17. Emma
17
EMMA
C oldness washes over me as if I’ve just been dunked in ice.
Asher, Finn, and Caspian locked in the cabin with me and my parents.
Fuck. Of course that’s what’s going to happen. Of course, on top of this bombshell, my dad’s old college buddies are some of the friends they’re bringing to the cabin.
The rest of the party passes in a whirlwind of cake cutting, speeches, and present opening so I don’t get a chance to see Finn, Asher, or Caspian again. I keep an eye out for them as we stand at the door and say goodbye to everyone, but they’re nowhere to be seen. They must have slipped away earlier.
By the time I make it home, I’m utterly drained and mentally exhausted from everything. I kick off my shoes, throw my keys into the bowl by the door and seek out my phone. With two taps, I’m calling the group chat, eager to talk to Ana and slightly hopeful that a call to the group chat will pull Meghan back into things as well. Only Ana answers though.
Guess Meghan is still too full of herself to apologize.
“Hey honey, everything okay?” Ana yawns, stretching out on the video as she greets me. “It’s so late.”
“I know, sorry. I just got back from my dad’s birthday and you will not believe the shit that went down.”
I fill her in on all the details as I trudge wearily into my bedroom and then pause. Once again, my window is open and the curtains drift slightly in the barely detectable night breeze. Shit, did I leave that open before I left? I don’t remember opening the window, but I had been in a terrible rush after class. I close it and lock it, pulling the curtains shut and by the time I start running my bath, Ana has all the details.
“Holy shit,” Ana laughs. “Girl, when I said you had to have more fun and enjoy yourself, this is not what I had in mind.”
“You’re telling me,” I groan, keeping the flow of the water on low to ensure the temperature remains high. “I honestly thought I was going to pass out. Within thirty seconds, I learned that all three guys I like know each other, know about me, and know my dad. What are the chances of that happening?”
“Maybe higher than we realize,” Ana says. “So what are you going to do?”
“I…have no idea. They seemed pretty casual about it, but we didn’t get a lot of time to talk. Asher definitely seemed a bit out of it. He was really surprised.”
“Does it creep you out?” Ana asks as I add bubbles and bath salts.
“That he’s friends with my dad? No.”
“What about the fact that he met you as a baby?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t creep me out because I don’t really remember him and he didn’t know me. I’m pretty sure I was like four when he left. But I’m worried it creeps him out.” Sighing, I balance my phone on the stand by the bath and turn the water off. “I mean, I hadn’t thought much about the future but I like them, all of them. Having that possibility of things continuing was really nice. But now it’s like, almost impossible. If my parents were ever to find out, I’m pretty sure my mother would just drop dead.”
“Nah, she’s far too stubborn to give you an easy way out like that,” Ana teases me. “Look on the bright side; this solves one problem.”
“Which is?” Perching on the edge of the bath, I gingerly begin to remove my eyelashes.
“You don’t need to worry about one of them finding out about the other and forcing you to choose.”
One eyelash free, I end up smiling. “I hadn’t thought about that. It’s true though. They all were weirdly chill about me seeing all of them. They kept saying it was because they were men.”
“Makes sense.” Ana yawns. “Men that age are mature enough to know what they want, how to get it, and how to keep it. Not like the little boys I date.”
“Cast your net wider,” I say. “Find yourself your own hot older guy.”
“And then two more?”
“Yes.” A giggle rises as I peel the second eyelash free. “Two more is ideal.”
“I’m sorry this happened though. It must have been stressful.”
Groaning, I toss the eyelashes onto the edge of the sink. “You have no idea. And my mom just kept popping up everywhere. Kinda surprised she didn’t overhear anything.”
“You should take some time to think things over.” Sheets rustle as Ana moves about her bed. “Don’t make any decisions at 3:00 a.m. Keeping this a secret from your parents will be tough enough, but since Asher knows your dad, it’ll be even bigger.”
“I know.” My fingers toy with one of the gemstones on my dress as my tired brain repeats earlier conversations in my mind. “I just don’t know how to feel.”
“Well, one thing you can do is find out how Asher feels,” Ana reminds me. “It’s important to him too. But only when you’re ready.”
“I’ll try to talk to him at the cabin,” I decide. “It’s secluded enough and chill enough that we might be able to have a decent conversation.”
