Session 33

Chapter sixty eight

"I better not see a snake."

Camping was a stupid idea. That’s all I could think as we drove through the winding, narrow roads leading us deeper into North Florida’s woods. Naomi and Jonas had invited us out here—me, Cassius, Silas, and Charmaine—on a camping trip to some “glass cabin” Naomi had found. I wasn’t really with it. A glass cabin sounded too much like, “Let’s see how much danger we can put ourselves into.” But Naomi was insistent. She even got her mother to watch the kids. They loved going to her house—she spoiled them rotten.

“It’ll be a chance to get away. No stress, just friends and nature. You need this,” she had said.

And I thought, maybe I did. Things with Cassius were still weird. We were living together but not together, and Solomon was still a cloud hanging over my head. So, yeah, maybe a getaway wasn’t the worst idea. And as we pulled up to the cabin, I started to feel like it wasn’t.

The place was beautiful. Everyone was in awe.

"Whoa," Jonas muttered, stepping out of his truck.

The cabin had floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the surrounding forest. You couldn’t see in—that was a plus. Wildflowers and moss covered the ground like a blanket. It was beautiful, sure, but it was still in the middle of nowhere.

Naomi’s face lit up. “Isn’t this perfect?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty. If we get killed by some hillbillies, it’ll be a gorgeous resting place,” I muttered under my breath.

Cassius, standing beside me, snorted. “Right? This is exactly how horror movies start.”

Silas chuckled as he walked up behind us. “Nah, we’re good. I brought guns.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Four Black people in the woods with two white boys who are known to be violent.”

“I’m only seventy-five percent white,” Cassius joked, smirking.

Naomi ignored all of us, brushing off the jokes with a wave of her hand as she clapped them together. “Okay, let’s get inside, pick rooms, and get dinner going. I’m starving.”

Inside, the cabin was even more stunning than the outside. It was modern, with a fireplace built right into the center of the living room and furniture that looked like it belonged in a home design magazine. The kitchen had sleek marble countertops, and every room had floor-to-ceiling windows showing nothing but trees and sky. It was like being in the middle of nowhere, but in the most luxurious way possible.

“This place is nice,” Cassius said, nodding like he approved.

We all dropped our bags by the door as Jonas started talking about the room arrangements. That’s when things got awkward.

“Okay, so, uh... there’s three bedrooms,” Jonas said, scratching the back of his neck.

I felt my stomach flip. Three bedrooms. There were six of us. Two couples, then Cassius and me. I glanced at Cassius, then at Naomi, hoping she had some kind of backup plan for me.

“You and Cassius can share, right? Y’all friends again,” Naomi said, looking at me like it was no big deal.

I opened my mouth to protest, but Silas jumped in.

“Y’all living together now. It’ll be okay.” He smirked, and Cassius just shrugged.

“It’s fine,” Cassius said, looking at me for confirmation. I didn’t trust my voice, so I just nodded, keeping my face neutral. It wasn’t fine—not after the way Cassius had been flirting and tempting me—but what could I do?

We all went to our rooms and unpacked. It got dark quickly since we spent most of the day driving.

Later, we all gathered around the kitchen table in our pajamas. Naomi had food catered for us. She had a menu and everything for each of the five nights we were supposed to be there. Jonas heated everything properly on the stove instead of using the microwave. The smell of grilled chicken and vegetables filled the cabin, and soon we were eating and laughing.

“So, Silas,” Naomi said, her voice was filled with pettiness, and immediately, I knew she was about to stir up some mess. “How’s it feel being in a relationship after all those years of whoring around, dirty dick?”

Silas burst out laughing, shaking his head like he’d heard it all before. “My dick was never dirty, thank you very much. I keep it wrapped up. Always. But yeah, I’m learning. Charmaine keeps my ass in check, so I couldn’t fuck up even if I wanted to.”

Charmaine’s cheeks flushed crimson as she shoved him playfully. “I’m not that bad!”

Silas raised an eyebrow, grinning. “The fuck you ain’t. You damn near bit my head off because I looked in the direction of some chick. And I wasn’t even looking at her for real!”

Naomi waited until everyone was catching their breath, then leaned forward, looking all sneaky. “Okay, let’s play a game,” she suggested.

“What kind of game?” Silas asked, already suspicious.

“Truth or dare,” Naomi said, her grin downright wicked.

A collective groan echoed around the table. Even I rolled my eyes.

“Nah, nobody’s trying to play truth or dare with your crazy ass,” Jonas said, pointing his beer bottle at her. “Last time you had Silas waving his dick around. I still can’t unsee that shit.” He shuddered dramatically, making everyone laugh again.

“Alright, alright, fine,” Charmaine said, holding up her hands like she was about to be the voice of reason. Except, she wasn’t. “Let’s play spin the bottle instead. But when it lands on someone, they get seven minutes in heaven. In the bathroom upstairs. No questions asked about what happens.”

The room went silent for a beat, then my head snapped toward Charmaine.

“Spin the bottle?” I said, blinking. “What are we, sixteen? We’re grown as hell.”

“Exactly,” Charmaine shot back with a sly smile. “Do grown-as-hell things.”

The way she said it made me really not want to play. Knowing this group, things were about to get messy real fast.

I laughed nervously. “I’ve never played it before. I didn’t have friends for this stuff.”

“Even better,” Silas said with a wink. He downed the last of his Corona, then placed it on the table, spinning the bottle without hesitation. It spun fast on the wooden table, everyone’s eyes following it. And then it stopped.

On me.

My whole face went red-hot as Naomi and Charmaine hooted and hollered. Silas stood up, offering me his hand.

“Seven minutes,” Naomi reminded us, laughing.

