Elliot

This was never going to work.

I had never met someone as stubborn, temperamental, and infuriating as Reno. After almost two weeks living together, I was ready to throw myself off a nearby cliff. Well…maybe not myself. I was pretty fond of living, actually, despite how badly my life had gone. And I didn't want to throw him off either because that was the kind of felony charge that kept you behind bars forever, and as cute as I was, I didn't want to have to leverage that with one of the meanest guys in prison for the rest of my life.

"Can you please stop fucking singing all the goddamn time?" he groused from the bathroom.

"I'm humming," I corrected him with a grumble, looking down at the paper I'd been doodling on. "You don't hear me bitching when you start stomping around the place like a drunken ox."

"I do not!" he snapped, appearing in a cloud of steam. Which meant we were going to have to deal with even more heat trapped in the cabin. For someone who had grown up in Texas and had been in one of these cabins before, he certainly seemed overly fond of scalding showers.

More surprising was that he had stomped out with just a towel on. I'd yet to meet someone as…I don't know, paranoid? Self-conscious? Whatever it was that motivated him, the guy was downright careful to make sure he didn't walk around in anything less than shorts and a shirt.

It wasn't exactly a source of pride that the one time I'd seen more of his skin than usual was when he woke up in the morning. Without fail, he would roll over to sit at the edge of his bed and stretch his arms as far up as possible with a low groan. Every time, his shirt rode up and gave me a flash of his stomach, showcasing just how taut the skin over his muscles was and the dark patch of red hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his sleep pants.

It wasn't a particularly strong source of pride because despite despising having to deal with his extra grumpy ass in the morning, it never failed to send a jolt of anticipation through me. It wasn't like I had gotten laid in the past few years, and before that, I had been…well, calling myself a slut would be a bit of a disservice to the person I was. It wasn't until I'd got locked up and talked to the prison shrink that I learned that apparently, ‘hypersexuality,' as he'd referred to it, was pretty common for someone with my diagnosis.

I wish I could claim prison had stopped that, but really, all it changed was that I didn't act on my desires. There was no way I was going to risk having any ‘relationship' with someone behind bars. That was asking to become free game to anyone looking for release. That was precisely why I'd kept my sexuality a secret. I still didn't think the people here were comfortable with the idea of the guys getting involved with one another.

Not that I was ever going to contemplate having anything like that with Reno, of all people. Even if I was taken off guard by the sight of him with only a tiny towel wrapped around his waist. Not even when he still had water clinging to his pale skin as he scowled at me. Not when I could see just how thick his arms were, see the entire stretch of his wonderfully flat stomach. And not even when I found myself wondering what it would look like if that poorly knotted towel happened to slip and?—

Right, I was going to stop those thoughts right now because the last thing I needed was to get hard. Well, harder than I already was. I could feel myself stiffening. Considering I was still in the thin sleep pants they provided, that was asking for trouble. That was all I needed, for him to see me getting hard, and then we'd have another complaining fit on our hands. Well, my hands, anyway.

"Did you come out here to give me a strip show?" I asked because I knew that would stop him in his tracks and make him aware of what was going on.

Sure enough, he stopped, his mouth still open as he looked down at himself. Absurdly, I watched his face redden before he whirled around. For one moment, the flap of the towel flew up from the force of his turn, and I caught just the briefest glimpse of his bare ass, which seemed to be somehow paler than the rest of him. I also did my best not to notice that the front of his towel bulged quite nicely, just like it did when he was wearing the same thin sleep pants we all did at night.

"You're a fucking child, you know that?" he called from the bathroom.

"Don't stop on my account," I called back with a grin. "I wasn't complaining."

"Pervert."

"Just horny."

"Fuck me."

"I mean?—"

"Stop!"

I chuckled, sensing I was dangerously close to his limit. That was at least one good thing I'd gained from living with him for a couple of weeks. It wasn't like it was hard to irritate or piss him off, but the real trick was learning when I might be pushing him too far. So far, I hadn't actually gone that far, but there had been a few moments when I thought I was dangerously close.

