Chapter Seven #3
“All of us, or just those three?” He gestured at Ettore, Jin Woo, and Oskar with his chin, “cause it’s frigid outside and I don’t want to have to go and freeze my balls off waiting for you all to finish chatting.”
I shot him a look, but said, “ All of you.”
Bartosz promptly slumped back to the ground, his eyes glinting in the flickering firelight.
Oskar eyed me warily as I took one last deep breath and prepared to speak.
“I-I have an obsessive disorder. It was probably part of the reason that I had to stop seeing Oskar. I’ve had it since I was twelve. Usually, I keep it under control; I’m pretty heavily medicated all the time, but my meds got washed away when the boat capsized.”
I kept my eyes trained on my hands in my lap as they flexed as I squeezed my fingers, as if the little bit of pain would let me to get all of the words to flow out smoothly.
“I don’t really know how I will react since I’ve never really been off my meds, but I can feel myself becoming obsessive, territorial over this place,” I swallowed hard, “over you all. I’d like to make a plan to make sure that you all are not uncomfortable.”
I looked up as I finished speaking. Jin Woo had a warm expression on his face. Bartosz looked intrigued, his hair spiked up as if he had just run his fingers through it. Oskar had turned entirely away, his back to me, which hurt even more than I thought it would, but was expected.
It was, however, Ettore, who spoke.
“What would you suggest we do?” he asked me evenly.
I used to be so anxious in school; the thought of the teacher calling on me had always made me break into cold sweats, my legs jiggling, my mouth drying. It was the same experience when Ettore asked me that question.
“I think,” I said shakily, “that I should separate myself as much as possible. Sleep a little away from you all, eat on a different shift. Just create some space.”
Ettore studied me for a long, hard minute, as if considering the words I had spoken.
Jin Woo started to speak, “Mina, I—” before Ettore cut him off.
“Did you really think that we would let you exile yourself away from us? Exposing you to greater risk? No, you are not going anywhere.”
Anger struck me like a fist.
“Ettore, this isn’t just about you! Have you considered that I’ll be clingy and so obsessive that I’ll probably count the breaths you breathe?
I don’t remember a lot about how I was like when I was last off my meds, but I remember that it was bad enough that they sedated me.
You all would have to deal with that on top of surviving in this place; that’s a lot.
If you don’t truly consider the consequences of everything and then regret it later, I would feel,” my voice broke, and embarrassing tears welled up in my eyes, thankfully not escaping, “miserable.”
Ettore was in front of me in second, not touching me, but his legs were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off of him. This close, I couldn’t stop myself from looking into his gorgeous hazel eyes.
“Mina. I did consider everything, and you’re not going anywhere. You are a delightful creature, and if you have to navigate this thing, we will navigate it with you. Understand?”
There was softness in his face, but not mirth, and I knew that he was serious, even though I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.
“You’re sure?” I asked him like a child.
He held his hand out, and when I placed mine in his, he gave my hand a squeeze.
“Yes, I’m sure, you are not getting away from us now.”
“Plus,” Jin Woo said as he scooted closer, “I like my women obsessive.”
“Which women?” was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. But instead of being creeped out, he held my other hand, his face spread in a wide smile.
“Exactly like that.”
“I don’t mind,” Bartosz mumbled from where he lay on the ground, “if I’m even included, that is.”
I didn’t know what response I had expected from him, but this certainly wasn’t it. I appreciated it anyway.
“Thank you, Bartosz.”
Oskar’s stomp vibrated throughout the cabin.
“You will not separate yourself. You are not a burden. You are not.”
And then he was gone, the cabin door slamming shut behind him so hard that the cabin rattled.
There was the pain again, but the worry consumed it.
Jin Woo repositioned us until I was in his lap, Ettore trailing kisses down my fingers and across my wrists.
“He’ll be fine, he’s just dealing with some things,” Jin Woo rumbled in my ear before pulling away slightly, “Bartosz, come and warm her feet.”
