Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
As if on cue, Kraven cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt this Hallmark moment, but I’d like to talk to my brother. In private.”
Isla’s hands fell away, and I immediately missed her touch.
“And you choose now?” I bit out, standing, bringing her with me.
“We’re like passing ships these days,” he reminded. “Gotta jump aboard when I can.”
She peered back and forth between us. “Please don’t kill each other.”
I watched her leave, and as soon as she was gone, I questioned, “How’s the lip?”
He scoffed. “You hit like a bitch.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. “You put ice on it? We don’t need your teachers thinking—”
“That you didn’t sucker punch me.”
I let him have that, then requested, “What do you want?”
“I just wanted to make sure we’re good.”
“We will be if you tell me what mess you got yourself into?”
“It’s fine.”
“What is?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“Yeah.” He smiled, holding up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“You’re the furthest thing from a Boy Scout, Kraven, and I’m done getting slapped in the face with your latest stunt.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“Do you? Or are you just trying to blow off this conversation like you do everything else?”
“How about you stop digging my grave even deeper, and I’ll take care of anything that happens, okay?”
“So, no calls from your teachers? Parents? Principal? And definitely no calls from CPS, right?”
“Yeah, then we’re off to see the wizard,” he mocked.
“I’m serious. I’m exhausted and I can’t handle any more disappointment.”
Insulted, he spewed, “I’m a disappointment now?”
“You can be, Kraven. Sometimes you make it really hard in a situation that’s already hard enough on me.”
“And what?” he argued. “You think you’re the only one who this has been hard on? I lost them, too, Julius. She walked out on me just as much as she did you. I think you forgot that.”
Zeroing in on him, I placed my hand on my chest. “I forgot that? Why do you think I bust my ass for you? I’m trying to make things better for you because of all the trauma we went through.”
“I never asked you to do that!”
“You didn’t have to!”
I stepped away, trying to control my temper. My brother could always get the best and worst of me in a matter of seconds.
“I didn’t come out here to fight with you.”
I faced him. “Could’ve fooled me.”
His expression hardened as he stated, “Whatever, man. We’re good, right?”
“What about Isla?”
He shrugged. “What about her?”
“What happened there?”
“We hung out,” he simply stated when it wasn’t so simple.
“Is that it?”
“She told me the truth you’ve been too big of a pussy to ask her about. If that’s what you’re referring to.”
“And what truth is that?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to play telephone. You want to know, grow some balls… and just ask her. It’s really that simple, Julius.”
My jaw clenched, and his hands shot to the air in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Prince Charming.”
He turned and left.
That night, I slept on the couch. I sat for only a minute before I passed the hell out and didn’t wake up until the smell of bacon and coffee the following morning. I quickly showered, then found Isla sitting at the table with my breakfast in front of her. We ate like this every morning.
Right when I sat down, she beamed.
Her hair was flowing across her face from the window being open, the wind softly blowing it through the room. The scent of her shampoo assaulted my senses, stirring my reaction to her. She was barely wearing any makeup, letting me see the real her.
I knew she did that on purpose for me.
This was where I surrendered, but only with her.
My brother was another story.
She was mine.
No matter how hard he tried.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
ISLA
Certainty is the calm before the storm. -Stewart Stafford
Six months later.
“You don’t have to work today?” I asked, sitting at Julius’s desk. “You’re usually gone all weekend.”
Julius grinned. “You trying to get rid of me?”
“I mean,” I teased, cocking my head to the side. “I am really busy these days. My calendar is just scheduled to the max.”
“Oh yeah? What’s it filled with?”
“Let’s see, I have to finish this homework and then I have to start dinner. I was thinking of maybe trying out that new grill you bought. What do you think about shish kebabs?”
With a playful expression, he implied, “You know how to handle a kebab?”
I giggled, blushing. I felt the heat instantly sweep my skin.
This was definitely one of the biggest things that changed between us over the past year since we met.
We’d openly flirt.
Play around.
Cuddle.
His favorite spot to fall asleep was with his head on me as I scratched his back.
We acted like we were dating, but we weren’t even kissing.
At all.
Despite all of that, we were still best friends. It felt natural to behave this way around one another after I began talking. His hands were always on me in one way or another, or trying to be. Whether it was to tickle me, touch my skin, or even hold my hand.