Chapter 25
Chapter twenty-five
Chesteria
“Morning Temptation”
The soft hum of the wind outside the cabin windows whispered through the stillness of the morning, wrapping the room in a gentle embrace as I slowly blinked my eyes open.
The sky beyond the faded curtains glowed a pale blue, early sunlight filtering in like a delicate promise of a new day.
My body ached—not from pain, but from the weight of restraint.
I turned over and damnit—Bryce was still sprawled in my bed, snoring lightly, flat on his back, lips slightly parted.
He looked so peaceful. That sly hint of a smile was still etched on his face even in sleep.
For a moment, I just stared, taking in the sight of him.
Then, with a glimmer of hope, I slowly peeled back the covers…
just a little. I was low-key hoping, praying that during the night, he’d stripped down to something less.
But nope! He was still fully dressed in that same fitted black tee that hugged his toned body and rugged jeans from the day before.
“Ugh!” I huffed quietly, barely able to suppress my frustration. “Wasted opportunity.”
Just as I went to pull the covers back over myself, his voice broke the silence.
“You trying to see something, Chesteria?”
I damn near leapt out of the bed, startled. “What the hell, Bryce?! I thought you was asleep.”
Bryce was wide awake now, watching me with that dash of mischief in his eyes and that sly, half-sleep smirk tugging at his mouth.
“Chesteria, I haven’t had any pussy in over a week.
So, unless you want Isis and Adrian to hear you moaning like you auditioning for a choir solo in the next thirty seconds…
you might wanna get yo’ fine ass up outta this bed. ”
I narrowed my eyes at him, struggling to fight the smile lifting the corners of my lips. “Correction—you’re in my bed.”
“Yeah… you right.” He yawned, stretching long and slow, arms flexing behind his head as if to show off his physique. "What time is it?"
I glanced at the nightstand. “A little after seven.”
Bryce groaned, slouching slightly as he sat up and planted his feet on the floor. He stretched again, and the hem of his shirt rose just enough for me to get a glimpse of his abs. As he stood, my eyes accidentally dropped to the heavy print in his pants.
Lord.
I quickly jerked my head away, but not before Bryce caught me in the act. That slow smirk of his widened, clearly amused.
“So… what we doing today around here?” he asked, his tone light but laced with a hint of something deeper.
I cleared my throat, attempting to maintain my composure. “I guess we’ll all have to come together and figure something out. Maybe a game or something. There aren’t too many options since we’re snowed in and have limited access to electricity.”
“I can think of a few things,” Bryce hinted, licking his lips in that way that sent a shiver down my spine. “But I’ma about to go check the generator,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck, the motion causing his muscles to ripple. “Then I’ma shower.”
“Me too,” I replied, trying to sound casual despite the sudden rush of nervous energy coursing through me.
Bryce paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face before he simply nodded. “Aight. I’ll meet you up front in about thirty minutes or so.”
“Okay."
As soon as the door clicked closed behind him, I flopped back onto the mattress and groaned into the pillow, burying my face deep into the fabric.
“Lord, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out!” I muffled my voice into the pillow. “That man done woke up looking like a whole sin in sweatpants.”
I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, my heart racing like I’d just sprinted a mile instead of merely observing him.
“Seven in the damn morning and he already got me questioning my salvation,” I whispered to myself, unable to shake the visual of him—print out, lips slick, and voice deep like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip to stifle my yearning.
“This is dangerous,” I breathed, the reality of the moment crashing over me. “One more look, one more slick comment, one more accidental bump, and I’ma forget every promise I made to myself.”
I let out a shaky laugh, dragging the covers up to my chin, as if they could shield me from my racing thoughts.
“But God help me… if he touches me today, I’m not strong enough to stop it.”
“What the Cabin Taught Us About Grace, Growth, and Unexpected Friendship”
I was seated on the couch, tucking my hair into my bonnet, enjoying the rare silence, when Adrian came limping into the room.
“Aight, y’all! Since y’all clearly forgot we was doing this, welcome back to Random Positivity Hour!”
Isis peeked over her coffee mug like she’d been summoned from the depths of luxury. “Adrian… nobody forgot; we just intentionally chose not to bring it up.”
