Chapter 22
RAQUEL
Iwoke up alone in the cabin on Sunday morning. Theo hadn’t come back with me last night, but for one sleepy second, I was disappointed that he hadn’t crawled into bed with me at some point during the night.
Not that our relationship was anywhere near a place where that would’ve been expected, but I was still half-asleep and his absence was the first thing I became aware of as consciousness tugged at my brain.
Sighing as I rolled over, I hugged the pillow he’d used on Friday night and breathed in the faint scent of him still lingering on the fabric. Shit, I really am so freaking screwed, but I do like him. A lot. It seems pointless to try and deny it anymore.
Unfortunately, he’d gotten caught up in whatever brand of male debauchery Avery and his friends had thought was a good idea last night. It could’ve been anything from illegal treasure hunting, to wrestling, to improvised fireworks.
I hadn’t asked, valuing my peace and the concept of plausible deniability too much to ask questions I didn’t want to know the answers to. But still. I missed having him here with me.
For a little while after I woke up, I just lay there in bed, staring out at the glassy surface of the lake through the windows and thinking about this weekend. It’d been good. Really good. I owed Frieda a huge thank you for changing my mind about coming, but I also couldn’t draw it out much longer.
Reality awaited, no matter how much I wished it wasn’t true.
Finally convincing myself to get out of bed, I got up, started the little coffeemaker, and took a quick shower while it did its thing. After I was dressed, I made myself a cup of coffee and drank it out on the porch, just letting myself enjoy the stillness of the morning before I had to get moving.
There was no sound except for the occasional chirp of a bird. The sky was still awash in pale oranges and pinks as I sat at the rickety plastic table, replaying memories of the weekend through my mind.
My body still did crazy things whenever I thought about Theo, but when I felt myself getting all hot and bothered while just sitting there, sipping my coffee, I realized it was better to distract myself by being productive.
I couldn’t get so dick-drunk that I forgot I had actual responsibilities to get back to.
So I stood up, packed my things, and stripped the sheets off the bed. Then I went to turn in my keys, all the while focusing on the next task to be done instead of the boy I hoped would still be at the campsite when I got there.
He’d caught a ride to the lake with Avery, but I didn’t know what my brother’s plans were for the morning. Sometimes, he charged home at first light like a horse that smelled the stables.
When I finally got to their campsite, however, I realized none of them would be charging anywhere this morning. Hell, I’d be surprised if they could even move.
The place looked like a battlefield, with empty cans and bottles strewn around everywhere and a suspicious amount of collapsed camping chairs. A guy I didn’t recognize was even lying face down on the folding table, groaning softly as he came to between an array of empty liquor bottles.
Quite a few of Avery’s friends were already awake and others emerged from a tent every so often, every last one of them looking unbelievably, painfully hungover. Including Theo.
I spotted him sitting by the water with a cup of coffee in his hands, his sunglasses already on and a dark red scrape down the side of one arm.
His shoulders were slumped, like he was regretting every choice he’d made last night, and even from twenty feet away, I could tell that he was pale, yet his cheeks were flushed.
Regardless of the state he was in, I smiled and immediately walked over. “You look terrible.”
He glanced up at me, the corners of his mouth sweeping up into a warm smile. “Thanks. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
I sat down on the rock beside the one he was on. “How was your night?”
“Let’s just say I should’ve turned in when you left.”
I chuckled, my gaze running across the scratches on his forearm and another on his shoulder. A bruise seemed to be forming along his jaw, too. “What on earth happened to you?”
“Bad decisions and treasure mostly.” He took a sip of his coffee, winced like it hurt him, then looked at me. “One of the guys was absolutely convinced he saw gold in the creek. He insisted that we had to go investigate.”
“You went up to the creek at night?”
“Yep.”
My nose crinkled before a quiet laugh sneaked up on me. “You’re all idiots.”
“Yeah. That was the conclusion we eventually reached, but not before a thorough investigation was conducted. In case you were wondering, there was no gold in the creek.”
“Oh, I know,” I said, still chuckling. “That legend is, like, a hundred years old, and no one has even found so much as a speck of actual gold.”
“Well, the dude made a compelling presentation.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “A presentation, huh?”
“Yep.” He pointed at an array of beer cans that seemed to have been arranged in some kind of formation in the sand. “Look, he even drew us a map.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Theo finally let out a quiet chuckle of his own, then winced again before he sighed. “It may or may not have been worth it, but it was fun.”
“I’m glad,” I said, almost adding that I’d missed him, but again, we weren’t anywhere near that point and I wasn’t really a clingy type of girl anyway. “As long as you don’t regret it.”
He turned back to me immediately, not saying anything for a very long time before he finally shook his head. “I don’t regret anything, Raquel.”
Fuck, I’d meant about last night, but obviously, that wasn’t what he was talking about. Although I knew it was stupid, this weird, fluttery warmth settled in my chest and that same feeling I’d felt the night before instantly smacked back into me.
