A Moment in the Cabin

Uncomfortable Conversations

Hello hello! This is the last third person chapter before it will change to first person.

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I have never been a nervous person, but in that moment, I feel like my stomach is full of butterflies. And not the good kind. All the pep-talking Rose gave me last night seemed to have dissipated and now I am rendered down to a bundle of nerves. I paced slowly outside the door to the guest suite that Abe Mazur was staying in, and I promised Rose I would meet her at the Cabin at midnight.

I raised my hand and knocked on the door twice before stepping back slightly to wait for a greeting. I took a deep breath to calm my heart rate when the door swung open to reveal Janine. I was slightly taken aback at the fact that Janine was dressed in jeans and a button up blouse. "Guardian Belikov, please come in."

I nodded politely and stepped into the suite, following her further into the room. Abe sat on the couch like he owned the place, a coffee in his hand and a peculiar look on his face. I glanced down to see another coffee cup on the table with a smudge of a pale lipstick and another glance around the room made me notice a duffle bag set just outside a door that lead to the main bedroom.

"Sit," Abe said as he gestured to the loveseat across from him. I sat down and looked at him blankly as Janine sat down beside him. If they were "acquaintances" I would have expected Janine to sit at the other end of the couch, but she sat down close to him – as close as Rose sits next to me when we are in the cabin.

"Would you like a coffee?" Abe asked. "No, thank you," I replied politely, and I moved my eyes to Janine and then back to Abe.

"What is it exactly you would like to talk about?" I added a moment later. Abe sipped his coffee and eyeballed me over the rim of his mug. "Well, about Rosemarie of course," he said jubilantly. He set the cup down on the coaster on the table and laced his fingers together, crossing his ankle to rest on his opposite knee.

I lean back into the cushion and observe the two of them closely. Rose clearly favours Abe's features. Strong cheekbones, almond skin, deep brown eyes that look black, and thick brown hair. But you can clearly see Janine in Rose too. The curls in their hair, the eyes, and the stone glare that Rose used to give me when I told her to do laps.

"What we want to know is what is happening between the two of you. After Rose's reaction in during the rescue mission, I have concerns," Janine said bluntly crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at me.

It also is clear that Rose gots her forwardness from her mother. I contemplate how to tell them that we are close, without telling them we are together. "We have a good friendship, but her reaction during the mission is not something I can comment on."

Janine blew air through her nose noisily and gritted her, her nostrils flaring. "There has to be more to it. You must know something else," she said bluntly, and I sighed. This was not going to be a fun conversation.

I flicked my eyes back to Abe to see an intrigued look on his face. "Rose and I are friends when we aren't in training. We became friends after Spokane. I can't explain Rose's reaction, but I can assume it was because she didn't want to lose anyone else," I explained, hoping that it was enough. I hated lying, but I couldn't come out and tell them the truth. Janine seems to be unconvinced.

"Maybe you should ask Rose herself, Jean. It was her how ran back into the caves, not Belikov," Abe said, placing a hand on Janine's shoulder and she shook it off. Janine turned and glowered at him as her phone rang. She picked it up from the coffee table and excuses herself from the room to answer it.

The moment the bedroom door closed; Abe's demeanour changed. "I know exactly what is going on between the two of you. And I don't approve," he stated bluntly and I scoffed.