Page 36
Mate. My hand pauses on the door frame. Risking a glance back at them my heart pulls at the sight. Laughing loudly together, talking over each other—like this strange little family has existed forever instead of two days. I want this. I want this so much. A life with all of them in it… Even Jax. Which is the biggest surprise of all.
But if I want this life... They deserve the truth. All of it.
I just need to figure out exactly how I’m going to tell five wonderful people something that sounds completely insane.
Chapter 24
Bri
The fire crackles softly, orange light dancing across tired faces. I’m curled into the sofa between Ember and Jax with a blanket over my legs and a half-finished glass of wine balanced carefully in my hands. Across from us, Luna is tucked into the corner, her legs stretched over Lennie’s lap, while Saint sits on his other side scrolling absently through his phone. Both Luna and Saint seem quieter than usual. Not awkward quiet exactly, just… Distracted.
Everyone else fills the gaps easily enough though, conversation drifting lazily between plans for tomorrow and complaints about the ungodly hour we have to be awake.
“Six a.m. should be illegal,” Ember groans dramatically, stretching her legs toward the fire.
Jax laughs softly beside me. “Worth it though. I’m genuinely excited to see all of it.”
“You’re gonna love hall two,” I tell him. “There’s this full apocalyptic setup—”
“And creepy horror props,” Ember cuts in.
“And fantasy thrones,” I add.
“See?” Jax grins. “Exciting. I’m actively choosing to get up early and come in with you all.” The warmth in his voice makes something soft unfurl in my chest that I try—and fail—to ignore.
Saint is the first one to excuse himself for bed. Not long after Luna glances at the time and groans. “Right, absolutely not. If I stay up any later, I’ll become violent tomorrow.”
Lennie chuckles as they both stand, mumbling goodnights around the group before heading back to their room.
A few minutes later Jax’s phone buzzes in his pocket and he apologises quietly before stepping into the library to take the call.
Ember nudges my shoulder. “Pyjamas and emotional support wine?” she asks.
“You read my mind.”
When I return twenty minutes later in my burgundy pyjamas and fluffy socks, I notice that Jax changed too. He’s wearing dark bottoms and a grey tight-fitting T-shirt that emphasises his muscles and tattoos, I try not to stare but it’s… Difficult. He looks unfairly good in pyjamas. How is that even possible?
Ember is sat next to him wearing black pyjamas that are covered in little white bats, gothic to the end. They’re mid-conversation already, whispering about something that they wrap up quickly as I drop back onto the sofa beside them, accepting the wine that Ember has already poured for me.
The atmosphere feels softer now, more intimate in the quiet hours.
I’m about to ask them what they were whispering about when Ember admits, cheeks pink from wine and embarrassment, that meeting everyone this weekend—particularly Saint—has made her realise she has actual feelings for the girl she’s been casually seeing back home.
“I told her I want something real,” she says, staring into the fire. “Which is terrifying.”
“That’s a good terrifying though, isn’t it?” Jax asks gently.
I nod quickly. “Very good terrifying.”
Huh, that’s new. Since when do I think relationships are good in any sense?
Ember points at us both accusingly. “Easy for you two to say.”
Jax smiles into his drink. “Not really. I’ve never actually had a serious relationship.”
That surprises me enough that I scoff softly. “Seriously?”
He shrugs. “I work too much, or at least I did. But really if I’m being honest, I just didn’t think relationships were for me.” He takes a sip of his whisky. “I preferred to keep everything surface level. It was too… Scary. Letting someone in, seeing the real me,” he confesses.
