Into the Stars (USC Series Book #2)

chapter fourteen

INTO THE STARS
———
BRINLEY

Sets of eyes flick to me upon my entrance. I have been holed up in my room for the past four hours, struggling to get to sleep since... everything... happened.

I was scared to leave my room, truthfully. I wondered if he was wandering around the house still and if I were to leave, would I run into him again. The possibilities were both high and low. The house is a decent size but if it was so big, explain how we both so happened to be in the kitchen at the same time.

I still cannot wrap my head around the fact the guy, who has made me feel anything but welcome, has seen me naked. And now, I am stuck in a house with him for the next week and have to pretend none of that happened.

In retrospect, it was a purely impulsive decision, driven by my need to prove him wrong. I wanted to prove to him I wasn't feeling whatever he was, and it failed. Miserably. What can I say? I enjoy sex. Though, it probably would've been better to find someone else to give me orgasms.

Whatever. It is too late now. It happened and let's hope we are both mature enough to ignore it ever happened and go back to how things were before we saw each other naked. We are adults, after all. That is what mature adults do.

"Good morning," Holden says, taking a languid sip of his coffee.

I rub a lazy hand over my eyes and through my hair, hoping it doesn't look like a raccoon is living in it. "Morning," I mutter lazily.

Holden lifts his cup and cocks an eyebrow at me, asking me if I would like a cup. I nod eagerly, my exhaustion levels diminishing just at the thought of it.

I stand next to Holden on the counter while he works on my cup of coffee, making it the same way he did yesterday. "Rough night?" he asks, handing me a warm mug filled with the dark brown liquid, steaming with a chocolaty aroma.

"You have no idea," I tell him, sipping on the hot liquid, wary not to burn my entire mouth in the process.

Over the rim of my mug, I glimpse around the kitchen, actively avoiding where Malachi is standing. Not only because of what happened last night, but because he is standing right where everything took place.

I hear a snort resonate through the kitchen, and I ignore it, knowing where it came from.

"What's funny?" Holden asks, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion aimed at Malachi.

Malachi's composure is back in place, his face stuck in an intimidating look that seems to be permanent. "Nothing." He shakes his head, looking away from the both of us and focusing on something entirely different.

Holden moves on, concentrating on something else. "Planning on coming out on the mountain today?"

Malachi shrugs, sparing me a hasty glance. I respond with a scowl. "Probably."

That is something I have noticed about Malachi. He rarely elaborates, sticking to simple answers. I would find it enticing, but... I don't. The most I have ever seen him talk to anyone was last night. Which, surprisingly, was to me.

I hate that tidbit of information. It irks me.

Brooklynn enters the kitchen, her brown hair tied up in a messy bun and an oversized hoodie almost reaching her knees.

"Good morning!" I tell her in an overly chipper voice. She told me once that cheerful people in the morning piss her off, so I do it just to annoy her occasionally.

"Fuck off," she says, flashing me the beautiful sight of her middle finger while she pulls out two pieces of bread with her spare hand.

I laugh, swallowing another sip of the much cooler coffee.