And well…maybe, just maybe, I was getting a little amusement out of constantly poking him. A good idea? Probably not, but I dared anyone to deal with him as much as I did and not be tempted to poke the bear. It wasn't even that he made it too easy, which he did. Eh, it was just enjoyable because he could get so mad without actually doing anything, and it made me feel a little better, getting some of my aggression out by teasing him.

Or maybe he was right, and deep down, I just wanted to be annoying.

The thought made me grimace, a lifetime of shame and guilt catching in my thoughts. I had to admit that he didn't necessarily welcome someone treating him with compassion or kindness, but that didn't mean I had to take every opportunity to poke and prod at his nerves, either. Which would be an impactful thought if I hadn't already told myself that a dozen times in the past couple of weeks.

Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to at least try. "So…what are we doing today?"

"What?" he called from the bathroom irritably.

"What are we doing today?" I called back, rolling my eyes because it wasn't like he could see me while he hurriedly got dressed. "You know, because we're being forced to glue ourselves to one another by the highest of powers, remember?"

"I don't know who told you being sarcastic counted as funny or cute, but you need to stop listening," Reno grumbled as he walked out of the bathroom. And if there was a slight twinge of disappointment that he had covered himself up, then it was so small I could ignore it and pretend it had never existed.

"My mommy told me I"m very special," I said with a wide grin that was nowhere near genuine.

"Did she really?" he asked doubtfully.

I was surprised he didn't take the opportunity to mock me or throw out some witty insult that led me to answer, "No, she died when I was seven."

"Oh…Dad?"

"Technically alive, but he all but died when she did."

"Huh?"

I shrugged, already wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. "He went to work, paid the bills, made sure there was something resembling food in the house, and always kept a stock of beer. And if I was lucky, he would remember he had a son who needed more than ramen and bologna or a bed to stay in."

Reno's face, as I'd learned, was hard to read. He still looked pissed while he stared at me for almost thirty seconds without saying a word. I had no idea why the hell he could be mad at me except that I'd been honest. I mean, he'd asked, and even as oblivious as I could be, I knew if you asked people about their past around here, chances were high you weren't going to get a happy answer.

I sighed, looking away. "I'm not expecting you to comfort me or even feel bad for me. You asked, I answered."

"Huh," he grunted, looking away. But not fast enough that I didn't detect what looked like relief on his face. Jesus, was this guy so against the idea of compassion that being let off the hook was a relief? Hell, maybe it was a sign of some progress on his part that he might have felt like he needed to show something softer.

"And you don't have to tell me that I shouldn't come crying to you either," I added for good measure.

"I wasn't going to say that," he said with a sullen shrug.

"Oh…alright."

"Right."

I had to resist the urge to repeat his words back at him and sighed. "Alright, so we've got that covered at least. So, uh…what are we going to do?"

He stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Don't ask me, Elliot. You're the social butterfly. I could sit around here all day and read."

I wrinkled my nose. "That sounds about as much fun as taking a kick to the head from one of the horses."

"I said I could do it…by myself. Trying to do that with you stuck in here with me would make me want to commit a worse felony than the one I'm here for," he said.

"This is where you say it's because I'd drive you to murder."

"I didn't think it needed to be said out loud, but sure, whatever."

"Well," I said, screwing up my face in thought. "Wait, it's the first Sunday of the month."

"Yeah, and?"

"And the ranch always has some sort of like…I don't know, workshop, activity, or whatever on the first Sunday of every month."

"What like…knitting?" he asked, raising a brow.

"What's wrong with knitting?"

"I didn't…is it knitting?"

I shrugged. "They haven't done knitting while I've been here, but Dom told me they've done it before. Which I don't need. I already picked it up before I came here."

Reno squinted at me. "You picked up knitting?"

"Again, what's wrong with knitting?"

"I…it just doesn't seem like your sort of thing."

