t y l e r
These walls are cursed. Every second behind them is one too many. I keep my head low except to meet someone's eye in passing as I explore the halls. It's best to avoid wincing at every detail these cream and royal blue colors bring memories to. There's a reason I haven't been back in months. It's getting harder.
With Chace and everyone else in a meeting this morning, I'm left alone, and I sure as hell am not going to stick around in my old room. Seeing Rory isn't an option either. Every time we end up alone, my stupid brain slips and stumbles into the mindset of a boy with a crush. At least, what I would assume having a crush would be like.
The teasing was fun at first. Watching her squirm as I brought up our one-night stand and nudged her boundaries was entertaining. Running into her last night, I toed over the line of teasing and jumped into full-on honesty. I want to be alone with her. For reasons I'm not ready to entertain, something about our encounters is exciting beyond the awkward history we share.
Next to the pool, Mom and her gardener worked weeks on end to perfect a floral design that felt both like home and an adventurous getaway. It's the only place on this property that doesn't give me nightmares. That's where I head. I check the time and figure I have half an hour or so to kill before the breakfast meeting ends. If only I got to bring Jeffery with me.
I shield my eyes from the early morning sun as I step outside. There are shoes scuffing on the concrete path, slowing my approach. Peeking around a rosebush entrance, I shake my head when I see who the shoes belong to. "A hundred rooms and a dozen floors in this place, and I still run into you."
Rory stops suddenly and looks at me like I just caught her stealing. "Oh! I- Hi." She tugs the bottom of her purple top over her black shorts and points her shoes inward. Her face is bare, revealing small blemishes on her forehead and cheeks. The thick of her dark hair is shoved into a sloppy bun atop her head except for a few rebellious strands tickling her face. Cute.
"Hey." I throw my hand up and walk around her before I'm caught staring.
"Everyone's in a meeting so I thought I'd look around some. Your mom has an amazing sense of aesthetics."
"She does." Dahlias and hydrangeas greet me from each side. Normally, I wouldn't give a second thought about them or their names, but Mom always told me which flowers she picked and why. Lavender and violet were her favorite colors, and they ended up being mine. I wonder if Rory likes them too. "Did you sleep better after the tea?"
"I did!" Her footsteps stop. "I mean, I wasn't struggling to sleep in the first place."
"Uh-huh." I continue down the stone path, glancing at the other color schemes and remembering their names until I reach the fountain filled with lily pads and lotuses. Dragonflies zigzag around them. I sit on the edge and tap my reflection against the water, watching my face ripple then hers as she stands next to me.
"How come you're not a part of the meetings? Don't want to be a part of the family business?"
Air passes through my nose like laughter. "Do I look like your well-mannered golden boy?"
Her reflection shrugs. "Anyone can be a businessman. I'm sure most people don't look at me and think businesswoman."
"Until they figure out what business you're in for." I wince. "Sorry."
She huffs air through her nose like me. "I'm not offended. It's true. Sex work isn't treated with the same respect as whatever it is your dad does."
"He's not my dad," I snap.
Rory's reflection disappears and she apologizes immediately.
"Sorry." I ruffle through my hair and turn around. "I have a dad and it's not that man."
She throws her hands up with tense shoulders. "Of course. No. I totally get it. It just slipped. Chace seems to feel comfortable referring to you as his brother and Caroline his mom so-"
"Because we are."
"Hmm." She peers at me from beneath lowered, curious eyelids.
My chest tightens. "What?"
"Nothing." The corner of her mouth arches. "You're kind of cute, you know?"
"What?" Blood rushes to my heart and it thuds. This is ridiculous. She's being annoying. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You're very attached to Chace. It's sweet. You're like the annoying little brother and he's the big brother who watches over you and makes sure you stay out of trouble."
"I can take care of myself, and Chace is only a year older than me. We don't have some stupid complex if that's what you're implying."
"Why do you have to move in with him?"
"None of your damn business."
"Why are you so rude?"
