Anti-Stepbrother - Tijan Page 0,87
question came from Paige, but I was having a deja vu moment. “What?”
“Do you have a boyfriend? Clarissa said there was a guy coming.”
Avery held back a smile, as did Clarissa.
Marcus grimaced. “Don’t say it. I don’t want to know any details about you and my brother.”
“So there is a guy.” Clarissa gave me a sly look, pursing her lips together. “Something more than a friendship?”
I was uncomfortable. “Um. You know. We’re friends.” I began edging backward.
Marcus snorted, and everyone looked at him. “What? You guys don’t know?”
Panic sliced through me, and I gritted my teeth. “You don’t know anything either.” My voice hitched to a higher note. “Because there’s nothing to know. We’re friends. That’s it.”
Marcus gave me a confused look. “I know, but I was just going to say you’re good friends. That’s it.”
I swallowed over a knot at the base of my throat.
He shook his head, lifting his arm from Avery’s shoulders. “And you’re back to being weird. Avery, come get a drink with me.” He didn’t give her a chance to decide. His finger looped in her waistband and tugged her behind him.
I yearned to follow them, but turned back to the group that had gathered.
It wasn’t just Clarissa and her roommate now. There were other guys lingering, and one them shifted on his feet, scratching behind his ear.
“There are a few of us who’d like to know if you’re, you know…” He raised his eyebrows.
My mouth opened. I had no idea what that meant. “Huh?”
Paige covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. Clarissa hit me in the arm again. She leaned close and said into my ear, “He wants to know if you’re available.”
Oh.
…
OH!
My head jerked back. “What? No.” Shit. “I mean, I don’t know.” I shook my head. I had to go. I didn’t want to talk about this any more. “Where’s Caden? I need to find my bag.”
The guy answered, but I wasn’t listening. I said a hurried, “I’ll be back,” and pushed my way through a crowd.
The kitchen was full, and so was the living room. The amount of people hanging around had already doubled. I guess what Clarissa said was true—this was the party to be at.
But as I kept searching the house, and failed to find Caden, I started to get aggravated.
I walked through the top floors and all the bedrooms, then burst through the last door and slammed it shut behind me. I didn’t care whose room it was.
Then I heard from the other side of the room: “You lost?”
A sick shiver wound down my spine. “Excuse me?”
The bathroom door opened, and a familiar shoe appeared first.
It was Caden.
I slumped to the floor in relief. I thought I was in a bedroom with a stranger, and who knew what that stranger would do. I stopped rambling. I was annoying myself.
“Sorry. I thought you were someone else. You found our room.” He stopped, staring at me, a towel in his hands. “Are you upset?”
Yes. I hugged my knees tighter. “No.”
“Bullshit.” He bent down, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to standing. He led me to the bed and sat next to me. “Something happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“No, really. Nothing happened.”
“I told you no lies with me.”
I sighed. Goddamn. He got me with that one, but the longer I sat there—feeling him next to me, hearing his concern—the more I forgot what upset me in the first place.
Melting against his side, I murmured, “Am I staying with you tonight?”
He rubbed my back. “I figured you would. That was the plan ahead of time.”
I nodded, my neck muscles so tight. I wanted to ask about us, about earlier this morning, but fear weighed my tongue down. I was a coward.
“What’s going on right now?” He leaned away a tiny bit. “Are you feeling weird about this morning?”
Finally! My hands flew up. “Are you?”
“No.”
My hands came back down. “You aren’t?”
“Why would I?”
“Because…” Yeah, why? I mocked myself. “Because sex is a big deal. Sex between friends is an even bigger deal.”
“I see.”
I glanced at him, biting my lip. The mask was back on—the one he wore when he didn’t want me to read him. I never cared when he had it on if the situation involved someone else, but this was me. This was us. I didn’t want a damned mask between us.
I asked, hoarsely, “You do?”
What did that mean?
“You regret this morning?” he asked.
My insides screamed no, but my pride kept me from spilling. An anchor dropped to my stomach, and I could only feel