Page 125 of Lost in the Dark

The snap of a freshly opened beer made me wince. By the time the coolers hit the ground, both guys were onto their second one. I tried to swallow my disappointment.

Maybe I was being a bitch about this. Just because Damon and Monica turned up didn’t mean the entire weekend was a bust. Maybe Michael was still planning on proposing to me anyway and wanted to share the special moment with his best friend?

I couldn’t deny him that, could I? I just wished I could’ve brought Caitlin. I turned around and finished setting up our sleeping bags, then started the fire and tried my best to ignore the stabbing glares at my back. After that, I set to work fixing Michael a sandwich.

“Thanks, babe.” He barely looked up as he grabbed it from my hand and took a bite, ravenously tearing the thing apart like a man half starved.

“Hey, V.” Damon glanced my way. “How about making me one of those?”

“How about making it your own damn self,” I snarled as I walked away.

Michael shot me a glare as I passed, which I ignored. If he could ruin my romantic weekend, then I could damn well piss off his sexist, asshole friends.

I tidied the clothes in the tent, keeping away from the others as they drank beer, laughed too loud, and made fools of themselves. It won’t be like this all weekend,I reminded myself.It can’t be. I glanced at Michael‘s bag in the corner of the tent and thought about rifling through his belongings, searching for a small square box buried underneath his clean boxers.

But I wasn’t like that. I wasn’t about to invade his things and break his trust—I glanced outside—or make him feel bad about hanging out with his friends. I gave a sigh and stepped out of the tent.

“There she is,” Damon mumbled, his eyes glassy.

I glanced around, seeing Michael walking off with Monica toward the forest. “Where are they going?” A sting of jealousy cut through me.

“Getting more firewood.”

But I'd just carried out our wood…there was enough to last the whole weekend. I glanced at the fire, already roaring with two large hunks of wood. Maybe one bag of wood wasn’t going to be enough.

“Relax, V.” Damon shoved up from his chair. “They won’t be gone long.”

I stared at my boyfriend walking off into the woods with another woman and bit down the urge to charge after them.

“You know, you really can be a bitch. You know that, right?”

I flinched, anger flashing inside me. “And you can be a two-bit loser. You know that, right?”

He just gave me a smirk and stepped closer, brushing his finger along my cheek. “Lucky for you, I like the bitchy ones,” he murmured, staring into my eyes.

I stumbled backwards. “What? No, Damon.Hell, no.”But he didn’t even shrink at my disgust. Instead, he seemed to enjoy it. “We could be good together. You, me…” He glanced toward the others cutting through the trees. “Just think about it.”

“Think about what?”

I turned my focus from the dark forest where Michael and Monica had disappeared and back to Damon. I was missing something, something that was clearly obvious. I tried to grasp what the hell he was talking about as movement came from the trees and Michael returned, carrying a large chunk of wood for the fire.

Relief swept through me, but it quickly faded as Monica followed not far behind, her face flushed, her hair a damn mess. She brushed her lips with her thumb and smiled. What had she been doing, running for the damn wood?

I left Damon behind and strode forward. “You could’ve said you were going for wood. I would’ve come with you.”

Michael scowled, then glanced at Damon behind me. I caught Damon giving a shake of his head. What the hell did that mean?

“It’s fine,” Michael growled. “Another beer?”

I shook my head, but the question wasn’t really for me. Thesnapof a can opening came from behind me as Michael dropped the chunk of wood next to the fire and slumped back into his chair, ignoring meagain.

Laughter followed, but it wasn’t laughter I was included in. Monica danced around, grabbing a can of beer before she flopped down on Damon’s lap. But her ravenous gaze was fixed on my damn boyfriend.

My boyfriend.

He sure wasn’t acting like it.

I just watched as they carried on in their own private little world. I retreated back to the tent as the sun slowly sank in the sky. By the time darkness came, Michael was obviously drunk.