Every Which Way

Chapter Twelve
Everything could change in a minute.

Sometimes, it took longer than sixty seconds. Sometimes, it took a day, a week, and even months...

For Severine, everything was altered after her kiss with Macsen. It was only a few weeks ago. Five, if she was being truthful. Their relationship was an existence that, up until a few weeks ago, she doubted could be possible for her. Because, let’s face it, Macsen had passed her record relationship by four weeks.

Anything consequential always came with a sacrifice, though, and for Severine, it was something she had never had in the first place.

Things might have been strained before with Thayer, but there had always been a certain amount of understanding. All that understanding was wiped clean. If Severine entered a room, Thayer found a reason to leave.

He was doing her a favor. Severine would repeat that over and over. Everything about him was slowly ebbed out of her world. Macsen made it all easy. He adjusted the transition with a quality that made Severine have a permanent grin on her face.

She wrapped her dark brown hair around her shoulder and quickly twined the separated strands together. She smirked at Macsen in the mirror. “What?”

He leaned against the bathroom door and smiled at her. “Nothing. I’m just watching you.”

“Yeah? I don’t work well under pressure,” Severine teased back.

“You realize it’s the pool, right?”

“You realize that my hair without serum looks like I visited the Magic House, right?” Severine tightened the band around her hair and nodded at her handiwork. “Believe me, I’m doing everyone a favor.”

“Everyone?” Macsen came up behind her and ran his hand down the long braid her hair created. “It’s kinda cool.”

“Tell me I’m not the first girl you’ve ever seen with a French braid.”

He looked back at her in the mirror. It was beginning to be their form of communication. “Yes, Sev. But I’ve never seen it done. My mom always had someone come over to do her hair.”

“Plus with a brother, I doubt there was much curling and braiding going on.”

His hand pulled away and settled down by his swim trunks, “Mmm.”

“Can you get out of here? I gotta pee.”

“Consider me gone,” Macsen laughed as he backed out of the crammed space.

Muffled voices sunk through the cracks of the door and into the bathroom. Severine quickly finished and leaned her ear against the wood.

She was snooping. There was nothing else to it. It was Thayer’s low-pitched voice that ensnared her attention.

“What the f*ck. I thought you guys left?”

“Obviously, we haven’t...we’ll be leaving soon. So chill.”

Their voices became hushed as they stepped away from the door.

If she didn’t realize before how f*cked up the Sloan brothers were, she knew it now.

Did all siblings have such hostility toward each other? Was there a whole microcosm for siblings? Something she’d never understand?

She had never witnessed the two of them getting along or even having a friendly conversation with each other. What problems ran through their family that made it impossible for them to forget? Severine wasn’t one to go asking away over someone’s family. Hers had enough drama and strain to create its own soap opera.

She walked out of the hallway and down the hall. Thayer’s door was closed.

“Ready?” Macsen asked from the living room.

Her gaze rested a second longer on the barrier restraining the two of them from connecting. Severine turned to smile at Macsen. “Yeah, let’s go.”
* * * * *
“Get in.”

Severine carefully walked around the edge of the pool. She sat and dipped only her legs into the clear water. “Are we going to prison for this?”

Macsen ducked underneath the water and swam where her legs kicked. When his head reappeared, he slicked back his hair. Droplets covered his face, including his inky black lashes. His eyes stood out even more. Severine felt like she was watching an ad for new cologne. Whatever Macsen was luring her to buy, she’d willingly purchase.

“What’s with you and prison?”

His palms moved up and down her thighs. The water felt like ice against her dry skin. “I’m afraid one of you Sloan brothers is going to get me in trouble.”

He shifted closer and placed his body in between her legs. “I hope I’m the only Sloan brother you get in trouble with.”

“You are.”

Macsen eyed her baggy t-shirt. “Are you really gonna swim in that?”

“No.” If she watched him carefully, Severine could see crimson stain his cheeks. “Macsen, am I making you nervous?” she crooned softly.

“I’m hardly nervous right now,” he said deadpan. His eyes kept staring at her t-shirt with such concentration. It was like he was hoping to make it disappear if he glared at it long enough.

Severine gripped the hem of her shirt in her hands and lifted it above her head. Her yellow halter two piece, with black ties on her bikini top and bottoms stole all of Macsen’s attention. His response was exactly what she wanted.

She collected swimsuits like a regular hoarder. It was a healthy addiction. Because of her obsession, she was able to see Macsen enchanted. His eyes stayed focused on her chest.

Quickly, she took the plunge and submerged her whole body in the water. Even though the pool was heated, the water still felt cold to her skin. It was a rush to her body. Her head reached the top, and she took a deep breath. Macsen waited with a grin on his face. “Glad I brought us here?”

Severine waded toward the deep end and floated above the water. “Mayyybe.”

“I used to swim in high school,” Macsen admitted.

This was the first memory he was sharing with her. They’d been together over a month, but she was getting to know him slowly and effortlessly. Severine loved the pace they were keeping. She switched her position and moved closer to him. “So you’re a lover of water?”

“In high school it was my only obsession.”

“Were you nerdy?” Severine asked jokingly.

Macsen snatched her around the waist. “As nerdy as I am now.”

“Clearly, I should’ve been scoping out the library in school,” Severine whispered.

He looked at her with an expression filled with craving. For the two of them, it was the same—they were each other’s propensity.

“You’re trying to kill me with this suit, aren’t you?” His fingers traced the edges of material covering her breast, drifting from the middle of her chest and back toward her straps, repeatedly.

Her skin became covered in goosebumps, and Severine tightened her grip on his forearms. “That’s exactly my goal.” Her voice was confident. It completely covered up the crazy feelings pounding inside her, making her heart rate escalate.

Her feet could touch the bottom. Wrapping her legs and arms around Macsen was what her body chose. Immediately, she settled her cheek next to his neck. “So you swam in high school.” Severine glided her hand across the still water around them. “I wanna know more about you.”

His fingers linked around her thighs, keeping her firmly to him. “Germany, New York, Virginia.”

Severine raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been everywhere.”

“Can’t stay in one place too long.”

“And your brother...” his muscles tensed underneath her cheek. “He probably loved it all.”

His shoulder moved upward. “Didn’t affect him in the least.”

“Tell me more.”

“Everyone in my family is tall,” Macsen answered instantly.

Severine dropped her feet to the bottom, and she looked up at him. “Come on,” she prodded.

With fingers dripping wet, he brushed a few strands sticking to her neck, back into her braid. “I wanna just focus on you. There’s no other reason than that.”

“Too complicated?” Severine asked.

“They’re just memories.” His head ducked down, to her lips. “I like the path I’m on now.”

“The one with me?”

“The only one.”