Page 28 of The Cabin-A Reverse Harem Romance
“Everything okay?” Chase asked, suddenly right beside me.
I side-eyed him and mumbled. “Yeah, I just overcooked the pasta, but we’ll deal.”
“Ain’t like you to overcook anything, Sean,” he said quietly. “You’re obviously distracted.”
I shrugged. “Shit happens.”
“You sure that’s all it is?” he asked.
I didn’t dare look over at my friend. I meant it. Shit happens, sure, but kissing Elise and nearly getting caught together like that was not something that should have happened. That was most definitely not shit that should have happened.
“Yes. Grab Trevor. Tell him it’s time to eat,” I said, feeling more annoyed at myself than anything.
My anger seeped out, spread out into the room, and filled it with a tension that didn’t belong there. I couldn’t help it. I was pissed at myself, and it was easier to take it out on the others than let it eat me up from the inside. It was wrong, and it was fucked up, but I wasn’t exactly thinking super clearly in that moment.
I sighed, vowing to just keep my mouth shut the rest of the night, otherwise, I might say something I’d regret. I might hurt someone, and that was the very last thing I wanted to do.
If I didn’t keep myself in check though, or if I didn’t quash the emotions and feelings that suddenly welled up inside of me, there was always the chance I might be the one hurt. Fuck me, I hated emotions and feelings. They were messy, and they often clouded your logic, reason, and thought. There was a reason I’d avoided relationships up to that point. I didn’t want to feel vulnerable, and yet, there I was, feeling hurt that Elise and I could never be together all the same.
“If you say so, man,” Chase said, thumping me on the back before walking back toward the dining area.
Nolan followed him, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my erection, which was still hard as a fucking rock. I cursed myself as I stood there, trying to forget about what had just happened. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only way I could face my friends.
It was the only way I could face myself.
6
Chase
It was hard to not notice how quiet Elise was throughout dinner. She ate, hardly speaking to anyone, and that was unusual for her. Elise was always a bright, chipper, girl who enjoyed lively conversation. It was strange, but I thought maybe it was the stress of the whole situation weighing down on her. I imagined it had to be one hell of a burden to bear.
All the same, I kept an eye on her throughout dinner, trying to figure out what might be bugging her. Trying to see if I could glean some small insight into her thinking, or what might be eating at her. Was it just the situation with Brad? Or was there something more going on with her? I’d walked in on her with Sean in the kitchen, and even though I hadn’t seen anything, it looked to me like something had happened between the two of them.
I wasn’t a fool. I knew Sean, along with the Trevor, had a thing for her. Hell, if I was being honest, I’d admit that all of us did in one shape or form, it seemed. Honestly, the more time I spent with her, the harder it was to deny that her smile made me feel things deep inside of me as well. She made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a very long time, and sometimes it was entirely disconcerting to me. I often didn’t know what to do with what I was feeling and had to constantly remind myself that she was Aaron’s baby sister – and that Aaron’s baby sister was way off limits.
Elise pushed her chair back and quietly carried her plate into the kitchen, not making eye contact with any of us. I wasn’t finished, I’d barely eaten honestly, but I did the same. I picked up my plate and followed her while the other guys continued laughing and joking about something or another. I hadn’t been paying attention, so I had no idea what they were going on about, and I was guessing neither had Elise. She was apparently so caught up in her own head that she didn’t even notice me following her into the kitchen until I was right beside her.
“Jesus, Chase,” she said, holding a hand over her heart. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry, I need to make more noise when I walk, I guess,” I said. “Maybe I should wear a bell.”
She sized me up, the corners of her lips pulling back in a grin for a split second before it evaporated, and her face fell again. She was trying to keep up a brave face though.
