Page 41 of Something Unavoidable

“Easy,” Keegan said, gripping Izzy’s elbow when he stumbled. Izzy focused on putting one foot in front of the other instead of the sudden desire to tell Keegan he was fine. To push him far, far away.

Keegan led him to Ryan’s office and got him settled in the big armchair in front of the desk. It was Archer’s favorite napping spot when he’d had a long night. Archer’s long nights were nothing like Izzy’s. Archer had a habit of getting sucked into a project and forgetting what day it was. Izzy loved to give him shit for his “wild all-nighters with his muse.”

Someone was talking. Izzy tried to blink the world back into focus. Everything was fuzzy and far away, almost like he’d had a few too many drinks, except Izzy was pretty sure he hadn’t been drinking.

“I’m not comfortable leaving him,” Keegan was saying.

“I’ll talk to Micah,” Ryan replied. “But I know he’ll feel the same way. We can go to New York another time.”

Crap. Izzy fought the brain fog. “Don’t fucking cancel your trip,” he snapped, his voice not nearly as strong as he planned. “I’m fine. I don’t need babysitting.”

Keegan was frowning, his arms folded over his chest in a way that made his biceps bulge and would have distracted Izzy in any other situation. Ryan just looked unimpressed.

“You might not want to tell us what’s going on,” Ryan said evenly, “but no one is convinced that you’re fine.”

Izzy pushed himself upright and gripped the armrests until the dizzying wave of exhaustion passed. “What, are you the feelings expert now?” he sneered. “’Cause I know for a…for a fact…that…” Izzy stumbled to a stop, eyeing Keegan.

Keegan’s arched eyebrow dared him to continue, and as much as his gut was screaming at him to raise his defenses, he couldn’t do it.

He deflated, slumping back. “I don’t need a fucking babysitter,” he grumbled.

“I guess you’ll have to settle for a kidnapper then,” Keegan said, tone desert-dry.

Izzy gaped at him. “What?” he squeaked.

“You don’t want Micah and Ryan to cancel their trip, and you made it clear you aren’t going to New York, so your only other option is coming to the cabin with me.”

Izzy was already shaking his head. “That’s bullshit. You can’t make me do that.” The last thing he wanted was to be stuck up on the mountain with Keegan for however many days. There wasn’t nearly enough to distract him. He’d go stir-crazy. “Who’s going to take care of the horses?”

“The same people who were going to when you were coming to New York with the rest of us. Alice, Maggie, and two of the summer part-timers.”

“And the rescues?”

“They’ll be fine, Izzy.”

Izzy tried to find the energy to argue, but he was just too tired. Apparently, he was getting kidnapped. Was it still kidnapping if you didn’t fight it?

“What do you mean,there’s no reception?” Izzy asked, aghast. What the fuck was he supposed to do up here with no phone?

“I didn’t say that,” Keegan replied, tone unbothered, which Izzy thought was bullshit. “We don’t get internet, but calls usually go through.”

“Usually?” Izzy was going to have another panic attack. He was sure of it. “Worst kidnapping ever,” he grumbled as he tossed his phone down on the coffee table in front of him.

He could feel Keegan’s amusement from across the room where he was unloading groceries. Prick. Izzy flopped over and pulled up his feet. There was a hole in his sock. Had he packed other socks? He couldn’t remember. Most of the time between when Keegan and Ryan had given their ultimatum and when they were bouncing up the fire road in Keegan’s truck—Chance and Lucky climbing over each other in the back seat and Riley sprawled across Izzy’s lap in the front—was a blur of dissociation.

Izzy let his arm hang off the side of the couch until his hand brushed fur. Riley had been glued to his side since they’dpicked her up, and Izzy loved her for it. Resting his hand on her back and feeling the steady rise and fall of her breathing was comforting. It had been a few hours since his meltdown, and even now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Keegan had given him a brief tour of the cabin—well, as much of a tour as you could give when the place was basically one room, a bathroom, and a sleeping loft. It was cozy. Well, it was freezing at first until Keegan got the woodstove going, and then it warmed up quickly. Now it was cozy. And toasty enough that Izzy had shucked out of his winter gear. He was down to his jeans and a long-sleeved thermal shirt. Keegan had done the same and hung their outerwear on hooks by the door.

Everything was wood—the floors, walls, and vaulted ceiling all made out of the same stuff. The living area was open to a small kitchen made of more wood, both the cabinets and countertops, though those were a different color at least. An eating nook was just off the kitchen holding a small table and two chairs.

In the living area, a woven rug warmed up the space, along with a few tables, also wood. Izzy was stretched out on the only comfortable piece of furniture in the cabin—barring whatever was in the sleeping loft—a massive leather sofa with deep, squishy cushions. It had been cold, too, at first, but now it was warming to his body temperature. The woodstove helped with that.

The walls held several bookshelves packed with titles that Izzy couldn’t make out from his vantage point, but they seemed to be a mixture of colorful paperbacks and big, hardcover textbooks. Izzy had the sinking suspicion that those were Keegan’s main source of entertainment up here. God, Izzy was going to be bored to tears. Maybe he could just sleep the week away. At least he could avoid his thoughts that way since doomscrolling wasn’t going to be an option.

Well, there was always sex too. He might not remember if he’d packed socks or not, but he’d been sure to include a large bottle of lube and—because he’d wanted to see the look on Keegan’s face—a few toys. Sex and sleep. It didn’t sound bad when Izzy thought of it that way. And if it gave him a break from the shitshow happening out in the real world, all the better.

He’d just need to get Keegan on board with his plan.

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