The resort.

There was some more walking after making it to the top, but the last stretch was all pretty smooth from there. It was practically a straight road in the middle of a flat plain. Green grass at both sides, sparse, thin trees with leaves of red and green and the resort not far in the distance.

The lodge was made primarily of wood, with some areas made of bricks that matched the dark brown colors of the rest of the building. Windows and balconies faced towards us, and far off to the right of the building I saw the parking lot.

Alice caught me a little antsy and laughed. “Love, I’m sure your van made it here just fine.”

…It was a little too far to go check it out now, anyway. And maybe it was the height, but it was starting to get a bi chilly, too. Really, a dip in the hot springs didn’t sound bad at all.

“Um… Oliver, I should be able to walk now,” Noelle said. “If it’s here and I don’t push it, I should be fine.”

“If you’re sure.” I kneeled and let her get down on her own.

“If the pain persists, tell us,” Sarah told her. “No point in hiding an injury like that.”

Noelle nodded and made her way inside the lobby with us without much issues, though she limped a bit, mostly out of fear it would hurt, I think.

“Still, can’t believe you actually made it all the way here with her on you back,” Alice said. “You really are superhuman.”

“Maybe not superhuman, but…” What can I say? I felt proud.

The lobby was… surprisingly rustic in its design, yet still managed to feel fancy and elegant. Pillars of polished logs, a fireplace made of stone, hanging chandeliers…

Sarah and I approached the front counter and we got the keys to our cabin. They told us to follow the path behind the building, that it would be at the very end.

“Ugh, more climbing…” Grace exclaimed. “My feet hurt.”

“Should I carry you?” I offered teasingly.

“Tempting, but let’s save that for emergencies,” Grace said, smiling back at me.

So apparently, this building held plenty of rooms for smaller groups, like 1 to 4 people. With us being 7 people, though, we had a cabin further back. And stepping outside again, we saw them.

With a tall fence around them, several pools made of stone oozed steam. Some pools were small, as if for no more than eight people, one was so huge it could likely fit every guest, several others were the size of regular pools. And if I remember correctly, Sarah said they all had different temperatures.

“Okay, this is cool!” Mila said, giddy.

“It’s tempting to dive in already, right?” Noelle said.

“Yeah, but… I’m also starving,” Grace said.

“Let’s go check out our cabin and come back to the dining room. Lunch is a buffet and is already served,” Sarah said.

We had to go up further up the hill, walking past the pool area and past other cabins next to the road. Like they said at the counter, ours was at the very back, at the end of said road.

It wasn’t very large, and it was also made of polished logs. Stairs led us to the balcony and the balcony led us to the entrance. The inside resembled the lobby quite a bit, though without the large chandeliers.

Our bags were already there, in the living room. We checked to see that no bag was missing and then explored the cabin. Three bedrooms, two with three single beds each and one master bedroom with a double bed. Two bathrooms with showers. No kitchen, but a spacious living room with three sofas, a large TV and a fireplace made of stone.

“It looks good,” Diana said. “I like it. But how are we going to sleep?”

“Seven beds, one double,” Alice said. “We’re leaving on Monday, so three nights. We could take turns sleeping with Oliver on the big bed.”

“You mean two of us each night?” Mila asked.

“Yeah. How about it?”

“Oh, so I don’t get to sleep alone?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Do you WANT to sleep alone?” Diana asked me, raising an eyebrow.

“No, ma’am.”

“How do we pair up?” Sarah asked.

“Noelle,” Diana said. “Shall we?”

The redhead’s eyes shone as much as her smile. “Sure!”

“Alright then,” Grace nodded. “Alice? Any objections to sharing a bed with me?”

Alice chuckled. “None. I’d be happy to.”

Mila and Sarah looked at each. “So this is what it’s like to be last pick…” Sarah said.

“What are you talking about? You were always my first pick,” Mila told her, giving Sarah a kiss on the cheek before sneaking behind her and cupping her boobs. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Sarah laughed. “Yeah we will. Not just at night, but in general. Let’s make the most out of this trip, okay?”

We took a group picture and sent it to our families to show them we made it okay. That said, the signal wasn’t the best. Took us like 10 minutes to send a single picture.

“Why don’t we also take the opportunity to stay away from our phones?” Diana asked, eyeing Sarah and Mila in particular.

Mila pouted. “Alright, but if people think I’m dead it’s on you.”

“Will people actually think you’re dead?” Alice asked her.

“Right, I forget at times you and Oliver don’t even have social media pages,” Sarah said.

“Cavemen,” Mila said. We shrugged.

“Mila posts like once every two hours, if not more,” Noelle said.

Alice and I both frowned in confusion. “Do you have so much to say?” I asked her.

“Her last post from yesterday was her saying she was craving something sweet,” Grace said. “An hour later she had over 100 replies and about 700 likes.”

Diana crossed her arms and frowned in confusion along with Alice and me. “Remind me. What is it you do, Mila?”

“Um… N-Nothing? I just post pictures and have a few sponsorships?” Mila said, now with a shy smile as she sank her head between her shoulders.

“Wow. Um… That’s… Good for you.” Diana nodded.

Mila then loudly clapped her hands. “ANYWAY. Did someone say lunch?”

“Me,” Grace said. “I hope the food is good.”

So did I.

We left the cabin and went back to the main building to eat. And yes, the food was pretty good.

Author's Note: I wrote a story for the CHYOA contest. Check it out if you're feeling like it. It's called An Author's Research Project.

Patreon.