Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kai
An alarm blared and my eyes flew open. What was happening?
“Hey, Starshine. We should probably get you back to the hotel. Your clothes are in the dryer. I know most of them probably shouldn’t go in the dryer, but we’re out of time.” Ashton came over to the bed, shut off the alarm, and kissed me on the forehead.
“I need more cuddles.” Steven’s arms tightened around me.
Oh. Right. After drunken puzzles I’d taken them both to bed. One last set of knots before I went back to Hilo. I must have fallen asleep on Steven.
“Okay.” I leaned my head on Steven’s bare chest, soaking up his cuddles.
Ashton ran a hand through my hair. “I’ll make you some coffee? You should eat something. A grilled cheese would be fast.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Grabbing his shirt, I tried to pull him down on the bed with us. He was right, I should get back to the hotel so I could finish packing before we left for the airport.
But I wanted one more.
“Is this what you need?” Ashton joined us, smooshing me between the two of them.
“Yes.” One last delicious squish before the flight back.
Their scents surrounded me and I laid there between them, half asleep, enjoying every moment.
Just like I’d enjoyed being between them earlier. Now that I’d had two knots at once I wasn’t sure I could go back to one.
A buzzer echoed from somewhere.
“That’s the dryer. I’ll make the coffee.” Ashton sighed, gave me a squeeze, then left the room.
“Want a quick shower?” Steven gave me a kiss.
“No.” It came out too quick, almost instinctive. As soon as my brain kicked in, a sigh shuddered through me. “I should. It’ll be a long flight.”
“Do you want me to shower with you?” Steven sat up, the blanket sliding down his bare chest.
“I don’t know.” My chest shook. Why was I like this? But I was also possibly still a little drunk. We had a lot to drink.
Well, I had. So had Steven. At some point I think Ashton stopped. Probably so he would be able to drive me to the hotel.
Because that’s how he was. Thoughtful. Responsible. Protective.
I started to cry.
“It’s okay.” Steven rolled out of bed, picked me up, and carried me to the bathroom. Turning on the water, while clutching me to his chest, he brought us into the shower.
For a moment the warm water sluiced over us, me still in his arms. The tears stopped, but I kept my head buried in his chest.
“Oh, your hair. We probably don’t have time for that.” Steven grabbed a plain hair tie, hanging from the shower rack by the razors.
Putting me down, he fixed my hair into a bun like he’d done it before. Actually, the idea of Steven doing Ashton’s hair was adorable.
They were adorable.
“Here, let me wash you. I love the idea of you smelling like us all through the flight, but not sure you want to smell like sex. We’ll cuddle you good, though, if that makes you feel better.” Getting the shower gel, Steven washed me, quickly, but thoroughly.
Ashton came in. “Coffee’s ready, your clothes are on the bed.”
“Okay.” I gulped.
“Here.” Ashton held out a towel.
Getting out of the shower, I let him wrap me up and carry me into the bedroom.
Gently, he put me on the bed. “Clean clothes.”
I just sat there, looking up at him, as if I did it long enough time would expand.
“Here you go.” Ashton started dressing me.
But when he went to put the shirt back on me my lower lip quivered.
“Do you want another shirt? Here, I’ve got a shirt. You can give it back to me when we next see you, okay?” Ashton’s voice had forced cheer to it.
Nodding, I let him pull a shirt over my head. While it didn’t expressly smell like him, it smelled like their house.
“Do you want a hoodie of mine, for the plane? Your hoodie is clean, but an oversized one might be really cozy. It’s a long flight, isn’t it?” Steven came in wearing only a towel. He went to the back of the bedroom door and took two hoodies off the hooks and held them up. “Zipper or no zipper?”
“No zipper.” I put my arms up in the air and let him pull it over me. Did the Aunties like jeans and hoodies on planes? Absolutely not. Did I care? Nope.
Ashton kissed my cheek. “Let me make you your grilled cheese. Coffee is ready. Steven, do you want a sandwich, too?”
“Please?” Steven asked as he pulled on shorts and a shirt. Pushing me down on the bed, He cuddled me as the scent of cooking food filled the room.
Finally, he picked me up and brought me into the dining area, then set me down at the small wooden table.
A cup of coffee and the bottle of creamer already sat there. I added creamer to my coffee and took a sip. Steven grabbed a cup and sat down next to me.
“Here you go.” Ashton put plates of grilled cheese sandwiches in front of me and Steven. They were perfectly golden.
He went back to the stove. I took a bite, letting the buttery, gooey, cheesiness explode over my tongue.
Steven got up and came back with a box. “I don’t want your stomach to hurt on the plane.”
“Thank you.” They’d gotten these in case I didn’t have any?
A sob welled up inside me. I choked it down, along with the pills and the water that had been next to the coffee.
Ashton sat back down with his sandwich. The three of us ate in silence. I should say something. But I didn’t know what to say.
I’m not sure any of us did.
Finally, we finished, and I brought my cups and dishes to the sink. Ashton came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I guess I should go.” My chest heaved with too many emotions.
“Yeah, the aunties are texting.” Steven held up my phone.
We put on our shoes. I grabbed my mini backpack, and the clothes of mine that I wasn’t wearing. The three of us went down to Ashton’s truck. Steven sat in the back with me, and I texted the aunties that I was on the way.
The silence continued as music played.
Finally, Steven broke it.
“You’re going back to Auntie Kiki’s, right? Not the place you had with your ex?” Steven asked, still holding me tight.
“Yeah. It’ll be a little less convenient, but it’s more comfortable. It’s not an awful commute, but it’s still a commute. I’ll be safe there,” I assured.
