I introduce him to Boone and Garrett and they immediately get along. We spend the day hanging out at the campsite, cooking food over the fire and swinging in the hammocks we set up. Maggie plays with Archie and listens to our banter and bickering, softly laughing every now and then. I make sure she has snacks and drinks, checking on her more than I probably should be.
I can’t help but touch her every time I walk by and steal glances at her every chance I get. She looks stunning, illuminated by the fire, her braid over one shoulder, clutching the blanket I wrapped around her to ward off the chill. I think about what I told her yesterday about our trip to Italy.Sometimes I wish we could go back and never leave.
We were happy then. The happiest we’ve ever been together. No outside perspectives, no worries that people would find out about us. As soon as we got back from that trip, I bought her the ring and hid it at my mom’s house. Now it stays hidden under my bathroom sink.
Garrett hands us all a bowl of stew he cooked over the fire and we enjoy our dinner while listening to the crackling of the fire and the rustle of the trees. Other campers nearby are playing music and laughing and I smile, content with this moment in time.
“So, how long have you two been shagging?” Jacob asks with a mouthful of potatoes.
I freeze with my fork halfway to my lips and turn my head to look over at Maggie. Her eyes are wide and she’s gripping thefork so tight, I’m afraid she might stab me with it. “Excuse me?” she says, glaring at Jacob.
Boone and Garrett look at me, eyebrows raised. They know the truth, but they won’t rat me out. Jacob though is unpredictable.
“I’ll hand it to you both, I was skeptical because you try to hide it, but the way you’ve been all touchy feely and making googly eyes all day, there’s no way you’re not together,” Jacob says, taking a drink of his beer and smirking.
“So how about that stew? Pretty good, right?” Garrett says, trying to change the subject.
Maggie frowns at him and looks around at all of us. “Why aren’t you guys reacting to this?” she asks Boone and Garrett.
“Reacting to what? We don’t know anything,” Boone says, avoiding eye contact and messing with his bun.
“Oh. My. God. You all know, don’t you?” Maggie whispers, shooting me a betrayed look. “For how long?”
I place my food on the table and rub my hands down my face. “I told Boone and Garrett years ago.”
“When?” she asks, voice cold.
“Four years ago,” Garrett says sheeply, looking down at his feet.
“Woah, I thought this was a new development. You guys have been together for four years?” Jacob asks, surprised.
“Actually, they’ve had a thing going on for closer to ten years,” Boone interjects, unhelpfully.
Maggie stands up, turns on her heel, and marches into the forest. I mumble a quietfuckand follow.
“Rowan, what the actual fuck?” Maggie asks, spinning around to face me. Her blanket that’s still wrapped around her shoulders drops to the ground and I keep my eyes on it, unable to meet hers. “We agreed we weren’t gonna tell anyone, no matter what. I haven’t even told my sister, the one person I’vewanted to tell for years,” she says, throwing her hands up in frustration.
I wince and she notices, taking a step closer and forcing me to look up at her. Her jaw is clenched and the glare she gives me tells me I need to start talking. “Andreea knows,” I say, resigned.
She takes a deep inhale and her eyes shine with tears and all I want to do is go back to five minutes ago and deny everything, tell Jacob he’s crazy. But no—this has been a long time coming.
“Mags, I’m sorry,” I say and reach for her hand. But she pulls away, a tear falling down her cheek. “Mags, please?—”
“Why? Why did you tell them?” she asks softly, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
“You know why,” I say, shoulders slumping.Because I love you.Because you won’t let me tell the world, but I needed to tell the people that matter most to us.
She blows out a breath and walks by me. At the last second, I take her hand and she stops. “I just—” she says, voice hoarse, “I need to process this for a bit.”
I bite the inside of my lip and nod, letting her go. I watch as she gets her headphones out of her backpack and gets inside the tent, zipping it closed.
“Fuck,” I mutter, running a hand over my mouth and walking back to the picnic table. I push away the remaining stew and let my forehead rest against the table instead.
“I’m sorry, mate. I can’t help but feel responsible for that,” Jacob says, sitting next to me and patting my shoulder.
“Ya think?” I say and sit up, placing my head in my hands instead, my elbows digging into the rough wood of the table.
“To be fair, you’re the one that didn’t tell her,” Garrett says, throwing more logs in the fire.
