Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Yodeler on the Roof
I t’s not until Oliver leaves me alone to finish cleaning up that I start to question everything we just did.
It was hot and impulsive and I wanted every little bit of it, but I can’t help but wonder what it means to him.
The whole time, leading right up to the moment we got to the bathroom together and took our clothes off, we were talking about doing all of that to put on a show.
But when I think about the more intimate things that we did…
I’m not the kind of girl who undresses for a guy just for fun.
I don’t really know what came over me. I got caught up in the moment, and so did Oliver.
And I would do it again , a little voice inside of me says.
Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe I’m too reserved and this is a sign that I need to put myself out there and get what I want more often. As long as I don’t let it hurt me when this inevitably comes to an end, then I see no harm in having fun with it.
I finish rinsing the product out of my hair, and then I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel. I look up at the vanity and notice a smiley face drawn into the steam on the mirror. I smile, imagining Oliver drawing it before he left the bathroom.
Once I’m dressed, I head downstairs and find everyone gathered around the kitchen table, loading plates with food that smells delicious. I don’t know if it’s because I’m starving or because Tina is secretly a world-renowned chef, but this smells like the best thing I’ve ever been about to eat.
Oliver’s smile widens when he sees me. He hands me a plate that he already put together.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Pecan-crusted chicken, scalloped potatoes, and some apple salad,” Tina says.
“It looks amazing.” I sit down with my plate. Oliver sits down next to me. He bumps his foot against the side of mine.
Tina shrugs. “Just some things I threw together with what we had on hand.”
I give her a look. No one just throws together a meal that looks like this. I dig in. It tastes just as good as it looks and smells. As I’m enjoying my meal, I get the feeling that I’m being watched. I look up at Oliver. He watches me with a smirk.
“What?” I ask.
He shakes his head, smiling. “Nothing.”
It should feel weird to be sitting at a table with my best friend and her almost-fiancé and the guy I’ve been pretending to date for the last few weeks who just went down on me for the first time a few minutes ago.
I somehow manage to not let it show that all that’s going through my mind right now is whether any of them can tell that something is different.
I wonder if this still counts as lying. We aren’t technically dating, but we did start this whole thing off by saying we were sleeping together.
“You’re being very quiet,” Tina says, interrupting my train of thought. She looks from me to Oliver. “Both of you. Something happen?”
It occurs to me that she and Ryan have been engaged in conversation since we sat down, but Oliver and I have hardly said anything. I wonder if he’s overthinking things as much as I am.
I shake my head. “Just savoring this amazing food.”
I clear my plate. I want to get Oliver back upstairs so I can undress him again and finish what we started.
“Did Oliver tell you about the really weird board games?” Tina asks.
I raise an eyebrow. I look at him, then back at her. “No.”
She pats Ryan’s forearm. “We have to show her the board games.”
Ryan smiles. “Should we show her now?”
Tina nods. Inside I cringe because this sounds like it will get in the way of me taking Oliver back upstairs. At the same time, I’m curious about these weird board games they’re talking about.
“We think someone in Ryan’s family made them,” Oliver says.
“I’ve looked online and can’t find them anywhere,” Ryan says. “Not even a forum where other people are talking about the games.”
“It’s like they only exist in this cabin,” Tina says.
“Okay, you have my attention,” I say. “Let’s see these games.”
We all get up and follow Ryan across the living area to a rug by the fireplace. Next to the wall is a stack of cardboard boxes that look like typical board game boxes that you might find in a store. Ryan kneels down and grabs them one at a time, turning to read the titles of each of them.
“First up, we have Five Fingers , a game where each player is only the palm of a hand and must collect all five fingers first to win the game.”
I snort out a laugh. “Excuse me. What?”
“That one’s actually pretty fun,” Tina says. “I’m really good at it.”
“Next, we have Adoption. It’s like a weird mashup of Life and Monopoly where you have to adopt as many children as you can, and you can even adopt the other players if they land on the wrong square at the wrong time.”
“No one has ever figured out how to win this game,” Oliver says.
“The rules aren’t clear,” Tina agrees.
“Last up, we have Truth or Stare .”
“This one’s fun,” Tina says. “Let’s play this one.”
She sits down on the rug next to Ryan. I look at Oliver before I lower myself down across from them. Oliver sits down next to me. He scoots in close so that we’re touching. He rests one hand on my knee. It sends a tingle up my thigh, just another reminder that I wish I was upstairs alone with him.
