Chapter 20
Lacey
TJ
Hey, where’d you go? We haven’t said a word to each other all night.
I stare at my phone with an open mouth, trying—and failing—to make sense of the text message on my screen.
I’m just seeing it now, but he sent me that text a little after 1:00 a.m. The girls and I had just called it a night and gotten into Dia’s car to go home.
I don’t think I’m going to reply. Why would I? The only reason we didn’t say a word to each other is because he spent the night avoiding me like the plague.
If I had to guess, I’d say it had something to do with Aaron being there. Aveena, Xavier, Finn, and Theo joined us in the kitchen not too long after I agreed to go to Chance’s cabin for the weekend. We then played flip cup and beer pong until we left.
Meanwhile, TJ was bickering with Chance in a corner, watching us from afar and giving off stalker vibes.
I get that there’s no lost love between TJ and Aaron, but it’s never been so bad that TJ refused to even come near me when Aaron was around.
Dia
We’re leaving my apartment. Be there soon. Are you ready?
Lacey
Yep. My neighbor just arrived to watch the kids.
I’m so glad Mrs. Harrison agreed to babysit for the weekend. I need to make sure to get her a great gift for her birthday, which is coming up soon.
There were too many of us to fit into one car, so I’m riding with Aveena, Xavier, Finn, and Dia, while Chance, Aaron, TJ, and Theo are riding together. Thank God . Not sure I’d have survived that two-hour car ride with TJ.
Another text from Dia comes through the next second.
Dia
Also, been meaning to ask. What the hell was TJ’s deal last night? He didn’t even come up to you once.
Wow, even she noticed how weird he was being. I thought I was making a big deal out of nothing, but her message tells me I was right on the money.
Something’s definitely up.
And the upside of spending the next forty-eight hours stuck in a cabin with TJ?
It’s the perfect opportunity to get to the bottom of it.
I don’t know why I thought when Chance invited us to his family’s lake house that we would be going to an old, tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the lake house is nestled deep in the woods, far from the hustle of civilization, but it’s the opposite of tiny.
“What the…” Aveena’s voice trails off when we pull up to a gorgeous two-story house with floor-to-ceiling windows. “Why did no one tell me Chance is loaded?”
“He’s not. I heard him tell Theo his dad inherited the place from his folks,” Xavier says from the driver’s seat.
We come to a slow stop before the house, all gaping at the rustic property and countless pine trees surrounding it. Not only does the house have two garages, but it also looks out onto a serene, crystal-clear lake.
We’ve beat Chance and the others here, which means we’re going to have to wait for them out front.
“Talk about a dream house,” Aveena says as Xavier pushes the gear of his car into park.
“Except for the no signal part,” Dia comments, her eyes glued to her phone.
That’s right. Chance failed to mention when he invited me that there is no signal or Wi-Fi here. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been comfortable going. What if something happens to Oli and Sierra and my neighbor tries to reach me? It’s only two days, I know, but I don’t like it.
“What if we miss an important call while we’re out here?” Dia speaks my mind.
She’s been anxiously waiting to hear back since she and Finn pitched her idea for a dog-walking app to a few investors. It’s only been three days, but with the way she’s acting? You’d think we’re closing on three years .
Finn, who’s sitting next to his fiancée in the back seat, covers her phone with his hand. “Baby, what did we say about phones this weekend?”
She sighs, topping it off with an eye roll. “Phones off at all times, I know .”
Finn flattens out his palm in a silent request. Dia eyes her fiancé’s hand reluctantly at first but eventually caves, giving him her phone. Finn answers by slipping it into his pocket and pulling her in to press a loud kiss on her forehead. “That’s my girl.”
We barely have a chance to climb out of the car before we hear the rumble of tires approaching. We all turn to see Chance’s car rolling up the long driveway, and a pit of anxiety settles deep in my stomach.
I’ve never been more nervous to see TJ, and I think my nerves are justified, considering I still haven’t answered his text, and we all know how much TJ just loves being left on read.