Theo made me feel cared for, cherished, and special. Before I’d met him, I hadn’t even known I wanted that in a guy. Maybe what was happening between us was too rushed. Maybe it didn’t make sense that I felt the way I did so soon, but I didn’t care.
Whatever this was between us, however brief it might have to be, I wanted it.
“Yeah,” I said finally. “Neither do I, but I do need to get going.”
“So early?” he asked. “Avery said something about breakfast before we pack up.”
I pushed to my feet and raked my fingers through my hair, considering it for a moment before I shook my head. “That sounds great, but I really should get back so I can relieve Frieda of her babysitting duties, and I want to get some work done at the house this afternoon.”
“I’ll come with you,” he said a beat later, already standing up and draining the last of what must’ve been very cold coffee at this point. “Is it okay if I get a ride back with you instead?”
“Of course.” My stomach fluttered again. “You don’t want to stay for breakfast?”
He grimaced. “Honestly, I could barely handle the coffee. I think it’s better to wait a while before I attempt eating anything solid.”
“That bad, huh?”
He nodded slowly. “Worse, actually.”
I chuckled. “Alright, then. Get your stuff and we’ll get out of here?”
“Let’s do it.”
We walked back through camp together, watching people collect scattered belongings while Luis was trying to coax a fire to life to cook breakfast. Avery was already loading gear back into the boat, but he looked up, and when he saw us together, his features wrinkled a little bit.
I narrowed my eyes at him in warning. Please don’t ruin this for me.
He grinned. “Good morning. You two look nice and cozy again.”
I sighed. “We’re also leaving. Good luck packing up and don’t forget to collect all your trash. It looks like it might take you a week to gather all the beer cans.”
He groaned. “I know. We’re on it right after breakfast. Don’t worry.”
“I’m heading back into town with Raquel,” Theo said. “I’ll pack up the tent and come help you load the boat before we go, though.”
“Sounds good.” A quiet beat passed between them, and I suddenly had a sneaky suspicion they were at the silent communication part of their bromance already.
Vowing to ask Theo about it later, I decided to make myself useful and help collect some of the garbage while Theo went to pack up his tent.
Avery watched us pretty closely as we worked together to gather everything that belonged to either Avery or us.
Then I helped them strap it all down on the boat.
A few minutes after we were finished, Theo and I were finally alone in my truck heading back to Quartz Pass.
He sat in the passenger seat, one arm resting against the door and his head dropped back against the seat. Mountains rolled by past the windows, but he didn’t seem to see them. In fact, I was quite sure his eyes weren’t even open.
Eventually though, curiosity got the better of me. “Does Avery know?”
He lifted his head off the seat and turned to face me. “Does he know what?”
“You know what.” I pushed my sunglasses into my hair and glanced at him. “That we slept together, Theo. Does he know that we slept together?”
Heat crept into my cheeks as I asked the question. It was the first time either of us had said it out loud, but he didn’t look embarrassed at all. He just sighed and rested his head back against the seat again.
“Yeah. He knows.”
“Awesome,” I whispered, groaning before I dropped the glasses back over my eyes. “You’re still in one piece, though. That means he can’t be too upset about it. Unless he’s how you got that bruise on your jaw.”
“Nah, it wasn’t him.” Theo chuckled. “That honor belongs to a particularly slippery rock in the creek. Don’t worry about Avery. He’s okay. He just wants us to be sure we’re on the same page.”
“The page where you’re from out of town and won’t be in Quartz Pass forever?”
“That’s the one.”
“Okay, well, we’re on the same page,” I said quietly. “Feel free to tell him that I’m well aware of that.”
“I didn’t tell him anything, actually. All I did was run into him yesterday morning when I got back from your cabin.”
“Right. I bet he loved that.”
“You’d think he would’ve at least given me shit for it, but he loves you. He just wanted me to know how much.”
“So it’s a threat-to-follow-if-you-hurt-her situation?”
“Yep.”
I laughed, feeling myself relax a little. Avery knew and he wasn’t pissed about it, which meant Theo and I had no reason to hide. Unless we wanted to.
The rest of the drive passed by too fast. Before I even knew it, we were pulling into town and I headed to the motel to drop him off. Theo climbed out and grabbed his bag, but then he came around to my side of the truck and stuck his head in through the open window.
“What are you doing at your house today?” he asked.
“Painting one of the bedrooms,” I said. “I’m still not sure if I’m going to sell the place, but I’ve decided to keep fixing it up until we know more.”
He grinned. “I’ll see you in a few hours, then. As it happens, I’ve become a very skilled painter.”
He pushed off the truck, turned, and walked away. I was already looking forward to seeing him again, despite just having spent an entire weekend together.
It really was crazy, but I honestly couldn’t get enough of this guy. Maybe it was just because I didn’t know how much I would actually get of him before he had to leave. Whatever heartbreak might be coming my way, this time with him was worth it.