The smell of coffee drifted through the cabin, warm and rich, pulling me out of the safety of my room. I lingered by the door at first, hand resting on the knob, replaying the way the morning had started. The sight of Adrian beside me on the couch. Damian's grin. Luke's chuckle.
Heat rushed to my cheeks just remembering it.
It was innocent...we both knew that. We'd only fallen asleep after the storm, nothing more. But the way it had looked? The way it must have looked to them? That was harder to shake.
I took a breath, willing my pulse to slow, and stepped into the hall. Voices floated up from downstairs, light and teasing. Emily's laughter carried loudest, Damian's not far behind.
The kitchen came into view as I descended. Emily was flipping pancakes with ease, her hair tied up in a messy bun. Damian leaned against the counter, telling some exaggerated story that had Luke doubled over with laughter. Adrian sat at the table, quiet as always, a mug of coffee in his hand.
And then the moment they saw me.
"Well, well," Damian drawled, his grin widening. "Look who decided to join us. Sleep well, Amara?"
Emily bit back a smile, her eyes flicking between me and Adrian.
Luke smirked, shoving a spoon into his cereal. "Bet the storm didn't bother you too much, huh? Looked like you found the perfect solution."
My cheeks burned instantly. "We just....fell asleep," I said, my words tumbling over each other. "On the couch. That's all."
"Sure," Damian said, dragging out the word.
Emily shot him a look. "Stop." But her mouth curved into a smile she tried to hide.
I glanced at Adrian, desperate for backup. He didn't meet my eyes. He just set his mug down with a quiet thud and said evenly, "They're making it into something it wasn't."
The simplicity of his tone cut through the teasing. The room quieted for a moment, though I swore I heard Luke mumble something under his breath.
Emily broke the tension, sliding a stack of pancakes onto the table. "Breakfast is ready. Sit."
Grateful for the distraction, I slid into the chair beside Emily. Across from me, Adrian reached for the syrup without a word, his expression unreadable.
I tried to focus on my plate, but my thoughts wouldn't settle. Every time I risked a glance, I caught him in the corner of my vision...the curve of his jaw, the way his hand wrapped around the coffee mug, steady and sure. Did last night mean nothing to him? Had I imagined the way he'd stayed downstairs with me, the way he'd told me to breathe, the quiet warmth of his hand over mine?
I stabbed my pancake a little too hard with my fork.
Emily leaned closer, her voice low enough for only me to hear. "Are you okay?"
I forced a smile. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
Her brow arched. "Because Damian won't stop grinning, Luke's smirking like he knows something, and you're stabbing your breakfast to death."
I sighed, setting the fork down. "It wasn't… it wasn't anything. We just fell asleep."
Emily's smile softened. "I believe you. But still…" She tilted her head, her voice teasing now. "It looked kind of cute."
"Emily." My whisper came out sharper than I intended, but she only laughed.
Damian caught the sound and leaned across the table. "What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing," Emily and I said at the same time.
Breakfast carried on with Damian's jokes and Luke's sarcasm filling most of the air. I tried to let their banter wash over me, but my attention kept tugging back to the man across the table. Adrian didn't join in much, as usual, but there was something in the way he listened. His gaze flickered up once, just briefly, and for half a second our eyes met.
I looked away first, heart tripping over itself.
Later, when the dishes were stacked and the group scattered...Luke and Damian arguing about who should chop firewood, Emily curling up with her phone on the couch...I found myself pulled aside.
Emily grabbed my wrist gently, tugging me into the hallway. "Okay," she whispered, "spill."
I blinked. "Spill what?"
She gave me the look...the one that said she saw right through me. "About last night. You and Adrian. Don't just say you fell asleep. What happened?"
I hesitated, chewing on my lip. Finally, I whispered back, "The storm scared me. I went downstairs, and… he was there. He stayed with me. That's all."
Emily's expression softened. "He stayed? As in… he didn't leave until you were calm?"
I nodded. "Yeah. And then… we just… fell asleep."
Her smile widened slowly. "That doesn't sound like nothing, Amara."
"It is nothing," I insisted, though my voice lacked conviction. "He hasn't given me any reason to think otherwise."
Emily squeezed my hand. "Maybe not yet. But sometimes it's not about words."
Her words lingered long after she let me go.
Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
I told Emily it meant nothing. I told myself it meant nothing.
But when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Adrian's hand on mine, the sound of his voice telling me to breathe, and the warmth of his shoulder against me as the storm raged outside.
And deep down, I knew....no matter how much he tried to make it look like nothing this morning...last night had changed something.