“Oh, so you do listen to me then. Firstly, he’s my step-dad—let’s not disrespect Big Phil by making him share dad status with that jackass. Col has an obnoxious fucking job title; I can’t remember what they call him.” Xander clicks in the air a few times as he tries to remember. “He’s head of athletics, but they don’t call him that.”
Russ sits up so quickly he almost flings me into the fire. “Your step-dad is Skinner? Are you fucking kidding me? We have shared a room for ten weeks and you are just now telling me that your dad—”
“Step-dad.”
“—controls my entire college career?”
“Skinner?” I repeat. “Why does that sound fami— oh my fucking God.” I’m dead. Nobody revive me. It’s over. I almost fall off Russ’s knee. “Is your brother Mason Wright?”
“Step-brother.” He swigs his beer without a care in the world. “You two are very animated suddenly. I share one snippet of information and suddenly you’re interested in something other than pawing at each other. Interesting.”
“You’re related to my arch-nemesis!” I can’t process this. “I feel violated.”
“By marriage,” Xander clarifies. Russ tucks me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. Xander shrugs at us both. “I don’t share DNA with them so I can’t be held responsible for their wrongs.”
Emilia can’t stop laughing beside us since she knows how much I hate Mason. “I can’t believe this has been the big reveal of the night and not you two being revoltingly happy together.”
“What a plot twist,” I mutter, leaning back onto Russ who tucks my head under his chin. I’ve never done this cuddling thing before; I’ve never stuck around long enough for it, but one thing I’ve learned this summer is I’m a big fan.
The rest of the night goes by without any more bombs being dropped and the heat of the fire is sending me to sleep. I don’t want this night to end for so many reasons, but mainly because it’s been the best summer of my life. Even though I know I’m going to be miserable as soon as I touch down in Palm Springs, I don’t care anymore. I’m going to countdown the days until I’m back at college and keep myself out of trouble and off my dad’s radar.
I know why he doesn’t have a relationship with me now and there’s nothing I can do or stop doing to change that. I don’t have the urge to battle for his attention anymore, or to act out, so I at least get reprimanded, which obviously never happened.
His opinions don’t matter to me anymore and it’s freeing.
My jaw cracks loudly because I yawn so wide and Russ hears it. “Come on Sleeping Beauty, let me take you to bed.”
“I think she’s more like Sleepy from Snow White than Princess Aurora,” Xander muses, Emilia nodding her head beside him. I look at him, confused. “You think I’ve been looking after eight-year-olds for two months and don’t know my princesses? Get outta here.”
“Goodnight, see you in the morning,” I say through another yawn.
Russ and I walk hand in hand along the path toward my cabin and I still haven’t lost that feeling that it’s against the rules. I’m too tired for small talk, so I listen to him talk about how excited he is to go to San Jose to visit JJ tomorrow. I learned Russ has been getting pep talks from JJ and I don’t think I’ve ever been more infatuated with him.
We finally reach my cabin and he audibly gasps when we walk through the door. “It’s so tidy. Is it bad I’m more attracted to you now?”
I throw myself down onto the bed kicking off my sneakers and lying down. “Yes.”
He sits me back up and pulls my t-shirt over my head. “You told me earlier to make you shower before bed because you won’t have time to wash your hair in the morning. I don’t even really know what that means but I know you should have a shower.”
Another huge yawn. “Ignore me. Earlier me didn’t know how tired we are. She was optimistic and foolish.”
“Come on, Roberts. Into the shower.”
I fold my arms across my chest defiantly, pouting for as long as it takes me to yawn again. “Make me.” My yawn turns into a hiccup of surprise as he throws me over his shoulder and marches us toward the bathroom. “You’re cruel.”
He slaps my ass and that wakes me up a little. “Shush.”
Russ is methodical as he strips us of both of our clothes and five minutes ago I would have said I’m too tired for sex, but the ass slap and the bossiness might have changed my mind. The shower starts to fill the bathroom with steam and he checks the temperature before ushering us both in.