26 - Cabin Rules #5
Ty collapses beside me. Eli sits on the edge of the bed, one hand resting on my thigh. Nobody moves. Nobody needs to.
I stare at the ceiling. My heartbeat is still slowing down. I can feel Ty’s cum leaking out of me. I can still taste Eli on my tongue. I should feel … something. Shame, maybe. Or at least self-consciousness.
I don’t. I just feel good.
“Holy shit,” I finally say. My voice is hoarse.
Ty laughs softly. “Yeah. That.”
Minutes pass. Or maybe just seconds. Time is strange right now.
Eli’s thumb traces circles on my thigh. Absent. Gentle. The same patient rhythm he’s had all night.
“Shower?” he asks eventually.
I nod. I’m not sure I can actually stand, but I want to try.
He helps me up. My legs are shaky. Ty follows us down the hall to the bathroom. It’s quiet now. No sounds from Jade’s room. Either they’re done or they’re sleeping.
The bathroom is small, but the shower is big enough. Eli adjusts the water while I lean against the counter. Ty stands behind me, his hands on my shoulders, steadying me.
“In you go,” Eli says.
The hot water hits my skin, and I groan. Every muscle is unwinding. I tip my head back. Let it run over my face.
Eli steps in behind me. Then Ty. Three bodies in a steam-filled space. It should be awkward. It isn’t.
Eli reaches for the shampoo. Works it into my hair. His fingers on my scalp, slow circles, pressing just right. I close my eyes. Let myself lean back into him.
Ty soaps a washcloth. Runs it over my shoulders. My arms. Down my back. He’s careful over the places that are still tender. The places where their hands landed.
Nobody speaks. The water runs. Steam rises. I’m being taken care of. Washed clean. Held up.
“You okay?” Eli asks. His voice is soft.
“I’m amazing,” I say. And I mean it. “I’m so fucking amazing.”
Ty kisses my shoulder. “She’s amazing,” he agrees. “We should put that in the cabin guestbook.”
I laugh. Water runs down my face. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this easily. This freely.
We dry off slowly. Eli wraps me in a towel, rubs my hair with another one. Ty disappears and comes back with a glass of water.
“Drink,” he says.
I do. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until the cold water hits my throat.
Back in the bedroom, someone has already pulled back the covers. I don’t know who. I don’t care. I climb in. The sheets are cool and clean against my skin.
Eli slides in behind me. Ty in front. I’m sandwiched between them again. But different now. Softer. Just warmth, and breathing, and the weight of arms across my waist.
“How do you feel?” Eli asks. His lips brush my shoulder.
“Used,” I say. “In the best way.”
Ty snorts. “That’s going in the guestbook, too.”
“There’s no guestbook.”
“There should be. ‘Five stars. Would recommend.’”
I laugh. My whole body aches. My ass is sore. My jaw is sore. My thighs are sore.
I’ve never been happier.
Eli’s arm tightens around me. His breath is warm against my neck. Ty’s hand finds mine, tangles our fingers together.
I close my eyes. The cabin is quiet. Somewhere outside, wind moves through the pines.
This is what I wanted. What I couldn’t ask for. What Jade knew I needed.
Tomorrow I’ll think about what it means. Tomorrow I’ll wonder what happens next.
Tonight, I just sleep.
I wake up sore.
Ass tender against the sheets. Jaw stiff. Thighs aching. Good soreness. All of it.
I’m half on top of Eli, my head on his chest. Ty’s arm is draped across my waist from behind. Sunlight streams through the windows. The cabin is quiet.
I don’t move. Don’t want to break this. The warmth. The weight. The feeling of being held by people who wanted me and got me and are still here.
Eli stirs. His hand finds my hair. “Morning.”
“Morning.”
Ty groans behind me. Pulls me closer. “Too early.”
“It’s almost ten.”
“Too early.”
I laugh. My whole body protests. Worth it.
We untangle slowly. No rush. No awkwardness. The smell of coffee drifts down the hallway.
In the kitchen, everyone ends up together. Eggs and bacon. Mismatched mugs. Six people who did unspeakable things to each other last night, eating breakfast like it’s normal.
Jade’s hair is a disaster, wearing Pedro’s shirt. She grins at me.
“Field training complete.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
I do. I really do.
Later, on the deck, just me and Eli. Cold air, mountains in the distance.
“Last night wasn’t just a cabin thing,” he says. “For me.”
I look at him. The broken nose. The steady calm.
“I’d like to see you again,” he says. “After the wedding. If you want.”
“I want.”
He smiles. Kisses me. Soft. Unhurried. A beginning, not an ending.
Three weeks later. Chloe’s wedding.
The peonies came through. The cake is perfect. Chloe is radiant. Everything she panicked about resolved itself.
I’m in the bridesmaid dress. Sage green. Hair up. I look good. I feel good.
Eli is across the room. Dark gray suit. He catches my eye. Smiles.
I think about who I was at the start of this. The good girl. The perpetual bridesmaid. The woman who wanted things she couldn’t ask for.
I’m still her. Just more.
The girl who finally said yes. Who got what she wanted. Who would do it again.
Whatever comes next, I’m ready.