Not living on campus would make it a little easier to avoid my ex and ex-friends until graduation, too.
“And you have your beautiful purple car to get back and forth,” Ashton added as he drove.
“I do. One of the uncles asked if I wanted him to sell it for me. That they’d get me another car of my choosing as an early graduation gift.
But I said I wanted to be petty and drive it.
So, they’ve been fixing it up for me all week.
” It was a good car for what we’d paid. My uncle helped me pick it out.
The truck stopped in front of the hotel. Ashton got out and opened the door, taking my hand and helping me out.
“Thanks again for an amazing week,” I said softly, hugging him tightly. One last hug.
“It was our pleasure, Starshine. Have a safe flight. Can you text us when you get back to Hilo and let us know that you made it home safe?” Ashton gave me a kiss.
“Okay.” My chest shuddered. One last kiss.
“When you get dates worked out with your brother, let us know what works for you, so we can get things planned for you visiting us,” he added.
“And us coming to Hawai’i. I’m pretty excited about whiskey pong,” Steven added, pulling me from Ashton’s arms so he could hug me.
Whiskey pong? Oh, that memory came back to me.
“Yes, absolutely.” The words felt hollow. Would I? I wanted to. But was that the best thing for me?
I didn’t know. Tears pricked my eyes.
“We’ll miss you.” Steven kissed me as well. It was sweet, lingering…
…and felt like a farewell.
But that’s what this was. A farewell. They’d go back to hockey. When the finals finished they’d return to their lovely cabin, the season would start again, and their routine would continue.
One I really didn’t fit in.
I’d fade into a background as a fond memory.
You knew this was temporary. One fun week to get over Logan. You have years of hard work ahead. Hard work that the instability of hockey can’t support.
Which was true. I’d watched some videos of hockey mates, such as them packing everything up and moving across the country in the middle of the school year, because their alpha got traded, of choosing jobs that could be done from home or moved easily.
Yeah, I didn’t fit into that. I wasn’t willing or able to give everything up for them. You couldn’t just switch PhD programs because your alpha got traded.
I gave them one last wave, swallowing what I felt as I went back into the hotel. Auntie Kiki and Auntie Mimi were lining up their suitcases as I entered.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pack fast,” I replied, grabbing the flowers off the table and going into my room.
Cutting off a few flowerheads, I pressed them between the pages single paperback I’d brought and wrapped a belt around it. I’d do it better when I got back to Auntie’s, but this would work for now.
Taking everything I stuffed it into my suitcase. The only problem was, they’d bought me so many things, I didn’t have enough room for all the clothes, makeup, shoes, and accessories.
Plopping down on the floor, I started to cry, overwhelmed.
There was a knock on the door. “I have your other suitcase.”
“You do?” I hiccupped as Auntie Kiki came in with another suitcase.
Relief shot through me. Of course she thought of it.
“Yes, I got it when we went shopping without you.” She put it on the bed and methodically started packing everything, while I sat there on the floor.
Finally, I got everything out of the bathroom and shoved it into my suitcase. I also packed up my big backpack I used as a carryon and made sure I collected my chargers.
Auntie took the suitcase out into the living room. I noticed she left clothes on the bed. Mmmm… No…
Maybe?
In the end, I put on the comfortable flowy pants but kept their shirt and hoodie.
You can give it back to me when we next see you, okay?
Yeah, that probably wouldn’t happen. I could just mail it to them.
Or keep it.
I finished up and dragged everything out to the living room. The hotel porter was already there, loading our luggage onto one of those big, brass carts.
Auntie eyed my clothes but didn’t say anything. I put on my slip on sneakers.
We went down to the lobby. Auntie Cookie and Auntie Tiff were waiting. Auntie Cookie would fly to Vegas with me, Auntie Kiki, and Auntie Mimi. Auntie Tiff’s flight was also early, so we were all going together. All of them were dressed elegantly.
I didn’t care about being fancy.
In the car on the way to the airport my phone buzzed. I’d been added to a group chat with Ashton and Steven.
Steven
Have a safe flight.
Me
Shouldn’t you be asleep?
Steven
Ash is hogging the bed.
I got a photo of Ashton laying like a naked starfish, with only a small pillow covering his goods.
Me
Go to sleep. You have practice tomorrow. I wish I was there.
Steven
Wish you were here, too.
We got to the airport and checked in all our bags. Nothing was open, not even a coffee shop. I resisted the urge to text Ashton and Steven, since they should be asleep. Instead, I posted an airport selfie and got caught up with all my texts and emails.
I kept looking around. Why, I didn’t know. It’s not like they were going to show up and confess their love for me. They weren’t going to give up their careers for me any more than I would for them.
It was just a vacation fling. I wasn’t supposed to fall for them.
But I had.
My shoulders fell as I sighed heavily. They called for boarding for first class. We all hugged Auntie Tiff.
“This has been fun.” She hugged me.
“This was. Thanks for including me,” I told her.
Auntie Tiff hustled off to her own gate. The four of us boarded the flight to Vegas. First class was nice and spacious, but not quite as nice as the lie-flat compartments we’d have going from Vegas to Honolulu.
I got the window seat, Auntie Mimi next to me. Auntie Kiki and Auntie Cookie were across the aisle.
Taking the champagne and a cookie from the flight attendant, I took a photo. Posting it with a Bye, Nashville, it’s been fun, caption, I gulped it down.
“You had a good time, didn’t you?” Auntie Mimi asked me as she sipped hers.
I got out my headphones and the eye mask I’d gotten on our flight to Vegas. “Yes, I had a great time.”
It had been one of the best weeks ever.
But all good things had to come to an end.
And unfortunately, this was the end for the three of us.