Page 6 of Vendetta

Night had fallen, and the golden light of sunset that had filtered through the floor-to-ceiling kitchen windows was now replaced by the soft glow of the pendant lights above the massive ten-seater island. The space felt even larger tonight, starkly contrasting the chaos of last Sunday’s party, when cups and bottles had cluttered every inch of the countertop. My mind wandered back to that day—and to Cashton.

Taking advantage of a lull in conversation, I turned to Olivia, keeping my tone casual as I asked, “So, tell me more about the guys—How did you meet all of them?”

Olivia’s face lit up as she started talking. She’d already told me about meeting TJ at a party last year, and how a one-night stand had unexpectedly blossomed into the solid relationship they had now. I nodded along, familiar with that part of the story, but leaned in as she moved on to the others.

I knew TJ and Nate pretty well by now, thanks to all the lunches we’d shared on campus. But when it came to Zayn, Kaptan, and Cashton, my knowledge was patchy—just surface-level details from last weekend.

“Well, Zayn and Kaptan are brothers. Zayn is a sophomore like me, and Kap’s a junior. Nate has known them since they were kids—He’s practically the third brother. Theywere all neighbors since, like, elementary school I’m pretty sure. And then obviously Nate and TJ met last year on the lacrosse team and have been best buds since then. And then I’m pretty sure that Kaptan and Cashton were roommates their freshman year, and then got their house together last year when they could move off of campus. Zayn just moved in with them at the beginning of the school year.”

My mind latched onto Cashton’s name, but I kept my expression neutral. I needed a way to get Olivia to spill more about him without making it obvious that he was the one that I was curious about.

“So, what’s all of their deals?” I pushed as Olivia took another sip of her Pinot Grigio.

“Why do you ask? Do you fancy one of them or something?” She teased offering me a less than subtle wink. “Because other than TJ, I’m pretty sure they’re all single! Which one are you into? Oh my gosh you have to tell me!”

Both girls turned their all of their focus on me expectantly, awaiting a juicy answer. I tried to keep myself composed and prayed that my face didn’t give me away.

“No! I mean, I literally just met them—I don’t know anything about them,” I argued, hoping they’d let it go.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be into one of them! Come on, have you seen them? They’re all insanely hot. I wouldn’t blame you one bit,” Olivia pressed with a sly grin.

When I stayed silent, refusing to take the bait, Olivia leaned in, her persistence unwavering.

“Oh, don’t think you’re getting out of this that easily. Spill! Oh my gosh, is it Nate? Or Zayn? I mean with the dark hair and tattoos, I definitely wouldn’t blame you. And that lipring? Hot! I know for a fact that he does sleep around though, so I definitely wouldn’t go after him unless you’re just looking for some crazy good sex. He’s said himself that he avoids commitment like the plague. That tongue ring though? Just imagine what he could do with that.”

She kept going before I could offer any sort of response. “Or Kaptan and those yummy muscles? Absolutely. Plus, he’s got that whole mysterious and broody thing going on. I bet it’s him, isn’t it? I’m not really sure what his type is, he tends to keep his love life to himself. But have you seen yourself? Girl, you’re every guy’s type!”

Of course, the only one that I had been dying for information about was the only one she had yet to bring up. Thankfully, Bexley does it for me, offering a cheeky glance in my direction before asking “What about Cashton?”

God, I hoped she wasn’t onto me. Then again, these were my best friends, and I wouldn’t put it past them to see right through me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything—not yet. I needed to figure out what exactly was going on with Cashton before speaking on it.

“Cash? He’s the greatest! And have you seen how crazy tall he is? You could totally climb that like a tree. I think he’s been messing around with that bitch Courtney though, but I know as a fact he doesn’t actually like her. He’s constantly avoiding her and talking about how annoying she is.”

That must have been the girl I walked in on him with.

“He’s a really good friend, I’ve definitely gone to him for advice more than once. I could totally see him being a great boyfriend whenever he finally decides to settle down though!” She winks at me.

“I get the impression that he isn’t my biggest fan” I admit. They must have both remembered his snarky comments from our hot tub introduction because understanding took over their features. There was a brief silence as Olivia seemed to consider this before speaking again.

“I’m not sure what his deal was last weekend. I’ve never seen him behave like that, he’s usually his playful and flirty self. Maybe he was just in a bad mood? Like, maybe something pissed him off earlier that day and he just took it out on you by accident? Or maybe he didn’t mean for it to be rude and we’re just overthinking it!”

“It seemed like it was only directed at me though” I countered.

The oven timer sounded and Olivia hopped down to go check on our pizzas.

“Well then how about next weekend we make sure to get you guys alone for a few minutes and you can talk to him! Right Bex?” She proposed, Bexley agreeing with her.

If only they had seen how it had gone the last time that I had tried clearing the air with him. But maybe they were right, and maybe he would have calmed down enough by then to have a civil conversation.

I didn’t need Cashton to be my best friend, but the thought of him disliking me forever left a knot in my stomach. All I wanted was to coexist with him, to feel like I belonged in the same spaces he occupied, without the constant undercurrent of tension.

But maybe getting to speak with him could help me, at the very least, understand him better. And maybe if we couldunderstand each other better, he could see that I’m not the person he seems to think of me as.

“What about you Bex, see anything you like?” Olivia prodded, mischief gleaming in her eyes.

Bexley’s face instantly turned a soft shade of red under her freckles, her pale tones making the bright blush evident.

“Not really.” She replied, tucking a loose wave behind her ear.

---