Cabin Fever - eBook

CHAPTER ONE

“Hey, are you okay?”

Kevin Taggert looked up from his phone to see his roommate frowning at him. “I’m not great,” he admitted.

“What’s up?” Jason Freeman plopped onto the couch next to him, a concerned expression crossing his face. “You look like you just got dumped and I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

“I’m not. Just feeling bummed about the holiday.” He sighed heavily.

“You’re staying here in Indiana for Thanksgiving, right?” Jason stretched his legs out, getting comfortable. “I mean, dealing with the airport and flights to Washington State and back again for a few days did seem like a lot, so I didn’t blame you for skipping it this year.”

“Yeah, it just didn’t seem worth the hassle and expense since I was going home for Christmas, anyway. But then I got this email from my mom about my brother and his girlfriend, and now I’m feeling bummed that I’ll miss a big moment with my family.”

He woke up his phone again, then handed it over to Jason. It was still queued up to the email from his mom.

Jason read the message, a frown furrowing his brow as he stared down at the screen.

Kevin didn’t have to see it to remember what it said.

We’re looking forward to spending the weekend with Gabe and Meredith. We think there may be a big announcement soon! We’re so excited for them and their future together. It’s great seeing them settling down and beginning their adult lives.
-Mom

“Oh, man, that sucks.”

“Yeah.” Kevin sighed. “I hate to miss my brother’s big moment, and it feels like I grow a little further apart from my family every year, you know?”

“I get it.”

“I mean, I was the one who came here to Indiana for school so that’s on me, but it’s been hard to get home on a regular basis. And I always feel like I’m letting them down. Like they’re disappointed that I went into engineering and that my relationship with my ex fizzled out. I can’t even meet a guy, much less get engaged like my brother.”

“Is that what your mom meant by big announcement?”

“I assume so,” he said. “They’ve been together fucking forever, so it’s the logical thing.”

“And you said your mom is crazy about Meredith, right?”

“Yeah, both my parents are. I like her a lot too, honestly. I’m really happy for my brother. I’m just feeling bummed that I’m going to miss out. The thought of sitting alone on the couch here while my family is off celebrating my brother’s engagement makes me feel crappy about where I am in my life.”

“You’re a semester away from having your master’s degree in mechanical engineering. You’re doing just fine, man.”

“I know. Seriously, ignore me. I’ll snap out of it in a bit. I swear. I’m just feeling sorry for myself at the moment. I reconsidered going out there but it really is too late. When I checked flights, it was nearly double what it was a month ago, and that’s completely ridiculous for a couple of days at home. I’d spend more time at the airport than I would actually seeing my family. I was originally planning to catch up on studying this weekend, but now I’ll probably just wind up sitting on the couch, bored and lonely.”

Jason gave him a sympathetic smile before his expression brightened. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you come home to Michigan with me for Thanksgiving?”

Kevin considered the idea. “You’re staying with your dad, right? He won’t mind me crashing your holiday?”

“Nah. Dad’s cool. He won’t care if you tag along with me. He’s a ‘the more the merrier’ type. It’s usually just the two of us, but he loves big holiday gatherings so I’m sure he won’t mind you being there at all. I was planning to leave Wednesday, drive up that day, spend Thursday and Friday with my dad, go with my mom and stepdad to my grandma’s on Saturday, and then head home Sunday. That work for you?”

“Sure,” Kevin said slowly. “As long as no one minds me intruding.”

“I’ll text them and check, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. You can come with me to my grandma’s on Saturday too, if you want, or just chill at my dad’s place. He won’t care either way.”

“I can decide when we get up there, I guess.” He glanced at Jason. “Are you going to see Angie while you’re there?”

He shrugged. “I really want to. She’s been weird about it though.”

“What do you mean?”

“One minute she’s all for it, then next she’s saying it’s a bad idea.” He sighed and rubbed a hand across his bearded face.

“Isn’t that pretty standard for you guys?”

“Kind of.”

In the five years Kevin had been friends with Jason, he and his high school sweetheart Angela Hill had dated and broken up more times than Kevin could remember. After they’d graduated from high school, she’d stayed in Ann Arbor to go to a prestigious cosmetology school, and Jason had gone to Purdue in Indiana. It had become a never-ending cycle of hating the long-distance relationship and missing being together. Which Kevin could certainly understand. But he knew his roommate was going to be miserable until things got resolved one way or the other.

“Just hang in there until you graduate next spring,” he said, patting him on the thigh. “Once you do, you’ll be able to figure out a plan for the future.”

“Since when are you such a romantic?” Jason teased, nudging Kevin’s leg with his knee. “I thought you’d given up on relationships.”

He shrugged. “What I’m doing and what everyone else is doing are two very different things,” he pointed out. “And I’m not against the idea. I just haven’t found anyone worth making all that effort for.”

“You’ll find it, dude. You’re a great guy, and someone’s going to see that.”

Kevin shot him a half-hearted smile. “I hope so.”

“Nah, I know so,” Jason said as he typed out a message on his phone. “You’ll make some lucky guy very happy someday. Now let me message my dad and ask if he’s cool with you joining us for Thanksgiving.”

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