“Uh…Ev? I think you might need to hurry.”
I look out the windshield to see an assembly of vehicles making their way off the lot.
“Shit.”
Drew pulls up to the entrance before throwing his truck in park. He opens the back door, grabbing my suitcase before helping me out.
“Have a good summer,” he says, pulling me in for a hug.
“Thanks. Wear a condom.”
He laughs, climbing back into his truck as I scan the vehicles for Sebastian’s trailer, spotting it almost immediately. I stand near the entrance, waiting. I watch as it grows closer, unable to force my feet into motion. With a second to spare, I dart out in front of the trailer. The driver slams on the brakes half a second before Eros peeks his head out the door of the bunkhouse, seeming more than a little amused.
Sebastian appears a second later, pinning me with his gaze. By the way his nostrils flare and his fists clench as he takes in my luggage, I don’t think he’s too happy to see me.
“Hi,” I say with a shrug. Now that I’m here, it seems even crazier than it did in my head. I bite my lip, waiting for him to say something. Anything. But he simply stands there, one hand holding the door open and the other braced on the frame. Staring. After what seems like an eternity, he jerks his head in a get in here motion, pushing the door open wider in invitation.
I close the distance between us, and Sebastian reaches down to grab the suitcase out of my hand. I follow him into the bunkhouse to find three sets of eyes looking at me expectantly.
“I had nowhere else to go,” I say, deciding that ripping the Band-Aid off would be the best way to go about it.
“No,” Lathan says, shaking his head. “Not a good idea.” I deflate a little, not expecting to get shut down so quickly.
“Hold up,” Eros says, lifting a palm. “She needs help. And she could be useful around here. You know how to cook?” he asks me. I give him a skeptical look, trying not to laugh. I’m not into the whole caveman mentality, and even though my lifestyle has changed drastically, I never learned how to make anything beyond cereal.
“We don’t need anything from her. And you know damn well why she shouldn’t be here.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Eros insists. My eyes fall to a long scar from his shoulder to peck. My eyebrows pull together, wondering what could’ve left that kind of mark.
“Who’s going to pay for another mouth to feed?”
The two of them argue back and forth over the table, while the one person who should have an opinion on the matter remains silent. I don’t know what I did to make Lathan dislike me, and I don’t know why Eros seems to be advocating for me, but I’m not going to complain. Sebastian’s eyes bore into me, arms crossed, and I try not to flinch under his stare.
Finally, having enough of the back and forth, I reach into my pocket, pulling out the wad of cash from my mom. I slap it down onto the table between them, effectively silencing them. “Five hundred bucks. It’s all I have.” All except the money I had in my pockets from last night. “Consider it my rent. I can work, prefer it, actually, and I won’t get in your way.” My stomach rolls, and I feel physically sick throwing down that much money. I still have what was left from the money I took out of my stash before my dad found it—about seventy bucks—but that won’t last me long at all. I tell myself that I don’t need it. I’ve learned to live without it.
Surprise flits across Sebastian’s face before he conceals it. The three of them exchange looks, seemingly communicating without words, just like I witnessed them doing firsthand in the globe. I don’t know what’s said, or unsaid, but I know they’ve reached a decision when Lathan curses under his breath.
“I want it on record that I thought this was a bad idea from the start.”
“Noted,” Sebastian responds tersely. Lathan turns, walking the short way to the bunks before lifting himself into the top right one, yanking on a row of short curtains attached to what appears to be a shower rod.
Elliot appears in the doorway. “What’s up? Are we going?”
“We’ve got ourselves a new roommate,” Eros explains. “Let’s roll out.”
Elliot nods his understanding before smiling at me. “Hey, Evan. Good to see you.” I wave at him before he ducks back out. A few seconds pass before we’re moving.
“Welcome to the madhouse.” Eros grabs the back of my head before smacking a kiss onto my forehead. He scratches his bare stomach with a yawn. “I’m going to bed,” he announces, hopping into the top bunk opposite of Lathan’s.
“Sit down,” Sebastian orders, stashing my suitcase against the wall beside the couch. I drop my bags onto the floor, sliding into the U-shaped booth behind the table. Sebastian sits on the other side.
“Look, if you really don’t want me here—” I start, but he interrupts, shaking his head.
“We need to get some things straight if you’re going to be here for the summer.”
“Okay.” I nod. “Fair enough.”
“First of all, I’m not your boyfriend.”