Page 83 of Wicked Devotion
I don’t like the way she says okay.
There’s a hint of patchouli in her perfume, and it gives me a headache.
Mercury is in retrograde, or whatever shit this man comes up with.
Deep down, I was thankful that he was so picky despite not being able to pinpoint exactly why.
The cabin isourlittle hideout. Too intimate to share it with a stranger. Ironic since this had been the main selling point.
And as much as I hate to admit it, bringing Lily feels right. A lot of things just feel right with her, and the realization plagues me. Someone like me doesn’t get to experience things that feel right. Not for long, at least.
One of Max’s friends is already waiting for us as we leave the plane, standing in front of Max’s pickup.
Sometimes, I think he picks his hobbies by the amount of money they swallow. He has cars scattered all over the country as if he's trying to start his own car rental service. Unfortunately, he buys them based on their ‘potential’. They are death traps. Loud, rusty, death traps.
When I asked him about it, he started telling me about how he used to work on old trucks together with his dad and uncle. That conversation had a fast ending.Dads—another point on the long list of things we don’t talk about.
“I changed the ignition coils for you, so hopefully noincidents this time,” Jack says, laughing as he throws Max the keys.
Turning to Lily, I ignore her pale face and her wobbly legs.
“I hope you’re prepared for a longer walk,” I say, taking her bag to throw it into the truck bed along with Max’s and my stuff.
We didn’t bring much since we already have a ton of shit at the cabin. It’s basically a fully stocked house with a washing machine and one of those big-ass freezers thatcouldstore a corpse. Not that I’ve tried it yet.
It’s filled with food, and I’m sure Max already got Mrs. Worthington or one of our other neighbors to bring over loads of groceries. While I prefer to mind my own business, the golden retriever befriends literally everyone.
“I’m driving,” I say, snatching the keys out of Max’s hand.
“As usual.”
He sighs but uses the opportunity to put his arm around Lily’s waist. He helps her into the truck, and upon remembering that his fucking car doesn’t have a back row, I’m tempted to kick a dent in the damn thing.
In an ideal world, I would tell Max to snuggle up in the truck bed. In this world, we are all going to sit in the front, squeezed together.
One sneeze attack caused by Max’s goddamn vanilla scented air freshener later, I start the engine. Lily giggles after Max whispers something in her ear, and I don’t know what to make of the sensation her laughter evokes inside of me.
An hour later,we arrive at the beaten path that leads to the cabin. Quiet and secluded, the house came with a ton of land and access to a decent-sized lake.
I reduce speed, not wanting to be responsible for the next round of repairs. But even as I drive down the path at walking speed, all three of us shake in our seats.
“Max, please don’t tell me you’ve rented this. I can’t afford my part—“ Lily says as I park the car in front of our cabin.
Sure, just ignore me.
“It’s ours, baby.” Max gleams, jumping out of the truck before he helps Lily down. “You can come here whenever you want. What’s mine is yours, too.”
The twenty percent I paid are apparently not enough to make me an official homeowner. Either that or making decisions over my head is suddenly the new normal.
Max leads Lily over to the house, leaving me at the truck together with the rest of the luggage. Rolling my eyes, I light up a cigarette and focus on the chirping birds instead of the lingering desire to find an axe and smash the fucking cabin to pieces.
How did this even happen? I am the one who leads; I am the reason they can live their dumb, happy couple fantasy, and nowIam third-wheeling?
No.
Fucking.
Way.
