life? I had a brother that I liked, maybe even loved. I had Decker. I was at my dream school on track to graduate with honors. Everything was just perfect.
And then the door jiggled. Fuck.
Lance was here. Right now. Right fucking now.
I turned on the lights and quickly blew out the candle just as Lance opened the door and entered the loft. I fixed my face into a fake smile while greeting him. “Whoa! Look at you! Hot date tonight?” Lance asked before dumping his bag on the floor. I heard Decker’s door shut and breathed out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted.
My brother looked effortlessly handsome with his graphic tee and faded jeans. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a low, polite whistle while gesturing for me to spin around. I curtsied and humored him, feeling giddy at how sweet he was being. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would have felt to have his sort of enthusiasm growing up.
“It’s the fall formal tonight, but it seems my date has stood me up. Was just about to go get changed and watch a movie.”
Lance’s jaw dropped. “Who in their right mind would stand you up?” he asked while rubbing his hands together. “Oh gosh, I’ve been waiting for this moment. I get to beat some dude up for breaking my sister’s heart now, don’t I?” he asked with glee while pacing the floors. “Give me a name. I’m so excited! I get to be the protective big brother now!”
I giggled at his elation while taking off my heels. Usually, others might have said that my romantic night with Decker was ruined, but I actually wasn’t bothered by Lance’s intrusion. “There will be no beating anyone up,” I chided. I felt terrible for yet another lie but didn’t see any other option. I was actually pretty proud of myself for coming up with something so quickly. “I didn’t really want to go anyway. Besides, look at me. He’s already missing out. I think the absence of my presence is punishment enough.” I winked to feign confidence and put my hand on my hips.
Lance grinned. “I like the way you think, Blakely,” he said before making his way over to the kitchen and grabbing a Coke out of the fridge.
“I thought you were staying at Sean’s tonight,” I asked.
Lance faced me just as his face fell, and I watched as he started staring at his feet. “Ah, I decided to come home. Missed my baby sister too much,” he deflected. I wanted to pry but didn’t want to be too intrusive. It seemed like he wasn’t unwilling to open up about his relationship. I had no right to complain though. I decided not to press him on it even though I wanted to. I was starting to understand why Decker felt so protective of Lance. I had started to feel the same way. Lance was so bright and joyful; he was the type you wanted to hold tight and shelter from the world. Sometimes I even fleetingly wondered if he would have been this optimistic ray of sunshine had he been raised by Mama.
“Oh! I spoke to your dad’s parole officer and managed to get a case opened on his disappearance,” Lance said. “I know we’ll find him soon, Blakely.” My heart swelled again. I hadn’t heard from Dad since the night he warned me away. I was worried about him but felt helpless to do anything. The system was flawed and didn’t care about an ex-felon. We hadn’t seen more of those men around, but I had a feeling this wasn’t over. Like most of my life right now, I was in a state of limbo and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Thank you, Lance. I can’t say it enough. It means a lot that I don’t have to go through that alone,” I choked out.
Lance circled the kitchen island and wrapped me up in a hug. “You don’t have to do anything alone anymore, Blakely. I’m here for the long haul.” Moisture collected in my eyes, and I swatted it away when our embrace ended. “Anyways,” Lance began, all tenderness in his tone now gone, “a dress like that shouldn’t be put to waste. How about we go to dinner? Where the hell is Decker?”
As if on cue, Decker appeared out of his bedroom and came sauntering down the hall. He looked frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair. He’d changed