“Just make sure you decide on what’s best for you and not what other people might want.” Ana winks at me. “And if I think you’re going astray, I’ll pull you back.”
“Thank you.” I pout slightly at her, then pick up the phone and angle it to show off my dress. “My mom said I looked like hard candy.”
“No way!” Ana screeches with laughter. “You look gorgeous. Trust me.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you sleep now. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Ending the call, I sink into the hot bath and do everything I can to forget everything. Ana is right. Making decisions at 3:00 a.m. is never a good idea.
“The heck?” Standing in my kitchen the following morning, I scan the countertop for my phone, but there’s nothing there other than my half-drunk coffee and an unopened packet of pancake mix. Early mornings after a late night are my least favorite, but I want to reach the cabin before everyone else. It’ll give me a chance to settle in and situate myself before my parents and the men I’m currently seeing turn up.
Only, I can’t remember where I put my phone. I definitely checked it when I woke up, and I was sure I brought it with me to make coffee. Apparently not.
“I’m losing my mind,” I murmur, chuckling at the irony of talking to myself. Back through in the bedroom, my phone sits on the dresser where I must have left it. Scraping my hair away from my forehead, I grumble to myself and slide my phone into my pocket. Clearly, I need more sleep.
I pack my bag quickly, throwing most of what I need into my rucksack along with all the toiletries I might need. A few days in the woods will do me good. Although…if Asher and the others are going to be there, then it couldn’t hurt to look nice.
I move back to my dresser and open up the underwear drawer, searching for a particular pair of sexy, scandalous, light blue underwear. I search under neatly folded bras, panties, and more, but the sexy set I have in mind is nowhere to be seen. Did I wear it earlier?
“Damn.” They must be in the wash. There goes that idea. I settle instead for the sexiest underwear I have left, a sunshine yellow set with sheet netting over the breast and pussy area. They’ll have to do. Adding them to the collection, I snap a photo of myself and the backpack and send it to the group chat.
It became a tradition after Ana watched a documentary and became concerned that I would be mauled by a bear while out in the wilderness.
“The picture I submit to the news as they broadcast your story has to be hot!” she claimed, but I knew she was just keeping her own peace of mind. Snacks secured, I head for my car and begin the long drive to the mountains.
A few hours in, I drive with the window down and a delicious breeze swirling in the car to fight off the building heat as the afternoon sun bakes down above me. Driving like this, just me and the highway brings me an odd sense of peace, and my mind is quiet. The only thing I need to keep an eye out for is the turnoff into the mountains.
My phone, nestled in the hands-free display, blares into life with an incoming call from Dad.
“Hello?”
“Hey Berry, I have some bad news.”
“Oh no.” My stomach knots slightly. “Storm coming?”
“No, your mother is sick.”
“What?” My grip tightens on the steering wheel and I straighten up. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing serious,” he replies. “Just some stomach bug, maybe some food poisoning from last night.”
“God, lead with that next time okay?” I breathe out, having spent the past ten seconds imagining all sorts of horrible illnesses.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” Dad sighs. “We’re going to have to reschedule the cabin though. Your mother doesn’t want to be around people.”
Disappointment swells as I slow down the car and eye the road for a place to turn back to the city. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“We’ll keep you updated.”
Then the call ends and silence falls in the car. Fuck. I was looking forward to some fresh, clean mountain air. Even looking forward to talking with Asher to see how he feels so I can factor that into my decisions.
With a heavy heart, I spot a widening in the road where I can turn. As I approach, an idea forms in my mind.
If the trip is canceled, the cabin will be empty—no one but me. It would be the perfect place to clear my head, think things over, and work out exactly how I feel and how to proceed.
In some strange stroke of luck, my mother falling ill actually works in my favor. I don’t turn around, and for the next several hours, I continue the drive to the cabin.
I arrive in the late afternoon, and by the time the sun sets low across the mountain, sending trickles of light through trees and branches, I’m settled in and ready for a very relaxing soak in the hot tub.
Until the soft hum of an engine catches my attention. Standing in the middle of the lounge, dressed in a two-piece swimsuit and towel in hand, I stare toward the door. The hum grows louder and louder, then mingles with the crunchy sound of tires grinding across the gravel parking spots outside.
Someone else is here?