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dannythedog · 5 months ago

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Collage by @stardust-chords-enthusiast

Long Past Dawn part Two

Part One

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Summary: You've grown up with Sam Kiszka as a best friend. As the two of you get older, you realize your feelings may be morphing into something more. What will happen when Sam finally invites you to the annual Kiszka lake trip where a string of crimes have taken place?

Warnings: 18+, brief smut, talk of death, angst

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy part two! This one is much shorter than the first chapter. I reread that first part and it took way too long, so I chopped this part. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this. I'm excited to continue this series and see how I can develop this world!! Feedback and/or comments are always appreciated :)

“Jake’s dead.”

Your blood runs cold as Danny’s words sink in. It feels as though the entire world has stopped spinning, yet your body is still flying around the sun. The feeling of dread that you’ve grown all too familiar with in the last twelve hours amplifies and consumes you, swallowing you into its depths.

“That’s a fucked up joke, Dan,” Sam finally speaks.

“I’m not joking. He’s dead. He’s- guys he’s not moving. I went over and shook him. He’s dead,” Danny panics.

Your stomach is churning, their argument falling upon your deaf ears. This isn’t real. Jake isn’t dead. Your knees shake as you stare at Danny’s broad shoulders that are now frantically moving with his arms. Muffled voices try to penetrate your state of shock, but nothing is sharp enough. The tears welling in your unblinking eyes are the only sign that you’ve heard Danny at all.

The feeling of Sam tugging at your hand pulls you out of it - but only enough to follow the brothers outside.

“You guys are such fucking liars,” Josh grumbles with an eye roll. “It was funny last night when we were scaring Bug, but the moment has passed.”

Your heart aches for the twin. How could he be so casual about this? Didn’t he see the look on Danny’s face? His curls swirl in the early morning breeze and it makes you want to wrap him in your arms, to ward away the distress and grief that will try to befriend him. Josh’s features are still light and carefree despite a twinge of annoyance. A slight sunburn atop the bridge of his nose and cheeks gives him a youthful, innocent glow. You hate that it’ll be marred.

Danny leads the group of you off the deck and towards the old dock where you saw the silhouette last night. Bile rises in your throat as you recall last night’s memory. Sam still grips your hand as you slowly head down the embankment, eyes frantically scanning the shore for a body. His face remains calm, but his grip is tight and his palm starts to sweat, giving away his true emotions. You’re grateful that you took the time to admire his peace when you woke. You don’t know when you’ll see it again.

“Where is he?” Sam huffs out, nerves beginning to be evident.

Danny pauses, bending over to rest his hands on his knees and breathe deeply before continuing to the structure. You see Jake’s bare foot laying eerily still in the sand, the rest of his body being obscured by the dock. Before you can even think, you’re ripping your hand out of Sam’s and turning your back to the sight. “I can’t look,” you heave.

“It’s just a joke, y/n,” Josh snaps. “They’re just fucking with us.” He doesn’t mean to take his annoyance out on you, but he’s trying desperately to hide his fear. Josh is terrified that his twin is really laying there dead in the sand, having passed away while he was only yards away peacefully sleeping.

Josh and Danny approach the younger twin while Sam stays halfway between them and you. “Get up,” Josh demands and kicks at Jake’s unmoving body. He’s face down, half of his face pressed into the wet sand while the tide gently kisses his cheeks.

Sam takes a tentative step forward when he sees his big brother lean down and press Jake’s face fully into the water. “I SAID GET THE FUCK UP!”

“Josh,” Sam whimpers, lower lip beginning to tremble.

Just as you begin to cross the sand to Sam, Jake’s body is rolled over. His face is red and he's spluttering for air, water coming out of his nose and mouth. “Jesus!” he shouts. “I wasn’t actually dead, but you damn near killed me!”

“You’re fucked up,” Josh seethes at his twin and gives him a harsh push to the shoulder. Confusion washes over you as you watch the younger twin rise from the water and brush sand from his clothes. Was this all just some sick dream?

“And you,” Josh jabs at Danny’s chest. “You’re fucked up for taking it that far.”

The tall man’s gaze is filled with regret, brown eyes wide and sheepish. Before he has the chance to apologize, Josh is trekking through the sand back to the house.

Shock and dread are still coursing through your body as you watch Jake push wet strands of hair away from his tanned face. “It wasn’t supposed to go that far,” he groans. “We didn’t think you’d fall for it that easily.”

“You’re one hell of an actor,” Sam sneers. He gives his brother one final glare before turning on his heel to follow Josh. You’re rooted to the spot, unable to process anything that’s happened in the last ten minutes. You want to lash out at them like the others did, but a swirl of emotions weighs your chest down, making it feel like you’re choking. The beating sun only adds to the mix. Your brain feels fried and sluggish - entirely too perplexed from the emotional whiplash.

Jake’s warm eyes bore into yours, pleading for you to understand that it was only a joke. “Bug, c’mon. It’s not that serious.”

All you can manage is a shake of your head before trudging off to find Sam. Jake may not think it’s a big deal, but this joke was entirely too convincing. Entirely too real.

The breeze isn’t welcoming anymore, it chills your skin and draws out goosebumps. You find Sam laying in a hammock on the side of the house that’s bordered by forest. His wiry arms are folded over his bare chest as the wind swirls his brown locks around his face. He hadn’t even had the chance to put it up this morning.

“Hey,” you call quietly so you don’t startle him as you stand next to the hammock. “Are you okay?”

Bony fingers are wrapping around your wrists and swiftly tugging you on top of him. A shocked squeak falls from your lips as you land in an awkward position, but Sam wastes no time in readjusting you so that you’re cuddled up to him.

He nuzzles into your neck and takes a deep breath. “He’s such an asshole.”

You know you’re supposed to be focusing on comforting him, but the way his breath tickles across your neck makes your heart thud against your ribcage and your skin flush. You swallow thickly before nodding. “It was a fucked up joke. It was eerie how real it felt.”

Sam’s just as nervous as you are about the proximity of your bodies, but he takes a risk anyway. Planting a gentle kiss to the underside of your jaw, he tucks some of your hair behind your ear. “I think his punishment should be the silent treatment,” he murmurs against your skin. “Spend the day with me, Bug. Just me and you.”

His plush lips have you ready to agree in an instant. “What about Josh?” you breathe. “He seemed pretty upset.”

“Fuck Josh,” he mutters as he repositions his body so that it’s slightly on top of yours. “He’s a big boy. He can be mad at his twin all day long while I spend time with my sweet girl. As a real boyfriend and girlfriend now.”

“And how do you suppose we get them to leave us alone?”

“That’s easy, just have to pretend like were fucking if they try to come close to us,” Sam speaks nonchalantly - as if he was just telling you his favorite color.

“Samuel!” You’re positive that your cheeks have to be the same shade of bright red as the kayak that’s bobbing along the shore.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Unless?”

“I swear to God, I will leave the hammock if you keep it up.” Trying to prove your point, you push at his chest, trying to get your legs out from underneath him.

“Bug, stop it. You know I’m playing with you,” he whines and grabs your waist tighter.

“Yeah yeah. C’mon, I wanna go take a walk along the shore and see what seashells I can get.”

You hop out of the black hammock and hold your hand out to the lanky boy. Everytime Sam smiles at you - you feel like you are going to have a heart attack. He’s had you in a love spell for the past several years. He was finally yours and you were finally his.

“Huh?”

“What?” You look up at the boy - well he prefers for you to call him a man. He has three sparse mustache hairs coming in and it has him convinced that he is a man and he needs to be referred to as one.

“You said something.” He follows you almost obediently to the sand, fingers squeezing yours in sporadic rhythms.

“Did you smoke something?”

“I’ve been with you all morning, dingus. When would I have time to do that?” You feel yourself blush even more when Sam zeroes his line of sight to you. “I already heard what you said, I just wanted to hear you say it again.”

“And what did I say?” you play coy. You don’t feel like being even more embarrassed.

“That I was finally yours and you were finally mine.” Sam stops you along the shore to stand in front of you for a second, beaming at you when he notices you lowering your head to focus on the waves that are crashing into your feet. “Hey, stop being shy. It’s just me, Bug.”

Sam places his pointer finger under your chin, forcing you to lift your head to look at him fully. Your eyes search each other, just taking in the moment and the realization of last night hits you even more.

“You gonna kiss her or what?” Jake. He always has to come along and ruin a moment.

