Torn

Chapter 13✓

Carter

Tyler and I sat around the field talking until the sun had almost set. He tells me about his life with his father and how he was always too busy to pay much attention to him. They moved from town to town when he was growing up, so he couldn't make many friends.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy our little friendship is starting. It's easy to talk to him. There hadn't been any awkward silences or moments of discomfort. He genuinely seems interested in getting to know me, and that's a little scary on its own. I'm not used to letting anyone get close enough to want to get to know me.

It's only after I'm halfway back to the cabin that I realize I still don't know why he was at the meadow, or why he was watching me, or even how long he had been watching me before I was alerted to his presence. That's a lot of unanswered questions.

Even so, I can't help the smile that's plastered on my face as I walk back down the familiar path alone. He's intriguing and goddess he looks like a model straight out of a magazine.

I realize that Xander and Quinn will probably not be very happy about this little back and forth game that Tyler and I are playing, but for once in my life, I don't care. I'm doing something just for me.

At some point, I'm going to have to talk to the guys about what happened that night. I know that I need to apologize for losing my mind and kicking them out of the cabin and that I need to give them the benefit of the doubt and hear their side of the story.

I also need to tell them that no matter the feelings we had - or have I guess - our relationship must remain platonic. Not only would it kill me to have to choose one of them over the other, but I can't be in a relationship where they were only half invested. I can't be in only half of someone's life.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I need to back it up. Nowhere in the few hours that I spent with them did a conversation of a relationship ever come up. I don't even know if they're in a relationship and I have already attacked their mouths with my own. Goddess, I'm jumping the damn gun here once more.

I pull my phone out of my back shorts pocket and text them both saying that we should talk and to meet me at the cabin before I can chicken out.

I sigh heavily and step out of the tree line and up to grandpa's cabin. Well, here goes nothing.

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Exactly thirty minutes later, a knock sounds at the cabin door. I get up from grandpa's chair and move to go let them in.

I open the door to find both Quinn and Xander standing on the porch together. They give me a shy smile and Xander opens his mouth to say something when his jaw snaps shut and instantly their eyes turn black.

Quinn growls loudly before pushing his way into the house and begins pacing back and forth. Anger pulsing from both of their bodies. Xander stands at the door, eyes dark but his face betrays nothing.

"Who is he, Carter?" Xander's voice is cold, and he finally steps inside and closes the door behind him. His movements are tense and calculated.

This is not where I thought we would start our conversation at all and how do they know about Tyler already?

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" I try to play innocent, but my voice is a few octaves too high, and I wince at the sound.

Quinn stops his pacing and stands in front of me in an instant. A snarl on his face. "Don't play stupid, Carter. His scent is all over you."