by Abigail Cole
“I know this is hard for you Wyatt.” She has no idea. “But you don’t need to try so hard to talk to me. Just don’t hate me and we’ll be fine.” I return her smile, the tight ball within at her close proximity easing.
Avery will never know how difficult it has been to keep her away, forcing myself to push all of my anger in her direction. I’ve blamed her for all of my failings over the years, but now she’s standing merely inches away with her sweet smile and doe eyes I could drown in. I want to have her the way the others can, the need building into a physical pain. Sensing the shift in my mood, Avery’s eyes dart to my lips and fill with the same longing. I shift closer, our chests brushing and I’m sure she can feel my heart thumping against my ribs. Her fingers tentatively slide into my hand, our lips breaths apart.
A loud groan from behind the wood breaks whatever was happening between us, as we both turn to run inside. Huxley is tossing and turning, trapped in a night terror and shouting in pain each time he lands on his injured shoulder. Using all of my strength, I grip his biceps tightly to hold him in place on his back – knowing I’ll be hurting his left side but it’s better than him throwing himself onto it repeatedly. His blonde hair is slick with sweat, his skin clammy as he grunts and heaves against me.
Avery runs around the bed, crawling beneath the cover and taking Hux’s face in her hands. “Huxley, I’m here. It’s Avery.” She says a few times, until he stops trying to fight me and flutters his eyes open. Tears stream from their brown depths as he finds her face, shrugging out of my grip to slide his arms around her firmly.
“Avery. You’re safe. I’ll keep you safe,” he repeats over and over, smoothing his hand through her hair and rocking slightly like a psychiatric patient. She nuzzles into his neck as if she’s used to this behaviour, and I have to wonder if she’s enjoying the attention or feeling trapped by his need to have her close by at all times. Standing beside the bed like a lemon, I ignore the pang of jealously that bubbles from watching the pair caress and cuddle each other. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone with him if this is how he gets, but Avery wafts me away with her hand. I linger for a second longer before retreating, watching her sooth and stroke him the entire time. Stepping out of the room and pulling the door closed quietly, I find Dax leaning against the wall outside.
“He’s getting worse, isn’t he?” Dax asks rhetorically, his afro smacking me in the face as he hangs his head. Blowing it out of the way, I decide to follow Dax back to his room since everyone else seems to be coupling up, I don’t want to spend tonight alone either. Besides, I know Dax will have a stash of emergency joints hidden somewhere and I need to take the edge off before these newfound emotions force me to storm back into the room and rip Avery from Huxley’s grip. I know he needs her right now, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Avery
Huxley’s thigh has me trapped in place as his body radiates an unnatural level of heat. The sunlight is shining beneath black-out curtains to announce the start of a new day, despite the fact I’ve not had much sleep. I want to help him since I’m the reason he was injured, but the sleepless nights and worry are starting to make me feel physically ill. A stress headache I can’t seem to shift is weighing on me, a nauseous feeling in my stomach due to only eating takeaways and leftovers. Even my hygiene is being affected now as I lie here sweating in Huxley’s t-shirt.
Using all of my strength to shift the dead weight of his thigh, I shift up to sit on the bed, looking down at his strong jaw line. A smile pulls at his lips, telling me he’s been awake for a while and kept me trapped on purpose, despite my loud huffs and shoving at his leg. “I’m sure you are milking this now,” I tease, his eyes opening to reveal a brief glint of cheekiness returning to their brown depths.
“Damn straight. I got shot for you which means you’ll be snuggling with me long after I’ve healed.” I comb my fingers through his hair before stroking the lengthy stubble lining his jaw. It takes his appearance from surfer boy to blonde demi-god and I’m into it. His gaze flicks to my lips, a longing in his eyes I yearn to fill. I’m not the type of girl to sleep around, but these guys all seem to connect with me on a level of broken that makes sense for us to try to fix each other. Despite feeling halfway between guilty and greedy, I can’t resist the pull dragging me towards him.
