Love Novel 118

My eyes snap open and I blink against the faint light creeping in from the window.
It’s early, so early the sky is still a deep gray with just the faintest light of sunrise. I frown, running my hand over the spot
where Jake should be. It’s cold.
Empty.
I sit up, the sheets sliding off my bare skin as I glance around his room.
It’s quiet. Still.
My heart thumps a little harder in my chest, a ripple of unease spreading through me. I slip out of bed and find my
wrinkled clothes from the night before.
I fold them neatly at the edge of the bed and take them with me as I make my way toward my room. I haven’t fully
unpacked yet, so everything is still folded in my suitcase.
I pull out a thick, oversized sweater, a pair of black leggings, and my warmest socks. After brushing my teeth and shoving
my hair into a bun, I head downstairs, hoping I’ll run into one of my guys.
The cabin is quiet, but the fireplace is already crackling faintly in the living room. I frown, still not hearing any deep voices
filtering through the air.
The living room is empty and when I step into the kitchen, I realize that it is, too. I notice a piece of paper on the kitchen
island with my name written across the front of it.
I recognize Jake’s messy handwriting. My chest tightens as I pick it up, unfolding it carefully.
*Alina, The three of us needed to handle some things. For us. For you. We’re out for the day, but we’ll be back before
dinner. There’s food in the fridge — Aiden cooked — The TV’s set up with whatever you want to watch, and the fireplace
is going, but you’ll need to throw another log in if you don’t want it to die. Stay warm. We’ll see you soon, baby. — Jake*.
A sour excitement fills my chest and I smile, biting my bottom lip, reading the note again just to let the feeling of it settle
into my chest.
They’re trying. For each other. For me.
I pull out the container from the fridge and heat it up slowly on the stove. The cabin is so quiet I can hear the faint
bubbling of the food as it warms, and the soft hiss of the fire as it eats away at the logs.
I can’t stop thinking about them. Hoping they’re figuring it out. Finding common ground.
Healing, maybe.
God knows I needed that when my dad and brother died. I got none of that, of course. My mother was broken and angry,
so much so that she forgot I was alive right there with her.
I ignore the pull that has on my heart.
I can’t depend on her for closure, or kind words, because she will never give them to me.
But my guys still have a chance. I can tell that their love for each other is there even if the years and the hurt have
chipped away at it.
I want them to trust each other again.
I carry my food to the couch and curl up with a blanket, staring at the TV but not really watching it.
Still, I make myself eat. I even finish two movies. I stay inside, because something about the untouched snow makes me
feel like going out would break the quiet spell they left behind.
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It’s something I want to enjoy with them.
But as the hours pass, I find myself glancing at the window more and more, just a little bored and a little worried.
I wonder if they’re okay. Wonder if they’re thinking of me like I’m thinking of them.
By the time the second movie ends, the back of my head is beginning to hurt from the lack of stimulations. I wash my
dished and head upstairs, deciding a bath will calm my nerves, and maybe make me look less restless when they get
back.
I soak in the hot water until my skin is flushed and my fingers prune. When I finally step out, I wrap myself in a thick towel
and start drying off.
As I’m rubbing lotion on myself, I hear the front door open. I step to the bedroom door and listen to the sound of boots
scraping against the floor.
Low voices rumble and then laughter. Real, easy laughter that makes my chest squeeze in the best way.
I smile, biting on my bottom lip.
They’re home.
Without thinking, I drop the towel I was using on my hair and dash out of the bathroom, still wrapped in just the one
around my body. I don’t really care.
My feet are bare against the wooden floors. My heart is pounding for an entirely different reason now. When I reach the
bottom of the stairs, they’re there. The three of them, standing just inside the door. Shaking off snow. Talking. Laughing.
They take off their boots, their coats, and each one is oblivious to my presence.
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I like it. I like watching them as they forget me for a moment. Watching them just be themselves around each other.
Zaid is the first to see me. He’s laughing at something Aiden said and he does a double take. Jake and Aiden notice his
stare.
They all turn, and the second their eyes land on me, everything changes. The laughter dies down.
Hunger.
It’s painted in their eyes. Dark, hooded. Three pairs of eyes looking at me in the exact same way. It’s a lot to take in and
I’m suddenly struggling to breathe.
Jake’s jaw ticks, his eyes turning darker as they roam down the length of my barely covered body. Aiden’s lips part like
he’s just realized he’s staring but can’t help himself. Zaid’s smile is slow, dangerous.
And all three of them are looking at me like they might devour me where I stand.
I wouldn’t mind that.
I take a step forward, and the towel shifts against my skin. Their eyes follow the movement like they’re tracking prey.
“Hi,” I breathe, but it’s barely a whisper.
Jake’s the first to mo