She stared down at him as if considering her next words, her eyes glittering in the low light of the room. Her fingers hesitated, betraying her nerves. “Then…don’t see her anymore." Neither one of them had to say who her was, they both knew. "Or anyone else. Just…don’t,” she added.
He waited for a second, wondering if she would say anything else, before he nodded. That was an easy promise. She wouldn’t be seeing him with anyone ever again, but he wouldn’t tell her that quite yet.
Chapter twenty-five
It was Christmas Eve when they landed. No sooner had they stepped foot onto the tarmac, their parents were on the next flight to Spain. And that was just the way Ebony and Gavin had wanted it.
A few years ago, they had established as a family that the best Christmas present they could all give one another was getting rid of the obligatory Christmas dinner. It was the greatest idea they had ever come up with. While their parents got to gallivant around the world, Ebony and Gavin had the house to themselves.
After dropping off Ethan and Luis at their houses and picking up Duke from Taylor's, they were finally able to get back home. Ebony inhaled the cold air from the empty house as they rolled their suitcases through the door. The warm Caribbean weather seemed but a dream now compared to the icy air whipping through town directly off the cove.
"Fuck, I'm tired," Gavin's groan echoed through the hall as they made their way into the kitchen.
Duke, who was happy to be home, was sniffing every nook and cranny as if he hadn't been home in years and not just cozied up with Taylor's mom on their couch.
Hiding a yawn, Ebony followed Gavin into the hall to go upstairs. "You should be, you spent the entire flight talking and playing cards with the guys instead of sleeping like I did."
Although she had been secretly thrilled that he had. When he had first arrived on the boat, she had been so relieved to see him she hadn't truly stopped to consider how Cameron would feel seeing him. That first night at dinner she could feel the wary tension from Cameron when Gavin sat down next to her. But things took an unexpected turn. The next morning after their talk she had come out onto the deck to find all four of them immersed in the most competitive game of ping pong she had ever seen. A game where the opponent tried to get the ball to bounce off the table and into the ocean to cause the other player to have to dive off and retrieve it.
It was as if the fight had never happened. All four of them spent the remainder of the trip laughing and talking just like before. Occasionally she caught Cameron's doubtful glance at Gavin but when he met her gaze he just shrugged. Later when she was able to get him alone, he told her he was confused too.
"I have no idea what he's thinking but he seems to be acting normal," he confessed.
"And you?" she had asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. All she could think about was that vicious fight between them in his room. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean I'm not over what happened but this isn't the time or the place to bring it up. So, if he wants to pretend, I can pretend too."
And as much as it pained her to hear that, Ebony had to admit she was shocked at how well both guys kept up the pretense for the trip. Even as Gavin had pulled up to Cameron's house he had stayed in the car as she walked with Cameron up to his door.
Maybe things were going back to normal?
Gavin grabbed her suitcase without a word, pulling her from her thoughts; he hoisted both his and hers, one in each hand. The fabric of his jacket pulled tight over his arms as he started up the stairs, every step drawing her eyes to the flex of his muscles.
"Sure," he gave her a pointed look over his shoulder. "And yet that is your third yawn in a row."
Ebony nodded in defeat. Point taken. Even with the sleep she had gotten she was exhausted. She didn’t bother unpacking. Showering and changing into a loose long sleeve lounge set, she went back downstairs just as Gavin was shutting the front door.
Surrounded by plastic bags, he looked up at her and smiled. "Let the feast begin."
Every inch of the wide coffee table was covered in food. From two different pies, to fried turkey legs, collard greens, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese they had enough food to last them well into the new year.
In the corner of the room the fire danced behind the glass panel as the TV played a holiday horror movie Gavin had picked out. Settled deep into the plush cushions of their couch, Ebony sat across from Gavin, his legs bracketing hers under the covers. She was hardly watching the movie; her mind was back on the yacht.
The last night of the trip, Gavin had surprised them all by sitting at the piano as the servers cleared away the dinner table. With his tux pressed, perfectly tailored to his strong build and his hair glinting under the chandelier’s glow he wordlessly commanded all of their attention. Absorbing it without demand.
Like smoke drifting over the keys his fingers moved deftly over the instrument coaxing out a familiar melody that made both Ebony and her mother smile. It was one of their favorite songs. One of the many songs her mother had played in the car as she picked them up and dropped them off at school.
The moment he started to sing, her chest had tightened.
For you, I’d give a lifetime of love
Whatever you need, I’ll find a way
No dream is out of reach
With you, no words could ever hold my love
Or all the thoughts I'm of dreaming of
