Chapter 11: Chapter 11

SHAY

~THURSDAY, JULY 14~

After spending hours in the hotel room cuddling, Ethan had returned to his room to freshen up, leaving Shay alone to rest for two hours before joining everyone. It was time to get some dinner.

As she walked through the corridors, she noticed that the place was quite empty. Wondering where everyone was, she walked toward the café, making mental notes for her own place.

She wanted a home that felt like this, a place that was calming and allowed her to relax when she wasn’t working.

Her current apartment was nice, but it was filled with photography equipment. And there were boxes of samples and products in her living room, taking up more space than she would like.

Aside from her master bedroom, she had a guest room that Dario often slept in, and her office.

“Where is everyone?” she called when she spotted her uncle in the café.

“Shy-Shy!” he said, turning around with a huge smile on his face. He was dressed casually in a polo shirt and shorts.

“Uncle!” She smiled as she hugged him from the side.

“The young ones are eating in the tree house, the rest of us are eating on the beach,” he told her. She looked at the spread of food behind him. Everything looked amazing, mouth-watering even.

Grabbing a plate from the side, Shay joined her uncle and made her own burrito bowl, loading her plate with the delicious ingredients. She placed a few pieces of fruit by the side of the bowl and was satisfied.

Carrying her plate in her hands, she went looking for everyone else. When she passed the beach, she noticed her father and Billie sitting around with the older guests, talking as they enjoyed the scenery.

Shay could already see a few heads poking out of the tree house, and she heard laughter as she approached.

The laughter got louder as she walked up the winding staircase, and she recognized several voices—at least she knew her brothers were there.

“Hey,” she said when she arrived at the top.

She noticed the blonde beside Ethan immediately, and she also noticed Ethan tense up and his face change. She ignored him. Only her brothers knew they were together—she wasn’t ready to let the rest know about their relationship.

The tree house was big enough for twenty people, so there was plenty of space for them. There was a giant table in the middle, with inbuilt chairs that went around the entire tree house.

Spotting an empty space beside Ian, she squeezed through and went to her brother.

“To those that don’t already know, this is my sister Shay,” Ian said as she looked around, giving everyone a warm smile, adjusting her bikini top.

She was introduced to a few other people. There was a familiar face, a man she’d seen with her brothers before.

Don, Drake, and Micheal were in business with her family, and they also happened to be Ivan’s friends. There were also people there she’d never met or had forgotten their names despite being introduced just moments ago.

And lastly, there was Pepper—Ethan’s ~friend~. She could already tell that Pepper still had feelings for Ethan by how much she was touching him. Shay was uncomfortable but remained silent.

“Hey!” Pete greeted her as he walked up with her mother. Pete immediately made his way to Shay’s side, as he always did, and Zola went straight to Ethan.

Shay had to hold back her eye roll as she watched her mother flirt with Ethan, placing her hands on his thigh and whispering in his ear.

Ignoring her mother, Shay joined everyone else in conversation, talking about random things while getting to know each other.

“So, Shay, are you a twin too?” Drake asked.

“Yeah, I have a twin sister. Her name is Sky,” she explained.

Pete’s hand found hers and squeezed it lightly. He knew everything about her, and whenever she’d confided in him, he was always supportive. Even of her decision to not speak to her sister.

“Who’s the younger twin?” Drake asked, interested in the subject.

“Me,” she answered, after finishing a bite of her scrumptious food. “We’re identical, but there are small differences. We have different hair, that’s one, and we definitely have different styles.”

“How old are you?” Don asked.

“Twenty-four. I think I’m the youngest one here,” she said, looking around but avoiding eye contact with Ethan.

“Let’s all play a game,” Ivan suggested.

“Sure!” Sounds of agreement came from the entire group.

Scooting backward, Shay folded her legs in front of her before adjusting the material of her bikini top and unbuckling her denim shorts, allowing herself to be more comfortable as she leaned back.

“So, let’s play Two Truths and a Lie but with a twist,” Ivan said. “If we’re able to guess the lie correctly, the other person has to do a dare, and if we guess wrong, the person who was wrong will have to do a dare.”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, so Ian handed out paper and pencils for writing down a few dares for the loser to do. Don ordered more drinks, filling the table up with beers and snacks before starting the game.

“Who wants to go first?” Ivan asked.

“I will,” Micheal said, before taking a sip of his beer. Then, with a straight face he said, “I own a pet snake, I’ve been skydiving, and I know how to knit.”

