Lav & Maya's Trip —
The snow had slowed down.
Not completely—just enough to leave the world covered in a soft, glowing white.
The lodge stood quietly behind them.
And for once…
Everything felt calm.
They hadn't gone far from the lodge.
Just a little distance.
"Wait— don't move," Maya said suddenly, dropping to her knees in the snow.
Lav stopped mid-step, staring at her. "…What are you doing now?"
"Snowman," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
A few minutes later—
A slightly crooked, uneven snowman stood between them.
Lav looked at it.
Then at her.
Then back at it. "…This looks like it went through trauma."
Maya gasped. "Excuse me? He's perfect."
"He?" Lav raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. And don't bully him."
Lav let out a small laugh, shaking his head.
For a moment—
It was just them.
Laughter.
Cold air.
Soft silence.
But…
Little did they know ---
From a distance…
Someone was watching them.
A quiet figure stood still, hidden between the trees, eyes fixed on them — and they had no idea.
Thud.
A snowball hit Lav straight on the shoulder.
He looked down slowly.
Then up at Maya.
"Maya."
She was already stepping back, trying (and failing) to hide her smile.
"Don't," she warned.
Too late.
Lav bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and threw it right back at her.
She squealed, barely dodging it.
"HEY!"
Within seconds—
It turned into chaos.
Snowballs flying everywhere.
Missed throws.
Direct hits.
Laughter breaking the quiet of the snow-covered night.
Maya ran, slipping slightly—
And just before she could fall—
Lav caught her.
His hand wrapped around her waist.
Firm.
Steady.
Pulling her toward him.
For a second—
Neither of them moved.
Her fingers tightened slightly around his collar.
His grip didn't loosen.
Their breaths mixed in the cold air.
Close.
Too close.
Maya's gaze flickered—from his eyes…to his lips…then back again.
Lav noticed.
Of course he did.
And without thinking—
Lav held her a little tighter.
Enough to make her breath hitch.
"Careful," he said quietly.
"…I am," she replied.
But she didn't pull away.
And neither did he.
Their eyes locked.
Unmoving.
For a moment—
It felt like they might kiss.
Then—
Her phone buzzed.
And just like that—
Everything broke.
Both of them snapped back to their senses.
Almost instantly.
Lav cleared his throat, looking away first.
Maya quickly turned her face to the other side, tucking her hair behind her ear like she needed something—anything—to do.
Neither of them looked at each other.
"Uh…" Maya started.
Then stopped.
"Yeah," Lav said.
Even though she hadn't said anything.
Silence fell between them.
Awkward.
Heavy.
Lav glanced at her. Just once. Quick. Like he shouldn't.
Maya felt it.
Of course she did.
But she didn't turn.
Didn't react.
Didn't trust herself to.
Because if she did—
She knew she wouldn't look away this time.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time—
She didn't ignore it.
Maya quickly reached into her pocket, almost too quickly, like she needed a distraction.
Anything.
She looked down at the screen.
Unknown Number.
Her expression changed.
Just a little.
But enough.
Lav noticed.
Message: "I'm waiting on the lodge terrace."
Her heart skipped.
But her face stayed calm.
"Who is it?" Lav asked casually.
Maya locked her phone instantly.
"…Nothing. Just some random message from a guy."
Lav frowned slightly.
They started walking back toward the lodge.
The snow crunched softly beneath their steps.
Her phone buzzed again.
Lav glanced at her. "…Is it him again?"
Maya just nodded.
Her phone buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
Maya exhaled slowly.
Then—
"…He's been messaging me for a while," she admitted quietly.
Lav's brows drew together. "Who's been messaging you?"
Maya hesitated for a second. "…A stranger."
Lav's expression hardened slightly. "A stranger?" he repeated.
Maya nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Saying things like… 'meet me near the lodge terrace.'"
Lav stopped walking. His gaze sharpened. "What?"
"I didn't think it was serious," she said, avoiding his eyes. "Just random texts. I ignored them."
"Show me."
She hesitated.
Then handed him the phone.
Lav read the messages.
His jaw tightened.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked, his voice lower now.
Maya looked away.
"…I didn't want to make it a big deal."
Lav's jaw tightened, a dry laugh slipping out—but there was no humor in it. "Someone knows where you are, Maya." "Let's go back," he said firmly.
They walked faster this time.
The soft calm from before— Gone.
Inside the lodge, the hallway felt too quiet.
Too still.
Maya opened her room door—
And froze.
A piece of paper lay on the floor.
She stepped forward—
But Lav picked it up before she could.
Lav unfolded the paper slowly.
The edges were slightly crumpled… like it had been held too tightly.
