is being up front with you about us, which I’m doing. But don’t get too attached to the idea of him and me.”
I patted Cork’s hand, but before I could withdraw it, he clasped mine in his.
“You shouldn’t either,” he said, “if there’s something bad he’s keeping from you.”
“It’s too late. I’m already attached. I’ve fallen for him, Cork.”
“Oh, Lotus.” He squeezed my hand. “I think letting him tell you the truth would have been a better choice.”
“You’re probably right,” I said.
When did my brother get so wise? Or his hand so much bigger than mine?
Cork’s option sounded so easy to choose, in theory, but impossible to contemplate when Journey looked at me with storm clouds brewing in his eyes.
“But I have him, what I have of him, like this for now.” My stomach swirling anew, I decided a change of subject was best. “So, Sophia called me last night?”
“Yeah. She wasn’t making a lot of sense, but she was hyped up and really wanted to talk to you. I told her where I thought you were, and that seemed to calm her down some.”
“I should call her.” I leaned forward and snagged my cell from the coffee table. The display was filled with text messages, all from her.
As I sat back, I noticed Cork’s phone screen light up.
“Who’s Monique?” I asked, and his cheeks turned red. We were both cursed with blushing when embarrassed.
“Just a girl,” he said evenly.
“The blonde at the Deck Bar?”
“Yeah.” Grabbing his phone, he stood. “I’ll call her back in the bedroom, so you can talk privately to Sophia in here.”
In other words, he wanted privacy.
My eyes widened as I watched him walk away. Seeing him only wearing his boxers, I noted it wasn’t only his hands that were larger. His body was more man than boy now, his long strides surer than I remembered, and his shoulders confidently squared.
My brother was growing up.
Cork would never completely abandon me, but he was embarking on a new phase in his life, one that for the most part didn’t include me. The warm, bubbly feeling I’d had from being with Journey deflating like a balloon spilling air, I pressed call back on Sophia’s number.
She answered after the third ring, out of breath. “Hello?”
“You okay?” I asked. “You called last night. I was out.”
“Just a minute.” She covered the phone to mute it, and my brows rose. “Okay. I’m back.” She sounded more focused and also a little nervous
“Are you with someone right now?”
“No. I mean yes, I was, but he left. So not anymore.” Her words were rushed. “Cork said he thought you were with Journey last night.”
“I was.”
“All night?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“So it’s serious then. Saber and you are over, right?”
“I already told you that.” I frowned, sensing something was going on.
“So you did. My bad.”
“Why the rehash?” I asked.
“No reason.”
Her reply didn’t ring true, and in all the years we’d been friends, I could never remember her lying to me.
“What’s going on with you? Cork said you were drunk and upset last night.”
“I had a few beers.”
“And you took someone home with you? A stranger? Without telling me? That’s not cool, Sophia.” I used the same chastising tone on her that Cork used on me.
“I tried to call you last night,” she said, sounding like a guilty teenager trying to deflect punishment.
“I know you did.”
“The guy I was with wasn’t a stranger,” she said softly.
“Anyone I know?” I asked, my throat suddenly tight.
“Saber.”
Storm
“COMING!” I SHOUTED.
With a towel secured at my waist, I moved quickly through the apartment, dripping water on the carpet as I went. When I reached the front door, I yanked it open, anticipating Lotus but discovering Cork instead.
“Fuck you, asshole!” His blue-green eyes were the same as his father’s, only they didn’t contain gentle emotion.
“That’s not very nice,” I said carefully, narrowing my gaze.
This was the second time he’d taken me on, even though I was older than him and a lot bigger. Without a doubt, this was about Lotus again.
“You wanna continue cussing me out, standing outside with me inside only in a towel, or do you want to come in and wait for me to get some clothes on so we can talk civilly like friends. Friends who are grown-ups.”
“I’m grown up.” Cork’s eyes flashed. “It’s you who’s behaving like a child.”
“Inside it is.” Deciding for him, I motioned and turned.
Dripping a new path on the carpet, I returned the way I’d come down the shallow entry hallway. Hearing the