Sam’s eyes tear away from yours, jaw clenching tightly. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re all pretty pissed at you,” Sam hisses. “Why don’t you and Danny fuck off for the day.”

Jake doesn’t budge, his brown eyes boring into your own, nearly begging for you to tell him everything is okay. “You two finally get together? Or is Sam still being a pussy?”

You could practically feel the anger radiating from Sam’s body as he takes a step forward. Thinking quickly, you place your palm onto his bare chest to stop him from doing anything he may regret. The heat leeches into your skin and makes you feel woozy.

“Calm down, Sam. He gets it - what he did was shitty.” Your gaze flicks up to Jake again, expression soft so he knows he’s forgiven. “We did get together, yes. Last night. We were going to tell everyone this morning, but it seems like you and Danny had other plans.”

His big eyes twinge with regret. All he does is give a simple nod - one that he knows you’ll understand.

“Looks like I finally won, huh, Jake?” Sam spits. “Looks like I finally got her.”

“Sam, you know it was never like that.”

“Oh really? I saw how you acted towards her. I saw all your secret moments and stupid little looks. She doesn’t want you. She never has. Grow up and leave us the fuck alone.”

“Sam,” you breathe, not sure why he’s being so hard on his brother. “Come on, let’s just go, okay?”

His mouth opens to go at Jake again, but he’s interrupted. “I’m happy for you two. Really.”

Confusion flashes across Sam’s face for a quick moment, but it’s gone just as fast. “Let’s go, Bug.”

He tugs your hand, leading you further down the shore. Tension radiates off of him. His muscles are taut, face set into a stony expression. A frown floats down your face. You could try to explain why he shouldn’t be so upset with Jake, why he should take this as an opportunity to be grateful that his brother is in his life, but you know he needs time. So, you let him lead you across the wet sand and towards a little island. It was really more like a large sandbar, but you’d think of it as your own personal island. Sam and Bug Isle.

He wades into the shallow water rather aggressively. Thin legs cut through each gentle bob of the tide to reach your destination. You follow him without a second thought. He reaches out a hand to steady you as you climb onto your little island - any aggression he may have had is gone as soon as his skin touches yours.

“This could be our place,” you suggest. “I was thinking of it as our own island.”

Troubled brown eyes gaze into your own and soften with each word. You could tell he likes the idea, but is too trapped in his feelings to voice it. The gentle squeeze of his large hand on yours is enough of an answer.

“You shouldn’t be too upset with him. I know what he did is fucked up and I’m upset, too, but I think I’m more glad that he’s actually okay. I’m happy we still have him with us.”

A puff of air leaves his nose and he looks out at the water. “He’s a douche. He always knows just how to fuck everything up.”

“Hey, leave that all behind. Don’t bring bad vibes to our island.”

You finally coax a small smile from Sam. His shoulder touches yours in a tender gesture. “Yeah. You’re right. Let’s make this morning about us. Should we christen the island?”

A mutter of his name escapes you in pure embarrassment. Christening a dinky little spot of land that’s so out in the open? Something that’s not quite in sight of the cabin full of his family, but is still right there?

He leans closer, his warm skin soothing the goosebumps that litter yourself. “Then just kiss me for a while.”

Now this was doable. Sam turns his body so he’s fully facing you now, knees knocking against yours. You can’t help the small smile that forms when his droopy eyes flick to your lips. The first kiss is tender, much like the one you shared in the bedroom last night. It’s full of nervous feelings and simple newness. You sort of wish he would invest in chapstick.

Any thoughts of chapped lips escape your mind when he grazes his fingers across your cheek to tilt your head upwards a bit, deepening the kiss. His full lips move cautiously against your own as he explores his new canvas. Shaky hands skirt up his bare chest - you’re thankful he hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt this morning. His skin is soft and smooth under your touch and you swear you can feel his thudding heart. It makes you all too aware of how fast yours is beating.

“Relax,” he murmurs against your lips. “It’s just me. Don’t get all jittery on me.”

He pulls back to look at you, a lopsided grin on display. “My little jitterbug.”

You huff and trace your fingertips against his shoulder. “That’s the problem. It’s you. Yesterday I was beyond terrified that you’d figure out how I felt and now we’re here. Just freely kissing.”

“Do you like it?”

You scoff. “Of course I do. I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be,” he insists and presses a kiss to the very corner of your mouth. “I don’t think you could mess this up if you tried.”

Then his plush lips are on yours again. Sam grasps the back of your neck to keep you close, his fingers wrapping themselves up in baby hairs. This time he beckons your mouth open with a gentle lap of his tongue. It felt almost greedy the way you welcomed him in. The sound of the waves match up with each swirl of your tongues and the wind caresses you just as softly as he does. You don’t think you’ve ever experienced anything so romantic.

The mood shifts when he presses his body forward and guides you to lay on your back. He mumbles something about being more comfortable this way. A few weeds poke at your back and sand travels its way into your shorts, but you don’t care. You don’t care about anything uncomfortable while you’re with him.

A large, shaky hand rests on your hip and massages gently. He got on you about being nervous, but you could tell he felt the same. His fingers slowly slip under your baggy sleep shirt and knead your side. Sam breaks the kiss to look into your eyes.

“Y/n, I really like you,” he whispers, his sweet voice trembling.

You whisper back the same sentiment. It was obvious what he wanted to do. It was obvious he wanted you right there on your little island and you think you’d let him take you.

Seeing him so nervous and gentle sent a wave of confidence through you. In one swift movement, you sweep off your shirt and toss it to the side. The way his eyes bulge at the sight of your breasts makes you want to run for the hills. Maybe you weren’t actually feeling all that confident.

“Oh, Bug,” he utters, eyes locked onto your body. “You’re beautiful.”

You want to shy away and you give into the feeling. In your moment of bashfulness, you cover your chest with your arms.

“No. No, don’t do that. Don’t hide from me.” He tugs at your arms in full seriousness. “Let me see how stunning you are.”

He always knew how to weaken your resolve. Slowly, you move your arms back down to your sides. His smile is breathtaking. Ever so carefully, his hands slide up your sides and over your ribs, then they cup your breasts. It wasn’t the awkward groping you got so used to with inexperienced boys. This was tender. Full of emotion. His thumbs brush over your nipples and it sends a rather delicious shiver through you.

His hands never leave you as he attaches his lips to that same spot under your jaw from earlier. A place you’re growing to love being kissed. Bursts of kisses are pressed to your throat as he moves himself over you. One knee is between your thighs and the other takes the brunt of his weight. Sloppy, wet kisses move down your chest and to the top of your left breast.

He looks up at you in a moment of pause. “Do you want this?”

Do I want this? Last night and this morning have been such a whirlwind of emotions. Everyone is overwhelmed and frazzled, but maybe this is what I need. Maybe this is the release we both need to get back on track to what’s supposed to be a good vacation.

“Yeah. I want you.”

You undress each other right there on your island. His touches are slightly fumbled but given with the most care you’ve ever felt. When he presses into you it’s electric. Whispered words and soft praises are shared with each movement of his hips. This moment is engrained on that bit of land. You leave a bit of yourselves there for the rest of time.

Afterwards you lay there basking in the morning sun. The chaos of last night and this morning had completely slipped your brain. “I don’t want to go back,” he groans.

“So we won’t,” you hum, nuzzling into him further. “Let’s stay here.”

“I’m a little cold and I’m starving,” he huffs. So you do go back. You walk hand in hand back to the cabin with rosy cheeks and an excited glow about you. There was leftover breakfast from when Josh had cooked. The rest of the morning was spent wrapped up in Sam. You felt like you had to make up for lost time. That is until the eldest brother appears with a mock stern look.

“We shouldn’t leave you two alone with all this nonsense that’s going on.” You weren’t sure if he was talking about the murders or the obvious fact you and Sam had hooked up. “Let’s go for a hike.”

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dannythedog · 2 years ago

Text

Collage by @stardust-chords-enthusiast

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x fem!reader

Word Count: 11.1k

Warnings: mentions of marijuana, alcohol consumption, swearing, body image issues, talk of death

A/N: I just want to thank @gretavanfran for encouraging me to run with this idea and offering to help me write. We've never written something like this before so we're a little nervous to post this lol but feedback is appreciated and let us know if you want a part two!! We have so many more ideas for where this can go and would love to share with you guys

“Let’s go!” Sam calls from the front door of your house. The patience in his voice is wearing thin and it makes you zip your bag faster, accidentally pinching the skin of your forefinger. It’s time for the annual lake trip the Kiszka family takes at the beginning of summer. Sam usually opted to take his other best friend Danny, leaving no room for you, but this year there was an extra space. You’ve known Sam since seventh grade, the both of you meeting on the junior debate team. He was the only student who actually challenged you and he liked your passion, so you two quickly became inseparable.