"How's that?"

"Sitting there, in one place, doing the same thing?"

"You gotta expand your mind a bit," I said with a snort, rubbing my hand vigorously on one side of his head.

"Quit it," he grumbled, smacking my hand away with a little more force than necessary.

I grinned. "It's repetitive, but in a way that tickles the right part of my brain. So I can sit there and do it, keeping my hands busy, and my mind doesn't feel like it needs to make me start climbing walls."

I had never been able to predict what would and wouldn't grab my attention and hold it. Before coming here, I dreaded the idea of being put to work as laborious and intensely as I had here, and yet, it worked. Then again, I had always excelled in Phys-ed when I'd bothered to go to school…and participate in the class. Then again, maybe that shrink in prison had said something about exercise and sports being a good way to hone my energy…huh, I should find a way to pay better attention to things.

"Weird," he muttered.

"That's me," I said, wanting to reach out and ruffle his hair again but stopping short. I'd been spending too much of my free time with him lately, and despite how much he annoyed the living hell out of me, I was clearly getting a little too comfortable with him. Maybe it would be better if I let myself have more time around other people while he brooded or read or…whatever. "Now, c'mon, I don't want to stand around here all day and stare at your grumpy mug."

"No, you'd rather perv and stare at my ass," he said with a shake of his head.

"You know, for someone with such a bad temper, you really should start swinging at me if you believed that," I said, unsure if it was a good idea to goad him in that direction. Some guys could get really touchy if they thought another guy was even thinking about making a move on them, let alone a genuine suspicion. "Are you comfortable with the idea that I might be checking you out while also freaked out about the idea that I might take a peek?"

"Or maybe I'm not stupid enough to get pissy because someone's trying to fuck with me."

"And who says I'm not trying to take a peek?"

He stopped as he bent to grab his book from his bed, peering over at me. I was too surprised to laugh like I might have normally at the bewildered look on his face. "Why the fuck would you want to see that?"

Approximately two dozen answers flit through my head at his confused question, ranging from ‘Have you seen yourself?' to ‘Well, I am into guys, and you are a guy, so…' but somehow, I didn't think any of them were quite appropriate for the conversation. It felt like I'd just stumbled onto something private. It didn't feel like he was upset about the idea just…didn't grasp why I would even look his way.

"I…do you…" I began and then stopped quickly before committing to whatever was about to come out of my mouth. But seriously, was he completely oblivious to how he looked? Sure, his personality and general attitude left a lot to be desired, but the physical? C'mon, the guy could not possibly be that dense. "Seriously?"

"What?" he asked, anger coming back into his voice with a note of defensiveness. "What the fuck is wrong with you now?"

Wow, either he was a better actor than I thought, or he really didn't see it. Weird. "Uhh, nothing. Grab your book, and let's go before you hurt yourself thinking too hard."

He hesitated a moment longer, staring at me before snatching up the book with a disgruntled snort. I was relieved he'd decided to let the topic drop. His tendency to avoid talking about…well, anything actually, but anything meaningful worked in my favor. The last thing I needed was for him to start probing into why I might find a reason to check him out.

Not just because I knew myself well enough to know I would probably end up blurting something completely inappropriate. That definitely was a motivator. I'd learned that if I wanted to avoid saying the wrong thing, the best action I could take was to avoid situations where that would happen in the first place. I also didn't need him to realize that I had reasons and probably was checking him out when I got the chance.

Reno had resumed his normal brooding by the time we reached the Big House, where most activities and events tended to occur. This time, instead of nothing and an impromptu wrestling tournament, there was a tent. It was a large, white eye sore, probably that color to reflect the heat, and I could already hear large fans blowing at each entrance, funneling air through.

"Ooh, and what do we have here?" I wondered as I hurried forward.

"You're like a little kid," Reno grumbled behind me.

I gave him a smirk. "Look, I like doing things with people, and I like learning new things. Plus, I missed out on the last event."

"Why?"

