Starlee's Turn (The Wayward Sons 2)

I head to the door, grabbing my coat for the cool afternoon. “Oh, and if you pass by the café, spy for me. I’m dying to know more about those two lovebirds.”

I do not spy on my grandmother (yuck) but I do get through most of the cabins quickly. It’s midweek, so most are empty. I knock on the doors regardless, and wait a moment before using my brass key to get in. There’s one small cabin in the back and I know it’s not occupied, but when I get to the door, I hear a voice inside.

“Left. Left. Are you fucking kidding me? I said left? It’s like you want me to lose all my treasure.”

The hair on the back of my neck prickles and I know I should knock but I have a feeling and I slip the key into the door and unlock it, then open it quickly.

Charlie is sitting on the couch with his laptop on his knees and large headphones over his ears. He looks up in surprise.

“Starlee.”

“Charlie.” There’s no need for me to ask what he’s doing. The animation of his video game reflects off his glasses. I guess it could be porn—although in a way, it’s probably not that dissimilar.

I don’t miss the reluctance in him when he removes the headphones and closes the laptop. “I can explain.”

“Do you really need to? You came in here to hide from Sierra to play video games, right?”

“Well, yeah. I just needed a few hours of peace. She’s really been riding me lately and the other day we had a big fight about it all and she took away my console.”

“So, what? You told her you were working for my grandmother?”

“She’s getting new wifi in the cabins. Technically, I have been working.” He runs his hands through his hair and in that move, he looks so much like his twin. “I just need to work on my game—I have a tournament in a few weeks. It comes with a major prize. Scholarship money.”

I’ve got my arms crossed over my chest and I don’t know how I feel about this situation. I get that Charlie loves to play—too much. I also get that he has goals of getting out of here—goals I had myself. I hid money, snuck around, and eventually ran away. I get the desperation.

“You look tired,” I tell him. There are rings under his eyes.

“I haven’t been sleeping well for the last month or so.”

Since I left. He had been better when I was here. Hanging out more with the guys, hiking, going on our adventures.

“That’s probably why Sierra’s worried. You know that’s what it is, right? Worry?”

“She thinks I’m addicted.” His tone is dismissive and defensive all at once.

“I can understand why.”

“Fuck, Starlee, not you, too.”

He leans back on the couch. I move to sit next to him and impulsively touch the dark circles under his eyes, wanting to soothe them away. It’s the first time we’ve been alone and if I’m honest with myself, Charlie is the one boy out of the group I feel least connected to. The rest were looking for something—someone—to share their life with when I came along, just like I was. But Charlie is reluctant to step away from his crutch.

He sighs under my touch, his body relaxing a little. He peeks over at me, biting down on his lip. I don’t move—it’s like being around a temperamental cat—I wait for him.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” I say in return.

He leans over. “Can I…?”

I nod and meet him in the middle. His kiss is soft. Sweet. More cautious than the others. Regardless, it makes my heart beat like a drum. Our hands link together.

“When you left, I didn’t have anything else to fall back on—just the games. Dexter has his stupid pies and George not only has art but he’s started working out with Jake. They’re all busy all the time. It made sense for me to refocus on the e-sports.”

“It’s pretty easy to tell it’s a major distraction for you.”

He doesn’t agree or disagree. Just stares at our hands.

“I’m not going to harass you about this. I get it. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole before. Books, mostly. Supernatural episodes, lately. Anything to take me away from my situation.” He glances up at me with curiosity. “It’s not healthy when something consumes your life, and fresh air is good, too. I think if you maybe made an effort to add those things back in, she’d back off.”