Heaving your duffle up, you rush to the door. “Sorry,” you breathe. “Just had to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”.

“Yeah, yeah, just give me the bag so we can get going.” Reaching for the bag on your shoulder, Sam lets out a breathy chuckle.

“Wait, Sam, I ha-,” you were quickly interrupted by the long haired man.

“I already checked the back door, walked through the house and unplugged everything. Bug, everything’s going to be okay. Learn how to relax a little, alright?”

“I’m always relaxed,” you mumble in a grumpy tone.

“Oh really? When’s the last time you genuinely had fun without having to worry about anything?” He got you there, you were always anxious - anxiety was practically your name and overthinking was your game. You couldn’t help but think about if everything was going to plan, constantly worrying about safety. Except for when you're with a certain golden retriever boy. Sammy. He was fearless and lived life without a care in the world, that’s why you believed that you two quickly became friends. Opposites attract after all - he made the overthinking disappear in you and you made him pay more attention to the things that surrounded him.

After tossing the bag into the back seat of his beat up Jeep Cherokee where his own luggage rests, he clambers into the driver’s spot. “My mom’s gonna be so mad if we’re super late. She only agreed to let me drive as long as I was semi on time.”

“Well, maybe you should’ve let me drive,” you tease. The entire Kiszka family had a bad habit of being late, something that irked you to your core. Turning your head to look at the man in the driver seat, you watch in amusement as he lets out a scoff, throwing the car in reverse. He places an arm on your seat and checks for traffic both ways before entering the road.

“What, so we could be there four hours early? Leave at six am? No thanks, I’d rather sleep.”

“You know, backing into a main street is illegal right?” Now turning to face you, Sam dramatically rolls his eyes and flashes you that beaming smile of his.

“Bug, I want you to relax on this vacation. Mommy and Daddy won't be there to make sure you dot your I’s and cross your T’s.”

As much as you hated to admit it- Sam was right. It’s been forever since you’ve actually relaxed. On top of your chronic over thinking - your parents watched you like a hawk. They always told you the strictness was because they wanted you to get into a top of the line college. Ever since you got the acceptance letter from the University of Michigan, you were expecting them to ease up. Wrong - if anything they tightened the reins more. Even though you were eighteen and freshly graduated high school, you had to practically get on your hands and knees begging them to allow you to accompany Sam all while reassuring them a million times that Sam’s parents were going to be there.

“I am relaxed. Let’s get going. You know we'll never hear the end of us being late from Jake,” you breathe out, crossing your arms across your chest. As if his smile couldn’t get any bigger, it was practically ear to ear as he watched you slowly come to the realization he was right.

“Aye aye, Captain. No more funny business. Wouldn’t want to keep Jacob waiting,” he replies to you in a teasing tone, while throwing the car into drive.

A warm breeze pours through the windows as the journey starts. It rustles the haphazardly placed locks on Sam’s head, a messy bun being his go to for the summer, and it somehow manages to make him look softer. Your eyes trail down to his plump lips, only landing there briefly before moving onto his outfit. He dons a denim button up that only has the bottom few buttons done, a pretty tiger’s eye pendant resting on the exposed skin of his chest, a pair of the tiniest khaki shorts you’ve ever seen, and of course his trusty Birkenstocks. While his outfit was casual, it still made you feel a little frumpy. You just wore a pair of black biker shorts and a tie-dye shirt, two sizes too big, with some black Tevas.

“So why couldn’t Danny go this year? Not that I’m complaining, I’m really happy to be invited.”

His brown eyes glance over to you for a moment, lips forming into a small frown. “His family planned their own vacation. It’s kind of ass that I’ve never invited you before, huh? I’m sorry that I’m an idiot.”

You wave him off, trying to play it like you never felt an ache in your chest when you watched the family drive off every year. “I get it, it’s a boys thing. No biggie.”

He still looks guilty despite your casual reassurance, but doesn’t press any further. Sam really did feel bad that he never invited you before. He wasn’t sure if you would like hanging out with him and his family for a week straight, emphasis on his brothers. His older twin siblings could be a lot sometimes. Josh was a little over-friendly and Jake could be too cold. Inviting anyone on vacation was asking for trouble - especially a girl and most definitely if that girl was you. The twins have known you for just as long as their little brother had. But Sam knew that they wouldn’t let up on the teasing - it would be relentless.

Unbeknownst to you, they would wait until you left the room or have your back turned and would always make kissy faces at the younger boy - mocking him about how in love he was with you and how you were his ‘little secret girlfriend’. Sam could take the teasing one day at a time, but he felt like a whole week’s worth of teasing would be too much for him to handle. So, he always opted to bring Danny. Plus, he wanted you all to himself, but no one had to know that.

“Hey, you know what I brought?” He grins a little too widely. “Check my backpack. The small pocket in the front.”

You reach into the back, very obvious suspicion settling across your face. Pulling his beat up tie-dye bag into the front with care was not an easy feat. It was stuffed full and piled under a bunch of other luggage. With just a bit of grumbling, you dig into that small pocket and pull out a baggie filled with joints.

“Sam!” you hiss. “Did you forget your parents are going to be with us?”

He reaches over and gives your arm a gentle shove. “See? This is what I was talking about earlier. You never have fun without worrying about everything.”

“I’m sorry,” you sigh and put the baggie back. “You’re totally right. I don’t know why I got weird about it.”

Your face flushes and you feel embarrassed. He was right. Why couldn’t you let loose and just enjoy this time being close with Sam? Don’t ruin this for yourself.

“Hey,” he says softly, that same frown from earlier returning.

“No, it’s okay. You are right. It’s not often I’ll admit that, so take it while you can,” you grin.

The few hour drive is peaceful, filled with laughter and good music. Sam never fails to keep you entertained. That was another checkmark on the long list of things you adore about him. You weren’t sure how Sam didn’t realize you were falling for him. You didn’t try to make it obvious, but you figured he would at least see the little things - the way you’d always make sure to have his favorite snacks around, wake up at absurd hours to make Walmart trips, how you’d do just about anything he asked. Honestly, you’d probably follow this man to the depths of hell if he asked you to.

“Where are we?” you garble, not noticing that you drifted off at some point, finally waking when Sam turns onto a rather bumpy back road.

“About five minutes from the house. Our place is in a pretty secluded spot, not many neighbors.”

The road is covered with rocks and potholes, making it impossible for your bodies to stay still, rocking side to side with each bump and sway of the vehicle. Lush trees fill the spaces on either side of the road and overtake your senses. It’s hard to see through the thick greenness of the vegetation, but it’s beautiful and makes everything feel so serene. Like you weren’t still in your home state of Michigan. The trees began to thin the closer you got to the house, opening to a small clearing with a great view of the sparkling lake. You could see an expanse of sandy beaches spread out at the back of the property with a hole dug out near the house as a makeshift fire pit. There’s a small dock a bit further down with an old rowboat attached to it, gently bobbing in the mild waves.

Sam parks his Cherokee next to the family’s Suburban and shoots you an excited smile. “Ready for the chaos?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you scrunch your nose at him.

The both of you pull yourselves from the car to collect your bags. The thick summer air soothes the goosebumps that formed from the air conditioning that Sam insisted on blasting. He claimed the AC barely worked at the lake house.

“OI!” a voice rings from above you, disrupting the gentle call of some sparrows. Your eyes flick up to see the long haired twin leaning dangerously over the railing of a balcony.

“It’s about time you made it!” Jake spins around and heads back inside before either of you can answer. Your eyes trail from the balcony to take in the rest of the house. It’s a moderately sized cabin-esque looking building with sloping green roofs that match the color of the doors and window frames. The rustic vibe is a little cheesy and slightly outdated, but it’s welcoming.

“Hi, Bug,” Jake grins when he emerges from the front door. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

You think you can hear Sam grumbling about how that’s his nickname for you, but you ignore it.

“C’mon inside. We saved a room for you two.” Jake takes the bag off your arm and offers a side hug, giving you a gentle squeeze.

You flush at the thought of sharing a room and possibly a bed with Sam - you hadn’t considered that when you agreed to come along. His parents were pretty lenient but you figured you’d be sleeping on one of the couches.

