RED NOTES AND KISSES-Chapter 111: FRIDA -

"Well, Christmas was fun..." Laurel said as she and Evelyn, along with the rest of the family, rolled out their bags.

Reg carried her and Lexi’s suitcase. "I know I still owe you that talk, but Christmas was a lot."

She smiled, hugging Frida. Lexi hugged her from behind. "I know what you did with Laz in the kitchen," she whispered.

Frida gasped. "How did you—?"

"It was my cake," Lexi said, arching a brow as she walked to Reg and kissed her. "Ugh, we need some alone time, babe. Laz and Frida are killing me in this house with all the PDA," Lexi whined as Laz hugged Frida from behind, dropping a kiss on her hair.

"If my brother acts like a bitch, call me," Leo said, kissing Frida on the cheek.

Frida smiled. "I will."

"If you need relationship advice, call me," Danny said, giving her a fist bump.

Evelyn stopped in front of her daughter. "You’re losing weight," she said, touching her face.

"Mom, not this again," Frida retorted.

"School resumes soon. You should rest a lot... second year is a bit harder than first year," Evelyn said. She was never good at showing expressions. "I’m glad you have Laz. At least take good care of her, okay?"

Then her dad engulfed her in a bear hug. "My child," he said, kissing her hair.

"Father," Frida beamed.

"Take good care of yourself, sugar," he said, and Frida smiled.

"I will."

Leah and Tyler, ever the strong couple, stood in front of them. "Relationship advice from a couple that has been together for a while: it’s not simple, it does not get easier, you will disagree a lot. Sometimes you’ll hate each other. You’ll do stupid shit."

"I could never hate Laz. What on earth could make me hate Laz?" Frida asked, laughing.

Leah arched a brow. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The only thing is, it will be easier if you always believe in each other and have each other’s back. Otherwise, you’ll destroy each other."

Frida waved her hand. "No worries, Leah. I’m sure we’ll be fine," she said, hugging her.

Frida watched all of them drive away on the winter morning.

She sighed in content as she turned. "I’m gonna miss them..." She paused, seeing Laz holding a snowboard.

"Wanna sled?" he said, tossing her one.

Frida beamed. "Sure."

They got into his jeep and drove to a popular snowboarding spot. He put safety goggles on her face. "Have you done this before?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I wanna try it with you," she said, eyes huge like saucers.

He hugged her, spinning her around in the snow. "You are so adorable." He kissed her cheeks excessively, and all the people passing by sighed loudly as she giggled.

"Laz!" she laughed.

He grinned, placing a helmet on her head and securing her boots. "Alright, princess," he said, helping her on the board. "Left leg in front, darling. Okay, let her rip," he said, giving a gentle push down the slope.

She screamed, "Aaaaah! Laz, you asshole!"

He moved on his board like a pro. She was breathless watching the flip he did while on the board, while she dived into the snow like a lazy snow bear. She pouted. "How are you so good?" she cried.

He chuckled, flicking snow off her nose. "Well, I’ve been snowboarding since forever," he said, helping her up. She began to sneeze like a kitten.

"I think I caught a cold," she whined.

"Let me make it up to you: hot cocoa and a movie?" he suggested with a beautiful grin that made his grey eyes sparkle.

She nodded, and they drove on the beautiful morning into town with Julia Wolf on the radio. Frida performed a concert at the top of her lungs.

Laz sang along occasionally as they stopped to get hot cocoa. He stopped at the cinema, where Frida picked the new Shrek to watch.

She sniffed while watching it, and Laz chuckled. "Why are you crying?" he murmured by her ear.

She dabbed at her eyes. "Nostalgia," she said.

He grabbed her chin and kissed her. She blushed, sipping her hot cocoa.

It was the perfect morning, she thought as they walked through the chilly streets.

"So, what now?" she asked.

He beamed. "Now we train."

She arched a brow as they got in the jeep.

She followed him, super curious, as they headed to the balcony, then through a door down to a very warm, cozy room that was shut off from the rest of the house.

She was awestruck at the collection of guns he had under their feet. "What on earth, Laz..." she whispered. "Are you a mercenary or something?"

He laughed, picking up a pistol. "Not really... I just love to collect."

"And kill," she added.

He smirked. "Only fucking losers," he continued for her.

She nodded. "Uh... huh..."

He gave her a very pretty six-shooter. It was pink and had her name engraved on it. She actually laughed. "Did you customize this for me?"

He blushed shyly. "Do you like it?"

She beamed. "Well, hell yeah. Would have preferred a bigger one, though," she said, gesturing to the machine gun.

He circled her like a smooth predator. "In time, love. Baby steps," he whispered, slipping the gun into her palm.

It was beautiful. It felt good. She smiled. "So, what do I do?" she asked.

He guided her, slipping behind her. He raised her arm, holding the gun steady in her grip. He straightened her posture and parted her legs, his hands moving with precision like an expert.

He led her finger to the trigger, and he pulled, letting out a loud bang that vibrated through Frida’s body and hit the target spot-on.

"Huh," she gasped in shock.

He chuckled, laying a soft kiss on her cheek, his hands on her waist as they softly traced her ribs. "Go on, give it a shot," he said.

She swallowed nervously, her hands shaking as she pulled the trigger. She gasped as it vibrated through her body, and the bullet hit farther away from the target.

He chuckled. "Good. You did good, darling."

She smiled, then raised the gun to his throat. His eyes widened. "So, Laz, when were you going to tell me the truth?"