Maybe I’m being harsh, but he had plenty of opportunity to talk to me last night. Instead, he chose to run away scared.
Not sure what made him temporarily allergic to me, but if he thinks I’m going to accept this hot-and-cold behavior from him, he’s in for a big reality check.
I’m not going to be that girl ever again. The one begging for scraps of a man’s attention. If he wants me, he’s going to have to get over his issues with Aaron and stat .
Chance pulls up next to us, rolling his window down to say, “Sorry, folks, no solicitors allowed.”
“Funny. Now, will you hurry up and unlock the door? My bladder’s going to burst,” Aveena says.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear she and Xavier would be joining us this weekend. Aveena’s due date is next week, but she could give birth to little Tyler any day now. That’s mainly why we took Xavier’s car. So that they could leave in a hurry if the need arises.
Chance smiles at Aveena’s blunt request, parking right next to Xavier’s car. My breath hitches when he, Theo, Aaron, and TJ all step out of the vehicle.
It’s as though a magnetic force is drawing me to TJ from the moment he pins me with a look I can only describe as annoyed with a pinch of worry. I deny him the satisfaction of sustained eye contact, though, immediately walking to the trunk of Xavier’s car to unpack while the others exchange greetings.
The first thing I see when I pop the trunk is the cooler we filled to the brim with food when we stopped by the grocery store on our way over. I’m na?ve enough to think it’ll be a breeze to carry until I try to lift it and fail miserably.
“Let me help you with that.” A masculine voice startles me, and I whisk my head to see Aaron standing behind me.
I crack a small smile, stepping aside and letting him do the heavy lifting. “Thanks.”
Aaron responds with a warm smile. “Don’t thank me. It’s the least I can do. How was the drive?”
“Fine. Although, we stopped three times because Aveena had to pee.”
Chance jogs toward the front door to unlock it for Aveena, then joins us in unpacking both his and Xavier’s car.
I should be given an award for how skilled I am at not making eye contact with TJ. Seriously. That shit takes hard work. Especially since he’s been staring at me since he got here.
He doesn’t say anything or approach me, though, so I take it he’s still conflicted about whatever he and Aaron were discussing last night.
Ten minutes later, the trunks are empty, and we’ve unloaded the contents of the cooler into the fancy, French-door fridge in the kitchen.
“Who’s up for a tour?” Chance offers, and the answer is a no-brainer.
If the size of this kitchen is anything to go by, Aveena will be having her baby before the tour’s over.
Chance stops before the cabin in his backyard, searching his pockets for the keys. “Now, I present to you my favorite place in the whole world—the observatory. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Pretty cool? Dude, I thought the pool table was cool. This is fucking mental,” Theo speaks my mind.
Chance’s lake house has four bathrooms, seven bedrooms, a hot tub, a pool table, and a freaking observatory. We’re way past cool , and I think we all know it.
“Just wait until you see the inside,” Chance adds as he unlocks the door.
Sure enough, the inside of the observatory is breathtaking.
It’s separated from the house, and it looks like a big shed from the outside. The dome-shaped glass roof catches my eye as soon as we walk in, but the rest is just as fascinating, starting with the maps of constellations and celestial bodies covering the walls and the large telescope sitting in the center of the room.
Chance goes on to tell us that his dad and grandpa had this thing for stargazing, and his grandpa had this built for his son’s thirteenth birthday.
“For my thirteenth birthday, I got socks,” Theo says before throwing himself onto one of the beanbags scattered all over the space.
The group laughs, and we follow suit, dropping onto the beanbags and looking up at the sky through the retractable dome. Everyone except Aveena.
Xavier opens his arms. “Come on, baby.”
She closes her arms over her chest, a smile dancing on her lips. “You do know if I sit on that thing, I’m not getting back up?”
“So? I’ll help you up.” Xavier holds his hand out for her, but she hesitates.
She presses her hand to her stomach. “I can’t. I’m too heavy. I’ll crush you.”
