Page 58 of Trouble

“Prick!” I shouted. I didn’t turn around to glare at him, knowing full well I’d just get another eyeful of his naked body if I did. His only answer was morelaughter.

I washed up as quickly as I could, with my back turned to the near shore to preserve just a smidgen of modesty. That’s probably why I didn’t realize we’d gotten company until I was on my way back to dryland.

I looked up from the riverbed once I was almost all the way to shore and reasonably certain I wouldn’t slip on any more stones, and the sight that met me made me stop in my tracks, still ankle-deep in cold riverwater.

Both twins were sitting on the grass by my wet clothes, watching me. The brother who’d brought me to the river was still gloriously naked and sporting an erection—the other was dressed, but I was pretty sure I saw a bulge in his jeans before I managed to quickly avert my gazeagain.

“For fuck’s sake! Don’t you two have anything better to do than creep on me?” Ihissed.

“Not really, no.” The newcomer shot me a cheeky smile and tossed a towel at me. “You’ll find the WiFi reception out here is prettypoor.”

“Ha ha.” I wrapped the towel around myself, then folded my arms as the cool air made my skin break out into goosebumps, and leveled the clothed twin with a glare. I wasn’t feeling another accidental take of bared penis, so I purposefully didn’t look at his naked mirror image. When he opened his mouth again, the mirth was way too prominent in his silver eyes to ignore. I bent for my wet clothes and toothbrush and stalked off without giving him the chance to continue. They might have forgotten what’d happened between us in the panic of suddenly running for our lives, but I hadn’t. I wasn’t about to subject myself to more of their teasing charms and pretend like they hadn’t broken myheart.

We might have to live together in this camping version of hell, but I wasn’t going to let their natural humor and charm pull the wool over my eyes everagain.

* * *

But as the days passed,it became increasingly obvious that both their moods were far from the warm, joking demeanor I’d come toknow.

The first day, I assumed it was a natural reaction to our circumstances, and I was too wrapped up in how miserable I was myself to pay it muchmind.

By the second night, I realized there was more to it than just the stress of thesituation.

I was feeling kind of off, so I’d curled up in one of the sleeping bags to rest for a bit after dinner—another exciting meal consisting of tinned beans and bland meat—but the rough ground felt harder than normal, and my muscles were already sore. I was too uncomfortable to fall asleep, so I just lay there with my eyes closed, feeling sorry formyself.

“It’s time to turn on the phone,” one of the twinssaid.

“I know.” Ruffling as one of them searched through their bag followed, and shortly after, the tune of a phone being turnedon.

“Do you think there’s any chance Blaine’s found a way inyet?”

“No.”

The first twin sighed, an irritated sound. “This isn’t getting any easier by your refusal to speak in more than one-syllablewords.”

“Why would I? There’s nothing to talk about that requires anything more,” the second twinsnapped.

“The hell there isn’t.” The first twin had lowered his voice, but the frustration in it was still evident. “We’re stranded in fucking no-man’s land for God knows how long—withher.What do you want us to do, fucking ignore eachother?”

“Not like it’s out of character for you to ignore when something you do is shitty,” twin twosaid.

“For fuck’s sake, Liam,” twin one—Louis—growled. “Youwere the one to call Dad’s attention to it in the first place! I was trying to help. I couldn’t predict it’d end like it fuckingdid!”

“I don’t want to hear it.Do me a fucking favor and just fuck off,” Liam said, and there was so much vehemence in his voice, it made an unexpected wave of hurt on his twin’s behalf bloom in my chest. I’d never known either of them were even capable of so much anger, and it tore at my heart. I didn’t know what’d gotten between them, or even how their usual relationship was, but this seemed so terriblywrong.I had no idea why my reaction to something that really didn’t include me in any way was so strong, but tears welled behind my closedeyelids.

Louis sighed, a dejected sound this time, and I could tell he’d gotten up from the noises from the other end of the shack where he and Liam had relocated to not disturb me while I tried to sleep. Moments later he slipped into the sleeping bag behind me. His strong arms closed around my midriff, pulling me in against his bare chest, and pressed his face against the back of my hair. Hugging me, like a child would his favorite teddybear.

It felt…. It felt like it had when we’d been together before I learned the truth—back when everything had seemed so perfect. He was so warm and comfortable, and I couldn’t fight the sense of complete and utter calm that settled into my body at his embrace. The fact that he thought I was asleep, that I knew this wasn’t some ploy to try and seduce me, let me push all the anger and hurt aside for just a fewmoments.

I knew I shouldn’t have responded like this to being held by either twin, but right then, I didn’t have the strength to fight against it. If being held by Louis for just a little while could make some of my misery ease, then it had to be okay. Just thisonce.

I fell asleep to to the steady sound of his breath rising and falling against myear.

30

Louis

The sun had only just breachedthe horizon when I woke up on the third day after our escape fromLondon.

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