You Again

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I decided to clean up the kitchen so Mom didn’t have to.  She was too busy talking with Mia about baby names that they were thinking of.  My dad, Kole, Greer, and Kane were talking about some college football game that went on Saturday and Pax was playing with Jake.  She thought he was absolutely adorable and loved talking with him as they played with his racecars. 

With all of the dishes in the dishwasher, I started on the pots and pans.  I was quietly humming to myself when two arms wound their way around my waist and I felt someone’s warm breath on the side of my neck.

“I like watching you wash the dishes like the perfect little housewife,” Kane said in my ear. 

I laughed as I rinsed off the lid of one of the pots.  “Don’t expect me to be doing your dishes for the rest of your life,” I said.  “I’m going to be making you do them at least three times a week.”

“Sure,” he said, chuckling. 

He still held on to me as I washed the last of the pans and put them on the drying rack.  When I was finished, I cut off the water and dried my hands with the dish towel. 

“Finally,” Kane said, spinning me around. 

I laughed as he wrapped his arms around my waist again.  “Finally what?” I asked.

“I can do this because you’re finished,” he said, leaning his face toward mine. 

The second our lips met, a shiver ran through me and I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his hair.  A second later, he ran his tongue along the line of my lips.  When I opened my mouth for him, he deepened the kiss, making my toes curl. 

“What the hell is this?!”

Kane and I pulled away from each other and I looked to see Kole looking at us with fury etched on his face. 

“Oh, my God, Kole,” I said, stepping away from.  I could feel the heat rising to my face.  “I can explain.”

I looked at Kane, who still had his back to Kole.  We locked eyes for a moment before he turned around.

“Kole, you’re going to have to hear us out,” he said. 

“I don’t have to hear anything because I’m going to kill you,” he said through his teeth as he started for him.

I stepped in front of Kane and put my hands up.  “Don’t you dare, Kole,” I said, anger boiling up inside. 

“How could you?!” he yelled at Kane.  “How could you be messing around with my baby sister?”

My anger finally exploded and I punched Kole in the shoulder.  “I swear to God, Kole, shut up!” I screamed.  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a baby anymore.  I’m eighteen years old and I can do anything I want without your permission.”

“No, you can’t,” he growled.

“The hell I can’t!”

“What in the world is going on in here?” Mom said loudly.  Everyone seemed to be standing in the kitchen, looking between the three of us. 

“Did you know they’ve been together?” Kole asked, looking at her.

Mom sighed heavily and closed her eyes.  “Yes, we knew.  But that was years ago, Kole.  There’s no use in blowing up about it now.”

“What is she talking about?” Kole said, whipping his head back toward me and Kane.

I swallowed hard, looking back at Kane.

“Middle of junior year, you remember when I told you I had a girlfriend?” Kane asked him.

“Yeah, you’re secret girlfriend that no one had ever met,” Kole said.  “We all knew she wasn’t real.”

I swallowed hard again and looked at Kole.  “Yeah, I was,” I said.

Kole hands balled into fists at his sides.  “You mean to tell me that you’ve dated before?”

“Yeah,” I said.  “I love him, Kole.  And I always have and I still do now.”

“We should have told you about them, Kole,” Mom said. 

“You mean to tell me that you’ve known they’ve dated before and are dating now?” he yelled. 

“What does he mean, you’re dating now?” Dad asked, looking at me and Kane. 

I looked down at the floor, tears welling up in my eyes.  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. 

“You know, Reece, I never thought to believe those rumors about you but I guess I should now,” Kole said.

Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at Kole’s furious face.  But the next thing I knew Kane had him by the arm.  He spun him around and flattened the top half of his body against the countertop, pressing his forearm into his neck.  Everyone in the kitchen gasped, including me.

“Don’t you dare say that to your sister,” Kane hissed at him.  “I cannot believe you just did.”  Kole’s eyes were wide and he opened his mouth to speak but Kane pressed his arm against him more.  “I love your sister.  I always have and I always will.  I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her and I don’t care what you have to say about it.  Do you hear me?”

Kane let go of him before he answered.  I was already making my way out of the kitchen, passing by everyone as tears rolled down my cheeks. 

“Reece, sweetie…” Mom started. 

“I just need to get out of here for a little while,” I said, wiping under my eyes with the backs of my hands.  “Let Kole cool down.”

When I passed by Dad, he took my hand and pulled me toward him to kiss my forehead.  “Everything will work itself out, sweetie, okay?” he said.

I just nodded and went toward the front door.  I could hear Mom and Dad talking quietly and then footsteps following behind me.  Right when my hand went for the doorknob, a hand reached around me and opened it before I could.  I looked up and saw Kane’s face right in front of mine. 

“Come on,” he said.  “We’ll go to my place for a little while.”

I nodded as I stepped outside.  After he closed the door behind him, he took my hand and together we walked to his car.

As we drove to his apartment, my tears continued to roll down my face.  Kane kept a firm hold on my hand until he let go to get out.  We were already at his apartment.

I vaguely remember him opening my door and reaching out to pull me into his arms.  The sun was starting to set as he carried me all the way up three flights of stairs until we got to a door.  My eyes were already starting to droop closed when the door opened. 

I heard another guy’s voice besides Kane’s as he walked with me in his arms into the apartment.  I heard another door close and then Kane sitting me down on a comfy bed.

“Come on, Reece,” he said quietly in ear.  “Let’s get you changed into something more comfortable and then you can sleep.”

I nodded slowly, my eyes still closed, as I reached for the hem of my shirt to pull it over the top of my head.  Another bigger shirt was pulled over my head as I unbuttoned my jeans and shrugged them off.  When I was changed, I moved back into the pillows.  I felt Kane pull the covers up around me and kiss my temple before fell asleep.