"It's just the way I talk. Get used to it."
Rory hides a little laugh behind chubby fingers. "It's so easy to get under your skin. Just insult your ego a little bit and you get all tight-assed."
Agitation gnaws at my bones, but there's nothing clever to say. "Shut up. Don't act like you know me after one conversation."
"I'm a good judge of character. You're all cocky when you feel confident and start stroking your own ego. The second I mention you being a little brother, you get all soft and offended."
"Soft." I snort as she offends me even more. "Whatever. You don't know me."
"You've been gloating about how you can't wait to get me to yourself and how much fun we're gonna have this summer." She throws her hands up as if she's impatient and waiting for action. "Yet here we are, alone, and you get all bashful and-"
I close the distance between us and grab her wrist. She stumbles forward, supple frame pressing into mine, and looks up in surprise as I glower with fire in my chest. "You're starting to piss me off."
Her surprise only lasts a second before her annoying plump lips curve. "That's not what you said last night. I thought you couldn't wait to have me all to yourself." I squeeze her wrist, trying to come up with something equally smart to say. "What's wrong, Tyler? Nothing witty coming to mind?"
"I-"
"You really think you're something." She snatches her wrist away. "But it looks like I'll be the one having fun with you this summer."
Before I have a chance to redeem myself, Rory turns her back and explores the rest of the garden as if I never existed. I stand speechless. What am I doing? This is embarrassing. Normally, fucking around with Chace's flings takes no effort; I barely have to think about it. Yet Rory challenges me. I run a hand down my face and chuckle. I like it. It's pulse-quickening; the fact that she can effortlessly get under my skin when I'm trying to get under hers. Without even realizing it, she's managed to rile me up and I'm just waiting for the next opportunity to seek her attention.
"You two seem close."
I nearly jump out of my skin. Chandler appears like a ghost, shoes scuffing behind me, voice near my ear. I jerk my head over my shoulder to find him approaching, clad in country club attire. My shoulders tighten and I start after where Rory disappeared.
"I'm talking to you, boy."
"We were just talking," I bite out.
It doesn't take him a bit of effort to catch up with me. Terror crawls over my skin like insects as his towering frame stands before mine, causing me to halt. "That didn't look like two strangers talking."
"Well, it was."
He grunts and folds thick arms over his broad chest. "I have my doubts. After all, girls like her are your type."
"What does that mean?"
"Whores desperate for attention." His voice lowers as he adds with a hint of mockery, "Like your men."
"You're a piece of shit."
"Says the one who slept with Chace's girlfriend."
Carbon fills my bones until they're too stiff to move. "What are you talking about?"
"Only a fool wouldn't recognize Rory was the slut in your story from yesterday. Sadly, not only is my son foolish, but he's blind as well. You couldn't keep your eyes off that girl the entire night."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"So, what's your plan? Sleep with her behind his back? That would do us both a favor."
"I'm not a disgusting piece of shit like you."
"You don't have to pretend to be virtuous around me. I know your true nature." His voice drops several degrees as he closes the distance between us. "I don't blame you for one. With what she wears, she leaves nothing to the imagination. She's practically asking for someone to take advantage of her."
Bile turns in my stomach; I can barely swallow it. "You're a real sick sonofabitch."
Chandler merely smirks. "I'm just pointing out the obvious. Do you really think a girl like her is good enough for Chace? Young, trashy, begging for every man's attention? If you don't take her, someone else might snatch her up if she doesn't willingly fall onto their lap."
"Making some harsh judgments about a girl you don't even know."
"How well do you know her? Where did you meet again?" He pretends to think while stroking his jaw. "Oh, yes. You fucked her against a wall at a club. If a girl is that easy, how do you think she fairs in relationships?"
I hold my breath. That shouldn't matter, right? Chace must know, and he probably doesn't care. "Rory wasn't the girl in my story." Not an answer, but at least I'm dodging his scrutiny.
Chandler squeezes my shoulder. "You know more than anyone that people never change."
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-rae