Bad Weekend to Have an Ex

The road is gone. Your ex is here. So is her boyfriend. And somehow that's only the beginning.

Plot

Before You Begin A brief explanation of how you ended up in this mess. Five weeks ago, your relationship ended. So when your best friend Dani invited you away for a quiet weekend at a lakeside cabin with her new girlfriend, it sounded pretty damn good. There was only one small problem. NOBODY GAVE YOU THE COMPLETE GUEST LIST. Initial Setup Some assembly may be emotionally required. Dani knows Lauren from your old relationship. Claire has been Tessa's best friend since high school. Claire has never met you before. Tessa hasn't spoken to you since the breakup. Lauren is now here with Blake. Claire had no idea these social circles overlapped. NEITHER DID YOU. ★ IMPORTANT RULE CLARIFICATION ★ The cabin is safe, stocked, heated and powered. This is not a survival story. You're just stuck here with these people. How To Play There is no correct route. The weekend isn't waiting for you to choose from a predetermined list of endings. Relationships can improve, deteriorate, change direction, or remain exactly where they are. ◆ Rebuild an old friendship. ◆ Keep your distance. ◆ Forgive someone. ◆ Absolutely do not forgive someone. ◆ Find yourself getting unexpectedly close to somebody. ◆ Make several terrible decisions in rapid succession. ◆ Somehow have a perfectly normal weekend. Nobody enters the cabin with a predetermined ending. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ACTUALLY DO. OBJECTIVE Get through the weekend. Preferably with fewer unresolved issues than you started with. Good luck.

Opening scene

Dani’s Volkswagen Golf sounds deeply offended by the final hill. Something underneath the car rattles. The engine makes a noise that probably deserves professional attention. Dani pats the steering wheel. “Ignore her. She gets dramatic when she smells fresh air.” Rain lashes across the windshield hard enough to blur the trees on either side of the narrow gravel road. Somewhere beyond them is a lake, although at this point it could just as easily be the beginning of the North Sea. Then the cabin finally appears through the rain. Small. Wooden. Warm light in the windows. And, most importantly, not moving. Dani pulls the Golf into the gravel beside another car and kills the engine. It continues making a noise for several seconds. “See?” she says. “Perfectly healthy.” The front door opens before either of you can spend too much time questioning that statement. A dark-haired woman steps onto the covered porch. “Jesus. You actually made it.” Dani is out of the car almost immediately. “Claire!” Claire barely gets time to smile before Dani reaches the porch and kisses her. So this is Claire. Dani’s new girlfriend. The woman you have heard an increasing number of suspiciously enthusiastic stories about over the last month. Claire looks past Dani toward the Golf. Then at the weather. Then back at Dani. “You drove that thing through this?” Dani glances affectionately toward her car. “She thrives under adversity.” “She has rust above the wheel arch.” “Character.” “Structural character.” Claire finally turns toward you with a smile. “You must be You. Hi. Claire.” She offers her hand before stepping aside to let you both escape the rain. By the time everyone gets inside, rain is hammering against the cabin roof. The place is exactly what Dani promised. Comfortable. Small. Four bedrooms down a short hallway. One bathroom. A compact kitchen opening into a living room with an old wood stove, mismatched furniture, and a battered deck of cards sitting beside a stack of board games that look older than any of you. Through the glass doors at the back, a covered porch overlooks the lake. And sitting beneath the roof, steaming in the cold rain, is an absurdly nice hot tub. Dani stops. Stares. Turns slowly toward Claire. “You neglected to mention the jacuzzi.” Claire takes three beers from the fridge. “I wanted you to have something to live for.” “I love you.” “That was fast.” “You have a hot tub.” Claire hands Dani a beer, then offers one toward you. “The others are down by the lake pulling the boat up before the weather gets any worse.” Dani twists the cap off hers. “How many others?” “Three.” “Anyone interesting?” Claire takes a drink. “I’m beginning to regret inviting you.” “You started dating me voluntarily.” “Temporary lapse in judgment.” For a while, it is completely normal. Beer. Rain. Dani explaining why her Golf does not technically need a new exhaust system. Claire explaining why this is not how exhaust systems work. The occasional burst of laughter drifting up from somewhere down by the lake. Then Claire’s phone buzzes on the kitchen counter. She picks it up. Reads. Her expression changes slightly. “Huh.” Dani immediately points her beer at her. “That was a bad huh.” Claire reads the message again. “The lower access road washed out.” A beat. Dani glances toward the window. “The road we just used?” “That would be the one.” Another beat. Dani raises her bottle. “Well.” She looks toward you. “Good news. The intervention has become legally binding.” Claire shakes her head. “The cabin’s fine. We’re well above the water. Apparently somebody will check the road once the rain eases.” “When?” Claire shrugs. “Tomorrow. Sunday. Depends how bad it is.” Dani looks toward the steaming hot tub outside. “I have accepted our fate.” Voices approach through the rain. Claire glances toward the door. “Speaking of the others.” Someone laughs outside. The porch boards creak. The door opens. A woman steps inside, wet hair clinging slightly around her face, cheeks pink from the rain and several drinks, still laughing at something happening behind her. Tessa. Her eyes land on you. The laugh stops. She freezes. For one long second, neither the rain nor the voices outside seem quite as loud. Tessa blinks. “…What?” Dani looks between the two of you. Claire straightens. “Tess?” Tessa barely seems to hear her. Then another figure appears behind her. “Tessa, move, I’m getting soaked—” Lauren steps through the door. She sees you. Stops. Then she sees Dani. Whatever was left of her expression disappears. Dani goes completely still. That is somehow worse than if she had shouted. Her beer lowers slowly. “…Lauren.” Claire looks at Dani. Then Lauren. Then you. Understanding begins arriving in pieces. Tessa closes her eyes briefly. “Oh, fuck.” A man squeezes through the doorway behind Lauren carrying an armful of damp firewood. Tall. Dark-haired. Good-looking. Relaxed enough that one hand settles automatically against Lauren’s lower back when he steps around her. He looks across the room. At you. Recognition flickers. Not surprise at seeing a stranger. Recognition. “Well,” he says. A short, awkward laugh. “This is unexpected.” Lauren shoots him a look. “Blake.” And there it is. Dani’s head turns slowly toward him. Then toward Lauren. Then back to you. Claire stands in the middle of the room, finally holding all the pieces of the disaster she accidentally invited to the same cabin. Outside, rain hammers against the roof. Behind you, the only road out is somewhere under several inches of water. Dani takes one very deliberate drink of beer. “Okay.” Her eyes stay on Lauren and Blake. “I’m going to need somebody to explain why my weekend just turned into a fucking hostage situation.”

Characters

Tags: NTL Ex Friends MalePOV Modern Romance Comedy SliceOfLife EnemyToLovers SlowBurn Angst Fluff Family Loyal Misunderstanding Jealous Playful Blunt Protective Stubborn Confident Arrogant WarmBlooded ThirdPerson OpenEnding HappyEnding Bittersweet Cozy

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By: puzzle_case

Stories

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