Chapter 29: Naughty & Nice: Chapter 29

I barely get any sleep, and I’m awake long before Noelle and Hendrix the next morning.

After our special celebration for getting the logs in, we cleaned up, raided the kitchen for any kind of food that didn’t need cooking, and started an epic board game battle.

It was like we were kids again after finding something worthwhile at the thrift store to keep us entertained for an afternoon.

Noelle and Hendrix sat at one side of the table, being all cute and couple-y, and I sat on the other, watching them and feeling all kinds of anxious.

I wasn’t able to put my finger on why, and I’m still struggling this morning.

Once again, the cabin is freezing. My entire body erupted in goosebumps the second I threw the covers back, because yes, I slipped into bed with them again last night. I told them it was because of the cold, and yeah, it was, but also… there was more to it than that.

I didn’t want to be out on the couch on my own. I didn’t want to be lonely, wondering what they were doing without me. I wanted to be close to my people.

I start the fire, which thankfully is a little easier now the logs are warmer, and then move to the windows. It’s pointless; it’s still dark, and I can’t see if we’re still snowed in or if that miracle I mentioned last night happened or not.

I hope it hasn’t.

I’m not ready to go back to Trinity yet.

I should be. I should be pumped for the New Year’s party the team is hosting in a few days. I should be excited to get training, to finish the season off as we started, strong and fucking proud to be Titans. But I’m struggling to find any kind of enthusiasm for any of it.

My head is firmly here, and it doesn’t want to leave.

Staring out, I watch as the orange glow behind the snow-covered hills in the distance gets brighter.

A new dawn. A new day. But nothing really ever changes.

I—we’ll—always just be the kids from the shitty trailer park in California.

I’ll always be the uncaring crazy one, and Hendrix will always be the thoughtful, sensible one.

I might have secured my scholarship at Trinity, but he’s the one who really worked for it. He’s the one who deserved it. They both do.

I just… I can throw and catch a football.

A heavy sigh spills from my lips, fogging up the cool glass before me.

I have no idea how long I stand there, drowning in the dark thoughts that I don’t usually allow in. The orange gets brighter, allowing me to see the mass of snow. It should brighten my mood, knowing that we’re not going to be able to leave today, but it barely touches it.

A throat clearing behind me makes my heart skip a beat, and when I spin around, I find Noelle standing in the middle of the living room. Hendrix’s hoodie drowns her, hanging almost to her knees. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and she’s still got a crease in her cheek from the pillow.

She looks cute as hell.

I squeeze my eyes closed, attempting to banish that thought about my brother’s girlfriend. After what we’ve done, it should be the least of my concerns. She was literally on her knees sucking my dick less than twelve hours ago. Thinking she looks cute is nothing.

“Are you okay?” Noelle asks quietly as if she’s speaking to a terrified animal.

I hate it. I hate that look in her eyes that tells me she doesn’t think I’m holding my shit together right now.

I have to hold my shit together.

I always hold my shit together.

It’s who I am. It’s what everyone expects of me.

Pulling my mask on, I force a smile onto my face.

“Of course. Rix still sleeping?” It’s a stupid question and one I regret the second it falls from my lips.

Hendrix has never been a morning person. It was always our time. Mine and Noelle’s. Although, I now realize that I never appreciated it as much as I should have.

I never appreciated her as much as I should have.

“Y-yeah,” she stutters, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she moves closer. “Are you⁠—”

“The snow hasn’t disappeared, and the electricity isn’t back,” I blurt like an idiot.

“Have you checked the weather?” she asks, humoring me.

“My cell died.”

“Late-night video call with Miss No Panties?” Noelle deadpans.

There’s no kind of hesitation in her reaction, and it just confirms what I already knew.

She’s seeing this situation for what it is. I’m just here for the pleasure.

It’s cool. I get it. That’s who I am.

Usually, I don’t care.

Girls can use me all I want as long as I get mine.

But there’s something different this time.

“Nah, she doesn’t really do it for me.”

“Ah, just a one-time wonder, huh?”

“I barely even remember her. She was… meh.”

“Meh? Wow, remind me never to ask you for a reference on all this.”

“That’s not… Shit, Noelle, I⁠—”

“I’m joking,” she says, ripping her eyes from mine and focusing on the outside. “At least the sun is shining today.” Positivity radiates from her.

I want to say it’s contagious, but…

“Maybe it’ll melt fast and we can head home later. What time is check-out?”

“Uh… eleven, I think.”

“The road trip home should be interesting,” I muse.

It’s bullshit small talk, and I hate it. It puts my teeth on edge, but I don’t know what else to do.

“I’m going to call the rental people, see what we can do when they’re open,” she explains.

“You think they’re going to answer this time?” I say, thinking of the number of times she tried and failed when we first got here.

She shrugs.

