can control. I know each room, each crevice. Here, and only here, I’m the monster that hides beneath the bed at night.
Henry continues to stare at me with narrowed eyes, but he relents with a tentative head nod.
“Maybe pizza?” Colton suggests, already on his phone and dialing the local pizza joint. We had it once months ago when they came to visit, and I’m pretty sure they’re obsessed. It wouldn’t surprise me if Colton moved to my town just to eat Mario’s pizza every day.
“Cheese,” I say automatically just as Henry snaps, “Pepperoni,” and Ray says, “Pineapple and sausage.”
Colton throws the latter a dark look.
“What heathen puts pineapple on a pizza?” he asks in mock horror.
“This heathen, asshole. You know that.”
I bet he wishes he had another pillow to toss at the more obnoxious sibling.
As Colton places the order, I survey my brothers with the keen eye only a younger sister can possess. They look…happy. The shadows that normally plague Ray’s face are nowhere to be seen. Even Henry adopts a carefree grin as he chugs his beer. I wait until Colton hangs up, announcing that the order will be delivered in a half-hour at noon, before leaning indolently against the counter.
“Alright, spill,” I say, narrowing my eyes. Ray exchanges an anxious glance with first Henry and then Colton before turning towards me with a defeated sigh. Yeah, fuckers. I wore them down that fast.
“We met a girl,” he says at last, his tone deceptively nonchalant.
But I can’t help but quirk an eyebrow in disbelief. Not that I’m surprised they’re dating—they’re all handsome men…for doofuses, anyway—but it was more how he said it. As if…
“What?” I query. “You all met…the same girl?” Folding my arms over my chest, I wait for one of them to talk. I settle my gaze on Colton, the easiest target. Normally, one glare from me will cause him to verbally ram himself into a brick wall. He’s never been able to resist my signature evil-eye, as they call it.
“She’s beautiful and fun and smart and hilarious…and that’s all we’re going to say on the matter,” he blurts, compressing his lips into a stubborn line. Henry rolls his eyes, as if pissed at Colton for giving in so easily, while Ray hurls daggers at his twin.
His words should surprise me. It’s not as if I don’t know that polyamorous relationships are a thing; it’s more that I never saw or experienced one myself. We lived in a diminutive community where you couldn’t even change your diet without everyone knowing. So for my brothers to partake in a harem-type situation? That girl must be one lucky bitch.
But I’ll stab her eyes out if she hurts them.
They’ve always been close, even at a young age. Throughout their childhoods, they were inseparable, one never too far from the other. It made me unreasonably jealous at some points—after all, I wanted nothing more than to be a part of their sacred boys club. It only makes sense that they would all fall in love with the same girl.
Though, once again, I’ll stab a bitch if I have to.
Our apartment door opens and closes as Avery steps inside, blond hair sticking to his forehead. He shakes out his umbrella before hanging that and his jacket on the hooks.
“Is it raining?” I inquire as I will my eyes away from the way his gray shirt clings to his muscular body. Why does he have to have such a nice one? A body, I mean. Why does he have to have an eight-pack, my kryptonite?
“Just started,” he says and, as if in tandem to his words, thunder roars from outside. For some reason, I always liked thunderstorms. I find them soothing, almost refreshing, as if the rain can physically wipe away all the stress and heartache of the day. It’s a way to start fresh, a way to forget that the world is in dissonant chaos.
“Avery!” Colton says eagerly as he jumps out of the chair and rushes to embrace my best friend. Henry and Ray are quick to follow, all of them exchanging those weird man slaps. You know the type—when they wrap one arm around the other male’s back and pat it like you would burp a baby.
I can’t help but note that Avery seems tense, almost uneasy. His eyes flicker from face to face before landing on me and sticking.
“Did you hear?” he questions seriously, his tone at odds with the playful banter from my brothers.
“Hear what?” A cold chill