I WAS SEATED on the kitchen counter, still in my dress, as Brenton iced my bruised knuckles. "Ow," I winced as the frozen steak made contact with my skin.
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile.
"Dani," Niko's voice called as he entered the kitchen. "You have a... Oh, I think I get it now."
I was about to ask him what he meant, but my question was answered when James stormed in. "You broke her nose?" he shouted.
Brenton gasped in surprise. "Dude, you told me it wasn't that bad. What's with you and breaking noses?"
"You don't understand," I told James, ignoring my twin.
"You're right, I don't," he said exasperatedly. "Why the hell would you hit Leila?"
"You didn't hear the terrible things she said to me."
He looked fed up with me. "What did she say, huh?"
I glanced at my brothers, hoping they would get the memo and leave but the two of them stayed in place, curious to know the rest of the story. "She accused me of cheating on you." I paused. "With Holden."
Brenton dropped the steak on the ground. "Shut the f—"
"Don't interrupt," I snapped.
"Where would she get this idea?" James demanded.
I took in a breath. "Last night I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and Holden was up as well. He was getting milk so I heated it up for him, and that was it. Nothing else happened."
James sighed. "I believe you, but no more violence."
"I'll try." When he gave me a stern look my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine."
He took my hand in his and observed my injured knuckles. "Not that I'm condoning fighting, but next time you should aim for the cheek." He kissed my forehead and left, leaving me with my brothers.
When he left I looked around for my makeshift iced pack. "Where'd the steak go?"
Brenton picked it up and gave me a questioning look. "You were being honest, right?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing happened between you and Holden, correct?" he confirmed in a serious tone.
"Of course not, now give me my steak."
"Good." He did as I said and ruffled my hair before leaving the kitchen. Once he was far enough, Niko hopped on the counter beside me.
"Thanks for not saying anything," I told him.
"I don't know where your head's at, but you have to be careful," he advised.
"I know."
There wasn't an ounce of playfulness on his face. "I'm not joking, Dani. You're stringing along two nice guys and I'd hate to see them get hurt."
"James is my boyfriend and the only one I care about," I assured him.
"What happened between you and Holden last night?"
"Nothing."
"Did you two kiss again?" he pestered.
"No!"
"Dani..."
I got off of the counter. "I already said nothing happened, okay?" I abandoned the steak and went upstairs to my bedroom.
~*~
I was walking to my bedroom when I bumped into Holden. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "And where's the rest of your clothes?"
"Brent and I just came back from a run," he explained.
"Gross." I entered my bedroom and much to my dismay, he followed me in.
He shut the door behind him. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."
"Holden, I..."
"I can't stop thinking about you, Dani."
"You should go." I opened my bedroom door but he slammed it shut. I turned around to tell him to screw off, but we were so close his bare chest was basically pressed against mine. "Holden."
He was staring down at me with an unreadable expression.
"Holden," I repeated.
"Tell me to stop and I will."
I didn't say anything as he leaned down, closing the space between us. His lips hovered right above mine as he waited for me to make the next move. I knew it was wrong, but at this moment I wanted him so badly. I dug my fingers into his hair and pulled his face toward me as I kissed him. He pulled back and pressed his lips against my neck as he trailed kisses. My eyes rolled back as I moaned out his...
An ear-piercing scream emitted from my mouth as I sat bolt upright in bed. My bedroom door burst open and all three of my brothers entered with a weapon of their choosing. Brenton had his lacrosse stick, Niko had his bedside lamp, and Alex had a math textbook.
"Show yourself, coward," Alex yelled.
"There's no one here," I said breathlessly.
Niko flicked on my lights. "Are you okay? You're pale as a ghost."
"Yeah, what happened, Casper?" Brenton asked.
"I had a nightmare." I paused. "A freaking terrifying nightmare."
~*~
"You're lying," Amber said in disbelief when I had finished recounting the horrors of last night. She put down her bottle of nail polish, abandoning her half-painted toes.
