Page 33 of Cedarwood Cabin

“I'm twenty-nine and Lyka is thirty-three. You?” he asks, glancing at me briefly before turning back to the pancakes.

“Twenty.”

“Wow, you're young. Can't even legally drink yet,” Dax teases with a smile.

“Uhh…I guess. It's weird here. In England, we can drink at eighteen,” I say, shrugging.

“Lucky Brits,” he says sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

He flips the pancakes again, the golden brown surfaces sizzling slightly as they land back in the pan.

“You wanna eat these outside on the balcony?” he asks, plating the pancakes. “Sure,” I respond, feeling a little thrill at eating outside with the forest view.

Dax takes two plates and walks over to the back door. I hold it open for him as he steps out, following closely behind. I am taken back by the view as we step onto a dark, wooden balcony. The sight is breathtaking—nothing but endless trees. The sun shines through the tops of the trees, creating beautiful shadows. Dax places the plates onto a wooden table with benches.

I take a seat on one of the benches and feel the roughness of the wood on the back of my legs. The air is fresh as I take a deep breath. Dax sits across from me and we both dig into our pancakes.

“If you don't mind me asking. What do you and Lyka do for work?” I ask, taking a bite of a pancake.

Dax pauses for a moment. “I compete in a lot of motocross games, Lyka does a lot of woodwork making furniture, and we both hunt,” he explains, his tone casual but filled with pride.

“Men with many talents?” I ask in a joking tone.

“You could say that,” he replies, a small smile playing on his lips.

“So, I'm guessing Jonny is on another motocross team?”

“Yeah. He's hated me for a long time; he just can't beat me. And he hates my brother for obvious reasons.”

“Is Lyka adopted, too?” I venture, hoping I’m not overstepping.

“No. His mother and father wanted another child, but couldn't. In the end, they adopted me when Lyka was four and I was a newborn baby,” Dax explains.

“Oh! I’m sorry to hear that, Dax,” I say awkwardly, not sure how to respond.

“It's cool. Before you ask, I know your next question...My mother dropped me off at a fire station when I was just two weeks old,” he continues, his eyes fixed on his pancakes.

He looks up, his golden eyes meeting mine. “I'm over it. Lyka's mother and father gave me a life. They were my real parents.”

I feel a lump in my throat. I look out at the forest, trying to process everything he shared. “That's really amazing, Dax. To have had that kind of family, I mean,” I say, turning back to him.

“Yeah, it is. They gave me everything I needed. Lyka and I…We've had our ups and downs, but we're brothers.”

“Having each other's back and being close is nice to see.”

Dax chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, close is one way to put it. We're both stubborn as fuck, but we'd do anything for each other.”

“I wish I had brothers or sisters.”

Dax looks over at me, his expression thoughtful. “So, you said your mother died of Covid? You mentioned your auntie, but do you not have anyone else? No grandparents?” he asks.

I take a deep breath and the loneliness overwhelms me. “Nope. No one else. I am all alone in America.”

Dax's face softens. I can tell by his facial expression that he feels empathy. “I'm really sorry to hear that. I can't imagine how hard that must be.”

I can feel tears form in my eyes, but I don’t want them to spill over. “It’s been rough. After my mom passed, it felt like my whole world fell apart. She was my rock. And now, with my father gone, too, I just feel like there is a huge void inside me.”

Dax reaches out and places a comforting hand on my hand. “I get it. Losing family is never easy. But you're not alone. You've got us, at least for a little while.”

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