The ink wasn't neat.
It looked pressed in hard, the pen marks digging into the paper—almost like whoever wrote it was angry.
A few words were slightly smudged.
"You're a little too happy with him, huh… baby girl?" "I'll be back soon."
"What is it?" she asked softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
He crumpled the paper.
"Nothing. Just a bill," he said casually.
Maya leaned in slightly, trying to see—
But Lav's fingers tightened around the paper for a second.
There was something about it.
Something off.
Not just the words.
But the way it was written.
Possessive.
Watching.
Waiting.
And worst of all—
It didn't feel like a random stranger.
It felt like someone…
Who had been observing her for a while.
Lav looked at her. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere."
She nodded.
But her mind—
Was already elsewhere.
Terrace.
A few minutes later—
Maya quietly stepped out of her room.
She didn't tell Lav.
The staircase to the terrace felt colder.
Each step echoing softly.
Her heartbeat—
Louder than usual.
When she reached the terrace—
She stopped.
A figure stood there.
Tall.
Still.
Covered completely—mask, hoodie… everything.
Maya swallowed.
But stepped forward anyway.
"Hello?" she called out.
No response.
"Who are you?" she said, her voice firmer now. "Why are you calling me? Messaging me? What's your problem?"
The figure shifted slightly.
Then—
Turned.
For a second—
Their eyes met.
Through the mask.
Then—
He walked away.
Fast.
"Hey! Stop!" Maya shouted, running after him. "Who are you?! Why are you running now?!"
She moved faster—
Almost reaching the exit—
Suddenly—
A hand grabbed her from behind.
Strong.
Firm.
Stopping her instantly.
"Lav—" she gasped, turning back. "Look! That guy—he's running away! Let's go, we can catch him—"
She tried to pull free.
But Lav didn't let go.
His grip tightened slightly.
"No."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was sharp.
Firm.
Final.
Maya froze.
She looked at him.
Really looked.
His eyes—
Different.
Cold.
Focused.
Protective.
"Let him go," Lav said quietly, shaking his head once.
"But—"
"No."
This time—
There was no room for argument.
The figure disappeared into the darkness.
Silence filled the terrace again.
Only the cold wind remained.
Maya slowly stopped resisting.
Lav loosened his grip.
But didn't step away.
"…Who was that?" Maya asked softly.
Lav finally looked at her.
"I don't know," he said.
Before she could say anything—
Footsteps approached.
A hotel manager hurried toward them, slightly out of breath.
"Sir—ma'am—I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "I think you might've come across one of our new staff members. He's been… acting a little strange lately. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
Lav's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A staff member?" he repeated.
His gaze flicked toward the terrace.
"Since when do your staff members walk around in hoodies… covering their faces?" he asked, voice calm—but sharp.
The manager hesitated.
"Sir, it's cold here, so maybe—"
Lav cut him off.
"And the mask?"
The manager hesitated for a second, clearly thrown off.
"S-sorry, sir…" he said quickly.
Lav's expression darkened instantly.
"Sorry?" he shot back. "What do you mean sorry?"
Maya gently held his arm, trying to calm him down.
"Lav—"
But he didn't stop.
"How did he get her number?" Lav demanded."You people can't even manage basic safety here?"
The manager looked nervous.
"Sir, maybe he… accessed it from your registration details during booking," he said hesitantly.
Maya's grip on Lav tightened slightly.
"Lav… it's okay," she said softly.
But Lav wasn't looking at the manager anymore.
His jaw was clenched.
Eyes sharp.
Thinking.
Connecting things.
Because something about this—
Didn't feel right.
And he knew it.
Maya glanced at him.
Then at the manager.
The explanation was simple.
Too simple.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
The manager swallowed.
"S-sorry, sir… we'll look into it," he said quickly."We'll make sure this doesn't happen again."
Lav didn't respond.
He just kept staring at him.
Unblinking.
The manager gave a nervous nod and hurried away.
Silence settled again.
Maya exhaled slowly.
"Lav…" she said softly. "Maybe it really was just—"
"No."
She stopped.
Lav finally looked at her.
His expression hadn't softened.
Not even a little.
"That wasn't normal," he said.
Maya didn't argue this time.
Because deep down—
She knew it too.
Her fingers tightened slightly around his sleeve.
Without even realizing it.
Lav noticed.
His gaze dropped to her hand for a second.
Then back to her face.
"It's fine," he said quietly.
"I'm here."
But even then—
Neither of them felt completely at ease.
The snow kept falling around them.
Quiet.
Calm.
But beneath it—
Something was off.
And neither of them said it out loud…
But they both felt it.