The house offers reprieve from the unforgiving sun. Despite being quite cold only minutes ago, you can feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck. The inside isn’t as cheesy as you thought it would be. There were picture frames hung up along the walls, displaying memories from previous trips. One of young Sam catches your eye and brings a small smile to your face. He’s submerged in the lake with a bright orange life jacket on that looks like it could strangle him at any moment, smiling widely with little gaps in his teeth.

“We’re here!” Sam calls out and ventures towards the bedrooms.

Just like clockwork, the shorter twin pops his head into the hallway. “This one is your room.”

The three of you meander to the room Josh was currently in, only half wondering why he was in your room anyways.

“Shut up!” Sam gasps and almost drops his bag, trying to think of something else to say but his mouth just hangs open. Out of the corner of your eyes you could see the twins beaming - not wanting to be left out, you poke your head into the room and see a lanky, curly haired man lounging across the queen sized mattress.

“Hey, guys,” Danny says with a shit eating grin. “Heard you might have extra room.”

Finally over the shock of seeing his best friend, Sam turns to his brothers with confusion written all over his face.

“Mom and Dad didn’t come this year. They figured since we’re ‘all grown up’ that we’d want a week here alone. We coordinated the Danny part just because it was fun,” Jake speaks nonchalantly.

Sam simply can’t contain his excitement any longer and bounces on his best friend, rambling on about how much fun they’re going to have.

“That was sweet of you guys,” you murmur to Jake, watching as his face twinges pink. He simply shrugs and sets your bags near the dresser. Once the enthusiasm calms a bit, the other three clear out of the room to let you and Sam unpack. Your eyes travel over to the queen sized bed over and over, worry settling deep into your chest.

You clear your throat. “I can take the couch if you want. Or I could see if maybe Danny wanted to switch rooms.”

Sam doesn’t even look up from putting his shirts into a drawer as he chuckles a bit. “Why would you do that?”

Your face scrunches in embarrassment. You’re not sure why you’re embarrassed about this discussion. It’s just Sam. Just your best friend who you are hopelessly falling for and now have to share a bed with. Not a big deal at all.

“Just wanted to give you options, that’s all,” you say a little too defensively, praying that he couldn’t see the pink blush starting to cover your face.

“I think you’re trying to get away from me. I can’t stop you from taking the couch, but I promise I really don’t mind if you sleep with me. In fact, I think I’d like it if you joined me.” Sam flashes you a smile as he finishes unpacking. With that he walks out of the room, leaving you to internally panic about what his words could possibly imply. Was he just flirting with you? Or perhaps it was just your feelings muddying his statement.

Fingers tug on the hem of your shirt, startling you out of your panicked daze. It’s Jake inquiring if you’ll come out to swim with everyone since it’s ‘hot as balls outside.’ Not giving you an option to say no - or to even give him an answer, he makes his way over to the door and slams it shut. Rolling your eyes at the loud noise, you head over to your bags, silently thankful you brought your good bikini. Lifting up your shirt in hopes of changing into the swimwear sooner than later, you found yourself being interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Startled by the intruder, you whip around at a lightning speed to find Sam and Danny casually standing in the doorway.

“Don’t you guys know how to knock?” you huff out at the boys.

“Sorry, we didn’t expect you to be changing already. Sammy boy just needs to grab his trunks,” Danny speaks softly, shooting you an apologetic smile as he makes his way into the room sitting down on the bed. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be frozen in his spot. Geez, what is up with him today.

“You going to come in or are you going to keep standing there like a creep?” Danny chuckles out at Sam. It worked. You watch Sam as he keeps his eyes on the floor, heading over to the dresser, reaching in one of the drawers and pulling out his favorite pair of red bottoms.

“I…Sorry. C’mon Danny. Let’s go downstairs.” Sam ignores your eye contact and walks over to the long haired curly man sitting on the bed, pulling him by his shirt sleeve over to the door and making sure to close it.

Deciding not to think about the way Sam was acting, you quickly change into the baby blue and white floral print bikini. Standing in front of the mirror, you take a second to study your reflection. This swimsuit was new and if you were being honest with yourself, you were absolutely terrified to bring it at first. After all, this was supposed to be a ‘family trip’ and you didn’t want to have Sam’s parents look at you in an ill mannered light. Why would they? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact your boobs were practically spilling out of the cups and the bottoms are leaving little to the imagination.

You couldn’t help but to have some insecurities cross your mind when you thought about if Sam would like this specific suit on you. Sure, you’ve been around him countless times in the water, but you always wore a one piece. After graduating high school, you felt yourself trying to be a little more bold in your outfit choices. Not to mention that Sam always likes his girls to be on the skinnier side and you just so happened to be a little bit more curvy. Fuck it, what do you have to lose. You trot down the stairs, slowly building up more and more courage to walk out to the lake where you could see the four boys splashing around through the window.

“Ooh mama! Looking good!” Josh yells as you approach the lake, making the other three boys turn around to take a glance at your form.

Their watchful eyes make you feel bashful, especially after Sam’s weird reaction in the bedroom. You try to fight the urge to cover your body up but it’s slowly winning. Every dip, bump, and stretch mark suddenly feels like a neon sign that reads, ‘Look at me! I’m insecure!’. Feeling defeated, you grab your towel and begin to wrap it around your torso as walk slowly to the beach.

The sun’s rays are vicious. Sweat is already beading at your brow and the tops of your shoulders feel hot. A small breeze ripples through the trees and gently caresses over your heating skin, giving slight relief.

“Put your towel down! Get in!” Danny calls out as he splashes water at an unsuspecting Jake. This earns him a punch to the shoulder and a small grumble.

You hesitate, insecurities still running wildly through your mind. What if they laughed at you? What if Sam was disgusted by your flaws? You knew you wouldn’t be able to handle that.

“Hey, let me see you,” Josh encourages. “I’ve never seen that bathing suit on you before. Is it new? Do a little twirl for me!”

“It’s just a bathing suit,” Sam bites at his older brother. This makes you clutch your towel tighter to your body and cast your eyes to the sand. You knew it. Sam thinks you look hideous.

Watching the boys in front of you - you couldn’t possibly think of actually going into the water and exposing yourself to them. You know that Sam takes after his older brothers when it comes to finding his type in women.

Plopping down into the grass and giggling to yourself, you watch as Josh rolls his eyes and smacks the back of his younger brother’s head.

Trudging through the shallow water in your direction, he lifts his chin as a beckoning gesture. “C’mon, Bug. Get in the water.” Your knuckles were practically white from how hard you were gripping the towel now that Josh was stalking through the sand.

“Josh, I don’t feel like it.”

“I will carry you in there if I have to.”

“You and I both know that’s not a possibility,” you spit out at him, trying not to let your insecurities show. Instead of replying, Josh moves even closer to you and starts looking like he was trying to figure out where to place his hands to hoist you up.

“No. No. No. Stop right there,” you protest.

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Just come into the water.” Josh looks to you with pleading eyes. Fuck those, baby cow eyes get you everytime. Reluctantly nodding your head, you get up - but not without making sure the only thing keeping your sanity was wrapped around you securely.

“You won’t need that in the water,” Josh hums at you as he takes your hand in his, leading you over to the dock.

“I know. I just want to leave it on the dock.” He looks like he doesn’t want to believe you at first, eyeing you suspiciously, but ultimately choosing to drop the issue at hand.

While you’re distracted with Josh, Sam’s eyes are glued to the two of you. What the hell is he doing? Why are his hands on her like that? Sam didn’t care that you were friendly with his brothers. He actually loves that you get along with them, but his fear was steadily coming to fruition. You were his person and his brothers seemed to have no problem robbing you from him just as they did with Daniel.

As he watches you sit on the edge of the dock he hopes and prays you’ll look at him, but only sees your eyes follow Josh’s form into the water. His chest tightens when Josh grabs your legs. “What are you doing?” you panic slightly. The older twin simply gives you his widest smile before pulling you into the depths.

The lake is colder than you expect it to be and it shocks the air from your lungs. It’s a good few seconds before you can let out a screech at Josh. He clutches you tightly to him, not caring that you’re desperately grabbing at the sopping fabric of your security blanket as it drifts away with each of his movements. “See? Not that bad, huh?”

He was right. Being submerged covered you in a way and it felt nice to cool off. “Okay,” you break. “It’s not horrible, but you’re a real dick for pulling me in.”

