Page 59 of Lost in You

A few of my teammates are glaring at Tamara. Dalton approaches the two of us, standing next to my chair.

“This isn’t a good time, Tamara.”

She presses her lips together. “I guess just...let me know when it is a good time.”

“Never,” I say darkly, standing up. “Don’t come at me about this ever again.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

I don’t even bother responding. Instead, I go into the weight room, which is mercifully empty. I sit down on a bench, elbows on my spread knees.

Someone sits down nearby after following me into the room. I look up to see Dalton.

“This is all a lot, yeah?”

I sigh heavily and sit up. “Yeah. The cabin was quiet and peaceful, Just the two of us. And we didn’t expect to get whisked out of there like that.” I snap my fingers.

“You know you don’t have to be here, right? You can get on a plane right now and fly home. Coach will understand.”

I shake my head. “What would I do there? Go grocery shopping? Watch TV? Nothing feels right.”

Dalton meets my gaze. “Why don’t you call Trin and talk to her about it?”

“Maybe I will. I do want to check on her.”

“Look, you’re my best friend. Let’s just get it out there—you and my sister aren’t just friends.”

My lack of an answer is my answer.

“I knew it from the time I walked into her hospital room and she kept asking where you were and wanting to see you.”

“It didn’t happen right away. I tried to stay away because she’s your sister, but...” I shake my head. “I don’t know, I guess I was weak.”

“I’m not pissed.”

My brows hit my hairline. “You’re not?”

He shakes his head. “Before any of this happened, I would’ve ripped your balls off for sleeping with my sister. But I spent the better part of three months thinking you were both dead. The searchers told us after a week that there was very little chance you guys survived and I didn’t want to give up hope, but...” He looks away. “I can’t even describe the way it feels to imagine your sister and best friend knowing they’re about to die in a plane crash. Wondering if it was quick or if you guys suffered. Going to memorial services for both of you. My mom...” He clears his throat. “You guys went through something horrific, and I’m...” He wipes the corners of his eyes, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m really fucking glad you had each other.”

“You know none of this was your fault, right?”

He gives me a weak smile. “Yeah, I’m in therapy over it. But I appreciate you saying it.”

“So here’s the crazy thing...a few parts of it were horrific. The crash, obviously. And I got lost when I went looking for help and was pretty sure I was done for. But most of it...wasn’t bad at all. It was actually...good.”

“Really?” Dalton’s brow furrows with surprise. “Yeah, once we found the cabin. We listened to records and danced, talked, played Boggle, cooked...we got sick of rice and beans, but we were glad to have food. We took baths. Laughed.”

“Baths?”

I nod. “Hot baths. Perk of finding a billionaire’s cabin.”

“Oh shit. Was this like a luxury hunting lodge?”

“No, not at all. It was simple. Small. We had to use an outhouse and there was only one lamp. But it was everything we needed.”

“Are you in love with her?”

I lock my eyes on his. “Yeah, I think I am.”

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