Page 47 of Traded

Face Off

We end up on the floor.

My back presses into the wall, my legs blocking the way and my eyes pinned on Lauren. She’s taken up her own stance a few feet away, each of us aiming to outstare the other.

This is ridiculous.

My shoulders are starting to ache, my throat dry, but I can’t move.

She shifts again. “I’m—”

“Don’t say it,” I snap. Another headache is building, and I press my skull back against the wall to try and claim relief. “I get it.”

Apologies won’t help here.

My phone is in my bag on the couch. We both hear the buzzing at the same time. It’s not the first time, either. Lauren’s phone goes off a moment later, buried somewhere inside her own giant bag left in the hall.

“They won’t be long,” I repeat. My voice sounds a lot hoarser than it did the first time I said it. “Liam will…”

Fix it. They’ll come home, and they’ll fix this. Preferably before my bladder explodes. But Lauren only nods, her eyes flicking back down the hall.

He’ll understand that this is too much to ask all at once.

It’s the first day.

I need time to adjust.

I recite words and explanations in my head until the ting of the bell announces the arrival of some freaking help with our current situation. But my mouth dries up as the sound of footsteps echoes through the quiet, and Lauren straightens.

“Lauren?” Jonas calls out. A murmur follows. “Ro?”

“In here,” I call out. The footsteps thump heavily before Jonas steps into the living room opposite us. His eyes sweep over the room and the kitchen, missing us completely before his gaze darts back. A crease appears between his eyes.

He clutches a brown bag of takeout in his hands as Liam appears on his heels. “What’s going on here?”

Liam takes us in with one look. Lauren, closest to the common area. Me, legs stretched out and blocking the hall. I swallow as his assessment ends with my face. “We may have hit a small snag.”

“I see that.” He examines us again, his eyes moving to the hall I’m blocking. “Jo, put the food down.”

Jonas looks uneasy as he places the bag down on the island. “I don’t get what’s happening.”

I find myself pulling my legs up and wrapping my arms around them as Liam approaches. He stops in front of Lauren first. When he leans in and brushes his hand over her cheek, a small noise emerges from my throat.

He doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t say anything to me at all. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Lauren mumbles. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Don’t be.” He tilts her face up. “Not your fault.”

It’s not. And it’s not mine either. But it starts to feel that way as he straightens and turns to face me. I shrink in on myself, finally pulling my eyes from Lauren. “I couldn’t help it.”

There’s not a single speck of softness in his expression as he crouches before me. His hands stay between us. “Explain this to me.”

Swallowing, I search for the words. “I… she wanted to come down here. To the bedrooms, and… and my nest. And I couldn’t do it.”

Jonas inhales sharply in realization.

My voice wavers as I look between them. “Isn’t this enough for one day? Does it have to be all at once?”