Hawk
Dinnerwith my parents was almost tolerable, but I have plans tonight. I ride over to Annie’s house and slip in the back. While Heather might know about all of us dating, she might not be cool with us all sleeping together.
I don’t really care what she thinks unless she tries to keep Annie from us. There’s a party tonight, but Cam and I don’t want to go. And I know it’s not on Annie’s priority list. The house is quiet as I walk to Damon’s room. Sure, Annie has her own, but that’s not her room. Not really.
When I walk in, Annie sits on the couch sideways with her laptop open, staring at the screen. Her back is against Cam’s side as he flips a page in a textbook. They look up when I enter and close the door.
“Cozy Friday night study session?” I arch an eyebrow. Cam has our girl alone and this is what he chooses to do with her? I’d shake my head, but knowing Annie, it was likely her idea.
Annie shrugs. “I have a few things to catch up on since my hand wasn’t useful most of the week.”
I cross the room and sit near her feet. When I hold out my hand for hers, she gives me her injured hand. I’m careful with it and check her face as I gently touch the skin to make sureshe isn’t hurting. The cuts are all scabbed over and look to be healing. I bring her fingers to my lips and press a kiss to them.
Her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink as she draws her hand back. Her eyes hold mine.
“How are you after last night? Were we too rough?”
Annie squirms, but her blue-gray eyes stay on mine. “No. I’m a little sore, but nothing hurts.”
I nod, and she looks back down at her screen. Cam glances over at me as he turns the page. We’ve got shit we need to discuss, but we also need to know what happened between Damon and Annie.
“We should talk about Damon,” I say.
Her eyes flick up to mine, but she doesn’t say no. She closes her laptop slowly and sets it on the coffee table before wrapping her arms around her knees and glancing at the two of us. Cam sets his textbook down on the coffee table too. He slides his hand down her arm, and she shivers slightly and rests her head back on his shoulder.
“Damon told me what happened this morning, but I want your version, Annie.” I sit back and wait for her. Both of them are angry and hurt. There are two sides of this story.
Her eyes haze over. “We woke up when Adam came into the room. Our parents were talking when we got downstairs, so we stopped and listened. Mom thought maybe she and I should move out. Adam talked her out of it.”
She blows out a breath. “Damon asked why Adam had barged into his locked room. That’s when Mom confessed to receiving a text of an old ad campaign from the eighties. When she looked in my room, my bed was made. Adam had come to wake Damon to help search for me.”
“That’s when Heather told you guys that wasn’t the first text she received?” I ask.
Annie nods. “Then Adam brought us back on topic.”
“So he knew about the texts.” I lean back and let the puzzle pieces slip into place.
“I guess.” Annie cocks her head a little. “Mom tried to rationalize my sleeping with Damon and said I was just hurting from my breakup and kept saying Damon was obviously a rebound and that I could go back to Chase.”
“That’s a touchy subject for Damon,” Cam says and rubs his hand down Annie’s arm. “He didn’t like being your side piece.”
Annie lets out a derisive huff. “He asked what I told my mom about the breakup. When I didn’t say anything, he told her about Chase’s cheating. Adam asked if what we had was new.” Annie rubs her forehead. “I had to tell Mom it’s been weeks since the breakup and that Chase used the fact I hadn’t told her for Tom’s party.”
I glance at Cam. These are all things she could have told her mother, but I get it. Not wanting the attention, not wanting the focus. Maybe keeping us to herself felt safe.
“Then Adam asked if I was the reason Damon punched Chase.” She curls in on herself. “He told them about the woods, about him dumping me out there and coming back to the party to get laid. It was so confusing and embarrassing, and it’s like Damon just kept picking.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she tries to blink them back. But angry sparks flare behind them. “And then he blamed it all on my mom. That this only happened because she left me alone. I was so angry and so embarrassed. So fucking exposed that I told Adam about Chase being the hit and run. Everything came out after that. Damon looked at me so coldly like he did when we started. Like I meant nothing to him.”
Tears roll down Annie’s cheeks, and I draw her onto my lap to hold her.
“He hated me.” She grabs on to my shirt and buries her face in my chest. “He hated me in that moment, and everything inside me wanted to disappear.”
“He doesn’t hate you, Annie.” I rub her back and wish Damon was here so I could fuck him up.
Cam moves in closer and presses his head to hers. “He loves you, Evan. It takes a lot for him to love someone. Hate is easy, but he’s fucking loyal to who he loves. It wasn’t hate. He just shut down like he did after his mom died.”
“I don’t want to lose you.” She reaches out and grabs his shirt, holding him to her too while she sobs softly into my mine.