Leaning over his broad frame, I hold Huxley’s face in my hand as I place my lips onto his. He doesn’t instantly respond as I expected so I pull back. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” I breathe, heat lining my cheeks in embarrassment. His fingers link with mine as I still clasp his cheek and his eyes penetrate mine.
“Never apologise to me. I’m not myself at the moment sweetheart, so I can’t be the man you need me to be. I want you, but not as a distraction. You deserve to be the centre of someone’s universe which I can’t offer right now. One day though.” He pulls me down to place a kiss onto my forehead and drags me into his chest. We lie together in silence, the powerful beat of his heart against my ear making me consider how precious life really is. Two inches is all that came between Huxley and his death, yet he’s worried about being what I need. I fear I originally misjudged him, and not just because of the bullet he took for me.
After a short while, I move to stand and stride over to open the curtains. This may be our own little oasis, but I can’t lie around in the dark like a hermit for one more second. Huxley groans at the sudden appearance of daylight, covering his eyes. “Come on, we need to sort our shit out,” I cross the room to lift the arm from his eyes. Even with a grumpy expression, he looks so handsome my breathing hitches. I want to have him so bad it hurts but I settle for bopping his nose with my finger and giving him a wink. Sticking his tongue out at me, his striped green and black piercing on display, Huxley allows me to drag him upright by his good arm.
Leaving him to take his latest round of painkillers from the bedside table, I pass through the bathroom into my room to pick some clothes out. After a quick freshen up consisting of a wash and brushing my teeth, I pull my turquoise leggings and an off-the-shoulder sweater on. Checking my phone, I frown that there is still no more news from Meg. She called me on Sunday evening to say her mum had whisked her away on a surprise vacation to celebrate finishing her first year of college, and that’s the last I’ve heard. I expected selfies on a beach or drunken voicemails, but there’s been nothing. She didn’t even say where she’d gone.
Tossing my phone back onto the bed, hoping wherever she is – she’s having a lovely time, I slip the strap of my yoga mat over my shoulder and return to Huxley’s room. After helping him step into his sweatpants and easing a yellow t-shirt over his head, I secure his sling in place with a smile. Ruffling his hair up, forcing him to embrace the sexy bedhead look he’s rocking, we leave the room to head downstairs. I grab two bananas, cereal bars and bottles of water from the kitchen before we step into the warm sun outside.
Thankfully, the rain has passed so we can venture out into the gardens again. Dax, Wyatt and Garrett are already on the basketball court, their bodies coated in sweat as they tackle and throw each other to the ground in an attempt to steal the ball. Lowering Huxley onto the sun lounger, I roll out my purple yoga mat between him and the court, so he can enjoy watching all of us at once.
Placing my bare feet together at the base of the mat, I push my palms together in front of my chest and close my eyes. Concentrating on my breathing, I try to imagine a straight line running through me that connects my body, mind and spirit together. Rolling my shoulders, I release any tension that might be hiding there and stretch my neck side to side. On a deep exhale, I lift my joined palms above my head to part them on a wide stretch, circling my arms back down to my sides.
Feeling more in tune with myself, I open my eyes to begin the sequence I have been repeating weekly with my yoga instructor, Linda, for years. I may know the movements off by heart, but having her here to coach me makes loosing myself in the moment easier. I unexpectedly realise how much I miss all
of my tutors. They were constants in my life I could rely on, almost like friends I looked forward to seeing each week, which is probably why I’ve been clinging to the guys around me so much.
Moving into warrior pose, yelling and cheering to my right distracts me from my thoughts. Dax is hanging from the basketball hoop, kicking wildly as Garrett tries to tickle his underarms and Wyatt has run off with his shoe. Huxley chuckles at the bunch of overgrown children and I have to fight a smile too. “Gare, go long!” Wyatt shouts, his face lit up with a full teeth-showing smile, his hair flapping wildly as he runs. Garrett leaves Dax to head out of the court, just as Wyatt throws the shoe high into the air. The white and red sneaker turns in the air as it sails over the high fence and lands safely in Garrett’s arms.
