Page 23 of A Little Campfire Blues
“What if I don’t know where I wanna be anymore?”
He chuckled at that too and shot me a look, the corners of his lips lifting into a small smile. “Then you should take all the time you need to be sure, so you don’t wind up regretting your choices, the way I did.”
Whoa.
“You regret being successful?” I asked, completely thrown by that.
“I regret the things I did to become successful and the person I became while I was doing them.”
“Oh.”
“Whatever you do, don’t compromise your morals or turn your back on people to claw and scratch your way to the top.”
“Pretty sure I fucked that part up a long time ago.”
“Good, then you’ve gotten it out of the way,” he said, his grin growing as he continued to study me. “Now you have all the time in the world to show how much you’ve learned and grown from it.”
Well, shit, when he put it that way, it actually sounded like a challenge I’d be willing to take on.
Chapter Ten
Roman
“I figured you were down by the lake somewhere,” I said when Axis stepped inside carrying his guitar case.
“The view is amazing, especially when the sun is coming up,” Axis said as he headed for his room to tuck his guitar away.
“So is sleep and food,” I followed, gently chiding, but dammit all, I was worried about his eating and sleeping habits lately. “Did you at least make it to the chow hall?”
Even before we’d arrived, I’d started noticing dark circles under his eyes when we chatted through the video feed on Messenger. All he’d ever say about it was that he was working on something, which was fair; I knew how driven he could be. But I’d thought coming here would help him relax more.
“Yeah, I did, actually,” Axis said as he placed his guitar in the closet. “Mackenzie wandered past the rock I was playing on and encouraged me to grab a bite with him.”
“That’s something at least.”
“He’s nice, and a pet handler too, not just a daddy,” Axis said as he dug around in his bag for something, finally pulling out cutoff jeans.
Hearing that left me momentarily speechless and hopeful too, because the vibe I’d gotten off the man the night before had been a good one. I’d wanted to accept his offer to spend time with us, but with all the uncertainty between Axis, Ezzy, and me, I’d been hesitant. The fact that he’d read the tone between us correctly and walked away without being asked had left me with positive vibes, as well as a sense of longing.
“So, did you guys decide on the fishing derby or exploring the trails?” Axis asked as he turned around.
Chuckling, I shot a look towards the closed door Ezzy was currently dressing behind. “Fishing. Ezzy’s getting ready. They brought the most adorable lime green fishing pole with a matching net and cute little lures and bobbers.”
“So that’s what was in the little green bag I carried in.”
“Yup.”
“Sweet, I can’t wait to see it.”
“You brought a pole, right?”
“Yeah, but, I dunno, I think I’ll just go watch and maybe scribble in my notebook.”
“Why? You love fishing.”
“I—I just, I kinda wanna wear the Bluey dungarees I got, but now I’m feeling really shy about putting them on.”
“Putting what on?” Ezzy asked, bounding into the room in a glittery crop top, shorts, and socks that all bore shimmering images of the characters from Finding Nemo.
