Stars Landing [Book 3]

Chapter 13 - Cheater

Harry was speechless.

Rhea walked into the kitchen and grabbed the drinks out of Sera's hand.

A few minutes later, the water finished boiling and the girls seated themselves at dinning table. Harry decided to lounge on the couch. He was keeping a safe distance from his sister but Rhea knew it wouldn't last long. "How has it been living with Tegan?" Sera asked trying to break the tension. "You guys must have some fun nights watching dramas together."

"It's been good," Rhea replied calmly.  "Although, she has been worrying me a little."

Sera stirred her own cup of ramen with a pair of chopsticks. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Because of the whole Christian thing?"

"She told you?" Rhea exclaimed. Clearing her throat, she made sure the hulk wasn't paying attention to them. If he thought Tegan was being a bad influence on Rhea somehow, he would bud his giant head back in. Thankfully, he was busy texting someone.

"How much did she tell you?" Rhea whispered to Sera.

"Enough for me to hate him," came the quick reply.

Happy to have finally found someone who could talk some sense into Tegan was oddly refreshing. "I'm trying to keep her distracted from the whole thing, you know--so she doesn't relapse but he's just around me a lot."

Sera nodded, picking up on Rhea's reference to her new boyfriend. "Well, maybe address it more clearly next time and let her know that it's making you worry about her," she suggested,

"It's such a touchy subject," Rhea sighed. The last time that Devil's name came up, Tegan locked herself in the washroom. Through closed doors, Rhea could hear her sobbing. Normally, she would have intervened, but she decided the best remedy for a broken heart was to cry it out.

-

As the sun began to set in Toronto, Rhea planned her trip back home. If she took the next train out, she could be in bed in forty minutes. Sera offered a lift to Tegan's place, but Rhea politely refused please she knew the train would be a lot faster. Harry coincidentally decided to leave at the same time as his sister, claiming he was hungry for some shrimp dumplings, but Rhea saw through his lie. She didn't know what he was planning but she was ready to take him out if he started another argument with her. Sera diplomatically warned the bickering siblings that other people lived in the apartment, hard working civilians who would enjoyed peace and quiet.

"Subtle," Harry remarked.

"I'm just saying," Sera defended walking them out the door. "If you two get in trouble, I'm going to pretend like I don't know you."

"Even me?" Rhea acted innocent.

"Espeically you," Sera was stern. "Also, text me when you're home."

"I'll think about it!" Rhea waved bye and moved to take the stairs down instead of the elevator. As expected, her brother tailed behind. The silent stairway filled with daunting footsteps as Rhea picked up the pace and pretended to race Harry. The hulk's mammoth legs gave him a slow start, but he eventually bolted past Rhea, and called her a slow-poke. As she instinctively slowed down and opened the door for the tenth floor, she could still hear him stomping downwards, laughing like a maniac.

"Idiot," Rhea scoffed, clicking the green neon button, and waiting for the elevator. Taking out her cell phone she checked for missed calls and text messages. There was nothing. No word from Tegan either. Getting more than a little worried about her friend's fragile situation, she decided to check up on her.

"Hi, you've reached Tegan Collins--" Rhea hung up on the voicemail message and decided to text her instead.

'Hey. Are you home yet? How was work? I'm coming back from Sera's place. Want me to order some dinner for tonight?'

The elevator doors parted. Rhea couldn't help wonder what her idiot brother was doing now, still racing down or did he manage to figure out that his sister was trying to lose him? Probably the latter, which was fine by her because she had official run out of patience. By the time Rhea got into the lobby, Tegan texted back saying she was definitely going to be home and that she could pick-up something from Costco for dinner. Relieved, Rhea happily replied that she would not have an issue with that, and offered to grab some bubbly in return.

'Sounds perfect,'  Rhea read her roommate's message.

Out of nowhere, Harry came hurdling out of one the side doors, looking disarrayed and out of breath. He pointed his index finger at his sister, his eyes glowering. "CHEATER!"

Rhea pointed her own index back at him. "DUMBASS!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Harry asked out of breath.

Rhea stunk her tongue out at him and then headed for the door. Harry quickly blocked the entrance. "Cut it out Harresh," Rhea snapped. "I'm getting tired of your shit. I want to go home and rest before work tomorrow."

"I won't say anything," he wheezed recovering from his fifteen storey descend.

Rhea raised her brow, confused. "Say anything about what?"

"To mom and dad," he huffed. "About your boyfriend or whatever."

Rhea told him to get out of the way. "And stop slacking at the gym," she added. "Fifteen storeys should have been a breeze for you. Get your priorities straight."

"Rhea, I'm serious," Harry kept her attention on him. "If you want to live this life then I'll try to be more understanding, but you have to meet me halfway."

"Halfway?"

"Yes, halfway!" Harry replied finally collecting himself. He moved in and placed his hand on Rhea's shoulder. "Mom has not been the same without you. She's hurt that you left so unexpectedly. Dad can't keep her spirits up forever you know, he's used to me being the screw-up, not his perfect little radio-head. So, just do me a favour and call home. If you agree to do that, I will keep my mouth shut about that rando of yours."

"Stop calling him a rando!" Rhea snapped. "He has a name."

"Okay," Harry gave in. "But promise to call home first."

"Ugh," Rhea grumbled annoyed by the situation. Her parents weren't unreasonable people, but they were very overprotective, a trait that Harry had evidently picked up. Leaving Ottawa to start a new career wasn't only because her options in the capital dwindled, but also because her relationship with a boy plummeted into the ground. 

"Come on," her brother urged. "Just one phone call."

"Fine!" Rhea agreed. "I will call them but on my own terms. You don't get to be there when it happens."

"How will I know you didn't just lie about calling them?" Harry argued.

"Mom will phone you the minute she hangs up with me and you know it!"