Love Novel 116

The cabin is warm enough by the time we step out the shower.
I dress in my pajamas already, tired from the day. It’s not even late but something tells me we’ll all be heading to bead
early. I’m wearing a pair of long socks that Zaid got me and his warm hand engulfs mine as we make our way downstairs
to kitchen.
I’m practically limping, and Zaid looks down at me with an apologetic expression. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I snort. “Right.”
He stills, making me stop. “I didn’t.”
I lift myself onto the tips of my toes and press my nose to his. “I know you didn’t. But you can’t tell me that you don’t
like fucking me hard like that.”
He groans under his breath.
“And I can’t tell you that I don’t like it, either. Because I do.”
He cups the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. I let him devour me untiul I’m weak in the knees again, but I can
smell food in the air and I playfully shove at his chest. “Come on.”
The moment Zaid and I step into the kitchen, I catch the full scent of garlic and vegetable. The warmth of the stove heats
the space and steam billows out of the pot.
Aiden is at the stove, stirring the pot while Jake stands at the counter slicing bread. They both look freshly showered,
their hair damp, their clothes clean and comfortable.
I smile at myself, suddenly content. Like this is what I’ve been waiting for. To see them and do nights like this together.
Aiden’s eyes flick up as we enter, and a slow, knowing smirk spreads across his lips. He lifts a brow, looking between the
two of us. “The walls here are thin, fyi.”
I freeze mid-step, my entire body heating as mortification floods through me.
Jake doesn’t even look up as he adds his two cents. “We heard every scream.”
My hands fly to my face, but it does nothing to hide the deep red I can feel creeping up my neck.
Zaid just smiles, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He shrugs as he pulls out a stool at the kitchen island and sits
down. “Good.”
Jake huffs a quiet laugh, shaking his head as he carries a bowl of bread to the table.
“You’re insufferable,” I mutter at Zaid.
His smile widens, and he grabs my hand, kissing my knuckles until I basically have to pull my hand from him.
The four of us settle at the dining table, the food is passed around, and for a little while, everything feels light. I let myself
relax into the moment, enjoying the warmth of the cabin, the scent of the fire burning in the living room.
Jake sets down his spoon. “So tomorrow is my day and night with Alina.”
I blink. “What?”
Zaid watches me silently.
Aiden grabs a piece of bread from the middle of the table. “And the day after that is mine.”
I sit up straighter, my stomach tightening. “Wait—what do you mean?”
Jake leans back in his chair like this is all completely normal. “I figured I’d make some reservations in town for just us,” he
continues.
“No,” I say, the word slipping out before I can think.
Jake stills, his jaw tightening as his brows pull together. Aiden looks up from his plate, frowning at me like I’m incapable
of the word.
I look at Zaid, and he’s just smiling at me. Not mocking, not teasing, but soft, like encouragement.
Jake narrows his eyes at me. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”
I set my spoon down carefully, my heart pounding. “I mean, that’s not what I want.”
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Aiden’s lips press into a thin line, and Jake’s frown deepens.
“I don’t want to be with you separately anymore,” I say, my voice soft but firm.
Silence. Only the sound of Zaid’s chair creaking as he leans back.
Jake exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair. Aiden glances at me, then at Zaid, and I brace myself for the
argument that’s coming.
But I know one thing for certain. I don’t want to keep pretending that I need to divide myself between them. I want all of
them.
“What do you mean by not separately anymore? You want us to fuck you together?” Jake looks like he’s struggling to
breathe. His words come out in a rush, almost too quickly, as if he’s trying to protect something inside of him.
I flinch at the words.
I exhale, taking a moment to gather my thoughts before I speak. “No, Jake. I don’t mean physically. I mean in every way.”
He stares at me like I just grew a second head.
I feel a twinge of frustration, but I keep my voice even as I continue. “I want all of us to be a family. To be whole
together.”
I pause, looking around the table, making sure they understand. Aiden is blinking fast as he looks down at his plate. I’m
not entirely sure what he’s thinking or feeling.
“I don’t want to be the reason you all are civil. I want to be an addition to your relationship, not the glue holding it
together. I want you to be close, to respect each other. I want you to want to be around each other, even when I’m not
here.”
Jake blinks, shaking his head, clearly trying to process what I’m saying. “You… You already know how I feel about Zaid.”
I look at him, my eyes unwavering. “Then you need to talk to Zaid yourself.”
I desperately shove my hands toward Zaid, who stiffens at the sudden attention. When I turn to face him, he sighs and
nods.
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Jake exhales through his nostrils, his gaze shifting between me and Zaid. The silence stretches, and I can feel Aiden watching us, the frown still firmly in place.
It’s uncomfortable, the way they avoid direct confrontation, the way everything feels unresolved. I grew up in a family
where we told each other everything head. That only changed when dad and Alex died and my mother ended up hating me.
Jake finally breaks the silence, his voice biting as he speaks to Zaid. “You’re an idiot,” he says, the words sharp and harsh.
I blink, not thinking he would do this right here, right now.
Zaid’s jaw clenches and Aiden hisses beneath his breath.
Jake continues. “A coward. A careless, stupid idiot for putting yourself in danger after what happened with your mother.” He shakes his head, his anger flaring.
“I thought you were smarter than that, Zaid. I thought you had better character.”
Zaid’s posture straightens as if the impact of his words is too much. But his eyes harden, and I can see the walls go up.
He doesn’t back down. “I do have better character than that.”
There’s a subtle tremor in his voice that betrays the hurt. I turn to Aiden, who’s been unnervingly silent this whole time.
His face is as pale as paper, his lips pressed together in a thin line.
“Aiden,” I say softly, “you have to open up, too.”
Aiden flinches at the sound of his name, his eyes flicking to mine before he looks down at his plate, as if avoiding my
gaze will somehow keep the weight of the moment from crushing him.
I wait, feeling the silence stretch again, until finally, Aiden lets out a shaky breath and looks up at Jake, his eyes glossy
with emotion.
“I… I was the one racing,” he confesses, his voice barely a whisper, but it cuts through the room.
Jake looks like he was punched in the stomach.
“I was the one who crashed, dad. Zaid took the blame so I wouldn’t lose my scholarship opportunities. He… he did it for me.”
The words hang in the air. I can feel Zaid’s muscles tense, his jaw tightening as if he’s fighting the resentment and pain.
The rawness is so obvious that I feel like I can drown in it. I have to stop myself from getting up and holding him.
Jake’s expression shifts. Anger replaces it and he stands abruptly, the chair scratching against the floor. He looks at me,
then Aiden, then Zaid.
He says nothing as he turns on his heels and walks away and up the stairs.