“Baby, it would be an absolute fucking honor to get crushed by you. Now, will you just park that pretty ass on me, please?” Xavier reaches for Aveena’s forearm and pulls her on top of him before wrapping his arms around her pregnant belly and squeezing her.
Aveena bursts into laughter when he begins showering her with kisses.
They’re so cute I could cry.
What I wouldn’t do to experience that kind of love at least once.
Theo snorts at their display of affection. “If being cheesy was a crime, you motherfuckers would be getting life for sure.”
Xavier flips him off but doesn’t tear his attention away from Aveena for one second, continuing to kiss every inch of her face.
“Says the guy who’s been leaving Ashley romantic voicemails all week,” Chance counters.
“You and Ashley again? Are you back together?” Finn asks.
Theo can’t conceal his smile. “Nah, man. We’re just talking.”
Finn scoffs. “Just talking, my ass. Will you look at that dopey smile? He’s fucking beaming.”
The guys all gang up on Theo, more than happy to give him shit for calling them cheesy when everyone knows he’s a goner for Aveena’s sister.
“She’s no better. You should’ve seen her face when I dropped her off at the airport. She was devastated about leaving,” Aveena tells us.
“Is she the one you’ve been texting all the time?” TJ asks.
There used to be a time when seeing Theo so happy over his relationship with Ashley would’ve killed me. I would’ve been fuming with jealousy and dying on the inside.
This is so freeing. Realizing that the world didn’t end the day I realized my first love didn’t love me back.
One person’s inability to see your worth should never make you question if you’re worth being loved in that way. I glance up at the sky for a moment, and that’s when it hits me. Just because one person doesn’t appreciate your light doesn’t make you any less of a supernova. Rejection is inevitable in life.
And at the end of the day, all you can do is make damn sure that the person rejecting you isn’t yourself.
“How the fuck was I supposed to act out a fence ?” Theo mocks the phrases we picked to play charades. I’ve got to give it to him, some of the clues we threw in that bowl were ridiculous—okay, all the clues were ridiculous.
I scoff. “Okay, fine, the fence thing was a bitch, but you could’ve found a better way to act out milking a cow than pretending to pour a drink from your crotch.”
Theo laughs, dropping onto the couch next to Chance. “Yeah, that one made a lot more sense in my head.”
“Anyone up for a refill?” Chance asks, gesturing to the empty beer bottle in his hand. The concept of drunk charades was for the actor to drink every time they failed at making people guess the clue. Let’s just say Aveena, Dia, and I have been owning the guys’ asses, and they’ve been chugging their drinks since the game started.
“Fuck yeah,” Theo chimes, joined by Aaron and TJ, and it isn’t long before they’re following Chance to the kitchen to get themselves another drink.
I pull out my phone and check the screen out of habit, only to realize that there’s still no signal here, and I might just be addicted to the stupid thing. Seriously, I didn’t realize how often I check my phone until there was no point in doing it anymore.
And it’s not like we haven’t been having fun. We’ve been drinking and laughing our asses off around the stone fireplace in the living room for over two hours, and I still had to check my phone every few minutes. I think I’m going to have to take a page out of Finn and Dia’s handbook and turn it off once and for all.
“See? It’s not so bad,” Dia says as soon as TJ and the guys are out of range.
I stick my hands up with a chuckle. “I know. You’re right. I was worried for nothing.”
After we left the observatory, I couldn’t stop questioning whether or not coming to the lake house was a good idea. TJ hadn’t taken his eyes off me once since we’d arrived, and I didn’t know how long I could pretend like I didn’t see him before it became obvious that I was icing him out. The girls picked up on it right away, so needless to say, TJ isn’t exactly the king of subtlety.
Thankfully, he laid off the ogling a little while after we gathered in the living room. He’s still casting glances in my direction every few minutes, but at least he’s not staring into my soul like he wants to teach me a lesson for ignoring him.
I have no doubt he’s just waiting until he can get me alone.
I take a sip of the homemade sangria Dia and I made, and I’m hit by the sudden urge to pee. Alcohol does this funny thing to my bladder where I’m totally fine one second and then wondering if I’m going to pee my pants the next.