"I was given a double shift."

"On a Sunday? What the hell did you do?"

"Played a prank on Leon."

Reno scoffed. "He doesn't seem like the type to be spiteful…depending on the prank."

"It…wasn't that bad," I said slowly.

"Uh-huh."

"It wasn't! I just…didn't count on Mona being there when it happened."

"What did you do?"

I wasn't going to fess up. He could find out from someone else if he wanted to know. Yet, to my disappointment and frustration, that was the moment Dom chose to step out of the tent, grinning to show he had clearly heard the conversation and was more than willing to supply the information.

"Don't," I groaned.

"Someone got ahold of some syrup and a bunch of feathers to dump on Leon after Leon had given him a week of extra duties. But he didn't know Mona was coming through the door behind him."

"You…tarred and feathered Mona?" Reno asked in wonder.

"It was syrup!" I complained. "Just…syrup. It washes off."

"Christ, I know you can be annoying, but I didn't know you had a death wish," Reno muttered with a shake of his head.

"I didn't know she'd be there!" I moaned.

"And Mona had just bought that outfit," Dom told Reno with an unmistakable note of glee. "I honestly thought she was going to dump him in a shallow grave."

"Fucking hell, please tell me I don't have to add making sure you don't pull stupid stunts like that to the list of shit I have to worry about?" Reno asked.

"No!" I said quickly, ignoring Dom"s curious glance. I hadn't bothered to give him details about why I'd been paired up with Reno. I meant to, but I just hadn't found the time. "I learned my lesson. No more pranks."

"On them anyway," Dom muttered, rubbing his forehead. "C'mon. They're still going strong in there."

"What's today's fun activity?" I wondered, not caring if I still sounded like a kid. If I had to live with gremlins in my head, at least I could get some wonder and excitement from them. I wasn't convinced it balanced anything out, but at least there were some positives.

"Believe it or not, whittling," Dom said with a snort, ducking under the tent's entrance with Reno and I following.

"No shit," I said, and sure enough, there were tables and chairs, most of which were occupied. Everyone seemed to have a chunk of wood in their hands, though some were a lot smaller than others, while other guys looked like they'd only just started. They all had knives and wood shavings littering the table and ground around where they sat. "Who's leading this one?"

"That'd be me," Leon said from the end of one table, where he sat with?—

"Jesus," I said, picking up the detailed, fluffy cat carving in front of him. There was also a cow, admittedly with bigger, doeier eyes than a real cow, which only made it cuter in my eyes. A half-formed one was still sitting in front of him, and if I were to guess, it was a person. "You, uh, really have this down."

Leon chuckled. "I've been here for a couple of years now. I picked it up a while back, and it has something to do with my hands."

"In your free time?" Reno asked doubtfully.

Leon smiled. "Even as a Tier Three…admittedly, that was back when my mentor kept an eye on me. Don't worry, we're not handing knives out to just anyone to carry around."

Reno grunted, but I liked to think I'd been around him enough to recognize the surprise on his face before it was buried under his regular sour expression. Clearly, he was surprised and probably annoyed that Leon had immediately caught on to what had been bothering Reno about the idea.

Not that I blamed him, even if everyone here was handpicked based on a lot of factors, that didn't change the fact that most of us had violent histories. I had to look at the group of guys to realize most of them had been here longer than me, which meant Reno was the newest arrival.

I wonder if they had denied certain people entry, but there were other mentors here, Dane sitting at a table and another whose name I couldn't remember. They had one block in their hands, barely touched, which probably meant they'd been paying more attention to everyone else.

"Come, sit. I'll give you the basics and let you loose," Leon said, gesturing to two nearby chairs.

"I'm good," Reno grunted, holding up his book. "I'm just here because I have to be. I'll read."

Leon smiled as he nodded. "By all means. But Elliot, if you're going to be doing this, you're definitely getting some pointers. The last time I let you use a sharp object, you sliced your hand open."

"Of course he did," Reno muttered as he walked off, shaking his head.