I sat on the window seat beside her bedroom window, groaning in reply. "Why would I even dream that? God, I don't think I can ever talk to him again."
"Maybe it's your subconscious," she suggested.
I scoffed. "What, you think my subconscious wants me to get it on with post-workout Holden?"
"Here, let me ask this," she started. "Have you had dreams of the raunchy nature about James?"
I shrugged. "Have you seen James? Of course."
She arched an eyebrow. "Recently?"
"What's the point of this?" I snapped.
"I think the point is you better decide which hottie you want," Chastity said as she entered Amber's bedroom with a basket of clean laundry.
"Eavesdropping is so not cool," her niece chided.
She laughed and set down the basket. "You know, when I was twenty-four I dated three guys at the same time."
"No way," Amber said, suddenly intrigued.
Chastity nodded. "Yup, but to teach me a lesson my best friend at the time invited them all over for my surprise birthday dinner." She shuddered at the memory. "Let's just say I got out easy with just a broken heart."
"How the hell is your name Chastity?" I said incredulously.
She rolled her eyes. "My point is, don't play around with boys' feelings. They may seem tough on the outside but they're really not."
~*~
Later that afternoon I decided to walk home from Amber's. I didn't mind having some time to myself as I reflected on everything that had happened recently. There was a simple explanation to this all: I just really missed James. Either that or I was going insane...
I stopped at a four-way stop sign and indicated with my hand for the car waiting to go. The driver didn't move so I took it as my cue to cross and I did. I paid no mind to the car as I passed it, but I couldn't help but notice the car driving extra slow behind me. I turned around and faced the car, but the driver suddenly made a left turn and sped off. Clearly, my brain was getting fried from thinking about Holden too much.
I shook all thoughts of Holden out of my head as I walked up the street, spotting the house nearby. Remember what I said about removing thoughts of Holden from my mind? Well, that was easier said than done considering he was standing on my driveway.
"What are you doing here?" I asked when he saw me.
"Brent and I are going on a run," he explained as he took his earbuds out of his ears.
I got a strange sense of déjà-vu and my eyes widened. "What did you say?" I stammered.
Holden looked at me strangely. "Everything alright?"
I stepped back, now on the road. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"
He shook his head as he slipped his earbuds back in. "You're so weird."
All of a sudden, a car came speeding down the street, the headlights so bright I couldn't make out the driver. In any other circumstance, I would have jumped out of the way, but my mind went back to the odd encounter I had with a car earlier, and I remained frozen in place, unable to move. I was trying to process the situation before me, and as the car got closer I raised my hands, shielding my eyes from the light. At the last second, I was pulled back and fell on the grass.
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" Holden yelled after the driver, flipping them off, but the car drove away without hesitation. He turned to me and extended a hand to hoist me up. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine."
"Drivers like that are the reason Brent has a licence," he said with a shake of his head, trying to lighten the mood. When I didn't laugh he looked at me with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Did that seem intentional?" I asked him. "I mean, it didn't look like the car was going to stop anytime soon."
He gently grabbed my shoulders and ushered me toward the front door. "I think you should go inside."
My heart hammered inside my chest as I walked into the house, and I was unsure if it was because Holden was touching me or because of the car. Today had been one weird-ass day.
~*~
My day had only gotten weirder when James showed up for our movie date. I was thrilled to get away from the house and be with him, but my excitement disappeared when I came up to his car to find Leila in the passenger seat, a white splint and medical dressing on her nose. I forced a smile on my face. "What's going on?" I asked through her open window.
James gave me an apologetic look from the driver's seat. "I've been driving Leila around after her accident."
"It wasn't an accident," she corrected.
When I glowered at James he gave Leila a stern look. "Yes it was, and Dani is very sorry."
"Why are you her personal chauffeur exactly?" I asked.
"In case of a medical emergency," Leila answered.
I placed my hands on my hips and looked at her disbelievingly. "I broke your nose, not your legs. Although I can arrange for the latter."
