Lines Drawn (Drawn to You #2) - Ker Dukey Page 0,13
I’ll be married and starting a family of my own. I sure as hell don’t need any of you trying to play parent,” she scoffs, before turning to Antonia.
“I love you, Antonia, and we can talk about this later when they’ve all gone back to their lives.”
Gavin jumps to his feet and follows Gaby. I’m not comfortable with the thought of them being alone and him making a play for her, even with the truth out there. The chance of them being related was an excuse when, deep down, I just don’t want Gavin with my sister. He’s a player when it comes to women and will end up breaking her heart. Going to the door, I hold it open and wait for everyone else to file out.
Antonia took an hour long soak in the tub when everyone eventually left, leaving me alone with my thoughts that just swirled around my head, giving me a headache.
She’s not eaten and won’t speak to me about everything that just went down with our parents. I can’t make sense of it all myself, and I’m not the one who found out I had a sibling. It’s weird that Gaby is our sister, just not in the perverse way Janet tried to make it.
“How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” I ask her, walking into her room and standing there like a spare part. I don’t know where we stand. Everything is so fragile and distorted.
“No. I just want to take a nap, if you don’t mind.” She smiles, but it’s fleeting. She climbs onto the bed and fiddles with the fabric of her comforter; we’ve never had the awkward silence before.
We’ve always had a tension surrounding us, an electric pulse pulling us to each other, but all I can feel now is her pulling away, and I don’t know what to do.
Should I force her to confront everything she’s feeling, or do I give her space and time to deal with it?
I hate this.
“Do you want me to stay and sleep with you?”
“No. I’m just going to sleep for a little while.”
There’s something hiding in her tone. She won’t look directly at me, and she’s chewing the inside of her gum.
“I have Brad coming over. I have some work I need to do.”
She’s nodding her head but doesn’t appear to be interested. She’s gotten to her feet. She’s impatient; she keeps shuffling from foot to foot, and her fingers are drumming on the side table.
“Well, you can go to the office. I don’t need a babysitter, despite what my mum thinks.” She rolls her eyes and smiles, but something is missing. I feel pushed away, and like an outsider. My heart won’t stop racing in my chest and I need to go to her and hold her until all her pain seeps out of her into me; it’s maddening.
“I don’t want to babysit you. I want to love you, be with you.”
She pauses her movements and drags her eyes up to mine. “Well, go do your work and then come back. We could watch a movie, just us two.”
“That sounds good.”
I go to her and lean in, kissing her lips. She accepts the intimacy but the pressure she usually applies is missing, and she’s ushering me out the door. Before I even realize, I’m on the outside of the apartment.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I try the handle on my apartment door, and it’s locked. Fuck, I left my keys downstairs.
Antonia’s door is open when I go back down, but she’s not in the living space, so I try to be quiet, hoping she’s managing to get some sleep, but her voice catches me off guard, coming from her room like she’s having a conversation with someone. She’s in her room, pacing the floor, talking on her cell. The sliver of space in the ajar door to her room gives me a perfect view of her.
“I miss you too. You know I love you. When I can, I’ll slip away and come and see you… Okay, tell the boys good luck.”
She ends the call and throws the cell on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom.
My feet are moving of their own accord. I’m in her room and grabbing her phone before I can register the boundaries I’m overstepping. My jealousy rules my head. I redial and pin the phone to my ear.
“Missing me that much, gorgeous?” A male English accent croons down the line. James? Disappointment and rage