Unbroken

“And what do you have?” I countered, narrowing my eyes at him.

Leo glanced at his cards, his jaw ticking. He stared at them a little too long, silently grinding his teeth before answering, “I, too, have great cards.”

“Youhave the worst poker face.”

Leo shrugged. “Maybe. You gotta pay to find out.”

I looked at Hunter next. Hunter, who didn’t have a tell. Hunter, who I sometimes could never put a finger on his moods. “And you, Hunt?”

He looked straight at me as he answered, “I’m serious competition right now. If I were you, I’d fold.”

“Are you being honest with me?” I probed.

He didn’t blink. “I am.”

His voice was laced with sincerity. I hesitated. “Either you’re both being honest with me, or one of you is, and either way, I’m stumped.”

If Hunt was telling the truth, I’d lose, and Leo obviously had shitty cards, but mine weren’t the best either.

I folded. Because I was tired of losing, tired of watching my money dwindle. Hunter laid down his cards. He had a straight, and I felt a little better at that. I expected him to take the pile of chips in the centre, but then Leo laid his cards down also, and my mouth dropped.

A Royal Flush.

He chuckled at my shock, leaning over to grab the loot in the centre. “Smooth,” I said. “Real smooth, Leo.”

He simply shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”

But he did.

He’d put on a front, acting pitiful, and I fell into it.

“Enough of this,” I said defeatedly, throwing my cards down. “Infuriating game.”

“Only to the honest ones,” Leo remarked, grinning at me.

I stood up and wandered into the kitchen to put on a better song. Something with a bit more life, and none of these slow, melodic songs Leo kept throwing on.

Behind me, the boys were going all in on the next round. I waved them off when they asked me to join.Fuck that.I found a party mix and blasted it while I checked on the muffins I was baking in the oven, still gooey at the centre, still not rising because I was shit at baking.

When I turned back around, Leo was scooping the chips to his pile, muttering something at Hunter. Hunter’s jaw tightened, but he smiled weakly in return. Then he was up, excusing himself to the toilet. But as he went, he raked a hand through his hair, looking down at the floor before he disappeared up the steps.

With his expression in mind, I turned away and returned to the oven, frowning.

“How are they coming along?” Leo asked as he came up from behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

“They’re getting there,” I replied, unable to shake the feeling in my chest when I asked next, “Is Hunter okay? He walked off all of a sudden.”

I twisted around to look up at Leo.

“He’s been a bit off,” he murmured, glancing over his shoulder where the staircase was. “I think he’s just thinking about the next step.”

“Next step?”

“Yeah, you know, figuring out his shit.”

“What shit? He’s working at the auto shop, is looking for his own place—”

“It’s not enough for him,” Leo cut in, frowning too. “I think he’s searching for something, and he has to do it on his own.” He tensed suddenly. “But don’t tell him I said that. He wouldn’t want us worrying about him.”