“Why?” Bartosz said even as he scooted closer.
Ettore’s disdainful look was icy.
“Because, we’re not going to let your body heat go to waste and our tesoro deserves a night of rest and not one of saving your frozen ass.”
“I’m not the one who stormed out of the cabin,” Bartosz grumbled as he pulled my feet against his stomach, his grip on my ankle bones pleasing the obsession inside of me.
No matter how hard the obsession tried, the suspicious curiosity within me focused in on Jin Woo’s words.
How much had they been talking without me?
How did Jin Woo and, as a consequence, Ettore, and even Bartosz know about the inner workings of Oskar’s mind?
They had to know each other, and why they were hiding it from me was starting to bother me now that things had settled down for a bit.
“So, Bartosz,” he was the weak link, I could tell by the way he flinched when I spoke to him. I had never been one for playing fair. “What were you doing in Norway? I’m here visiting my godmother.”
Tell them a truth, and they feel pressured to do the same. I smiled my most easy, relaxed smile. I was just curious. I definitely didn’t have any ulterior motives, just a silly question to pass the time away on a deserted island.
“Oh, uh,” I could tell he was exchanging a look with the other men above my head, “there’s a conference for young executives, I think that we were all here for that.
” He folded his arms across his chest, letting go of my ankles in the process, and the obsessed little gremlin in me hissed with displeasure.
Me, Mina, the human actually in charge of my body, laughed.
“Why the hell was Oskar going? That sounds like his personal hell, or at least used to be his personal hell,” I didn’t let the ache that thrummed in me when I reminded myself of the distance that was now between us derail me, “plus he’s not a young professional.”
“Do you know Laks Fisheries?” Ettore asked carefully, a gently prying tone in his voice.
“Yes, I did work in consumer consulting as well as in advanced industries. I like to always know the top companies in both realms. Laks has the biggest market share of any seafood company and a valuation of more than 10 billion dollars. Their international expansion, opening fisheries in the Patagonian region of South America, was a smart move. I predict that once they get production up fully, their market will grow by...,” I flitted through the numbers, “18-ish percent.” I could hear my voice slip into business mode, my brain flipping through the folders of knowledge in my brain.
“Yes!” Ettore sounded almost victorious, and Jin Woo squeezed me hard. That question had been some kind of test, and I didn’t like that they were testing me. I was done with that. Though it had felt nice when they acknowledged that I had been correct.
I sat straight up stiffly in Jin Woo’s lap, once again feeling him becoming hard underneath me, and I ignored my satisfaction.
“If you want to know something about me, ask. You don’t have to test me. I don’t have any secrets.”
Well, not many.
“So what’s up with Oskar and Laks?” I asked, circling back.
Ettore shrugged.
“You know what, you should probably speak to him.”
“Well, that’s kinda hard when he’s avoiding me like I’m diseased,” I ground out before placing a hand on Ettore’s and twining our fingers together.
I looked back at Ettore and Jin Woo, and while Ettore looked as innocent as he ever could, Jin Woo couldn’t quite scrub the guilt from his face.
I would have pressed him harder. But later, I was tired now.
As most of the worry that they wouldn’t want to be around me had dissipated, so did my energy.
I rolled off of Jin Woo and curled my body into a kidney bean shape so my stomach was gently touching Bartosz, who immediately stiffened. Closing my eyes, I let my exhaustion roll over me.
“Ettore, Jin Woo, would you go find Oskar? I don’t want him to freeze out there, no matter how annoying he is. And Ettore, take care of your fiancé for me, will you?”
I could hear the mirth in Ettore’s voice.
“It would be my pleasure, salvatrice.”
They both got up and kissed my forehead before they left the cabin. After a long pause, during which the only sound was the crackling of the fire, Bartosz spoke.
“What about me?” he asked
“We will talk tomorrow,” I said sleepily, my hand creeping up the back of his shirt without me asking it to.