chapter twenty

​I woke up to the soft sound of a knock on the heavy wooden door. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I saw Ethan already moving across the room toward it.

​"Good morning, Mr. Vance," one of the resort staff members greeted politely as she walked in carrying a large silver tray of food.

​"Morning. Just drop it on the table over there," he instructed calmly.

​She nodded respectfully, but as she turned around, her eyes caught mine lying on the bed. She offered a warm, polite smile. "Good morning, ma'am."

​"Good morning," I managed to reply, giving her a small smile before she bowed and walked out, closing the door behind her.

​"Morning, baby," Ethan murmured smoothly as he walked over to the side of the bed, leaning down to press a soft kiss against my forehead.

​"Mmmm," I hummed quietly, my gaze dropping to my hands as I nervously picked at my fingers.

​"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly, his eyebrows knitting together in immediate confusion. "Are you still in pain? The heating belt arrived while you were asleep, it's somewhere around..." He began glancing around the room, looking for it.

​"No, I feel much better," I told him, looking up.

​"Then what's wrong, love?" he pressed gently.

​"Nothing... I just really want to take a shower. I feel dirty," I admitted honestly.

​He nodded understandingly. "After breakfast, or right now?"

​"After," I said.

​Ethan sat beside me and carefully fed me breakfast, making sure I ate enough before letting me up. Once we were done, I slipped into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower.

​I stepped out of the steam wearing a soft plush bathrobe, walking over to my suitcase to rummage through my things for a fresh outfit. As I pulled out a dress, I slowly turned around, only to find Ethan sitting on the edge of the bed staring at me with an intense, unreadable gaze. I flushed under his attention, but didn't say a word.

​I grabbed a light, floral sundress and retreated back into the bathroom to get dressed. After slipping into it, I stepped back out into the main bedroom.

​I stood in front of the full-length mirror, raising my arms to style my hair, knowing we had a mandatory camp session scheduled shortly.

​"Are you going to keep staring at me like that?" I finally asked, meeting his dark eyes through the mirror's reflection.

​"I don't like your dress," he blurted out suddenly, leaning back.

​I spun around to face him, my jaw practically dropping. "What's wrong with it?"

​"It's not pretty," he said bluntly, casually picking up his phone and unlocking the screen.

​"What do you mean it's not pretty?!" I asked, stepping closer, thoroughly offended.

​Ethan simply shrugged his broad shoulders. "I just don't..."

​Before he could finish his sentence, a loud knock on the door cut him off.

​"Come in!" he called out.

​The door pushed open, and Janice walked right into the suite, wearing a bright sundress of her own.

​"Hey, girl!" she greeted me cheerfully before turning to Ethan. "Hello, Ethan!"

​"Hi, Janice," Ethan acknowledged, giving her a brief glance before returning his full attention back to his phone.

​I quickly walked over to Janice, leaning down to whisper frantically into her ear. "What is wrong with my dress?"

​"Nothing, love! Only a complete lunatic would say this isn't pretty," Janice practically screamed at the top of her lungs, completely ignoring my attempt at whispering. "I love the way it compliments your curves!"

​I violently nudged her arm, my face burning red. "What?!"

​I slowly turned to face Ethan. He was leaning back against the pillows, a small, highly amused smirk playing on his lips.

​"Do I look like a lunatic to you, Janice?" he asked calmly, raising his eyes from his screen.

​"Ehhhm... no," Janice squeaked, her eyes widening as she suddenly realized who I had been talking about.

​"You really should accept the fact that your friend simply cannot hold a quiet conversation in whispers," Ethan said, his voice dripping with playful amusement.

​"He's the one who said it wasn't nice?!" Janice shouted loudly, pointing a dramatic finger at him.

​"Shut up, Janice!" I hissed, rolling my eyes in sheer embarrassment as I grabbed her by the arm. "Let's just go."

​"Bye, Ethan!" Janice yelled over her shoulder as I dragged her toward the door.

​"Bye!" he called back, chuckling softly.

​The moment we stepped outside into the hallway, I turned to her nervously. "Are you absolutely sure the dress looks okay?"

​"Yes! It looks gorgeous," she reassured me, slinging an arm through mine. "And besides, we're literally just going to a boring lecture on camp safety. It's totally perfect for the occasion. Ethan is definitely just teasing you to get a reaction."

​I nodded, feeling a little better as we made our way down to the camp assembly grounds.

​When we reached the outdoor seating area near the main pavilion, my eyes immediately landed on Cole standing near the front, engaged in a quiet conversation with our principal, Mrs. Evans. The second I walked into view, Cole's eyes snapped directly to mine, tracking my movement. I rolled my eyes dramatically at him, completely ignoring his intense stare, and walked over to take a seat on one of the wooden benches.

​"Where on earth is the guest speaker?" Janice grumbled, pulling out her phone as we sat down. "It's so late."

​"I don't know, and honestly, it is so annoying that they insist on having this stupid safety talk at literally every single school event," I said irritably, crossing my arms over my chest.

​A moment later, Cole finished his conversation with the principal. Instead of heading back toward the West Wing area, he walked straight over to our row and sat down right on the empty spot next to me.

​I turned my head and glared at him in utter disbelief. "What is wrong with you?" I demanded angrily.

​Beside me, Janice hid her face behind her phone, desperately trying to hold back a burst of laughter.

​"I'm just sitting here," Cole said coldly, leaning back against the bench. "If you don't like it, feel free to go back to your boyfriend's room."

​I fired right back without missing a single beat, my voice dropping into a sharp, razor-edged sarcasm. "You're clearly jealous, Cole. What, do you want to share a room with me too?"

​Janice burst into a loud, uncontrollable laugh right next to us.

​Cole's jaw clenched tightly, his eyes darkening with irritation. "It's way too early for this," he muttered harshly, pulling out his wired headphones and plugging them into his ears to shut us out.

​I huffed, looking away. I couldn't help but wonder where his silly little girlfriend was; Bella had probably skipped this mandatory session entirely.

​Just then, my phone vibrated in my lap. I looked down to see a fresh text message from Ethan.

​“I still don't like the dress,” it read.

​I stared at the screen, a deep frown forming on my face. “Shut up. I look pretty,” I typed back furiously.

​He didn't reply again.

​A few minutes passed before Mrs. Evans finally stepped up to the podium, adjusting the microphone. "We are so sorry for the delay, everyone! Our guest speaker has just arrived and will be up here in a moment."

​A few seconds later, a smooth, deep, and unnervingly familiar voice echoed through the speakers, cutting right through the quiet afternoon air.

​"Hello, everyone."

​My heart instantly hammered against my ribs. I whipped my head toward the stage, my eyes widening in absolute shock.