I excuse myself to the bathroom down the hall while the guys are filling up in the kitchen and come out a few minutes later. I’m still unfamiliar with the layout of this mansion, though, and I can’t seem to remember which way I came from, so I pick a direction at random.
My throat tightens when I turn the corner and hear the guys laughing in the distance. They’re bickering in the kitchen, and the last thing I want is to have to pass them on my way back to the living room. I’m turning to leave, but the sound of Chance’s voice has the effect of a roadblock, keeping me in place.
“Dude, what the fuck is going on with you and Lacey? I can’t keep up with you two.”
I should head back, but I can’t move a muscle.
“She hasn’t looked at you once since we got here. Weren’t you two dating?” Theo asks.
“Yeah, TJ, what’s that about?” Aaron piles on, a drop of arrogance bleeding through his words. The question is loaded with ulterior motives, and I can only assume the guys heard it, too.
“Nah, we dated casually for a while, and it was fun, but that’s over.”
“Really? How come?” Aaron asks.
“It’s…” TJ pauses. “I could tell she was starting to catch feelings, and I don’t like her like that.”
My stomach sinks to the hardwood floor.
Well, then…
At least we’re clear on that.
It’s as though he just jammed an arrow right into the center of my heart and started twisting to make sure no part was left untouched.
Is that why he didn’t come near me that night at the party? Because he was afraid I was catching feelings and he doesn’t like me back?
Silly girl. Did you really think he was going to fall in love with you? It was only ever a physical thing. Nothing more.
I stand there in the hallway, processing what he said for a good five minutes. I don’t want to cry. It would be stupid to cry over what could’ve been.
I inhale a sharp breath, bring my hand to my shirt, and clutch the fabric on top of my heart.
He doesn’t like you, Lacey. Just like Theo didn’t like you. Because they never like you.
Jesus.
I have to tell the voice in my head to shut the hell up at least five times before I’m able to rejoin the group in the living room.
I can feel TJ’s eyes boring into my forehead from the moment I enter the room.
“Did you get lost on the way to the bathroom?” Aaron says at the sight of me.
I slap on a smile. “Yep. Walked around the house for, like, ten minutes.”
Aaron laughs, his eyes never leaving me as I scan the living room and all of my friends. Dia, Finn, Aveena, and Xavier are all sitting together, sharing one side of the large U-shaped couch, while Chance, TJ, Theo, and Aaron are sitting opposite them. There’s just one spot available next to Aaron.
There’s something in Aaron’s eyes when he sees me approaching. A glimmer of satisfaction. He’s glad I have to sit next to him.
Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s the sensation of my heart crumbling in my chest, but I decide to put TJ to the test.
I slide onto the couch between Aaron and Finn and give Aaron the biggest smile I can muster. “You excited for your big trip?”
I heard him bragging about it to the guys earlier. He’s leaving for his trip during the night early Tuesday morning.
I couldn’t tell you where he’s going for the life of me, but I proceed to nod my head and listen to him drone on and on about all the places he’s going to see. I laugh at all of his jokes and even swat him on the arm a few times. Our thighs are crushed together, so it’s not like I could get any closer to him, but it doesn’t stop me from leaning in as he talks.
It seems to affect him because I see his throat bob when I glance down at his mouth. “I… So yeah, that’s our itinerary in a nutshell.”
“Sounds amazing. You’re so lucky.”
I’m making myself cringe .
I steal a quick glance in TJ’s direction when Aaron’s not looking, and heat blazes through me when our eyes lock.
He’s staring at us.
Hard.
I can’t decipher his emotions, his poker face too strong to unravel, but he doesn’t look happy, that’s for sure.
That’s when I see his eye twitch.
And I know…
He’s furious.
It shouldn’t bring me joy, but it does. A boatload of it.
“You guys want to keep playing?” Chance asks.
Finn shrugs. “Meh. I’m sick of charades.”
“Same,” Xavier and Theo agree.
“Why don’t we get in the hot tub? Doesn’t seem too cold outside. And I checked earlier. Water temperature’s perfect,” Chance suggests.