“Did you… did you want to work out?”

Her question makes me give her a double take, and I stare down at her like she just asked me to go to the moon.

“You want to work out?” I echo.

She shrugs again. “I feel like you need to. That or⁠—”

“You probably don’t want to go there,” I warn, predicting what she’s going to say next.

“We’d have to wake Rix up, and you know what he’s like if he hasn’t had enough sleep,” Noelle teases, making me laugh.

“He woke up quite happily yesterday morning. I think we could convince him.”

“You’re trouble.”

“You’ve only just realized that?” I taunt, moving into her personal space.

Her breath catches as she gazes up at me, her lips parted as if she’s ready to accept my kiss.

Dropping my head, I brush my lips against her ear and whisper, “Did you want to go and find a sports bra today, or do I get to watch them bounce again?”

She laughs before playfully slapping me on the shoulder.

“You’ll probably be pleased to know I didn’t pack one,” she confesses as she lights a couple of candles.

“That is very pleasing news. Let’s get our blood pumping then.”

“Can’t wait,” she deadpans as she pulls Hendrix’s hoodie off and gets into position for our first drill.

“We should do this every morning,” I announce before starting us off with some gentle yoga positions.

‘Okay, that’s great. Thank you, bye,” Noelle says before hanging up the phone and turning to look at the two of us sitting on the couch with a packet of chips each. Breakfast of champions.

We’re almost out of food that doesn’t require cooking. Something is going to have to happen soon.

“We’ve got an extra day. Apparently, there are snowplows expected today that will help clear our way out.”

Another day…

I really shouldn’t be as happy about that as I am.

“Any news about the power?” Hendrix asks.

“They’re working on it. Could come back any minute.”

“I fucking hope so,” I mutter, dramatically throwing my half-eaten packet of chips onto the coffee table. “I need decent food and a hot fucking shower.”

“We know,” Hendrix deadpans.

“Fuck off. Noelle and I showered after our workout this morning. Not our fault you were too busy snoring.”

Hendrix narrows his eyes at me. “No, you didn’t.”

I quirk a brow.

“Don’t listen to him,” Noelle says. “Do you want to borrow this?” she asks, holding up the battery pack she found to charge her cell so she could make the call.

“No, it’s okay.”

“But what about all your devoted female fans?” Hendrix asks.

“They can wait,” I state. “I kinda like being cut off. It’s… peaceful.”

They look at me for a few seconds like I’ve sprouted an extra head.

“What? You don’t agree?”

“Oh no, we agree. We booked this place for a reason, remember?”

Pushing to the edge of the couch, I walk over to the fire and load it up again.

“What do you want to do today?” I ask.

“We haven’t played Monopoly yet..”

“We’re not playing Monopoly,” Hendrix barks.

“Oh come on, it’s been years since that… incident.”

“I’ve still got the scar,” Rix says pointing to his chin.

“I was young and stupid,” I reason.

“What’s changed?”

“He’s no longer as young?” Noelle offers up.

“Look, if I promise not to throw anything, can we play?”

“No,” they both cry at the same time.

“We can do Clue” Hendrix offers.

I roll my eyes. “It’s not the same.”

“No, it’s Clue and the only people who are getting hurt are make-believe.”

“You two are boring.”

“I think we’ve proved in the last couple of days that we’re anything but boring,” Hendrix mutters.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. So if it’s no to Monopoly, how about we fuck all day?”

Shaking their heads, they share a look before moving toward the table. Noelle grabs Clue and together they get it set up.

I once again get a flashback from our childhood.

Hendrix would always do the setup while Noelle would read any of the necessary instructions out loud so that he wouldn’t have to.

Even as young children, they were basically a couple.

They’ve always been endgame, and despite this vacation being a little… unconventional, I’m glad I was able to have a hand in pushing them even closer together.

We’re an hour into the game, all three of us keeping our cards—or our lead pipes—very close to our chest when the lights flicker.

“Oh my god,” Noelle gasps excitedly, but when nothing else happens after a few seconds, we return to the game, our hope diminished.

But the flickers keep coming over the next thirty minutes, and then finally, the cabin is illuminated and the clunks and grinds of everything kicking back to life fill the air.

All three of us let out a laugh of disbelief. But for as much as we’ve been desperate for the power back, none of us rush to do anything with it.

Instead, we just keep playing.

The TV stays off, the speaker remains quiet, and the only sound filling the small cabin is our laughter as we accuse each other of murdering Mrs. White.

Honestly, it’s one of the best days I’ve had in a while.

For the first time in a long time, I’m relaxed. I’ve dropped my mask; I’ve let a few of my insecurities in, and the world hasn’t ended. In fact, it’s actually gotten a little bit easier.

I look up at the couple opposite me.

It’s them.

They gave me this. I’ll be forever grateful.