Sam can’t stand seeing his older brother’s hands on you. They way they hold you so delicately. It feels far too intimate to Sam. There’s this horrible clawing in his stomach that pulls him to the shore and up to a grassy area, listening to your giggles as you splash around. Having fun without him.

Your eyes finally drift over to Sam when you notice him get out. Water droplets cascade over his tan skin like rivulets and his thin frame is stretched out to soak up the sun. He’s completely in his element. You think he looks most beautiful like this. Sam has always loved nature - he begs you to come on mini hikes that turn into impromptu picnics of trail mix and granola bars, long trips to the beach where you spend your day swimming and kayaking, hell, he even loves it if you just come lay in his hammock with him.

“Alright! Me and Danny will be partners, so that leaves you and Josh,” Jake declares. You tear your eyes from your best friend and look to his older brother - that honestly could be his twin - to give him a questioning look. Jake rolls his eyes. “I just said we’re playing chicken.”

The insecurities begin to creep back into your mind and you quickly glance to the sunbather only feet away.

“Stop that,” Josh murmurs. “Climb on my shoulders. I’ll swim under water.” You don’t know how he knows what you’re thinking, but you don’t have too much time to question it before he’s swimming between your legs and hoisting you into the air. The curly one lets out a warm chuckle as he hears the shriek leaving your lips. You think you see Sam start to sit up as he sees his older brother securing his hands around your thighs even more- claiming it had something to do with ‘safety’.

“She’ll need all the safety she can get,” Danny teases. “Jake and I are gonna kick your asses!” “Are you sure about that? What if we have a plan?” You grip onto Josh’s hair, knowing you don’t have a plan. You just hope it’s something easy to go with. “Like a sneak attack! Get them!”

Josh lurches forward and your hands fly up to push at Jake’s taut shoulders. Surprisingly, his spontaneous plan does work and you manage to knock the opposing team over. Unsurprisingly, this lights a fire inside of Jake. The next half hour is constant games of chicken, switching teams, hitting the water a little too hard, but still no Sam. One final stinging slap against the small waves does you in. You put up your white flag and head to the beach, fingers and toes beyond pruny anyways.

“Decided to come join me?” The brunet sunbather mumbles as he senses your presence - eyes still closed.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“I always know when you're around.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” you mock him.

“Peter Parker has spidey senses and me? I have y/n senses.” Your best friend sits up, grabbing your hand and giving you a little tug. It seems like he was trying to get you to lay down with him, but you weren’t budging, the insecurities creeping back in. Sure, you’ve laid down next to Sam before, but that was then and this is now. Something about the air in between you two feels different. The only problem was that you weren’t sure if it was good or bad.

You try to pull your hand from his soft grip. “I’m gonna go grab another towel.”

“There’s room on mine,” he replies, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No there’s not.”

Sam wasn’t going to waste another moment. He needed to stake his claim in front of his older brothers, you’re his. Suddenly you feel the air leaving your lungs as you’re pulled downwards. Expecting to hit the ground, instead you are met with a soft groan and the feeling of hot skin.

“See? There’s room.” Opening your eyes from the sudden impact, you’re face to face with a tan chest. Slowly lifting your gaze, you see Sam with his eyes shut, smiling sheepishly at you.

“Sam, I’m on top of you.”

“I know, I like you like this.” Peeking an eye open, Sam was met with the visual of your mouth parted in shock, trying to find the right words to say. He could see the gears turning in your head. You felt the boy beneath you taking a deep sigh before parting his lips.

“Bug…don’t act so shocked.”

“Sam, just let me go please,” you try pleading with the man.

“No, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this….and now seems like the perfect moment.”

Trying to move yourself into a sitting position, you’re met with failure as sunkissed arms wrap around your back tighter, holding your body close to his. You could feel your chest getting tighter as the nerves course through you. He has no idea what kind of effect this is having on you and you really don’t want him to find out.

“Awww look at the love birds.” Of course Jake would have to ruin a moment like this.

“Yeah right,” Danny snorts. You hated to admit it, but that single laugh alone had you ready to cry.

“Shut up guys. You know it’s not like that,” you mumble, pulling yourself out of Sam's embrace. You swear that you see Sam’s eyes glaze over with hurt, but that quickly disappears with him chuckling and smiling.

“I’m hungry,” Jake whines, rubbing his stomach - looking over at his twin slowly making his way over to the group.

“That sounds like a you problem,” Sam grumbles as he sits up. What is up with his attitude today?

“No, it's Bug’s problem.” Jake makes a move towards you to grab your hand and hoist you up, but is stopped by his younger brother swatting his hands away. Josh and Danny let out eerie chuckles trying to ease the awkward tension that was forming.

“How is it my problem?”

“Cause I want one of your grilled cheeses.”

“I told you the re-“

“Zip it.” Jake grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet. “We can’t have Sammy knowing that I’m the only person you trust with the recipe. Think about how jealous he’ll get.”

The two of you start towards the house. “You know he heard that right?” You whisper to Jake as he loops his arm into yours.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing, Bug. Trust me,” Jake winks at you.

You grip his arm tighter and don’t speak until you’re in the safety of the kitchen. You find that Sam was right, the AC doesn’t work very well in this cabin.

“Alright, spit it out,” Jake says, not bothering to look at you while he grabs the ingredients. “I can see it all over your face.”

Other than Sam, you were the closest with Jake. When he was younger he was very quiet and wasn’t in your face like Josh was and you found comfort in that. He made you feel comfortable. That meant you could tell him the things you couldn’t tell Sam. As your feelings for Sam grew, Jake could see past your little unbothered facade. He’s been there through every up and down.

“I don’t know,” you groan and plop into a chair. “He’s just being so weird. One minute he’s normal and happy, then the next he’s moody and avoiding everyone. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you purposefully put Sam and I in the room with one bed. You’re setting me up.”

He laughs and flits about the kitchen preparing the meal for everyone. “I thought you’d appreciate that. You could always share with me.”

Flipping him the bird didn’t feel like it would be enough, so you throw a random pair of socks that you see balled up on the floor at his head. He ducks and lets a belly laugh fill the room. “Come on, y/n. It won’t be that bad. I really was just trying to help you out. How about this,” he sets an old, worn spatula on the counter and approaches you. “I’ll help you this week. We’ll get Sam to notice you the way you want him to.”

You eye his outstretched hand. This could potentially end your friendship with Sam if it goes badly, but you decide you couldn’t pretend much longer. So you grasp Jake’s calloused hand, putting all of your trust into this shake. “Deal.”

———————-

After some much needed food and a couple of beers, the boys decide that it would be a good time for them to go down to the pier and do some fishing. You opt to read the book that’s been sitting in your bag forever, figuring you could sit on the front porch so you have a perfect view of the boys on the dock. ‘Life can’t get better than this,’ you think and let out a big sigh. The buttery beams of the sun wash over you, bringing the feeling of sleepiness that you knew oh so well. Hours must’ve passed, you found yourself waking up to the feeling of someone trying to pry the book out of your hands.

“A Court of Roses and Thorns? I didn’t know you read fantasy,” Sam smiles in small victory when he peels the book away from you, closing it and moving it to the table beside the chair.

“I know, I usually read nonfiction but I’m trying something new. Don’t hate,” you mumble to him as you slowly stand up from the chair, stretching out your back in the process.

“Hate on you? I could never,” Sam whispers. It was almost as if he was terrified of you hearing the little confession that left his parted lips.

“How long have I been out?”

“Well, considering it’s dark now, I’m gonna say about a few hours.” You look the boy over and see that he put his hair back into a low bun. You were always a sucker for that hairstyle. You take advantage of Sam being quiet and study his face some more. He looks good. It was only day one of this vacation and the sun gave him a kissable tan. You weren’t sure how you’d be able to survive the rest of the six.

“So...what do you think about a movie night?” Sam suggests, throwing you a side smirk when he notices that you were checking him out. You silently thank god that it’s dark out, you didn’t want Sam to see how flushed your cheeks are.

“With your brothers?”

“No. Just you and me. Jake said he wants to have a bonfire,” he points towards the direction of the small pit that sits in the middle of some thoughtfully placed chairs.

“I mean, sure. Yeah, we can do that.”

A loud voice nearly has you jumping out of your skin. “Nope. Nada. Not happening. You have to be joking with us. I don’t want to be an uncle yet,” Jake bursts through the door of the cabin, protesting the movie night idea. Casting a glance over to Sam you see him rolling his eyes. You could tell he was starting to get fed up with his brothers interrupting everything.

