Chapter 30

Andy's POV

The drive to the vacation house was long, but it had a quiet sort of peace to it. Jason was behind the wheel, with Bree in the front seat next to him who was occasionally turning back to say one thing or the other to me, and Violet was sitting next to me, staring out the window, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and I was grateful I didn’t have to deal with her attitude.

The vacation home they had been talking about was on the outskirts of the city, and from how Bree described it, there was a lake right in front of it.

I watched the road wind in front of us, trees blurring past, but my mind was still stuck on what had happened the day before. Jason had come back home after a meeting with Marissa’s father.

When he had told me everything was under control, there had been something in his tone- an edge that made me not want to know what went down between Jason and the Dunleys. I could only imagine the kind of powerful, shady strings being pulled behind the scene.

Breathe Andy. Phew. I needed to focus on the trip. The past few weeks have been chaotic and all I wanted to do was to relax and let go of everything so I could go back to my normal self.

By the time we got there, the sun was already starting to set.

“We’re here,” Jason said as he parked the car. Bree immediately jumped out, practically buzzing with excitement.

I got out of the car and stretched, taking in a deep breath. The air was filled with the fragrance of greenery from the woods that surrounded the space.

It felt like I was stepping into another world and I was sure I would be relaxed by the time we left here.

To my surprise, it was a cabin. The setting sun casted long golden shadows across it. It was secluded and alone. Nothing could possibly disturb us here.
It was beautiful. A cozy little escape, located perfectly by the breathtaking lake that stretched out like glass in front of it. I already felt different just being here.

After we unpacked and settled in, the evening passed by in a blur. We relaxed, unwinded and for the first time in a while, I felt at ease.
Even Violet, who was always cold to me, was quieter and less prickly than usual.

But as the night drew on, I could feel Jason’s eyes on me every now and then like he was watching me. I tried my best to ignore it and focus on something else so I started a conversation with Bree and ignored his presence.

The next day, we all got up from bed late due to the long drive from the previous day. We decided to have a barbecue by the lake since it was warm and it was the perfect kind of weather to be outdoors.
We started to set up everything while cracking jokes and all. We spent most of the day just relaxing, occasionally taking a swim in the lake and coming out again. The grilled meat was to die for. Another thing that Jason was good at.

Bree wanted to take pictures of everything to keep as a memory but she kept musing about a card she forgot or something. It didn't seem to bother her much until much later in the day when she suddenly stopped taking pictures and cursed under breath.

“Fuck! I forgot my extra memory card for the camera and now this one is filled up” She exclaimed, groaning and shaking her head in frustration.

“Just manage with the pictures you got,” I suggested, leaning back in my chair.

“We are not doing anything that exciting. It’s just us.” I said and she shook her head, clearly unsatisfied.

“I don’t want to miss capturing anything. I’d rather just drive back home to get it. We still have some days to spend here, it will be worth it” she explained.

Jason looked at her, his brows furrowed as he spoke up.
“Are you sure about that? It’s kind of a long drive back.” he said and she nodded.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure,” Bree replied, her mind already made up.
“I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll just get the memory card and come back,” she replied.

“Fine,” Jason replied.
“Violet, you should go with her. Make sure she’s safe. And don’t take too long,” he said as he stared at Violet who seemed slightly annoyed that her peaceful moment was disturbed before she processed his words.

She nodded without uttering a word, and after a quick change of clothes and Bree promising to be back soon, they were on their way.

Jason was sitting near the grill so I made my way to the lake and sat by it. I was wearing a two piece swimsuit under black shorts. I stared at the reflection of the sky in the water, my legs kicking it and feeling the coolness tickle my skin in contrast to the warmth of the sun.

I watched as the sun set. The reflection turned the lake into a shiny sea of gold.

I heard footsteps behind me so I turned. Jason was walking towards me, his face unreadable.

“Bree called,” he started saying as soon as he got to me.

“She said they won’t be able to make it back because today it’s getting late. They'll be back in the morning,” he finished.

I nodded in understanding as the realization set in. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings. It was just him and I now. Alone.

Jason sat down right beside me. The hair on my skin stood in response.

“You good?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I lied.
My chest felt tight like it always did whenever I was around him. There was something that kept on drawing me to him, something I didn’t want to pay attention to, but I just couldn’t seem to avoid it.

“Are you?” I asked, trying to shift the focus away from me.

He smiled, that half smirk that somehow always made my stomach twist and my body heat up.
“I’m managing,” he replied.

We sat in silence for a while and only the sound of the water could be heard. I didn’t know what to say to him but I also couldn’t ignore the tension.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he suddenly said.

I looked away, my pulse quickening. “I haven’t-“

“You have,” he interrupted, his eyes fixed on me.
“Ever since the barbecue back home” he said.

I didn’t know what to say so I just stayed silent.

“You don’t need to be afraid or awkward around me, Andrea” he said and I looked at him.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I replied.

I was sure that I wasn’t because the truth was, I wasn’t even sure what I felt towards him. I could feel him watching me, his gaze burning my skin and I could not help but feel pulled to him. No. God, no. This was so wrong.

I turned to face him, his eyes were dark with desire and intense. My heartbeat quickened. Our faces were so close. I couldn't control my body and my mind just went blank for a second.

“Andrea,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Almost like magic, I felt myself leaning in, just as he did almost at the same time. I was so drawn to him like, like a moth to a flame. I knew it would burn but it started to seem like it would be worth it.
Our faces were just mere inches apart when his hand reached up and tenderly brushed stray hair that fell on my eyes to the side. We were breathing the same air and my skin tingled as I felt the warmth constantly caressing my cheeks as my stomach did flips.

My heart was beating fast and then, just as our lips were about to touch, I snapped back to my senses and pulled away.

I got up and jumped into the water without thinking. When I resurfaced, Jason was standing at the edge of the lake looking down at me.

“Why do you always do that?” He asked, his tone half amused.

I wiped the water away from my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. “Do what?”

“Jump into the water whenever you are trying to escape from me,” he said as he crossed his arms across his chest and a small smile on his lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, my voice a little too defensive.