with someone. I’m content with things just the way they are. I’m focused on my career and dating just doesn’t fit into the plan.”

  “But it can. You just won’t let it.”

  “Why do y’all care so much about my dating life? You wanna go on triple dates and trips like this together?” I tease.

  Her brows rises. “Yeah. We do actually. We’ve done everything together for so long, we just don’t want you to be left out.” When I don’t offer a response, Jasmine blows out a breath and stands. “Well, can you at least be present during this trip? You don’t have to like him, but try not to make it awkward by staying cooped up in this room.”

  “I make no promises, but I’ll try.” I lean back on my palms, waiting for some form of rejection.

  She passes me a tight smile and exits. Falling back on to the bed, I stare at the ceiling, mulling everything over in my head. We’ve been a part of each other’s lives for a long time. They know everything about me, including the fact that I'm not interested in dating.

  A while later, I hear one of the guys greet someone. The deep vibrations of our visitor’s voice sparks my curiosity. I push my laptop aside and crawl out of my space to make my way into the hall. I may not be happy about this arrangement, but this is what we’ve got. I approach the stairwell, fixing my shirt before descending the steps.

  The first thing I notice is a pair of green khakis and rather large brown boots. He’s surrounded by my friends, telling them something I can’t quite make out from here. His tone is low, yet powerful enough to be heard upstairs.

  I continue my decline as he removes his hat and crosses his arms in front of him. He’s standing wide-legged with his shoulders back, and I can’t help but recognize the inner confidence. I reach the bottom, stopping to take him all in.

  He runs a hand through his dark, shoulder-length hair. Damn, I think while letting my gaze roam his face. He’s surprisingly tanned with the deepest green eyes I’ve ever seen on a man. And even with his heavy coat I can tell he’s nicely built.

  I lean against the guardrail, watching from afar as he converses with the group. Now, I’ve been set up on dates before and every single time I’ve hated it. But this one might not be such a bad idea.

  His gaze finds mine, lingering for a beat. He straightens his posture and offer me a subtle smile. “Hello.”

  My body shudders, and I have to swallow to compose myself. The gang turns to me then back to him.

  Ian unfolds his arms and gestures in my direction. “Xander, this is Ariya.”

  Xander nods. “Nice to meet you, Ariya.”

  Shit! I think as his voice sends a tingle to my center and every qualm I had about this setup dissipates.

  CHAPTER TWO

  XANDER

  GOD, SHE’S BEAUTIFUL, is the only thought I have when I see her standing at the bottom of the stairs, silently watching us. Her white, off-the-shoulder sweater looks amazing against her medium-brown skin.

  I swallow hard and after a beat force words to form. “Hello.”

  She doesn’t offer me a response, but I recognize the change in her breathing. Partly because it matches mine, labored and quick. The group glances back, introducing us.

  Ariya!

  I lock her name in my memory and redirect my attention.

  “Xander’s going to make sure we have what we need,” the fair-skinned blonde announces to her friend.

  I blink, internally thanking her for reminding me what I’d come here for. “There’s a storm sweeping in our direction. Seems like it’s going to be pretty bad, several inches of snowfall with high winds. It should pass in a few hours, but I need to make sure everything is good here before I have to head back on patrol. There’s a few more cabins I need to hit.”