"I've learned my lesson," I called after him. "Cut away from the body!"

Reno said nothing, just shook his head before finding a corner that wasn't full of people. I expected him to yank a chair over, but to my surprise, he found a clear space and sat down, legs crossed.

"I've never seen him do that before," Dom noted, cocking his head. "Normally he just stands as far from people as he can without being obvious and glares at everyone."

Despite agreeing with the comment, I couldn't help but feel a flash of annoyance as I sat beside Leon. "Probably because he has to be here. Otherwise, he'd be in the cabin. Just let him do his thing."

"It wasn't like I was planning on going over and trying to make best buddies with him," Dom told me with a frown before turning to someone in the chair next to me. "Hey, move it."

"And people say I have no social graces," I said with a sigh as the guy got up without question. It always amused me how terrifying people found Dom. Sure, he was big, had a booming voice, and generally looked like he was just waiting for an excuse to break someone in half, so I could see why. On the other hand, I'd been around him for months, and I knew damn well he wasn't going to hurt anyone without a really good reason.

"Because you don't," Dom said with what counted as affection from him. "I'm incredibly charming and loveable, and people do what I want because they like me."

"Or they're terrified you're going to cave their face in if they don't do what you want them to," I pointed out, glancing at Leon. Only to stop and raise a brow. "What is that look for?"

Leon's face, which had been curious and almost…soft, shifted immediately as he reached over and grabbed a block of wood from the box nearby. A small knife followed it. "Nothing. Now, here, let me show you what you need to do."

I quickly realized the guys around me were also paying attention, and I did my best to focus. That was a lot easier said than done because I'd always been a hands-on learner, but at least this way, I could pair his lecture with actually trying to whittle. I had no idea what the point of whittling was since the other workshops had included cooking, knitting, and sewing, all handy skills, as they'd pointed out. Maybe this one was just for fun?

It took almost twenty minutes, but I finally felt like I had a handle on what he was trying to tell me. Well, I understood what he was saying and had somewhat grasped it in practice. The problem was, ‘move with purpose' and ‘keep the image of what you're trying to do in your head at all times' wasn't exactly the most compelling advice, in my opinion. Still, Leon had done his best and the only thing I could do at this point was to keep trying and see what I managed to figure out.

And then my opinion of Leon took a hit when he rummaged in a bag and slapped down a box of bandages on the table before me. I glared at his retreating back. "Drama queen!"

Beside me, Dom chuckled as he worked at…a pig? "He knows what you're like. Remember when you almost took your leg off with that pitchfork?"

"My leg got stuck between the tines. There was no need for all the drama," I muttered. I was leaving out the part where internally I'd been screaming, wondering if I'd skewered my leg, but I couldn't feel it from the shock or something.

"And then when you got stuck on the fence."

"I learned not to wear my shirts so loose!"

"Thrown off a horse."

"Even Max said that wasn't my fault."

"I'm just saying accidents and injuries follow you around. Like that dirt cloud around that Peanuts character."

"Pigpen," I answered immediately before scowling. "Quit bullying me. I can't help it."

"If you paid a little more attention," he said carefully.

"Can we talk about something other than my fuck ups, please? I get reminded of those enough as it is," I said, knowing I was pouting but not caring. It was one thing when I was living with Dom and getting ribbed by him, but living with Reno had brought about a new level of antagonization for my mistakes.

"Alright," he said in a softer voice. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, hissing when I slid the knife wrong and almost took the tip of my finger off. I adjusted my grip, chiding myself for not being careful as I tried again. "I just…don't want to be picked at right now, alright?"

"Sure," he said again and then lowered his voice. "Is that asshole giving you hell or something?"

I should have known something like this would happen the moment I opened my mouth. As much as Dom could be gruff and enjoyed giving me shit, he always had a powerful protective streak when it came to me. I didn't take much offense, to be honest, he was probably more capable of taking care of himself than I was of myself, and it wasn't like it was condescending. And as an only child, there was something nice about having someone like a big brother.