“Now we’re talking,” Theo rejoices.
The rest of us share his enthusiasm, and not even a minute goes by before we’re all heading upstairs to change into our swimsuits.
A few minutes of digging inside my overnight bag later, I find the white bikini I brought and walk into the bathroom connected to my room. When I’m done changing, I throw my hair up into a bun and pad back into my bedroom.
“You want to tell me what the fuck you were thinking?”
I nearly flatline at the sound of his voice and spin to see TJ leaning against my closed bedroom door with his arms folded against his chest.
I can’t conceal the shock making my voice tremble. “What are you doing in my room?”
“Came to make sure you didn’t suffer a severe blow to the head. Might be the only thing that could explain you flirting with Aaron.”
Irritation explodes in my veins, pumping through my entire body, but I pour all of my energy into containing my anger, keeping my mouth shut.
He pushes off the wall he’s leaning against. “I’m just saying it’s a little cruel. Making the bastard think he might have a shot with you.”
I can’t stop myself from blurting, “Maybe he does.”
I don’t know why I said that. If there’s one thing that’s certain in this messed-up little world, it’s that I most definitely don’t like Aaron.
Irritation flashes in his gaze. “What?”
Every atom in my body is telling me to look away, but my pride forbids me from breaking the eye contact. “I was just thinking maybe I haven’t given him a fair shot.”
He shakes his head as though this isn’t making any sense. “Okay, what the fuck is going on here? Are you mad at me or something?”
Yes.
I’m mad because you were right. I did catch feelings. Here I go again, falling for the guy who doesn’t want me back. That’s practically my MO.
“Funny, I thought you might be mad at me . You know, since you didn’t say a word to me last night.”
His face falls.
“Look…” He steps closer, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoids my gaze. “It wasn’t you. It’s just… I have a lot on my mind these days.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Care to elaborate?”
It’s as though an invisible wall just emerged between us. His shields are up. They always are whenever I ask him a personal question, and I know he’s going to deflect before he even opens his mouth.
“It’s… complicated.”
Of course it is.
That’s what seals the deal.
“I don’t think I can tutor you anymore.”
His mouth drops open, and he stumbles back a step. “Wait, what?”
“This arrangement of ours… it was fun and all, but I think it’s run its course. We should probably keep our distance from now on.”
My comment stuns him silent.
I don’t give him a chance to gather himself, immediately heading for the door. “Great. Glad we agree.”
I only manage to take a step before his hand latches onto my wrist and pulls me back. My forearm hits his chest with a thud, the near proximity between us messing with my emotions. I don’t have it in me to look up and stare into those mesmerizing brown eyes, knowing they’ll never see me as more than a friend.
“No” is all he says.
God, I need a tutor to show me how to breathe at this point.
“No what?” I play dumb.
“No, I’m not keeping my fucking distance. Sorry.”
It feels like my heart is trying to carve its way out of my rib cage with a butcher knife.
Only then do I muster the bravery to look him in the eye and say, “Why not? I thought you didn’t like me like that.”
It’s as though every trace of oxygen has been sucked out of the room. TJ’s features twist with shock as realization crashes into him like a tidal wave.
With that said, I free my wrist from his grasp, spin on my axis, and walk away.
TJ
Moron. Idiot. Liar.
Just a few of the adjectives that have been running through my mind since she left my ass stranded in her bedroom a half hour ago.
This is all my fault. I’m an asshole for not telling her the truth. And I’m ridiculous for telling the guys a bunch of lies to get Aaron off my back—and yeah, I didn’t know she was listening, but I shouldn’t have said those things in the first place.
Speaking of Aaron, I just might have to kill the manipulative bastard if he doesn’t stop ogling Lacey like that.
I get it. She has her hair up in an adorable bun, and she looks like a goddess in that white bikini, but I will throw him in shark-infested waters if he keeps this up.
Chance suggested that we play a quick game of flip cup before getting in the hot tub, and to no one’s surprise, Lacey hasn’t deigned to look at me once since she called me out on my shit.
