The way his body was half in front of mine reminded me of his possessive and protective nature that he had been revealing to me these past weeks.
“What kind of accident?” Dante asked, his composure cracking the slightest, stepping back from me.
“We were kayaking with everybody, and there was a pretty bad storm. Amelia and I were caught in it and were pushed off course. We became very lost in the wilderness of Colorado,” he paused between his words, and hesitated before uttering his next dark confession. “We were also kidnapped by a psychopath out there, that’s how we started bonding with each other.”
Dante exhaled a low whistle, disbelief washing over his face, though I knew he believed every word. “Damn. That’s terrible. I had no idea.”
“It’s okay, I can try to go out onto water, but I can’t promise I won’t have a panic attack.” I tried to clear the air and offer him my polite energy, but Caiden cut in again.
“No, Amelia. That’s not necessary.” His voice was brisk and commanding; it pushed an irritation to rise.
“Can we not do the caveman routine today?” I said, my tone lighter than I felt. “I’m a grown woman, you know. If I want to try it, I’ll try it. If I don’t, I’ll say so.”
It came out sharper than I expected, and I instantly regretted it. Not because I was wrong, but because the way Caiden’s face closed told me I’d landed a blow.
Dante flexed his hands at his sides, like he was trying to warm them up. “I think it’d be fun,” he offered, careful not to look at either of us too long. “But if you’d rather chill here and read or nap, I totally get it.”
Caiden scoffed. “Typical Dante, always being the nice guy.”
Dante glared at him. The friction was obvious, and Dante felt it, too. He set his mug down with a tight click. “You’re not her bodyguard, Caiden. She can decide for herself.”
I could feel the heat of Caiden’s stare on my cheekbone. “I know that. I just don’t want her to get hurt again.”
My own annoyance tumbled out before I could stop it. “If I want to risk a panic attack in a canoe, I’ll do it. I’m not five.”
He stepped back, wounded, and the silence that followed felt like a dare. I wanted to step into it, to let the anger flare bright enough to burn off the humidity that hovered between us, but I was so tired. I poured more coffee instead and let the bitter taste shock me back to baseline.
“I’ll bring the canoe down to the dock,” Dante said after a beat. “Whenever you’re ready.”
He left, and the screen door snapped behind him. I watched the bobbing of his head as he walked down the slope, steady, certain, untouchable.
Caiden exhaled, his whole posture sagging. “Sorry. I’m not trying to run your life.”
I shrugged. “Old habits die hard, I guess.”
He laughed, but there was no edge to it anymore. “Seriously, though. You don’t have to prove anything. Not to me, not to Dante, not to anybody.”
I set my mug down and met his eyes. “And what if I just want to do something because I want to do it? Not for anybody else’s benefit.”
He set his mouth in a tight line. “You don’t always have to be brave for fucks sake, sometimes it’s best to do nothing at all.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
It was funny how easily Caiden and I could slide back into our old ways of heated bickering and irritation with each other.
It was too easy, and I wondered if that was because this is how we were meant to be, rivals. Fated to haunt each other and never touch.
We ignored each other for a while, enough that the clock on the wall became the only force of gravity in the room.
Eventually, I went to find Dante down by the water, leaving Caiden behind in the kitchen with his sullen spirit and the iron weight of his moods.
Dante was at the water’s edge, dragging the canoe down the crumbling slope, his footwork careful on the mud. I jogged to catch up, my sneakers sliding sideways.
He looked up and grinned. “I was beginning to think you’d chickened out.”
“Never,” I said, though in truth my palms were sweaty with nerves. The canoe, up close, looked narrower than I’d pictured.
Dante steadied it, then offered his hand. “You want to be in front, or back?”