Turning towards us, Garrett holds the shoe to his chest like a rugby ball and charges in my direction. Dax shouts as he drops from the hoop to give chase but Wyatt blocks his exit from the court. The pair start to wrestle as Garrett throws the sneaker roughly into my chest. Catching it with an ’oomph’, Dax overpowers Wyatt and flicks his piercing blue eyes onto me. His smile looks devilish as he shouts, “Game on!” and races toward me.
With a shriek, I dart away round the back of the pool house to the lawns that stretch behind it and run at my top speed. Garrett flanks my side as Dax closes in on us, until I quickly dive to the left and skid around him to head back towards the house. Passing the sneaker-ball to Wyatt as I pass him, I run back to Huxley to shove my filthy feet into my own sneakers. Teasing his piecing between his teeth, he gives me a wink that makes me feel better about leaving him here while I play with the others. “Watch out!” Wyatt shouts, as the sneaker hurtles through the air towards the back of Huxley’s head. Diving over him, I manage to catch it and shove my chest into his face, win win.
Moving around the edge of the pool, I watch as Garrett and Dax roll around in the grass laughing while tossing his shoe from hand to hand. Axel appears in the doorway of the house, rubbing his head as he yawns. “What’s going on?” he asks no one in particular. Wyatt rounds the pool on the opposite side to answer him.
“It’s everyone against Dax for his shoe back,” he chuckles, but Axel’s amber eyes glance over to the shoe I’m juggling suspiciously. The corner of his lips turns up in the same way Dax’s did and dread fills me.
“That’s not very fair. I’m on Dax’s team!” he shouts the last bit loudly, diving after me in just his low hanging shorts. Running around the pool, I quickly find Dax is stalking towards me from around the pool house and I’m stuck in the middle. Throwing the shoe as far as I can with no particular destination in mind, it flies across the pool and straight into Wyatt’s open balcony door, a smash sounding within. I gape widely, sure he is about to shout at me but instead, all of the guys laugh and race to be the first one into the pool house. Pushing and shoving, the four of them disappear and I quickly look around for something to use against them.
My eyes land on the coiled hose pipe fixed to the outside of the pool house, and my own evil smile grows. Pushing a finger against my lips at Huxley, who’s watching from the side lines, I run over to turn the tap on and pull a long length of the pipe free. Standing hidden around the corner, my fingers tremble whilst holding the hose until I hear the men spill out of the sliding door in a heap. Without a specific target in mind, since I didn’t choose to play this game, I step around the corner and twist the nozzle so a fast jet of water sprays over the lot of them.
Hollering and laughing, I scream as they all turn to advance on me. Garrett reaches me first, grabbing the hose to yank it from my hands with ease. Twisting it around, he shoves the jet down my jumper before I can stop him. Throwing my fists into his chest, he laughs and doesn’t budge until Wyatt appears from no where to throw him straight into the pool. Retracting the hose from my bra, I swap it for the sneaker he’s holding and run before Garrett gets out of the pool. I’ve barely made it halfway across the lawn when a weight collides with me from behind. The breath is knocked out of me, but I curl around the damn shoe and hold on for dear life as Dax rolls me over.
Forcing my legs apart with his hips and gripping the sides of my face, he pushes his tongue into my mouth before I even realise what he’s doing. The warmth of his mouth against mine ignites an immediate fire that mixes with the adrenaline already coursing through my veins. Duelling his tongue with mine, he mouth-fucks me so hard, my toes are curling. Running a hand across the hard planes of his chest as he grinds against me deliciously, he snatches the shoe from my grip and leaps off. I lie stunned on the ground, panting from arousal and shock as Axel appears to offer me a hand up.
Needing some time to get a grip of myself, I walk back towards the house to see Huxley pushing himself up from the lounger. Jogging the rest of the way over, I slip under his right arm and hold his waist as he rises and finds his balance. “I’m going for a nap,” he says, his face seeming taut and hollow as he smiles down at me.
“You haven’t eaten anything,” I point out, worried that he’s sleeping through his meals too often. Picking up the food and water I’d brought out, I begin to walk to the house but he holds me back.
