Page 16 of Actions and Reactions
That won’t be very fun—understatement of the century.
A ball of tension forms in my belly, and I don’t know if it’s embarrassment over how easy it was for Vinny to get me into his bed, the thought of anyone else in the cabin having heard us, or the realization that I have to get out of this room and go to my own.
I have no idea what’s going to happen when I leave this room, and though part of me wants to stay in this bed and never find out, I know I have to.
I stall for as long as I can, even brush my teeth with my finger in Vinny’s bathroom, but when the time comes, I press my ear to the door to see if I can hear anything from the kitchen.
I don’t, so I open it less than an inch and can see that the part of the hallway that leads to the kitchen is clear.
There’s no way of seeing the other half unless I peek out, though, so I take a deep breath and do just that.
No one there.
And so I walk as fast and as lightly as I can to the next door—my room.
I see someone put my bag there—I can only hope they did that yesterday while we were out and not today—and get to work on feeling more human.
Only twenty minutes later I’m showered and dressed in another T-shirt and my swimming trunks, and I find the kitchen empty of people.
I hurry to the coffee maker while intense relief fills me. It’s been years since I was a morning person, and having at least a bit of time to wake up will probably prepare me better for the day and all the conversations in it.
I enjoy the absolute silence that tells me no one’s in the house—and if they are, they’re asleep—and it gives me time to think things through.
I have no idea how to approach Vinny today... in front of our parents no less. I’m sure Dad will have a lecture ready for me, one Mom will probably repeat later, but I’m not worried about them.
What Vinny said yesterday was harsh but true, and I’m not going to apologize for resenting them just a little bit.
What I do know is that “acting normal” around our families is something I’m going to have to get used to again.I’m not even sure I remember how it used to be with all of us together.
Especially since Uncle Hulk and Aunt Lyla divorced four years ago, and so her new husband Michael and his son Eli have been added to the group. We’ve never hung out all together... and are they even here?
Were they in another room last night?
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
Lottie’s laughter-filled voice has me jumping in place.
“What?” I demand, and turn to see her in her bikini with a pair of shorts.
I think her hair is lighter too... could be the summer. She has Mom’s blonde hair while I have Dad’s pure black, but we both have Mom’s blue eyes, and hers are very much amused.
“You looked like you were thinking so hard steam was about to start coming out of your ears.”
“Yeah, okay,” I tell her and roll my eyes before taking the final drink of my first cup of coffee.
I start the machine again for my second one before walking over and hugging her for a long moment.
“You okay?” she asks softly. Her tone implies she expects me not to be, so I guess she heard about yesterday’s events.
“I’m okay,” I tell her, and after a deep breath with her still in my arms, I realize that’s not a complete lie.
“They told me what Vinny said last night.”
I step back and go to splash some milk into my coffee. How am I supposed to comment on that? She expects me totell her what Vinny and I have been talking about, of course she does, but...
“And Lex told me you guys flew in together,” she adds.
Right, there’s no getting out of talking to her about this, and I think she’s probably the only person in the world I can be totally honest with, so why not take advantage? She’s a great big sister, and our bond has become much deeper over the last few years where the five years between us has seemed less significant.