“How?” he shot back, raising a brow. “Weren’t you the one who suggested we do the shit in the first place?”
She shrugged nonchalantly, the corner of her mouth quirking up slightly. “Touché. But a girl can change her mind.”
Adrian waved her off like she was bad weather and he was controlling the climate. “Nah… see, that’s negativity. And today? We positive. We renewing our spirits and charging our inner iPhones. No Bluetooth demons allowed. This cabin turned us into a… community.”
I tied my bonnet tighter. “We locked in, you mean.”
“Yeah... we locked in! Now, everybody gon’ go around and say something uplifting… real-life affirmations shit… gems… growth! I want spiritual hydration!”
Bryce muttered something under his breath and shook his head, already over it.
Adrian cleared his throat as if about to deliver a keynote speech. “Aight… I’ll go first. My affirmation of the day is, I am evolving past the man I used to be because the man I used to be couldn’t survive in the woods… not mentally… not emotionally… and especially not cardio-wise.”
Bryce raised a brow, smirking. “My boy, you still got some ways to go. But keep speaking it into existence. Manifest that lung capacity.”
Everyone erupted in laughter, the sound bouncing off the cabin walls.
"That's cool. The lungs ain’t caught up yet, but the mindset has!”
Isis, her hands cradling her heart as if holding a delicate secret, decided to share next.
“Alright… well, my positivity for today is this: I’m learning to trust the universe…
even though I’m cold, tired, and I feel spiritually allergic to the outdoors.
But I’m grateful that even in this frigid snowstorm, I’m not alone, and I’m surrounded by people I can genuinely say I’ve come to…
like,” she confessed, her voice softening with sincerity.
I smiled, caught off guard by the softness in her voice. Even Bryce blinked, clearly surprised by her heartfelt admission.
Adrian gave her a proud little golf clap. “Aight... bougie growth. Next!”
I sat forward, drawing in a deep breath, my voice steady yet gentle. “My gem for today…”
I allowed the words to flow organically, feeling the weight of what I wanted to express.
“…is that peace isn’t always found in perfect places; sometimes it shows up in chaos, or on cold mornings spent with people you’d never thought you’d laugh with, cry near, or witness this side of.
Sometimes God isolates us to show us what we’ve been too busy—or too stubborn—to see.
And sometimes, the storm isn’t punishment; it’s protection.
It’s a reroute. It’s getting stuck with the exact people you didn’t know you needed… but can’t imagine not knowing now.”
As I locked eyes with Bryce, an unspoken understanding passed between us.
“Damn, Chesteria. That was Oprah-level, girl!” Isis exclaimed.
Bryce leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, looking like a lumberjack philosopher.
“My positivity for today? I’m learning patience with storms, life, and people.
” His eyes lingered on me. “And with myself, the old me, I didn’t make room for grace.
But this cabin, this mess… this group—” He grunted and shook his head like he didn’t want to say it but had to.
“Y’all remind me that even when life shakes you up, you still get to choose how you stand afterward, and I’m choosing better. ”
Bryce’s words hit me like a physical blow, resonating deep within.
Isis pretended to wipe an imaginary tear, dramatically fanning her face.
“I just… love us! I would say group hug, but I’m wearing a four hundred dollar lounge set stitched by a blind Italian artisan in a villa, and I can still smell yesterday’s decisions on somebody in here… and that energy is loud.”
All heads turned to Adrian, who was lowkey sniffing under his arms.
“Damn,” he said, like he was the one in disbelief.
“Nigga, if you don’t get yo’ funky ass in some water while you over here trying to manifest, marinate, and motivate in the same damn breath!” Bryce chastised, barely holding back his laughter.
Adrian raised a hand defensively, sounding almost indignant. “First of all, I’ve been conserving water for the cabin. That’s called sacrifice and leadership, my friends.”
I coughed, unable to suppress my laughter. “That’s called stank.”
“I call it woodsy musk!” Adrian retorted, puffing his chest out. “Survival has a scent!”
I shook my head, laughing. “I guess some things will never change.”
The cabin felt warmer after that. And not just from the stove, but something else settling between us. It wasn’t merely about survival anymore; it was about connection.