ChapterTwenty-Four
The Yodeler on the Roof
It’s not until Oliver leaves me alone to finish cleaning up that I start to question everything we just did. It was hot and impulsive and I wanted every little bit of it, but I can’t help but wonder what it means to him. The whole time, leading right up to the moment we got to the bathroom together and took our clothes off, we were talking about doing all of that to put on a show. But when I think about the more intimate things that we did… I’m not the kind of girl who undresses for a guy just for fun. I don’t really know what came over me. I got caught up in the moment, and so did Oliver.
And I would do it again, a little voice inside of me says.
Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe I’m too reserved and this is a sign that I need to put myself out there and get what I want more often. As long as I don’t let it hurt me when this inevitably comes to an end, then I see no harm in having fun with it.
I finish rinsing the product out of my hair, and then I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel. I look up at the vanity and notice a smiley face drawn into the steam on the mirror. I smile, imagining Oliver drawing it before he left the bathroom.
Once I’m dressed, I head downstairs and find everyone gathered around the kitchen table, loading plates with food that smells delicious. I don’t know if it’s because I’m starving or because Tina is secretly a world-renowned chef, but this smells like the best thing I’ve ever been about to eat.
Oliver’s smile widens when he sees me. He hands me a plate that he already put together.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Pecan-crusted chicken, scalloped potatoes, and some apple salad,” Tina says.
“It looks amazing.” I sit down with my plate. Oliver sits down next to me. He bumps his foot against the side of mine.
Tina shrugs. “Just some things I threw together with what we had on hand.”
I give her a look. No one just throws together a meal that looks like this. I dig in. It tastes just as good as it looks and smells. As I’m enjoying my meal, I get the feeling that I’m being watched. I look up at Oliver. He watches me with a smirk.
“What?” I ask.
He shakes his head, smiling. “Nothing.”
It should feel weird to be sitting at a table with my best friend and her almost-fiancé and the guy I’ve been pretending to date for the last few weeks who just went down on me for the first time a few minutes ago. I somehow manage to not let it show that all that’s going through my mind right now is whether any of them can tell that something is different. I wonder if this still counts as lying. We aren’t technically dating, but we did start this whole thing off by saying we were sleeping together.
“You’re being very quiet,” Tina says, interrupting my train of thought. She looks from me to Oliver. “Both of you. Something happen?”
It occurs to me that she and Ryan have been engaged in conversation since we sat down, but Oliver and I have hardly said anything. I wonder if he’s overthinking things as much as I am.
I shake my head. “Just savoring this amazing food.”
I clear my plate. I want to get Oliver back upstairs so I can undress him again and finish what we started.
“Did Oliver tell you about the really weird board games?” Tina asks.
I raise an eyebrow. I look at him, then back at her. “No.”
She pats Ryan’s forearm. “We have to show her the board games.”
Ryan smiles. “Should we show her now?”
Tina nods. Inside I cringe because this sounds like it will get in the way of me taking Oliver back upstairs. At the same time, I’m curious about these weird board games they’re talking about.
“We think someone in Ryan’s family made them,” Oliver says.
“I’ve looked online and can’t find them anywhere,” Ryan says. “Not even a forum where other people are talking about the games.”
“It’s like they only exist in this cabin,” Tina says.
“Okay, you have my attention,” I say. “Let’s see these games.”
We all get up and follow Ryan across the living area to a rug by the fireplace. Next to the wall is a stack of cardboard boxes that look like typical board game boxes that you might find in a store. Ryan kneels down and grabs them one at a time, turning to read the titles of each of them.