"James, she's threatening me again," Leila whined.
"Please play nice," he begged.
I huffed in reply and sat in the backseat of the car. "Are you dropping Leila off before we go?" I asked as James began to drive. "Like to a bus stop or the middle of an abandoned road..."
James glanced at me through the rearview mirror and judging by the terrified look on his face I knew this couldn't be good. "She, um, she asked to join us." When the light turned red he faced me and mouthed, I'm sorry, don't be mad.
I slumped in my seat as he continued driving. When we were alone, he was beyond dead.
When we arrived at the movie theatre, James parked the car and came around to open my car door. "Don't," I told him before he could apologize as I got out.
He blinked in surprise. "You're not mad?"
I laughed dryly. "I'm furious."
"But you're going to put up with it regardless?" he filled in. "Do I have the best girlfriend or what?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're lucky you're cute."
James chuckled as he pulled me into him and kissed me. I stood on my tiptoes as I kissed him back, only to have this moment ruined by our annoying third-wheel. Leila rolled down her window so we could hear her. "Is no one going to open my door?"
I scowled as James let go of me to open her door and let her out. Since this broken nose of hers apparently affected every part of her body, Leila held onto James' hand as she exited the car. "Will you be okay to walk on your own?" he asked her.
"Can you hold my hand in case I fall?" she asked, giving him a pout.
I rolled my eyes and walked past them and into the movie theatre. They eventually caught up to me, and James left to purchase the movie tickets and snacks. Leila took out her phone to look at herself on the camera and she patted down her splint. "Can I help you?" she asked when she saw me staring.
"I don't like you," I told her bluntly.
She feigned a gasp before giving me a flat look. "Boohoo, bitch. At least I didn't break your nose."
I opened my mouth to speak but James came back with our tickets, a large popcorn, and a pop. "Shall we go, ladies?"
Leila took the pop out of his hands and sipped it, her lips puckering up in disgust. "Ew, this isn't diet coke!"
I snatched the beverage from her. "No, because it's mine."
We entered the theatre where our movie was playing and found an empty row in the middle. James sat in first, and I was about to sit in the seat next to him, but Leila pushed past me and sat there instead.
"Are you kidding me?" I said, prompting some movie nerds to shush me.
"I'm sorry, we can switch," Leila offered. She was about to stand up and winced, massaging her nose. "I think the fast movements are making the pain worse."
"It's okay, stay seated," James told her before looking up at me. "Are you fine with sitting there?"
Not wanting to make a scene, I meekly nodded my head and sat beside Leila, grumpy the entire movie. James and I already had such limited time together, and now we had to spend it babysitting her?
~*~
After a painful hour and a half, the movie was finally over and we were standing near the concession stands. "Want to go for dessert?" James offered. He was looking at me expectantly, well aware that dessert was my weakness.
"I want to go home," I said, having had enough of Leila to last me a lifetime.
James frowned while his best friend smiled. "No problem, more for us!" She paused to inspect her hands. "I'm going to go wash my hands first, the popcorn was so greasy."
"That's the whole point of extra butter," I grumbled as she cheerily sauntered to the nearest bathroom.
"I'm sorry about tonight," James said once she was out of earshot.
"She gets to see you all of the time, and the one time I get to she has to be a part of it?" I huffed.
He rested his hand against my cheek, tucking his fingers under my ear. "I know, and I'm sorry. Think about it this way, you broke her nose so this is how you make up for it."
I swatted his hand away. "That would be the case... if I were remorseful, which I'm not. She had it coming."
"Come on, that's a little messed up."
"No, it's not," I retorted. So what if it was? Leila was a menace yet I was the only one who could see that. "If you guys want to get dessert that's fine, but I think I'm going to walk home." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I reflected back to what had happened a few hours earlier with the car. James must have noticed something was off because he gently nudged me.
"Hey, you okay?"
I looked up at him. "Actually, there was something that..."
"What do you guys think about gelato?" Leila's voice intervened as she joined us.
This was going to be a long night.