Page 76 of Ink Me Three Times
"Is everything okay?" I ask, watching him closely.
Something’s different about him tonight. He’s not just tired, he’s wound up, like a coil ready to snap.
"Not really," he replies, glancing at the door like he’s making sure no one else is coming in. His voice drops lower. "I went to the bar after work. Just to blow off some steam, and… well, Jesse was there, asking questions tonight. About you."
The mention of Jesse sends an icy feeling creeping up my spine. My brother seems permanently distracted by Vanessa, but maybe not as much as I’d hoped.
"Questions? What kind of questions?" I ask, my voice a little too sharp.
Freddie runs a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable. "Pointed ones. About you, about me, about rumors."
I feel a sudden chill, as if a cold gust of wind has swept through the room, despite the warmth from the heater. Jesse’salways been smart. Too smart, sometimes. If he’s starting to ask about us, then we’re all in trouble. Not just Freddie and me, but the whole mess of us. It’ll all come out eventually.
"Shit," I mutter, running a hand through my own hair. "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing," Freddie says quickly, shaking his head. "I didn’t say anything. Just told him not to listen to rumors. But still… it’s an issue."
The weight of his words settles in the pit of my stomach. If Jesse puts two and two together, it won’t just be a mess. It’ll be a disaster. He might kick me out and never speak to me again.
"So, what do we do? Do we…" I swallow hard. "Keep our distance? As much as we can?"
Freddie looks at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine, like he’s trying to figure out if I really mean it. The air between us thickens. Neither of us wants to do it. We can feel it, the pull. The chemistry that’s almost impossible to ignore, the kind of tension that coils tightly in our veins and makes even the smallest touch feel electric.
"I don’t want to," Freddie admits quietly, his voice low, almost like a confession.
He takes a step closer, his hand brushing against mine in a brief, fleeting touch that sends a jolt through me.
"I know," I whisper back, swallowing hard. "I don’t either. But we don’t have a choice."
He looks at me for a long moment, his jaw tight, and I can see the struggle in his eyes. He wants to pull me to him, wants to press the issue, but he knows what’s at stake. And for once, he knows we have to make the hard call.
"I’ll keep my distance," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "For now."
I nod, even though the words don’t feel like enough. There’s a hollow ache in my chest as I turn away from him, headingtoward the door. It’s almost like there’s this invisible thread pulling me back to him, but I force myself to ignore it.
"Stay safe," Freddie says quietly, as I reach for the doorknob.
I pause for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt before I turn the handle.
"You too," I reply, and then I step out into the cool night air.
The walk back to Jesse’s cabin feels longer than usual. My mind is a whirlwind, caught between the mess with Freddie and the ticking time bomb that is my brother.
I have had him at the back of my mind, but truth be told I didn’treallythink he’d find anything out. I have to remember small towns are nothing like big cities.
Everyone knows everything.
When I finally push open the door to the cabin, I’m hit by the stillness. The faint light from the kitchen casts long shadows in the hallway, and I know instantly that Jesse is home.
Back from the bar too.
He’s sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in front of him, but it’s cold, untouched. His back is to me, but I can feel his attention shift the moment I step inside. The air between us feels taut, like a wire ready to snap.
"Hey," I say, trying to sound casual, but my voice betrays me. It’s too high, too stiff.
"Hey." Jesse’s voice is uncharacteristically flat, which doesn’t help.
"How was your night?"
