Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Ember
Me: Happy Christmas Eve!
Me: Also, I just got ate out in the snow
Me: By two guys
Morgan: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LIVE MY DREAM
Morgan: This is the last time I cover for you over the holidays
Morgan: but also tell me more
Me: Do you remember Nick’s brother?
Morgan: You mean sm’oakley?
I rolled my eyes at Morgan’s message as I sat back down on the window seat I’d found the other day. My fingers were still a little cold from the winter walk-turned-orgasm-fest, and I wrapped them around my mug of hot chocolate with a shiver that wasn’t entirely due to the cold.
Sm’oakley – short for smokeshow-Oakley – was what Morgan and my other friends had taken to calling Oakley after they’d met him the first time he had visited Nick.
Me: the very same
Morgan: … DETAILS
Morgan: Did something happen between you and Nick?
I knew what she was asking, if I had broken up with Nick or had a fight with him while we’d been away, but trying to explain what had actually happened was difficult — because I wasn’t sure I fully understood it myself.
Me: It’s a long story
Me: But I was with them both
Morgan: As in???
Me: Yeah
My phone rang with a video call a second after I sent the reply and I took a sip of my hot chocolate and nearly choked on a tiny marshmallow before I hit answer.
“Hey.”
“Hey? That’s what you have to say? What the hell happened?” Morgan’s green eyes were bright and seemed to be glittering a ton — or maybe that was just the reflection of the store’s holiday lights in her shimmery silver eyeliner.
“They, ah, like to share?” I winced. “I don’t know, okay? It just happened. Nick said Oakley was in love with me and we were out in the forest and then they were both just kissing me and—”
Morgan shushed me. “Take a breath. And another one.” I did as she told me and she nodded in approval.
“Now, did you have fun?” I nodded. “Then that’s all that matters, okay?
Talk it out with the boys when you’re ready, but otherwise try not to stress about it.
” I opened my mouth to protest and snapped it shut when she narrowed her eyes.
She was right. I was naturally a stresser.
“The store is all fine by the way, massively busy, but we’re coping.
Though, I think it’s your turn to run things next year. ”
I nodded. “Totally. Thank you again.”
“Any time, babe.” A crash sounded in the background and she winced. “I, ah, gotta go. Happy Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” I replied, the phone cutting me off before I’d finished and I took another sip of my drink as I watched the snow flurries start up again outside and tried not to worry about whatever was going on back home. Morgan could handle it.
Oakley
My head was spinning. I was an absolute mess. Yeah, I’d finally had the chance to kiss Ember, to pretend like she was mine. Our girl. But now?
I’d had a taste and it wasn’t enough. What was I supposed to do? Move on? Pretend it didn’t happen? That she wasn’t fucking perfect in every way imaginable?
I stalked across the hall and knocked on the door, striding inside without a word when Nick opened the door. He’d clearly just come from the shower, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. “We need to talk.”
Nick closed the door and retreated into the bathroom for another towel that he used to ruffle his hair. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Me. You. Ember.”
He hummed. “Yeah, good, right?”
“Nick, I don’t want to be a third to you guys, just something fun you guys do when you’re bored and horny.” I folded my arms across my chest and was surprised when his face softened.
“That’s not what this is, Oak. She needs more than I can give her, and I’m not blind.
You’re gone for her, and I appreciate you trying to ignore how you feel, but it’s not necessary.
” He gave me a wry smile as he sprayed his deodorant.
“What, you think I didn’t notice you avoiding me ever since you met her? ”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I didn’t want to get between you.”
“Funny, because I think that’s exactly where you should be.” He let the words sink in, lingering in the air as he applied moisturiser and then cologne before dropping his towel to put on boxers.
Here I thought the universe had been fucking with me, but instead it had just been my brother. “You really want to try this again?”
“Don’t you? She’s different. I think you know that just as well as I do.
When I met her, I didn’t intend for this to happen.
But then you met her too, and it all made sense to me.
She deserves the world, Oak. The very least we can give her is us.
” Nick shrugged, pulling on jeans and a tee to layer under this year’s holiday sweater from our mom.
“If you don’t want this, that’s fine. I get it.
” He shot me a smug look. “But I met her first, so either join in or fuck off.”
I laughed and the tension broke. I’d missed talking to him like this, my guilt and feelings for Em had been a rope around my neck, choking me whenever I’d been with him. But finally, it was all out in the open. “So what now?”
Nick pulled on his socks and nodded toward the door. “Now? We show her how good being with us can be.”
That, I was sure we could do.