“What is it?” I ask Tina.
Ryan sets the box on the floor between everyone and opens it, revealing a tile path that twists and turns around a map. Every few paces, there’s a red square with a flag.
“When you get to a flag, you have to draw one of these cards first,” Tina says, picking up a short stack of red cards. She shows me the first one, which has a picture of a green game piece on the other side. “This card will tell you which of the other players you have to answer a question about.”
“This sounds juicy,” I say with a laugh. “What are the questions?”
“The questions are in this stack,” Tina says, grabbing a blue deck of cards. “You draw one of these, and you have to either answer the question, or choose to do a stare.”
“What is a stare?”
“You and the player you chose on the red card have to stare at each other until the hourglass runs out without breaking eye contact.”
“No blinking, smiling, or laughing either,” Ryan adds.
“What happens if I do any of those things?”
“Then you pick up a black card,” Tina says. She holds up a black deck. “And find out what your punishment is.”
“Okay. This sounds like fun. When do you want to play it?” I’m hoping she’ll say that we can play it in an hour or two so I can sneak back upstairs with Oliver.
“Let’s play it right now,” she says.
I look at Oliver. He smiles slightly, telling me with his eyes that it’s okay and what we both want to do can wait until later. His hand squeezes my knee. Even though inside I’m groaning, I smile back. I look back at Tina. She’s already taking out all the game pieces and setting up the board.
She hands us each a colored piece to play with. “Red for Ryan,” she says. “Orange for Oliver, purple for Priscilla, and teal for Tina.”
“That’s blue,” I correct her.
“We’re calling it teal tonight,” she says, sticking her tongue out at me.
We put all of our pieces in the start area, then take turns rolling the dice and moving our pieces along the path. Oliver gets to a flag space first. Tina and Ryan both cheer while Oliver groans. I laugh, unsure of what to expect. He draws a red card, then turns it around.
“Green,” he says. “No one is using the green piece.”
“Draw another,” Tina says.
He draws the next card. “Red,” he says. “I got Ryan.” He draws a blue card and reads the question: “Have you ever crop-dusted this person?”
I snort out a laugh. “Seriously? A question about farting?”
“I told you these are some weird games,” Tina reminds me. “Oliver, answer the question.”
He looks down at the card like he’s thinking about his answer, then gives a firm “Yes.”
“You son of a bitch,” Ryan growls while the rest of us laugh.
Tina is the next person to land on a flag space. She also draws red.
She picks up a card and reads it. “What is the biggest secret you’ve ever kept from this person?” She looks up at Ryan, then glances at me before saying, “I’m going to choose to stare.”
“Oh, really?” Ryan taunts her. “You don’t think I’m going to just forget about this, do you?”
“Shut up and stare at me,” she says. They change position so that they’re sitting face to face. I turn the small hourglass over to time them. Both of them start out with serious expressions, but by the time it’s over, it’s clear that they’re both fighting hard to keep from smiling.
“Do you have to read the question out loud?” I ask. “Even if you decide to stare instead?”
Tina nods. “It’s in the rules.”
“It makes things more interesting because some things are harder to let go than others,” Ryan says. He shoots a pointed look at Tina.
We keep playing, and this time I land on a flag space. I’m excited to find out who my question will be about. I draw the next card in the stack and turn it over. It’s orange. Oliver. I smile at him, and then I pick up a blue card. I hesitate, looking it over.
“Read it out loud,” Tina says. “Not in your head.”
I look up at her, then back at the card. “Describe the wildest dream you’ve ever had about this person.” I look around the room. My face feels hot. “This is a family game?” I ask.
“Made by someone in my family, we think,” Ryan says with a smirk. “But definitely not a game for families to play together.”
“Well?” Tina says, wiggling her eyebrows. “Answer the question.”
I look at Oliver. I’m not ready to admit to any of the dreams I’ve definitely had about him. At least not in front of Tina and Ryan. “Let’s stare.”
“That’s not fair,” Tina says. “I want to hear the answer.”
“The answer to this question is for Oliver’s ears alone.” I turn toward Oliver to start the staring contest. He angles his body toward me.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he says with a smirk.
My face flushes. “A smirk counts as a smile. You’re going to lose.”