Page 4 of Behind the Cascades
"Hayes, I wasn't asking. You have no?—"
I cut her off before she could start her argument. "Sunshine… I know that I don't have a right to say what you can and can't do. But if you think I'd ever allow you to put yourself in danger, you're wrong."
"That's not fair. Odessa?—"
"Odessa has bodyguards! She has an entire team following her around, keeping her safe."
Her eyes narrow to almost slits while she glares at me. "Stop interrupting me. I'm not five. I'm not the teenager I was when you left.Believe it or not, I’m capable of making my own decisions."
"Oh, trust me. I know." I rake my gaze up her body and arch my eyebrow when I reach her eyes.
Both of us stay silent for a few breaths. I can tell she wants to go off on me but is holding back.
I reach out and grab her right hand with my left, lacing our fingers together. "Please trust me on this. We see things all the time. Classified things. Things that happen in 'safe' countries. Things that will never make the news because of how truly sick and twisted they are. If Odessa didn't have a team with her, I'd say the same thing to her." A team that Drew and I carefully handpicked, vetted, and trained. Neither of the girls has any idea of the things that go down all over the world. Hell, I only know a fraction and it's still enough to make me question everything I thought I knew about humanity.
Her eyes search mine, looking for any insincerity. She squeezes my hand once and then one side of her mouth begins to turn up. "Okay, I won't go alone. But you owe me a trip to Europe."
Relief floods through me at her agreement. "I'll take you anywhere you want, beautiful."
My flirty banter causes her lips to part as she inhales a tiny gasp. She glances from my eyes down to my lips and back up again. Our lips are only a few inches away at this point, a light gust of wind and they'd be touching.
“Hey, lovebirds!" Odessa shouts, ruining our moment once again.
Charlie drops my hand like it burned her and then scoots away from me. I know I should be thankful that we were interrupted, but all I feel is irritated.
"Y'all ready to head up and get ready for dinner?" Drewasks, his southern accent sounding a little thicker since he's been drinking.
I chuckle and stand up to start packing our stuff. "Yep. I could use a shower."
Odessa mumbles something under her breath that sounds a lot like "a cold one," but I choose to ignore the jest. She's always in everyone's business and ever since I confessed my feelings toward Charlie a few years ago, she has had no problem fucking with me. In my defense, I was drunk on Thanksgiving and Charlie had brought a date. Dess called me out the moment dinner was over and she caught me alone. Not once has Drew or Everett given me shit or attempted to kick my ass though so I know she hasn't told my secret.
Chapter Three
Hayes
Lounging back on the couch, I kick my feet up on the coffee table. The cold beer in my hand does nothing to calm my edginess from earlier. The girls escaped to their bathroom to get ready for dinner tonight and we haven't seen them since. I’m itching to drag Charlie out of there just to be near here, but I know that would be counterintuitive. Distance is better, safer.
Drew plops himself down in the armchair across from me, taking up more space than I thought possible. He's not that much bigger than I am—a few inches in height—but sitting in that chair makes him look like a giant trying to fit into a toddler’s chair.
"You comfortable? Looks like your big ass is going to break that chair."
He chuckles back. "I'll just tell mom it was you when it snaps."
Everett sits off to the side at the kitchen counter, snacking on food from the large birthday basket my mom ordered. "Happy to go along with that story!"
"The fuck? It's my birthday. Where's the love?"
"Speaking of love. What was with Odessa's 'lovebird' comment down at the pool?" Drew throws out the question like he's genuinely confused.
Guilt hits me as I nervously glance between him and a laughing Everett who says. "Don't act like you don't know!"
"Know what?" Drew looks at me, eyebrows raised.
"Shit. You naive SOB. Hayes has been in love with Char since what? Our senior year?"
"Fuck off, Everett." I grumble out. I don't want to see the hurt on Drew's face right now so I grab some mints and pop them into my mouth. Drew and I have been best friends since we were babies and we’ve always told each other everything. He's ranted for hours about any guy Charlie has ever talked to and how they aren't good enough for her. I’m not the exception here, I’m the rule. He hasn't just seen the worst of me; he's been there right alongside me through it all. He knows how fucked my head is because his is the same. There's no way he'll be okay with me having feelings for her.
"You love Charlie? Does she know?" I finally look up and see his shocked expression. At least he's not yelling at me or throwing a punch.Yet.
