Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,35

I was curious to see what they were like in a laid-back atmosphere. Most of the times that I passed them in the hall or the town, they were absorbed in their work and wore severe expressions.

I also felt desperate to avoid the constant ringing of my tablet from Josiah, so I happily agreed to visit with them.

Once I cleaned the kitchen, I made my way upstairs to find each guy sitting on the floor around the short coffee table and cheering on one another. They were playing a dice game I was somewhat familiar with. Josiah and I sometimes played it together late at night when Mistress Stonewell was at events.

I casually stood off in the corner and watched with polite interest. “Get your pretty butt over here,” Jacob hollered. His smooth voice made goosebumps cover my arms and shoulders. I made my way to him, and once I was close enough, he hauled me into his lap. He put his arms around me and snaked his head over my shoulder so that he could watch the game.

I blushed furiously at our close contact and forced myself to regard this as friendly behavior. Jacob's hand rested casually on my thigh. Cyler gave us a curious stare until he started losing, and he quickly remembered that he was, in fact, playing a game.

“I’m happy that you're acting like yourself, again,” Jacob whispered with a blush.

“I’m happy you’re happy,” I replied with a shrug which caused him to turn his head to observe me curiously.

“Ay! Guys!” Jacob bellowed, causing me to cover my ears. “I think we should teach Ash here how to play the game.”

I looked around the room and saw that almost all of them ignored his request. They were too absorbed in what was currently happening on the table in front of them. Jacob snaked his arm around me to grab the remote that sat on the armrest. With a click of the button, the room went black, and the room suddenly erupted in swears and groans.

“I think we should let Ashleigh play,” Jacob yelled over their harsh cuss words and displeasure. Jacob then turned back on the lights, illuminating each of their faces, and I giggled at their different looks of disapproval.

Maverick looked at me with a tight grin; it seemed that he, too, still struggled. “Why not?” He shrugged. “Come here; I’ll show you how to play.”

I wiggled my way off of Jacob’s lap. He groaned and bit his fist playfully while I struggled to stand up. I made my way over to Maverick, unsure how to interact with him after we’d shared such an intimate four days together. In fact, he was a significant reason for why I was avoiding everyone.

He pulled me into his lap and began explaining the different rules and objective of the game. Each player received ten dice, and then the first person the get all ten dice to roll the same number, wins. It was pure and silly, but each brother placed bets on who could get all ten first, which made for a ridiculously tense room. With Jacob, I felt a playful connection, but with Maverick, my arms, legs, and chest felt heavy.

After the brief refresher course, Jacob counted down from ten, and the table erupted with the sounds of flying dice. They continued to roll them as quickly as possible. I spent more time watching them scramble for their dice than I did rolling my own, but eventually, Maverick won.

After losing a few games, I handed my ten dice to Jacob and made my way to the center of the floor. I watched casually for a few more rounds until a loud and obnoxious yawn escaped my lips. Again, Jacob switched off the lights, and a chorus of swears filled the room.

“Ash is bored, guys. We need something else to do.” He had a mischievous look on his face that suggested that what he had in mind would be embarrassing.

“I say we practice for the Solstice Festival,” he added.

“Wha-what’s that?” I asked quietly.

“Ah, babe. Every year we have a bonfire and dance for the summer solstice. Huxley smokes a few hogs, and we all eat, drink, and dance until we pass out.” Cyler laughed. “Last year Kemp got so drunk he went streaking through the town’s center.”

Their group mercilessly chuckled while Kemper turned a bright shade of red. At first, I didn’t believe that my mild tempered Kemp would do such a thing, but when he didn’t deny