“Stay, enjoy yourself. Please,” he begs. I frown back at the laughter I can hear from the lawn, torn between wanting to spend some time destressing and wanting to cheer up Huxley.
“Promise me you will eat this,” I push the bananas and cereal bars into his hands, which he nods at. Bending low, he brushes his lips against mine briefly before leaving. Staring after him, a ringtone I recognise from near the basketball court distracts me. I run back over to the lawn, shouting “Wyatt, your phone is ringing!”. Turning back, he fist bumps me on the way past and I smile at our new easy-going friendship. Rolling my shoulders, I prepare to re-join the sneaker-rugby game, ready for some more sneaky sexual tactics all the way.
Wyatt
“There is a detective here to see you,” the guard on duty at the gate speaks through my phone. Agreeing to let them in, I stride towards the front door in my dripping wet sports kit to watch the navy Honda pull up the gravelled driveway. Detective Vincent steps out of the passenger seat while a tall bald officer joins her from the driver’s side.
“It’s nice to see you again Master Hughes, how is your friend?” I cross my arms and nod my head in answer, unsure of the reason behind her spontaneous visit. Sighing, the detective drops her caring act and produces a folded piece of paper from the hidden pocket inside her charcoal knee-length coat. “We have a warrant to search your father’s office in relation to an International crime. I hope you will permit us to do our jobs and we will be out of your hair shortly.” Her brown waves swish around her shoulders in the breeze, her greeny-blue eyes scanning me carefully.
Taking the paper, I unfold it to glance through, finding the wording is particularly vague. “I won’t hinder your investigation, but may I know what this is all about first?” The uniformed officer looks to the detective with unease, clearly preferring she refused.
“If we complete our search first so Officer Dobson can return to his work, I would be more than happy to stay and discuss this with you further.” I permit them entry, knowing they won’t find anything since we did our own search, and follow the pair into the living room.
“What’s going on?” Avery asks, sitting up as Detective Vincent greets her with familiarity. She’s come inside to watch Dax and Garrett play videogames, since Huxley wanted to head back to bed for a nap. Upon returning from the hospital, Hux had seemed like his normal self except a little weak, but now I’m certain he is more affected by the events of last week than he’s letting on. I hope with time we can help him find his way back to us, since he’s always been the mellow one of our group.
“Search warrant.” I flash the paper at her. “It’s okay Avery, why don’t you go be with Hux until this is all done. See what he’d like to order in tonight.” She smiles and nods at me easily, our relationship tiptoeing into new territory, before doing as I’ve asked. As the detective and offi
cer walk to the office at the back of the house, I perch on the arm of the sofa. The two beside me continue their game while Axel swims lengths in the pool outside.
“Get out of the way!” Garrett shouts, beheading Dax’s character on screen with a sword so he can storm ahead. Regenerating, Dax’s chest heavy ninja girl dives into Gare’s samurai avatar, attacking him with a dagger as they lose sight of the level objective and just keep killing each other over and over. I decide to wait for the search to finish whilst drying off outside, stepping into the sunshine which is a relief after the torrential rain we’ve been having these past few days. Stretching myself across the lounger, my right foot taps impatiently. Surely the search shouldn’t take long; we found everything of interest, right? But they are professionals so maybe they might notice something we didn’t, an essential part of the puzzle we need.
Axel pulls himself up onto the side of the pool, his tensed muscles rippling as he strides over to me dripping wet. “Do you mind?” he gestures to the towel I’ve just spread across. I don’t have time to move before he flops onto me, his dripping wet body and sodden boxers re-soaking me.
“Motherf-“ I shove him off but he wrestles with me causing the lounger to flip over. Rolling on the grass, we struggle to pin down the other. Axel’s elbow catches my fragile nose, which doesn’t hurt too bad but I shout and hold it as if I’m in agony. Falling for my trap, Axel leaps off me and runs a hand over his head, muttering an apology. Jumping to my feet, I grab his towel and run into my pool house with him on my tail. Sliding the door closed just in time and flicking the lock, I laugh as he bangs on the other side.
