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LENA
As Max reenters the room, Cade exhales. “It’s late,” he says, his voice tight with frustration. “I’m spent.”
I nod, but the atmosphere feels heavy, strained. The connection Cade and I shared earlier has been replaced by an uneasy tension that makes my skin prickle. With his brother here, I feel exposed and vulnerable in a way I hadn’t anticipated. This night was supposed to be different.
Before I can retreat to the safety of a bed, Cade sighs heavily. “Let me make us some dinner,” he says, his voice quieter now, almost resigned. “We should all eat something.”
I follow him into the small kitchen, watching as he pulls out a few simple ingredients—eggs, bread, and cheese. The air is thick with unspoken words, and the awkwardness only grows as Max takes a seat at the small dining table, his gaze flicking between Cade and me.
Cade moves with practiced ease, but there’s a tension in his movements that betrays his calm exterior. I try to stay out of the way, clutching a throw blanket around my shoulders as I take a seat beside Max, feeling completely out of place.
“So, Lena,” Max says after a few moments, his tone too casual, too probing. “What do you do for a living?”
I stiffen, the question catching me off guard. I glance at Cade, but he’s focused on the stove, his back to us. “I’m a social media manager,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “I handle some corporate accounts, local businesses, that sort of thing.”
Max raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “That’s… interesting. Not exactly what I expected from someone out here with my brother.”
His words sting, and I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. What does he mean by that? I try to remind myself that I don’t owe him any explanations, but the way he’s looking at me makes it hard to hold onto that confidence.
Cade turns, placing plates of scrambled eggs and toast in front of us. His movements are stiff, and I can tell he’s heard every word. “Max, enough,” Cade says, his voice low but firm. “Lena’s here because her cabin was destroyed in the storm. She’s got nowhere else to go.”
Max leans back in his chair, his gaze still on me. “Is that right? And what exactly brought you out here in the first place, Lena? Running away from something?”
I swallow hard, feeling more and more uncomfortable. “I just needed a break,” I say quietly. “The city… it gets to be too much sometimes.”
Max gives a small, humorless chuckle. “Yeah, I know how that goes. But running away doesn’t solve anything. It just delays the inevitable.”
“Max,” Cade warns, his voice sharper now. “This isn’t the time.”
But Max doesn’t back down. “Cade, you can’t keep running from your responsibilities. Dad needs you back at the firm. You can’t just hide out here forever.”
The argument is shorter this time, but the words cut just as deep. Cade’s frustration is palpable, and I can feel the weight of it pressing down on all of us. The awkwardness is suffocating, and I’m starting to wish I’d never left the city in the first place.
“I’m not hiding,” Cade snaps, his eyes flashing with anger. “I’m making my own choices. I’m not going back to that life.”
Max shakes his head, his expression hard. “We’ll see about that.”
The silence that follows is thick, heavy, and I can barely bring myself to eat. When the meal is over, I excuse myself, muttering something about needing to lie down. I can feel both Cade’s and Max’s eyes on me as I retreat to the bedroom, but I don’t look back.
Once I’m alone, I undress and sink down onto the bed, pulling the blankets up to my chin. The tension from the dinner hangs in the air, making it hard to breathe. I can still hear the low murmur of voices from the other room, but I can’t make out the words. I don’t need to. I already feel like I’m in over my head.
A few minutes later, Cade enters the room, his face a mask of frustration. He undresses quickly, not saying a word, and climbs into bed beside me. The warmth of his body is there, but theconnection we shared earlier is gone, replaced by a coldness that makes my chest ache.
I want to reach out, to touch him, to say something that will break the tension, but I’m too scared. I don’t know him well enough to navigate this situation, to know how to comfort him or what he needs.
So I lie there in silence, staring at the ceiling, feeling more alone than ever. The storm may have passed, but it’s clear that the real challenges are just beginning.
seven
LENA
I wake to the soft,golden light of dawn filtering through the curtains, the warmth of Cade’s body pressed against mine. We’re tangled in the sheets, both of us naked beneath them, our bodies humming with the tension that filled the room last night before Max showed up. I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back. His arm is wrapped around me, his hand resting just below my breast, and I can’t help the flutter of desire that pulses through me.
For a moment, I let myself relax into him, enjoying the closeness, the comfort. But then reality creeps in, and with it, the uncertainty. We’ve shared so much in such a short amount of time, and I can’t shake the feeling that everything is moving too fast. But when he shifts beside me, his lips brushing lightly against my shoulder, all my doubts seem to melt away.
I roll over to face him, our eyes meeting in the soft morning light. There’s a look in his eyes that sends a shiver down my spine—something tender, yet fierce, like he’s holding himself back from something he wants more than anything.
“Morning,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