“You own a pet snake,” Pete said from beside her.

Shay looked over at him—she would’ve guessed the knitting part. Pete looked back at her and gave her his familiar smile as he placed his arm around her shoulders. She leaned toward him a little more.

“Ding, ding, ding!” Micheal said as he drew out a paper with a dare.

“Wait, what? Why do you know how to knit?” Don asked the question that was on everyone else’s mind.

“I spent a lot of time with my grandmother when I was a kid, and she forced me to learn.” Micheal sighed as he recalled the memories, then read aloud from the paper. “Text the last person in your contact list, saying you miss them.”

“Who’s the last person on your list, bro?” Ian asked.

“Yakimoto,” Micheal answered, looking horrified.

“Your top client?” Ivan asked as everyone else erupted in laughter.

Michael tried to back out, and Drake took the phone away from him. Watching the scene unfold was enough to cause her to fall into a fit of laughter. Finally, they settled on some ground rules.

All were in agreement that it was just a game, and they shouldn’t have to do anything that would jeopardize their careers. Michael took another dare.

“How are you?” Pete whispered, leaning down.

“I’m good,” she answered. “You?”

“I went out on a date last week.” He beamed.

She nodded, then told him they’d talk more later, that she wanted to know more and that she was happy for him, which was true.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Pepper wrap her arms around Ethan. He whispered something in her ear, causing Pepper to giggle.

She ignored it, not wanting to overthink the situation, but if she was honest with herself, she was afraid.

For the first time, she was afraid he was lying to her and that he still had feelings for his ex.

“Shay, your turn,” Ian said, nudging her side.

She straightened her back and carefully scanned her eyes around the tree house, wondering what she could reveal about herself that no one knew.

“I have a birthmark somewhere on my body, I sold one million items in the last month, and I’m a virgin.” The answer was an obvious one. And although her brothers knew the answer, she hoped it would cause just enough confusion.

“You’re not a virgin,” Pepper said confidently.

For the first time, Shay had the opportunity to look directly at Pepper. She was blonde and tall, with sharp features, and she wore glasses. Beautiful indeed, she fit the profile of the other women Ethan had been photographed with.

“I ~am~ a virgin,” Shay answered, and Pepper’s face fell.

She knew Ethan was staring at her, and she was unsure why she couldn’t look him in the eyes. But with Pepper by his side, she just couldn’t.

“I’m a virgin, and I’ve sold one million items in the last month. I do not, however, have a birthmark. My twin sister Sky has one, though,” Shay explained.

Ian and Ivan looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders.

Her mother finally spoke up. “Yeah, it always confuses me. When the twins were younger, we used to write their names on the bottom of their feet.” Everyone erupted into laughter.

As the game went on, Shay tuned everyone out, having lost the feeling of wanting to play the game in the first place.

Tilting her head just a little, her eyes connected with Ethan’s. He was staring at her openly. He wore an expression she didn’t know how to decipher.

Each player talked about the statements they made, and although it was just a game, everyone got to know each other better, telling random stories about their past experiences.

Ethan opted out of taking a turn, answering a call instead.

Zola excused herself when Uncle Holden came and dragged her out. He said that the younger ones needed to bond, and although her mother was welcome, her uncle had a valid point.

Zola needed to hang around people her age, and she needed to keep her hands away from Ethan. She didn’t want to admit it, but Shay was a little jealous of her mother hanging all over Ethan.

“How about we play Never Have I Ever, the adult version?” Drake suggested, as the waiter brought out more drinks.

Shay took a coconut water. She hadn’t had a sip of alcohol since the accident, and although she was encouraged to by the rest of them, Ian and Ivan quickly came to her rescue, which she was thankful for.

“The game is simple. So I think most of us should know the rules by now,” Drake said, then paused to look around as everyone nodded their heads. “But let’s make this more scandalous.”

“Can we please not discuss the details though?” Shay said. “I have my brothers here, and I don’t want to hear about their conquests.”

They nodded in agreement.

“Are you sure you want to play at all? After all, you ~are~ a virgin,” Don joked.

Rolling her eyes, she flipped him the finger.

“I’ll go first,” Drake said. “Never have I ever sent someone a naked photo.”

Shay watched curiously as glasses raised, realizing that everyone had done it except her. Squinting at Ethan, she noticed him taking a sip, avoiding eye contact with her while Pepper rested her head on his shoulder.