“Jake, c’mon. It’s gonna be so comfy inside. Can’t I join you guys tomorrow?” You ask the man, with a little bit of confusion lacing your voice. He was supposed to be helping push you and Sam together, not keep you two separated. He gives you a look that lets you know you won’t be winning that battle, so you let the older man drag you over to the pit where the other two boys were standing. Looking over your shoulder, you could see Sam trudging behind you, obviously not wanting to participate tonight. Maybe he was hoping just to have alone time with you.

“Bug, we’ll make you a weiner!”

“Josh, I don’t want a hot dog right now.” Your body betrays you by letting out possibly the loudest stomach growl the group had ever heard.

“Clearly that’s a lie. Plus, we know how much you love sticking them in your mouth,” Danny tries to speak in between laughs. You could tell that he’s proud of himself for that joke.

“Relax, Sammy boy, no one’s gonna try to steal your girlfriend,” Jake teases as he slaps his back, trying to change his little brother’s mood. Based on what you could see through the flames of the fire, Sam’s face was red - beaming with frustration.

Sam seems to ignore his brother’s ‘girlfriend’ comment as he sits down in the seat directly across from yours, separated by the fire. Jake plops himself into the chair next to you, mysteriously pulling out an acoustic guitar.

“Where’d you get that?” you nod towards the guitar.

“Darling, I’m full of tricks,” Jake shoots you a wink, absentmindedly strumming the guitar. Looking around, you notice there was a black guitar case lined with a maroon velvet laying on the ground - instantly feeling dumb for asking him where got the acoustic from. If anyone knows Jake, then they always know there’s bound to be a guitar somewhere around him. Sure he was in college for business, but everyone knows being in a band was his true dream.

“Jake you gonna play us Wonderwall? Or tell us all about how you’re meant to be a rockstar?” Sam snickers at his brother. What has gotten into him today.

Sam was truly fed up with his brothers. Especially Jake. Every fear he ever had about bringing you to the lake had happened. Why couldn’t they just let him have something good for once? Sam had fully been planning on telling you about his feelings at multiple points in the day. He even made it obvious that he was being serious, but no one cared.

Looking across the flames, you sat in awe of your best friend. A pain forms in your chest as you think back to a certain night sophomore year where you were sat in the same position.

“Wooooo!”

“Sam, stop yelling! You’re gonna get us in trouble.”

“C’mon, Bug! Live a little,” Sam slurred at you, slinging his arm around your shoulder. He was drunk off the bourbon that his older brother just had to provide him with because it was ‘homecoming’. You rolled your eyes every time Jake said that. Maybe it was something that your parents engraved into your brain. God, you could hear the lecture from them already. Bitching at you for letting yourself be surrounded by ‘drunken idiots’.

You weren’t positive about the exact moment you started to like Sam, but one thing was for certain. This year you realized you were in love with him. It happened in between all the study dates, the late night texts and the random phone calls to see what you were up to.

But tonight? Tonight felt different. Granted, you guys were each other's dates to homecoming, but something just felt different. You couldn’t quite place what the emotion was. Maybe it had to do with the way you two slow danced tonight - your arms placed delicately around his neck, while his hands were wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. His toffee colored eyes staring into yours-giving you soft smiles all night, not to mention all the little touches and forehead kisses.

Your mind kept wandering back to those moments as you looked up at the man, watching the soft orange glow flicker across his face. His eyes were closed and he was starting to sway, you knew what this meant - you had approximately five minutes to get him up to bed or someone would have to carry him up there. You look around to see if there was anybody sober enough to help you get the lanky boy up the steps with no avail.

“C’mon, Sammy. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Bug, are you trying to seduce me right now?” Rolling your eyes, you let out a huff as the tall boy leaned more of his weight onto you, trusting that you would be able to get him upside and to bed safely.

“Sam, I know you're plastered, but you’ve gotta help me out here.”

“I always help you out. You’re my girl.”

You knew better than to believe his words, after all he was drunk and just rambling. Hearing the words ‘my girl’ was your downfall. You hated the way it made you blush. You silently thank god that you were able to make it into his room in one piece. After plopping the boy down onto the twin mattress, you were wondering how on earth you were going to get this boy changed. Finding a pair of sweats and grabbing a loose shirt, you turned around to find Sam standing in front of the bed.

“I thought I told you to stay on the bed.”

“Ooo. Bossy. I like it.” You knew he was a lot to deal with when he was drunk, but this was new.

“I’m not being bossy. I just want you to go to bed. I’m tired.”

“I don’t want to go to bed.”

“And why’s that?” You replied back, mocking the way he was whining.

“Cause you’re not gonna be here for me to cuddle.”

“Sam. Stop. You don’t mean that.”

“I do mean it,” Sam responded, stomping his foot like a two year old having a tantrum in the middle of a grocery store.

“No you don’t.”

“Stop telling me what I think,” he demands.

“Sammy, I know you. You don’t mean it. I’m not the girl you go for. Just please go to bed.” Your heart is aching with every word you speak.

“You can’t see it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve had a thing for you for the past two years.”

“No you haven’t,” you scoff. As much as you wanted to believe him, you just couldn’t.

“Yes I have,” he insists. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Sam, look at you and then look at me. We don’t go together.” Your arms were crossed and your eyes found purchase on anything but him. His gaze never let up.

“Bug, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

“Please stop.” You could feel your breath slowly leaving your body as the young boy made his way to stand in front of you, placing a finger under your chin tilting your head up - silently begging for you to make eye contact with him.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Sam whispered as he licked his lips. He leaves your eye contact briefly to look at your lips and then looks back into your eyes. Closing your eyes trying to find the right words to say - you were interrupted when you felt a pair of chapped lips meeting your soft ones.

Not believing what was happening, you opened up your eyes, only to be met with the sight of Sam’s eyes still closed focused on the task at hand. Closing your eyes, you could feel yourself melting into the kiss and slowly kissing the boy back. Sam could finally feel you relaxing into him - taking it as a sign to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer, running his hands through your hair. Not pulling or tugging, he was just holding you there.

Sam shoved you away when he heard the wooden bedroom door being opened and slammed against the beige wall. Looking over at the intruder, you could feel your chest tighten up again when you saw that it was Sam’s other best friend.

“Did I interrupt something?” Danny quizzed the couple in front of him, noticing the swollen lips and rustled dress shirt.

“Nope,” Sam replied nonchalantly.

After going to the bathroom that night, you decided to crash out in the boys basement, not being able to find it in yourself to face Danny after he walked in on the tender moment in between best friends. Waking up the morning afterwards, it took a couple of minutes for the realization of what happened- Sammy kissed you. Not only that, but he told you that you were the most beautiful person he ever saw. How were you supposed to address this situation with him?

Part of you wanted to run for the mountains and never face him again. Realistically you probably could live off the grid - but that would never happen, your parents would forbid it. Deciding that you needed to just talk to him, to figure out where you guys stood, you found yourself climbing up the steps of the quiet house. Placing your hand on the doorknob to turn it, you stopped yourself upon hearing muffled voices on the other side of the door.

“So you kissed y/n last night?”

“Dude. I fucked up.”

“But I thought you liked her?”

“Y/n? No, I think it was just the alcohol talking.” You could feel your heart breaking in two as you registered the words being spoken.

“How are you gonna fix this?”

“I just gotta tell her that it was a mistake. It meant nothing. I regret it.”

If only you could be in the room and see the raven haired boy shaking his head at the lanky haired man laying on his bed hungover.

The sudden feeling of a warm hand squeezing your knee brought you back to reality. Following up the arm of the man touching you - you were met with Jake’s coffee irises giving you the same sad sympathy look he had given you the morning after the kiss. You didn’t mean for any of Sam’s brothers to get involved with your relationship with him, but it just happened. After hearing Sam say the word ‘regret’, you ran outside onto the back porch in hopes of calming yourself down.

Instead you were met with Jake smoking a cigarette and asking if you wanted to talk about it. Did you want to talk about it? It just so happens that your brain was telling you not to, while your heart had the opposite. You needed someone just to listen to you and the mysterious twin just happened to be there. That was the moment you and Jake became close. He held you as you cried - repeatedly telling you that his brother was a ‘fucking idiot’ and ‘if he doesn’t see how amazing you are, fuck him’.