I hesitated but took his hand, letting him lead me upstairs to the bathroom.

“So... Ekon’s been—” I started, thinking we’d waste the time talking about Ekon. That’s what we usually talked about. But Silas cut me off, his lips crashing into mine before I could finish. His hand gripped my waist tight, pulling me against him as his tongue slid into my mouth, tasting me. I moaned against his lips, my hands instinctively gripping his bare shoulders, holding on as the kiss deepened. His hand slid down, gripping my ass, squeezing as he pressed his hard body against mine, his dick hard against my belly.

“Fuck,” he growled against my mouth. His hand slid up under my shirt, fingertips brushing over my bare skin, grazing my breast, teasing the hardened nipple with his thumb. I felt like I was fucking melting as I kissed him back, my hand gripping his hair, his skin so hot.

His other hand slid down my waist, fingers brushing the waistband of my pajama shorts. He was so close to touching what I needed him to, my head was spinning.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sharp knock on the door cut through my haze like ice water being splashed in my face. My eyes snapped open, and I stumbled back a step, my lips still tingling.

“Time’s up!” Cassius barked from the other side, turning the handle of the door. I hadn’t even realized Silas had locked it.

Silas let out a low breath, his chest heaving as he stepped back too, dragging a hand down his face. His lips curved into a slow, cocky grin, like he wasn’t fazed at all.

“It was fun while it lasted,” he shrugged.

I didn’t trust myself to respond. I just nodded, swallowing hard. Because what the fuck just happened?

I didn’t even look at anybody face when I left the bathroom.

I made my way back downstairs, trying to act normal with everybody on my heels. I was panicking inside. Nobody said anything or asked any questions, but I could feel Cassius watching me. I bet his eyes were narrowed and he was scowling. He wasn’t stupid. He knew something was off, but thankfully, he didn’t say anything—at least not yet.

Silas acted like nothing had happened. He was laughing, cracking jokes with Jonas and Naomi like he hadn’t just had his hands all over me in the upstairs bathroom. I tried to avoid looking at him, but my eyes kept drifting in his direction. It wasn’t even because I wanted him—it was because I was terrified someone else would notice how weird I was being and that I kind of wanted him. Just once, to see how it would feel. But that was stupid. I dismissed the thought all together.

After about half an hour, people started breaking off to do their own thing. Cassius stood up, stretched, and announced he was heading upstairs.

He gave me a look. His eyes locked onto mine, daring me to play dumb. He didn’t even have to speak it aloud. I knew what it meant. Bring your ass on. He was about to run me crazy about what happened with Silas, when he could have just asked Silas.

I pretended not to notice, stayed behind, busying myself with nothing—wiping the counter, fixing a drink I didn’t even want. My pulse was wild in my chest. I wasn’t ready to face him.

But I couldn’t avoid him forever.

When I finally got back to the room Cassius and I were sharing, he didn’t waste any time. Soon as the door closed he started in.

“What happened with Silas in that bathroom?” he asked, his voice low and calm, but the truth was in his eyes. He was ready to cut up.

I tried to look unbothered. “Nothing, Cassius. We were just talking.”

His expression didn’t change, but the way his eyes narrowed slightly let me know he didn’t believe me. “Just talking?” he repeated, his voice flat.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “Just talking.”

He stared at me for a long moment, like he was trying to decide whether or not to push further. Then, he shook his head, muttering under his breath. “I always thought Silas had a crush on you.”

I didn’t respond to that. I didn’t know how to. Instead, I turned the tables on him. “What about you and Naomi? I’ve always thought you two had a little thing for each other.”

That shut him up. He shot me a sharp look but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he turned over in bed, his back to me.

I got into bed after a quick shower, my back to him. I thought I’d be able to sleep, but the tension in the room was suffocating. After two hours of tossing and turning, listening to Cassius breathing all heavy. Mad in his sleep. I gave up. I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could and headed downstairs.

When I reached the kitchen, Silas was already there, leaning against the counter, a slice of pie in his hand. He was shirtless, and his tattoos seemed to gleam under the soft kitchen light.

“I caught you,” I said, trying to sound casual, when I really wanted to run away. “Naomi said that pie was for tomorrow. You’re hardheaded.”

He smirked, popping another bite into his mouth. “I’ll just blame it on Cassius. You know she’s still salty with him.”

I crossed my arms, watching him. There was something about the way he looked at me, like he could see straight through me, that made my skin prickle.

“What’s up?” he asked, his voice light but his eyes serious.

I hesitated for a second before stepping closer. “What was that earlier?” I finally asked.

His grin widened as he set the pie down on the counter. He turned toward me, his full attention locked on. “Just something I had to get off my chest,” he said casually.

“Just something you had to get off your chest?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “You kissed me, Silas.”

“And you kissed me back,” he said, stepping closer, his voice dropping lower. “So, what does that mean?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t know what it meant. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it.

He smirked again, that same cocky smirk that always made me roll my eyes. “Relax, Angel. It’s not that deep. We don’t have to make this a thing. It’s out of our system now.”

I watched him reach into the fridge and pull out the pie, cutting it neatly and handing me the slice on a paper towel. “Here,” he said, his voice lighter now, like we hadn’t just been talking about the most confusing moment of my day. “Eat some pie. Everything’s fine.”

I hesitated for a moment, then took the pie from him, my fingers brushing against his, the tingled. What did that mean? I took a small bite, the sweetness melting on my tongue.

“MMM…”I moaned.

“See?” he said, leaning back against the counter, his grin widening. “Good isn’t it.”

I nodded slowly, still not sure how to feel about anything, but for the moment, I let it go. I’d deal with it later. For now, I ate the pie.