"Not…really," I told him with a sigh, wincing when he continued to watch me. "Things haven't been easy, but they haven't been awful either."

"Are you going to tell me why they put you, of all people, with him?" Dom asked, arching a brow at me.

"I wish people would stop saying it like that," I whined quietly. "For two weeks, everyone keeps looking at me like I'm a dead man walking or we're the weirdest thing they've ever seen. Like, c'mon guys, give me a fucking break here."

Dom continued to look concerned as he focused on trying to round out the butt of his pig. "Seriously though, why you? Like, I'm not being a dick here, but…Reno isn't exactly known for being the most patient of people on a good day with anyone. And like…I like you, E, but you can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

"Didn't you say that's one of the reasons you like me?"

"No, you said that. I grunted."

"Which is Dom for ‘yes' if you listen."

Dom shot me a smile so full of fondness that I felt something warm inside me and began to squirm. It wasn't a look I got all that often from people. The first time he'd ever given that smile to me, I'd been convinced that if I wasn't careful, I'd fall head over heels for him. Luckily, that was quashed pretty easily the more I dealt with him. The guy was good-looking and made me feel special, but against all logic from every other time, a good-looking guy made me feel that way, there had never been the threat of that happening. It was a mystery I had yet to solve.

"Alright, maybe I like your weird ass just a little," he said with a chuckle. "But I also know what it's like to deal with you constantly. He doesn't strike me as the most patient and understanding guy."

I glanced across the tent, checking on Reno. It was a habit I'd picked up early on after being placed in the same cabin as him. It was important to know just what level his lousy mood was at before I tried to talk to him. Honestly, as much as I knew I needed to be more aware of someone else before trying to talk to them, Reno just made it frustrating. I constantly felt like I had to walk on eggshells to ensure I didn't get my head ripped off mid-conversation.

For anyone who hadn't spent the past couple of weeks needing to learn to evaluate the annoying nuances of his perpetual scowl, he would have looked like his usual pissy self. Yet even with him sitting down and leaning forward, concealing the hunched shoulders and tense arms that gave away the foulest of his moods, I could see he was steadily getting more pissed.

There was no way he could hear Dom and me. We were too far away and talking too quietly. I also knew he could block out most things when he was reading, which had turned out to be a blessing for both of us, so it couldn't be the noise. No one else was talking to him either. So why was the shadow on his brow getting darker, and why did it look like he was about to rip his book in half?

"He's…not," I said, trying to yank my attention back to the conversation. I wasn't any closer to solving the mystery of Reno's foul mood, and I didn't want to draw Dom's attention to it either. "But…I don't know. I guess he's finding it a bit?—"

"A bit?"

"Like…we're not constantly on the edge of killing each other. So I mean, that's gotta be some improvement or a good sign, right?"

"You told me Leon put you with him as punishment."

"That…isn't exactly what I said," I told him quietly. "Although putting us together would probably be a pretty good punishment for both of us."

"I mean…that's the running theory with everyone right now."

"Oh boy, I should have known the rumors would start getting passed around. Seriously, felons are the worst gossips."

"I mean, you could make it stop easily."

"Yeah, by giving them what they want, the details. Well, tough, I'm not in the mood to tell everyone. Plus, pretty sure Reno would use that as another reason to find me annoying or weird or whatever he thinks of me."

"You know, for someone who says everything's going alright, it doesn't sound like everything is alright."

"It's just…difficult, is all," I admitted with a shrug. "We're two different people. And we don't get along. But we're being forced to live together. It was Leon's idea."

"Seriously? It sounds more like one of Mona's more wicked ideas," Dom said, looking across the tent. "Why does he look more pissed off than usual?"

"I have no idea. His face just…does that," I said with a shrug. "And yeah, it was Leon's. You should have seen them talking when they sat us down."

"You know, if you hadn't tried to fight Reno over that whole thing, this wouldn't have happened."

