The three of us don’t speak, but we all nod our agreement, too captivated by the views to peel our eyes away for a second.
When we pull up to our house, secluded and surrounded by nothing but nature, the uneasiness I felt when I first got in the car subsides slightly. Glancing around the car, it seems everyone has smoothed out a bit. Maybe it’s the view, maybe it’s the long car ride. But there’s something about stepping outside into the fresh air after so long of breathing in the city, that feels like a balm to my lungs.
“I’ll bring your bags inside if you’d all like to head in,” Hendrik says. The trunk pops and he steps toward it. Instantly, Walker and I intervene. We both shoot each other a look, but he holds his hand out, beckoning for me to go first. I give him a small nod and grab one of the bags.
“We can help,” he tells Hendrik. “No need for you to haul all our shit inside when we’re capable of helping.”
Hendrik looks prized to argue, but as the four of us converge on the luggage piled in the back, he steps back.
We make quick work of unloading the car. Hendrik takes off, his own rental only a few minutes down the road if we need a car. I’m sure Arun arranged it that way so none of us could flee easily.
Bags and instruments sit in a heap in the cozy living room of our rental as we all stand around taking in our view, as well as the place we’ll be confined to for the next couple days. It has a warm, rustic feel to it. More of an elevated cabin than anything. A couple fabric covered sofas in theliving room all sit facing a sliding door that looks to open out onto the porch. The place is filled with lamps, and a glance at the ceiling reveals limited overhead lighting.
The kitchen is small but upgraded nicely. Rich wooden cabinets and nice appliances.
Arun arranged for groceries to be delivered to the house when we got here, so the pantry and fridge are both stocked, overflowing with more than enough food for the couple nights we’re going to be here.
“Anyone hungry?” Nikolai asks, popping his head out of the fridge.
“I could eat,” Walker says.
“Me too,” Hayden agrees.
The three of them look at me. “Do we wanna figure out rooms first or just leave this all here?” I gesture toward the pile.
Nikolai waves a hand at it. “We can figure that out later.”
Of course he’d be the one to say that. The messy pile makes my skin itch, but it’s not worth picking a fight over. Especially so early into our time.
I’m sure there will be other hills to die on.
Be open, listen to understand, not argue.Penny’s words echo in my head as I take a centering breath and join the guys in the kitchen.
We all agree on steaks for dinner, along with instant mashed potatoes. Walker starts making those, while I take the steaks outside to the grill.
The propane tank is empty and by the time I locate an extra in the garage, everyone’s gathered outside on the porch with drinks in hand. Nikolai offers one to me.
There’s a tense silence while I hook up the new tank and everyone sits, watching. But as usual, Nikolai is the first to break it.
“So do you think Arun didn’t stock the place with any hard liquor for a reason?” He picks at the label on his beer bottle.
“Probably to help keep us in check,” Hayden muses.
“Should’ve known. Remember that first club we all got into underage and he had to come drag us out of there before we could be photographed?”
Walker grins, looking slightly less haunted than the last time I saw him. “I mean not really, but yes, I remember he grabbed me by the ear as I was ordering another round of shots.”
I finally get the grill started and set the steaks on it. Over my shoulder, I add, “I remember when someone bumped into him and spilled their entire orange drink down the sleeve of his suit. I thought he’d take it off and burn it right there.”
Everyone chuckles at the memory. Arun certainly had his hands full with us when we first moved out here. I was used to not really having parental supervision, but for the other three, it was their first taste of freedom.
And we certainly made the most of it.
“Jane said even during team outings, he still shows up in a suit. They went to play pickleball one afternoon and sure enough, he still wore one.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” Hayden shakes his head, dark hair falling in his eyes. “How’s Jane liking her job?”
“She loves it.” He smiles proudly. He talks about her with such pride that it even makes Walker relax a little bit. Their relationship has gotten back on track well since it came out that Nikolai and Jane had hid their relationship for years.
