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I lean against the wall, my arms folded over my chest as I watch Ollie and Artie argue over who gets to eat first. I realize that I haven’t seen them having an animated conversation like this in a long time and that I actually miss the way things were between us before. In the last couple months, I can’t even remember a time I had a proper conversation with my brothers that didn’t just consist of me barking out orders and them complying.
My gaze zeroes in on Susan, who stands between them, looking from one to the other helplessly. Maybe her presence will be a welcome change after all. Maybe she’s good for us, all of us.
As soon as the thought creeps into my head, I shake it off. Who am I kidding? I’m still stuck on the ghost of my past. Susan is not Fiona. My brothers didn’t even like Fiona in the first place.
“Artie, it’s okay. Ollie can go first,” Susan is saying.
“Alright, alright,” Artie says. “If Susan says so.” He looks up at me, and his mouth curves into a smirk. “And look who decided to join us after all.”
“Oh, shut it,” I say, making my way to the table. “I’m starving.” I start piling food onto my plate.
Artie sighs. “I was just trying to be polite to the guest.”
Susan giggles. “It’s okay, Artie, you don’t have to be formal about everything. But if I can have some more of that hot chocolate of yours after dinner, that would be great.”
“She’s referring to the drink you made earlier,” Ollie says, smirking.
Artie shakes his head. “Idiot. Get your head out of the gutter.” I expect Susan to appear scandalized, but she laughs sportingly.
I ignore their banter and focus on the food in front of me.
“So, how long do you think this snowstorm is going to last?” Susan asks. I watch her eat, chewing on every nibble slowly. Every little motion she makes is fascinating to me.
She looks up and watches me. I realize that the question was aimed at me. She’s trying to engage me, but I won’t take the bait. Not so quickly.
“It really depends,” Ollie finally says. “Sometimes, it clears up in a day or two. Sometimes it goes on for days. Right now, I’d prefer the latter.”
Susan smiles. Ollie smiles back.
I grip my fork tighter. I don’t mind that she’s paying attention to him, but I want some of that back on me. I want her to try pleasing me, begging for my attention.
After dinner, Susan offers to clean up after us.
“Nonsense,” Artie says.
“We’re big boys,” Ollie says. “We can manage.”
I take my plate to the kitchen.
“Can you grab hers?” Artie asks. I nod and start taking the plate from Susan when our fingers brush against each other. The little contact makes my stomach clench. Fuck me. This girl, with her doe-like eyes, is going to be the death of me.
Artie meets me in the kitchen. “Have you changed your mind about her yet?”
“You know our rules. No one else is allowed here except us,” I remind him. I don’t just mean in the cabin, but in our little family. All outsiders do is hurt us.
“I know, but look how she wound up here, after all,” Artie insists. “It’s fate. And I know there’s something special about her. I know you feel it too.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say.
“I’ll be honest, when I first saw Ollie trying to flirt with her, I was pissed. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw how good we are with her. It’s comfortable, no bullshit. We just fit.”
“You’re out of your mind,” I say, but the truth is I felt it too when I saw her during dinner with my brothers. She seems like a part of us, which is insane because we only met her a few hours ago. Not to mention that she practically broke into our house.
“She’s an outsider. We stick with each other, no matter what,” I remind him.
“That’s not changing with Susan’s presence, but can’t we just shake things up a little? We all deserve it,” Artie says. He bumps me with his shoulder. “She’s a good girl. Just give her a chance.”
I think about it for a few moments before saying, “Fine.”
