Chesteria lit the first one and adjusted it on the sill. Her hips swayed a little under the sweater, and I watched her for a second longer than I probably should’ve.
Damn shame I couldn’t go for round two. But this coffee? Definitely a close second.
Right on cue, Adrian limped into the room, hair wet, and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
“Say, man…what the hell goin’ on?! I was in the shower minding my damn business, now I’m cold, naked, and I damn near slipped trying to grab my towel!”
I snarled. “Nigga, what itlooklike? The power’s out…obviously.”
“No shit!” Adrian snapped, clutching the towel tighter. “I got conditioner still in my beard!”
I narrowed my eyes. “Well, massage that shit in and treat it like a damn leave-in. Moisturize while you suffer. You and Isis acting like y’all already got snow in y’all lungs and there are wolves at the door… and the damn lights been off for onlyfiveminutes. But go put on some damn clothes. I ain’t talkin’ to no nigga who got his nuts swinging under terry cloth. You might slip and fall again, and I ain’t got insurance to be explaining that!”
Adrian muttered something under his breath as he limped off like a wet and angry dog. Then—like clockwork—Isiscame sashaying in, arms crossed, and robe flowing behind her like she was floating through a tragic-ass music video. She had a whole attitude on her face and rolled her eyes so hard I swear time reversed by five minutes.
“This whole situation isunacceptable!”she wailed, spinning in a slow, dramatic circle. “I was in the middle of my glow-up, and now I look like the damn moon. Oh, God… now my pores are traumatized!”
I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly, and counted to three. Then I turned to face her with a look that said if she pushed me any further, I would put her ass on Craigslist under “slightly used cabin guest… comes with drama and false eyelashes.”
I pointed with the same hand holding my coffee. “Isis, since it’s below freezing outside and I believe in mercy… I’m givingyouthree chancestoday. That’s it. If you run through them three, I’ma hand you a flashlight, a snow boot, and a prayer. You gon’ be whining from outside the damn cabin. Don’t test me.”
Isis let out the loudest groan known to mankind. Then she threw herself on the couch and pulled a throw blanket around her like I had just abused her civil rights.
“Y’all need to stop treating me like I’m the problem!” she mumbled into the pillow.
Suddenly, Adrian reappeared fully dressed—barely. He had on some wrinkled pajama pants that looked slept in, those damn socks with a hole in one toe, and a hoodie with no drawstrings.
“Aight, I’m back… still cold, though.”
Still limping, he bent down to grab a mug from the tray and eased onto the couch with a sigh.
“So what’s the play? The lights should be back on in a few hours, right?”
Before I could even blink at the stupidity, Isis chimed in.
“Yeah. Like… are the lights really out because of thestorm,or did one of y’all just forget to pay the light bill?”
I didn’t know who was dumber in that moment—her or Adrian.
I was about to respond, but Chesteria beat me to it.
Chesteria struck the match and lit another candle with a slow shake of her head.
“Girl… don’t be dumb. We’re in the mountains, not on a payment plan. Besides, it’s Sunday. Ain’t nobody sitting in a cubicle somewhere pressing ‘lights off’ on a damn payment portal, on the Lord’s day. The folks whocouldcut it off are either at home wrapped in quilts trying to stay warm, at church, either shouting or praying, or laid up trying to stretch their weekend. This blackout? This is nature… not negligence.”
I coughed into my coffee and smirked proudly.
Read her ass, baby.
Isis looked between us all, jaw tight. “Y’all gonna regret talking to me like this when I go viral with my survival story!”
Chesteria snickered. “You gottasurvivefirst, boo.”
I rubbed my hands together in front of the fire like I was preparing to lecture a classroom full of children.
“Aight, we about to go over a cabin survival rundown. We goin’ over food, heat, and bathroom rules. I’m not trying to die in this log-ass trap house with y’all because somebody flushed while the pipes were frozen.”
Isis suddenly shrieked loud enough to shake the damn cabin. “I can’t miss work! Inevermiss work! That’s how I supply my lavender oil subscription, my eyelash refills, and my soft-life skincare regimen! Bryce, what am I gonna do?! I can’t get fired!” she panicked… then that fooldramatically fake-passed out,falling sideways into a throw pillow like she needed smelling salts and a reality check.