After that much needed pep talk from Jake, you pushed your feelings deep down inside and kept things as normal as you could with Sam. Meanwhile you and Jake were growing closer, but it was nothing in comparison with his little brother - the only issue is, Sam doesn’t know that. You were unaware of the fact that there were countless times the boys had been fighting over you. Well, more like it was Sam screaming at his brother to leave you alone and to stop trying to ‘fuck you’. Jake would just look at him and give him a little smirk that would just push Sam over the edge.

Jake moved his hand from your knee as a twig snaps in the dense woods just feet away from the group. Everyone’s attention is focused on the sound and you could feel your heart rate pick up. “What was that?”

“Probably just a deer,” Sam mutters as he peers into the darkness of the foliage.

“What if it’s that killer?” Danny says all too casually. Your palms begin to sweat and you shoot him a death glare, challenging him to tell a cruel joke again.

“What, you didn’t hear about it? It was on every local radio station around here.”

Sam meets your eyes then looks back to Danny. “No, we didn’t listen to the radio on the way here. I had my road trip playlist going.”

“You know how he is. ‘The radio is too mainstream,’” you roll your eyes, quoting Sam perfectly.

Josh’s grin almost makes it seem like he could be the killer. “Oh, so you really don’t know then, huh? Well, when we got here we heard that there were several dead bodies found in the woods and the lake. They’d all been murdered.”

Your skin begins to crawl. You had just swam in that lake. The woods that once felt so serene now seem dark and foreboding. Like something was lurking, waiting for the right time to slip through the darkness and into the house of some poor, unsuspecting vacationers.

“That’s not funny,” you mumble.

Josh’s head snaps to you, looking near evil. “No, it isn’t. Not funny at all.”

“Cut the shit, Josh,” Jake scoffs. “Josh is just being a dickhead, but they are telling the truth. There were bodies found around here and they never found the killer.”

“What do you mean they never found the killer?” The hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt like something or someone was watching you through the trees.

“Guys, knock it off. You’re scaring her,” Sam orders and moves his chair to sit next to you. “Hey, they’re just being douchebags. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“All jokes aside, the story itself is true. They never found the killer.. Rumor has it, one lady was slaughtered. Completely butchered. I guess the killer left a blood trail, the cops followed it into the woods. It stopped after twenty feet….whoever it is….they know how to hide. There really were bodies found around here, about three miles north. But, I doubt anything will happen to us. He probably left town. Well, I’m hoping he did,” Danny attempts to comfort.

“Danny,” Sam reprimands.

While you’re appreciative of Danny’s efforts, your stomach is queasy with fear. You don’t feel happy and carefree anymore. The moon shining down on the lake isn’t comforting like it once was, it’s ominous and holds secrets. The blowing wind seems like small whispers filled with said secrets.

“Can we go inside?” you ask quietly, eyes frantically scanning your surroundings. Feeling a hand cover your own, you recognize it immediately as Sam’s based on the way a crooked pinky finger is grazing against your own.

“Hey, it’s okay. We can go in,” Sam murmurs as he laces your fingers together. It doesn’t take more than a small tug to get you out of your seat and heading towards the house. The rest of the guys decide to join you, hastily cleaning up their mess.

“Now you two can have that movie night,” Jake ribs. “We’ll be joining you, though.”

Josh immediately launches into a list of movie suggestions, but you can’t find it in you to care. Between the scare of the murders and the jumble of feelings for Sammy, you just needed to stare mindlessly at a screen for a while.

The boys settle on the movie Psycho. You’re not sure if they’re intentionally trying to be dicks or not, but your mind is too busy to scold them. After gnawing on the skin of your thumb for a solid fifteen minutes, Sam slings his arm around your tense shoulders. The room is dark save for the glow of the tv screen and lamp that was hardly ever turned off, everyone is quiet. It could’ve been one of those world stopping moments you had with Sam whenever he danced along the boundary of friendship and maybe something more. The atmosphere was all wrong though. With the tension in the air and Jake’s worried eyes glancing at you periodically, there was no way you could indulge in this sweet moment.

Halfway through the movie, Jake stands abruptly. “I don’t remember if I put the fire out.”

“It’s been long enough. It probably went out by itself,” Josh mumbles, almost entirely distracted by the movie.

“Do you really want to be responsible for a forest fire that could kill all of us? I’m going to check.”

He moves through the living room and grabs his pack of cigarettes before breezing through the door. Your gut twists at the thought of Jake going out there alone. What if that killer was still around?

You know you’re probably overreacting, but the sinking feeling in your chest wouldn’t let up, so you start to pull from Sam’s grasp. He only wraps around you tighter, shooting you a half smile.

“I wanna go with Jake,” you whisper, trying not to disturb the other two boys.

Sam’s full brows furrow, grasp still not letting up. “Why? He’s fine out there. We can see him through the window so we’ll know if something happens.” Standing your ground with a pointed look, the boy sighs and rubs your arm. “I would really like it if you would stay with me. I’ve missed you today.”

Oh. Your resolve melts a bit at his statement, some warmth returning to your heart. The puppy dog eyes he’s giving you are absolutely killer. How could you deny him? You sink back into your spot, safely tucked into his side and decide that Jake could wait until the movie was over. After all, you were being a little ridiculous about all of this.

But when the movie is over, Jake is no longer in sight. Anxiety nearly consumes you as you lift from the creaky old couch and press your nose against the dusty pane of the window closest to you. “Guys? Why isn’t Jake back? Why can’t I see him?”

Josh groans as he stretches out, foolishly opting to take a seat on the hardwood floor for the entire length of the film. “You know Jake. He’s probably off on one of his late night excursions.” The eldest joins your side after a moment, brown eyes scanning the darkness. “Look, he’s right there at the dock.”

There is a silhouette standing along the edge of the water at the beginning of the dock. It was far enough away that you couldn’t see any features, but the outline was there. You strain your eyes looking at the form. Was that Jake? You couldn’t tell.

“Are you sure?” you worry. “How do you know?”

Josh claps you on the back, an amused smile gracing his youthful face. “I’m his twin. I think I could pick him out of a crowd of probably like, a thousand.”

“Let’s go to bed, okay? You’ll see Jake in the morning.” Sammy comes up behind you wrapping his arms around your midsection pulling you away from the window and towards the stairs.

“None of you guys are going to check on him?” You ask them, trying not to be annoying but you just can’t shake this unsettling feeling in your gut.

“Bug, he’ll be okay. Besides, we have this cool thing called twin telepathy. I know when something is wrong,” Josh tries to reassure you.

“Y/n. He’ll be coming in at any minute. He’s gotta help me with the kayak’s tomorrow and you know he hates getting up early.” You took a deep breath continuing your journey up the stairs, trying to have faith in Danny’s sentence. Maybe I’m overthinking this. Deep Breaths y/n.

Sam left you in the bedroom alone for a total of five minutes to change before you found yourself calling out for him frantically - you’ve never heard the man move faster. At lightning speed Sam came crashing through the door searching for your figure. Nestled into the wall closest to the window, the boy could see your hands shaking uncontrollably. Stalking his way over to you, wrapping you up in his arms, whispering ‘you’re okay’ into your hair.

“S…Sam. There’s something in the woods over there,” you tremble into his chest, shifting all your body weight onto him, seeking as much comfort as you possibly could.

“Bug, there’s nothing out there.”

“Yes there is! I just saw the bushes move. There’s something out there watching us.”

“Y/n it’s pro-”

“Don’t tell me that it’s just a deer. It’s the killer Sam. I know it is,” you cut Sam off desperately. To be fair, your intuition never lied to you when it came to things like this. “We need to leave now.”

“Look at me.” He didn’t give you a chance to object as he put his fingers under your chin, firmly tilting your head up. “I will not let anything happen to you. Okay? I’m gonna kill the guys. They shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Well, I’m glad they did. Sam I'm not crazy, there’s someone watching us.” Your gaze returns to the forest. You know you saw something. You hadn’t imagined things like this before after hearing your fair share of campfire ghost stories. There was something different about this time. Something sinister. “Let’s go to bed okay? I think today’s just been long and we just need to sleep it off.”

“Okay,” you sigh and feel his hands tugging you towards the bed as you keep looking out the window. Your intuition was screaming at you to get out of there as fast as you could. Crawling into bed, you opted for the spot closest to the door incase you needed a fast escape tonight.

“Nuh-uh. Move over,” Sam grins, towering over your figure that’s already nestled into the sheets and slowly dozing off.

“I’m comf-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence. Move it missy. I need to be by the door.” Sam starts pulling the comforter away from you, acting like he was about to sit on top of you in hopes that he would make you giggle. He knew your mind was racing about the possibility of the killer breaking into the lake house - he needed to try to take your mind off of it, even just a little bit.