"First of all, I'm not fucking sorry. That was the cheapest of cheap shots and I'm not sorry at all that I told him off or was this close to fighting him," I shot back because it was the truth. "And I'm glad they didn't try to get me to apologize. I might be able to lie to save my ass, but that would have been a hard lie to sell."

Dom chuckled. "Yeah, well. Doesn't seem like the punishment fits the crime."

"Leon insists it's not supposed to be a punishment."

"And you believe him?"

I shrugged again. "Why not? Leon has never steered us wrong before, right? And he's always trying to do what's right by us. Maybe he sees something in all of this that we're missing."

"Or he's swinging for the fences. Throwing things out to see what sticks."

"Or that." It wasn't an inspiring thought, but I couldn't dismiss it. "I just…I want this to work."

"For your sake, I hope it does," Dom muttered.

"It's not my ass on the line here," I told him. "I mean, it might be if he and I get into it physically. But if it just fucks up? It's him that's probably out, I'll end up being given extra shit duty for a month or something."

"And somehow you got roped into it, even if Reno did have it coming?" Dom asked with a shake of his head. "Talk about unfair."

It wasn't fair, but then again, I hadn't given Dom all the details yet…and I was still inclined to hold one detail back. I had known in that meeting that I could have accepted the punishment for trying to incite a fight. It would have been my first serious offense, and I would have paid for it. But by bailing out, I might have condemned Reno to being tossed back to whatever prison they'd taken him from. Or hell, maybe they would have chosen someone else to bunk with him. I really didn't know.

The thing was, I hadn't wanted that to happen. Despite Reno deserving to be tossed out on his ass for being a complete bastard for no good reason, I hadn't been able to stomach the idea of him being sent away. For whatever reason, my chest had actually ached at the idea of him not getting one final chance to prove himself. It had meant throwing myself on the sacrificial altar, but at least I could say I had tried my best. Whether that meant I believed Reno actually had a chance to make up for everything or because I was just trying to make myself feel better…I didn't know.

My attention jerked back to the present when I spotted Reno stand up sharply, his face a storm cloud of barely contained fury. For a moment, I thought he was going to start cussing someone out, though he wasn't looking at anyone in particular. Instead, he gripped his book tightly in one hand and marched toward one of the tent exits.

"Reno?" I called after him.

"I'm going back to the cabin," he snapped without looking and stomped out.

"I…seriously?" I sighed, putting down the wooden block and the knife. "Alright, I guess that's my cue."

"What? Really? You've been here for a whole hour," Dom complained. "Let him go be pissed off."

"Right, because if we're not practically stuck to one another's side, then we're both in trouble," I said, standing up.

"He's the one who left, barely saying a thing to you," Dom countered, gesturing in annoyance toward the tent flap.

"And I was the reason he came here instead of peacefully reading in our cabin," I said, suddenly feeling as tired as I was annoyed. Fucking hell, people could complain about how annoying and impulsive I was, but they didn't know exhausting until they had to deal with Reno's constantly shifting moods. I would swear the guy was even more moody than before we bunked together, but I had to chalk that up to being forced to bunk with me in the first place.

"That is a lame ass reason," Dom told me.

"Yeah, well, it's how things go," I snapped. "I'll see you at dinner."

It wasn't Dom's fault I was in a bad mood, but I didn't need him adding to my already mounting levels of stress. Especially when I knew full well what would welcome me when I got back was a pissed-off Reno who wasn't going to offer reasons for his sudden mood shift.

Not unless it was somehow my fault, which, in all fairness, I would believe. Even if I wasn't doing anything, the guy seemed utterly pissed off by my mere presence, which wasn't exactly the most uplifting of treatments. Hell, the only time he didn't seem pissed off was when he was sleeping, and for all I knew, it was because he spent his sleeping hours dreaming of punching people like me repeatedly in the face.

Maybe Dom was right, Leon was just desperate to make things work, and now I was paying the price.