I need to get her alone so that I can clear the air. Although, something tells me that’s not going to happen anytime soon. A few rounds of flip cup later, we call it a night and transfer to the hot tub. Aveena, Lacey’s pregnant friend, tells us she can’t get in while pregnant, and she’ll be upstairs napping in the meantime.
The guys and I get in first, followed by Dia, who takes a seat next to Finn. Then comes Lacey.
The issue is there are only two spots left. One next to Aaron. And one next to me. She arrives to that same conclusion a heartbeat later, and I see Aaron smiling at her from the corner of my eye.
Oh, fuck no .
The words are out of my mouth before I can make sense of the jealousy igniting in my chest like wildfire.
“There’s room next to me.”
Then… silence.
They all look at me like I’m some sort of obsessed ex-boyfriend, but I don’t give a shit. I tried to stay away, but seeing Aaron come for what’s mine is too fucking much. I know there are going to be consequences, but I can’t seem to care about them right now.
An adorable blush creeps up Lacey’s neck and face. Then, she notices everyone is now looking at her, waiting for a reaction.
I can tell she’s debating on blowing me off, but ultimately, she caves, climbing inside the hot tub and snatching the spot next to me.
Good luck ignoring me when our bodies are smashed together, Mattson.
I know better than to think she won’t try, though. She’s way too stubborn. It’s one of the things I love most about her.
Aaron doesn’t even bother concealing his anger, staring daggers into my forehead every chance he gets. And he’s right to hate me.
I fucked up.
Big time.
I was blinded by my rage, but now… all I see is her.
I spend the next half hour on autopilot, pretending to give a damn about what my friends are saying.
“That’s crazy. Why would Heather lie about you two sleeping together? And does Bethany know?” I hear Dia’s voice, but I couldn’t care less about the latest development in the Heather-Bethany-Chance drama right now.
Plus, Heather being a lying, conniving bitch doesn’t exactly come as a shock to me.
“I tried calling her a couple times. But she has my number blocked,” Chance answers.
“What are you going to do?” Dia asks.
“What can I do? I barely got Heather to admit she set the whole thing up. Beth would never take my word for it,” Chance says.
If I were him and my girl had run off to live with her grandma because she thought I cheated on her with her best friend, you’d best believe I’d be on the next flight out, ready to track her down.
I zone out on the rest of their conversation, making sure to accidentally graze Lacey’s thigh in the water every once in a while just to see her squirm. The same way she squirmed when she came on my cock in the shower.
I can feel myself harden as the look on her face when she came flashes before my eyes. I have to remind the little general not to go there. I can’t be thinking about the sounds she made or the way she threw her head back against the shower tiles right now.
“You guys want to head inside before we all get so pruney we start looking like a fucking fruit salad?” Theo asks ten minutes later.
Most of the group agrees. Finn, Xavier, Dia, Theo, and Chance all climb out of the hot tub, leaving me alone with my girl and Aaron. Aaron, who, by the way, is still very much glaring at me like I’m the devil incarnate.
He’s going to try and cockblock me, isn’t he?
I make eye contact with Chance a second later, and all I have to do is cast a discreet glance toward Aaron and raise my eyebrows for him to pick up on my tells.
“Aaron, man, you coming?” Chance asks, coming in clutch, and I’ve never been more grateful for his friendship in my life.
“Nah, I’m good.” Aaron won’t budge.
The guy is like a piece of fucking gum under my shoe.
“Come on, I have to show you something,” Chance insists.
Remind me to get him a kick-ass present this Christmas. Reluctant, Aaron casts another death glare in my direction before slipping out of the tub and following the guys inside.
I can tell Lacey saw right through that by the way she shakes her head and scoffs.
“Subtle,” she comments.
Smart-ass.
“Thanks. It’s a gift.”
We’re alone.
At last.
She proceeds to slide to the other side of the hot tub to create distance between us. She can try to get away from me as much as she likes…
But she’s not getting out of this hot tub until we talk.