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“Jared’s ass can go downstairs.” Jaxon turned away from the window to face the rest of us. His eyes briefly met mine, and a breath caught in my throat. He gestured toward the door next to the fireplace. “I’ll take the room over there.”
My chest loosened as the first part of the trip I was nervous about unraveled. I felt immediately relieved that Jaxon chose his room first and even better that Bryson wasn’t here yet. It just made for a smooth transition.
“Does the bedroom down the hall have a bathroom?” I asked Connor.
“All of the bedrooms on this floor have a bathroom,” Connor said, hoisting his duffle onto his shoulder. He grabbed Katie’s hand, and they walked toward their bedroom.
“Perfect.” I sighed and picked up my bag.
“Pssst,” Jaxon whispered.
I stopped halfway down the hall and stared at him.
His eyes narrowed. “Does Katie cook breakfast on trips?”
A stream of giggles and shouting came from the master bedroom. We both peered in the direction of the noise and then back at each other.
“I think we may be on our own for breakfast,” I admitted sadly, and his lips formed a small pout. “Unpack and we will throw something together. How hard can it be?”
He pulled his hat from his head and ran a hand through his hair. The last time I saw him was Thursday, and he must’ve gone to the barber sometime after that. His hair was just short enough to where it didn’t curl. I liked when his hair had loose waves, but there was something about how a fresh cut looked on him.
He disappeared into his room, and I went down the hall to mine. I placed my duffle on the bed and lay next to it. My room was pretty big, with a king bed in the center of the space. There was a dresser I planned to take advantage of and a small closet next to the bathroom door.
As I unpacked my belongings, I bit the inside of my cheek and smiled when I heard more sounds from Katie and Connor’s room. Their door was shut, but we all knew there would be many doors shut this weekend. It was the first time since winter break that any of us had freedom outside our regular school schedules.
It was also the first time Jaxon and I spent any time together outside of BG, and I had a feeling it would be harder than I thought. Being under the same roof as him and sleeping down the hall just felt unnatural. Even if we weren’t together, Jaxon stayed in my room whenever he spent the night. Of course, he would need his own room if he planned on sleeping with Heather, Reagan, or any other girls he may have already hooked up with on this trip.
I palmed my forehead and sighed to give my nerves a chance to calm down before I unnecessarily started them up. I had plenty of time left on the trip to get worked up about things. Especially since the guy I was hooking up with could enter the condo at any moment, and the one I really wanted was only a few doors down the hall.
Chapter53
Jaxon
March 2016
After siftingthrough the bags of groceries we got from the market, I decided that sausage, bacon, and eggs were good to start with. Breakfast was actually something I knew how to make since I made it with my mom every Sunday growing up.
“Did you hear me?” Alex’s voice came through the phone.
I hadn’t spoken to him since I left Charlotte, and he called during his morning jog to catch up. I took advantage of the time since Maci was still in her room.
“Kind of,” I lied. I pulled out a bag of shredded cheese and searched the cabinets for any seasonings.
“I talked to Mom, and she said that John wrote to you. What did he say?” Alex asked.
His question threw me off, and I stared blankly at the frying pan I had just placed on the stove. Unlike Evelyn and Reed, who eased into conversations about John and Karina, Alex was much more upfront about things. He was a typical older brother in that way. While he never came off rude or imposing, he surprised me every time.
“I swear that woman could lead a gossip train,” I murmured.
“You know Mom doesn’t like to bring that stuff up to Dad if he’s away working. She confided in me a little bit last weekend, and I think she’s a little worried about you that’s all.”
“Confided in you?” I smiled. “What are you, a therapist now?”
“Shut up, asshole. I gave you some time to bring it up, and you didn’t. Now, this is me reaching out.”
I took a deep breath and peered down the hall to make sure no one was coming. “He wants me to come and see him.” The words left my mouth, and I felt my chest tighten. The last time I thought about the letter was when I talked to Mom on Valentine’s Day.
“What!” Alex exclaimed. “He hasn’t written to you in like five years. What did you say back?”
