What Happens at the Cottage...

Emily set down her bags in the main room of the cabin. She had packed light, and apparently she was the only one to think to. Everyone else was bringing in bag after bag of luggage, food, board games, and more that they would never be able to touch over the course of the weekend. She rolled her eyes. These were amateurs. She was an expert. "You need a hand with that, Rach?" she said.

Her friend laughed, even though she had a duffel bag under both arms and more to spare in her hands. "I'm a big girl, I can do it myself," she said. Rachel was one of Emily's oldest friends, a short girl with brown curls and freckles over every inch of her body. Emily didn't know why she'd asked. She had never known Rachel to take help from anyone.

"If you're offering, I could use a little help," said Lucy, only a step behind her. She had the big cooler full of drinks in her arms. Emily rushed to give her a hand. Lucy was someone Emily didn't know as well. Their little group had only started hanging out like this regularly over the last year. She was tall, and blonde, with her hair done up in a bun.

Ben almost walked into a wall trying not to look too hard at Lucy's butt. He failed, obviously. Rachel rushed over to him, pressing her hand against his forehead. They shared a moment, and Emily looked away. Over the last few months they had had a "will they/won't they" kind of thing going on between them, ever since they had hooked up at Lucy's birthday party. It was the longest Emily had ever known Rachel to stay with the same guy, even if they weren't official. She had high standards, and she usually couldn't stand a man for more than a few weeks.

Next came Mark, the man of the hour. They had come up to Emily's parents' cabin for the long weekend, but it had coincided perfectly with Mark's birthday. He was taller and thinner, with a mop of hair and glasses. With him was Jason, who couldn't be more different. Emily got on well with Mark because they had the same taste in books and movies. Jason hadn't watched a movie more complicated than Toy Story in years. He was about as tall as Mark, but about twice as broad in the shoulders, and tanned, with dirty blonde hair. "What, we don't get any help?" said Jason.

Rachel giggled. "You're big men, you're supposed to be able to take care of yourselves," she said.

Last through the door were Noah, Emily's boyfriend, and Kate, his coworker. She, a mousy, thin brunette, was the newest addition to their group. She had only just moved to the city three months ago, and Noah had been showing her around. Emily was surprised to find that she didn't feel jealous about their interactions at all. That was all trust, she thought. She knew Noah well and he would never cheat on her.