Tangled in Thorns | A Luke Castellan Story

Chapter 10 - Confessions

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Sitting in my cabin, I tried to focus on the book in my lap, but my mind kept wandering back to the kitchen. The awkward encounter with Luke replayed over and over in my head, and I couldn't shake the weird feeling it left behind. 

The door creaked open, and my heart skipped a beat. I looked up to see Luke standing in the doorway, hesitating like he wasn't sure if he should come in. I quickly set the book aside, trying to look calm, even though I could feel the tension creeping up my spine.

"Hey," he said, his voice quieter than usual.

"Hey," I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral. I wasn't sure where this was going, especially after how strange things had felt between us earlier.

He didn't look at me right away, his eyes focused somewhere on the floor instead. "About earlier... I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I made things weird."

His apology caught me off guard, but I appreciated the honesty. "It's okay," I said, offering a small smile. "I think we both felt a bit off."

He nodded, finally looking up at me, though he still seemed unsure, like he was afraid of making things more uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess so. It's just... sometimes I don't know how to act around you."

His words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed, feeling a tightness in my chest. "I know what you mean," I admitted. "It's like there's always this... tension."

I couldn't believe I'd actually said it out loud, but there it was. The thing we'd both been avoiding.

Luke nodded again, slower this time, like he was really thinking about what I'd said. "Maybe we need to talk about it. Clear the air."

I hesitated, the thought of having that conversation making my stomach twist. But maybe he was right. Maybe this was the only way to finally figure out what was going on between us. I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I think we should."

When he smiled, just a little, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Maybe this was the beginning of something better, a way to finally make sense of whatever had been hanging over us. Maybe, for once, things wouldn't feel so weird.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Luke's POV :

As I left Rosalynne's cabin, the door clicking shut behind me, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My heart was still pounding, the conversation we just had playing on a loop in my head. I felt like I'd just walked a tightrope and somehow managed not to fall, but I wasn't sure how long I could keep my balance.

The path back to my own cabin was quiet, the evening air cool against my skin. I tried to focus on the familiar sounds of the forest, the crunch of gravel under my boots, the distant rustle of leaves, but all I could think about was her. That look in her eyes when she admitted there was tension between us. God, I've felt it too—every damn time we're together.

I jammed my hands into my pockets, my fingers curling into fists. I wanted to go back, knock on her door, and just... say it. Get it out there. But I knew that would be reckless, especially after the fragile progress we'd made just now. Still, the urge was almost overwhelming. The words were on the tip of my tongue the whole time we were talking. I don't know how I managed to hold them back.

I reached my cabin, but I didn't go inside right away. Instead, I leaned against the doorframe, staring out into the darkening woods. I've never been good at this kind of thing—talking about feelings, putting myself out there. But with Rosalynne, it's different. She's different. And I'm tired of pretending that I don't feel this way, tired of acting like everything's normal when it's not.