She watched as he wrapped his arm around Pepper’s waist, watched Pepper’s smile spread. Feeling discomfort in her belly, she tried to shake away the negative thoughts.

“Never have I ever had a one-night stand,” the next person asked.

Leaning toward Ian instead of Pete, she was curious what Ethan’s answer would be. His eyes connected with hers, and he brought his drink up to his lips and took a sip.

Pepper adjusted her body, wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and leaned forward.

“Never have I ever given a blow job,” her brother said, aiming the question at one of the guys.

As they broke into laughter, she noticed Don taking a sip. She joined them in their laughter for just a moment before returning her gaze to Ethan and taking a sip. His eyes widened when he realized what this meant.

Although they were touchy with each other and they’d done borderline innocent things, she had always told him the truth. She was a virgin, but she wasn’t a saint.

“Shay?” Micheal asked, almost choking when he saw her taking the sip from her coconut.

“Remember, no follow-up questions,” she said as she stared at her brothers, warning them.

She knew her brothers thought she was totally oblivious when it came to sex, but she wasn’t. She’d done a lot of things other than vaginal or anal penetration.

“Never have I ever…” The game went on, with Shay occasionally taking a sip.

~Bzzz.~

~Bzzz.~

~Bzzz.~

Her phone vibrated against the table, and Ian snatched it away before she could stop him and read the caller ID.

“Who the hell is Big D?” he asked, almost furiously.

“Give it to me!” Shay struggled to place her coconut water down and get the phone out of his hands.

“Shay Zaia Haze,” Ivan scolded when she managed to snatch her phone back from Ian.

She gave both of them hard stares before answering her phone. Feeling a hand on her arm, she looked up at Pete, who was raising an eyebrow.

“Do you want me to accompany you?” he asked.

She shook her head. Since she would just answer the call and leave, she didn’t want him to miss out on the fun.

“Enjoy yourself,” she told him.

“Dario? Why the hell did you change your name to Big D?” she said into her phone as she made her way out of the tree house. She looked back at her brothers, who visibly relaxed.

Rolling her eyes, she scooted away and went down the stairs.

“I thought you might miss me,” he said flirtatiously, and Shay snorted in response.

“What do you want, D?” she asked.

“I bought an earlier flight and refunded the ticket you gave me. I’m in front of the resort,” he said.

“Find the receptionist and tell her you’re my guest. You’re in one of the villas…” She trailed off as she felt hands on her waist. Looking behind to see who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Ethan.

“Go get set up, D. You can get some dinner in the café, and maybe I’ll come find you.” She turned to face Ethan, who was towering over her.

She could smell alcohol on him, which came as no surprise considering how much he just drank.

“Ok,” Dario said before Shay hung up.

She looked around to make sure no one could see them, then wrapped her arms around Ethan. She smiled as he lowered his head, but placed a hand on his lips and shook her head.

“You’re with someone else. It’s quite clear,” she said before pushing him away.

She knew it was petty and jealous, but she was feeling hurt. She also knew that Ethan had made a choice. The bench was wide, and he could’ve sat further away or created some distance between himself and his ex. But he didn’t.

She’d been able to push these thoughts away when she was with everyone else, but she couldn’t when she was alone with him.

Pepper was obviously still in love with Ethan, and Shay didn’t want to get in the middle of all that. Especially when there was a business deal in the mix.

And Ethan must have loved Pepper to some extent, seeing that he’d proposed to her.

“I’m not trying to be that girl,” she said. “I’m young, but I’m not immature. I think you need to figure things out with Pepper first. I don’t want to get mixed up in something I know nothing about.

“And to be very honest with you, I have feelings for you. Like, strong feelings,” she admitted.

She took a step backward as he stared at her, surprised by the words that were coming out of her mouth. “I know it’s a business, and I know you’ve opened up to me about it, which I’m grateful for.

“But I can’t sit here and lie and say it doesn’t make me feel some type of way that I’m seeing you but there’s another woman hanging off your arm and staying in the same room as you.

“I thought I could be more mature about it, but I guess I’m still a child.” Feeling her heart in the bottom of her stomach, she turned her back on him and walked away.

“Shay!” he called, but she ignored him as she made her way back to her room, hoping she hadn’t acted impulsively.

But she knew she couldn’t keep her feelings bottled up.