“Okay, okay. Bossy.” You find yourself starting to get nervous as the reality kicks in that Sam is laying next to you. Flinching as you feel his forearm rest against yours, you take it upon yourself to roll over onto your side, facing the wall. You couldn’t possibly bear to face him in such a moment that seemed as intimate as this.

If you were facing him, you would’ve seen the way that he was staring at you, having a fight with his inner monologue that told him to roll over and pull you into him, but he was scared - scared that it would ruin the friendship although Sam knew that this was his moment. Now or never. Everytime that he tried to tell you how he felt, one of his brothers had to interrupt the moment. Following his heart this time instead of his head, he pushes himself up against your back, throwing his arm over your midsection. Your eyes fly open at the action, you knew that you were going to be in close proximity - you just never expected this.

“Relax,” Sam murmurs into your ear. Fuck maybe he felt me tensing.

“I am.”

“No you’re not. Just let me hold you for a minute.”

“I’m going to go look for Jake,” you mumble, moving his arm off of you. Trying to find an excuse to get away from him. Thinking about how he must’ve drank in those five minutes you were parted, there was no way Sam was sober and speaking to you like this. Finally succeeding and moving his arm, you sit up, getting ready to crawl out of bed when you hear Sam letting out a groan behind you.

“Why are you so worried about Jake?” The boy explodes. Shocked by the sudden outburst, you turn around to find him sitting up, red in the face. He was pissed.

“Sam, he’s outside by himself.”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” At this point you were out of the bed making your way over to the dresser, looking for a sweatshirt to throw on before you went outside.

“I said bullshit, y/n. Just tell me that you’re into my brother instead of leading me on.”

“Instead of leading you on?” You whip around to face him, hands trembling from the confrontation.

“Wow. Do you need a hearing aid or something? Do you know how obvious it is that you like Jake? The way you’ve been hanging all over him since sophomore year? You’re supposed to be the person that’s closest to me, yet you still decide to go after my big brother. Newsflash, y/n, he’ll fuck you and leave!”

Sam’s posture is rigid, face and bare chest flushed with passion of the moment. You hate yourself for thinking he looks pretty.

“Sam, what are you talking about?”

“You’re fucking unbelievable,” Sam spits out at you in a venom laced tone.

“Me? Me? I’m the unbelievable one?”

“That’s what I just fucking said.”

You scoff and tug your sweatshirt over your head. You can’t believe what he’s saying to you. He had the audacity to call you deaf, yet didn’t realize just how blind he truly is.

“Tell me,” you seethe. “Tell me when I’ve been all over your brother, Samuel.”

He rattles off different instances, starting with sophomore year and how you suddenly grew close with Jake. He told you his perspective of those secret moments with the older Kiszka, not knowing you were actually lamenting over your own best friend. Sam suddenly grows quiet and his chest heaves. “I just wish I could be that person for you. I want that to be me. I have looked up to Jakey for so long - my entire life - and somehow I keep falling short. Even with you. I just want you to feel the same feelings I feel for you.”

Your lower lip trembles and your nails dig into the flesh of your palm. “Don’t,” you say through grit teeth. “Don’t say that to me. Especially when you regretted it so much last time.”

His honey eyes that are darkened with distress flick from the comforter to look into yours, pink lips shaping into a small ‘o’. He stares at you for a moment before whispering, “You heard that?”

“I had my hearing aids on that night.”

“Y/n…I didn’t mean it.”

“Please stay over there. Don’t come closer to me,” you plead with Sam as he gets out of bed and starts moving towards you. As much as you want the comfort of him holding you - you have to stand your ground and admit to him how much he destroyed you at that moment.

“Please...just listen to me.”

“You’ve got two minutes,” you bite, leaning back against the dresser and crossing your arms.

“I was fifteen. I was scared, y/n. My brothers would tease me about you being my secret girlfriend all the time and I just- I don’t know, Bug. There’s no excuse for it. I don’t regret our kiss at all. If anything, I regret not coming to you the next day and kissing you again…this time sober.”

You hate to admit it - your heart is aching as Sam expresses his feelings. Maybe this is the universe finally bringing us together.

“I came downstairs that morning looking for you. You know where I found you?” You shake your head at the man in front of you, trying to hold back tears as he makes his way slowly over. His large hands cup your face, gently rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks.

“I saw you outside with Jake. He was holding you…something I should’ve been doing, not him. I got closer to the screen door and I realized you were sobbing into his chest. I thought you regretted the kiss. I figured the tears were because you didn’t want me the way I want you, so I just pretended that it never happened. I stood by on the sidelines, hiding how bad I wanted you, y/n.”

“You want me?” You try blinking away the tears and Sam catches the single drop that rolls down your right cheek, gently wiping it away.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been in love with you for the past two years. Thanks for noticing by the way.” Sam presses his forehead against yours, letting out a soft chuckle.

“I’ve been in love with you too,” you whisper, looking into his honey irises.

“God, we’re idiots.”

Both of you softly laugh whilst staring at each other, trying to press this memory into your mind. You silently wish that you could see this look of love on his face everytime you close your eyelids.

“Hey, Sam?”

“Yes, bug?”

“Kiss me.” Your heart is pounding, but not in the uncomfortable way it had been for the last hour. Any worries you had are thrown out the window. Your mind is enveloped with Sam’s presence, his scent. He consumes you.

“Well, if you insist.” You find yourself closing your eyes as Sam leans forward, finally capturing your lips in his. It was short and sweet - nothing less than electric.

Pulling away, you two start giggling uncontrollably.

“Can’t believe we haven’t done that since we were fifteen,” he chortles and pulls you flush to his chest. His visage grows serious as he gazes down at you, strands of hair falling and framing his face. “I’m not gonna run away this time, I promise. This time I’ll show all of them that I love you and that you are mine.”

The electric feeling flows from your lips down to your toes at his confession. This situation didn’t feel real. “I believe you,” you whisper. “Now let’s go to bed.”

The two of you lay side by side, but quickly end up being wrapped in each other. You’re almost certain that you’re flying, floating through some dreamland that only your brain would cruelly make up. You’re terrified that you’ll come crashing to the ground and none of this will be real. But in the morning, he’s still there. His soft locks are splayed around him after having fallen out of his bun in the night. Supple lips are parted as gentle breaths escape him. He’s an angel. You decide you wouldn’t leave his side until he woke. This is the perfect time to admire him uninterrupted.

“You know it’s rude to stare right?” You flush with embarrassment knowing that you just got caught in the act.

“Sorry.”

Sam grins, looking down at you laying on top of him with your face as red as a tomato. He loves watching you get flustered.“Why are you apologizing? I didn’t say I hate it.”

“How’d you sleep?” you mumble as you tuck your head back into his chest, wrapping your arms around him and squeezing tight. You couldn’t believe that this is real. Sam is yours.

“Really?”

“What?”

“We’re doing small talk now?” Sam giggles.

“I’m nervous. I don’t know what to say.”

“Stop. It’s just me, Bug. I told you last night I'm not going anywhere.”

You open your mouth to reply, but you’re cut off by the sound of pans hitting the floor and a loud ‘fuck!’ from the kitchen. Both of you laugh out loud at Josh’s exclamation.

“We should probably go down there.” You pull yourself from his arms and slowly make your way over to the door, pausing to look back at the god-like man in bed. “You coming?”

Sam moans out a small protest. “Why? We can stay here. We don’t need to interact with them.”

“He’s gonna burn the house down without supervision. You can stay here, but I’ll be damned if we all die in a house fire,” you joke and head out of the bedroom. It’s only a few seconds before you hear the padding of feet behind you and a set of bony fingers rest on your hips. He presses a kiss to your hair and descends the creaky stairs.

“Morning,” Josh grins as he spreads out ingredients for a large breakfast. “Day two at Camp Kiszka! How are you feeling?”

You steal a glance at Sam, forcing back a secretive smile. “I’d say we’re feeling pretty good.”

Before Josh can even ask why, the screen door is slamming open. Danny rushes in, looking pale and frantic. That same dreadful feeling from last night returns and his expression sends shivers down your spine.

Sam steps forward. “Dan, what’s wrong?”

Danny stands there shaking and wide eyed then nearly chokes over his words. “J…Ja..”

“C’mon, Danny, spit it out!” Josh moves beside the six foot man, slapping him on the back.

“Jake’s dead.”

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