I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Look, man… I’m sorry for all that shit. Alright? But I didn’t come here to deal with that.”
“Why did you come here?” she asked.
I looked up at her and saw her fall back a step. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit down on her lower lip as she turned her head to break our connection. I started toward the stairs again, but Gabe was quick to shove me back.
I held my hands up. “Don’t fucking start, man.”
“You really think I’m going to let you anywhere near my sister?”
“Oh, you’re going to pick right now to be the protective big brother?” I threw back. “Where were you when she was upstairs, scared and hurting because her parents died and she didn’t know where she’d end up?” My brows lifted. “That’s right. You were balls deep in my girlfriend. I don’t know if you remember or not, but I was the one who was always here for her. I was the one who gave her advice when she needed it. I was the one who hung out with her and kept her company while you were off trying to screw another girl.Iwas the one who was up there comforting her while you were busy fucking my girlfriend. So don’t you dare try to act like you’ve been here for her all along because that’s always been me.” I pointed at my chest.
“You son of a bitch,” he snarled under his breath before lunging toward me.
He wrapped both arms around me and tackled me to the floor. He landed a hit to my jaw that echoed through my head. I bucked upward and twisted, trying to knock him off of me, but he was holding tight. He didn’t have time to hit me again, though, because Evelyn rushed down the steps and wrapped her arms around his bicep, dragging him back and allowing me to get up.
I stood, doubled over and breathless.
“I-I just came here to talk,” I said, looking over at her from beneath my lashes. “Will you please just talk to me, Evie? Fuck, baby, please?”
Gabe glared at me. “You motherfucker. My-Mysister,man? You’re fucking my little sister? You’re the reason she quit school?”
“Gabe, stop,” Eve called out, her voice wavering.
Gabe visibly swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He let out a scoff.
“Can we talk?” I begged softly. “Please, Evie?”
“Fine,” she whispered. She started toward the stairs.
I followed along behind her and was halfway up when I realized that Gabe was behind me. At the top of the stairs, I turned to face him.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.
“You wanna talk to her? You can talk to me, too.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I started, but Eve stepped between us.
“It will only be a minute, Gabe. Don’t worry about him. I can handle him,” she assured her brother before turning and slipping into her darkened bedroom.
I took a deep breath, ripped my eyes from him, and followed her inside. I closed the door behind me and locked it, not wanting Gabe to barge in whenever he felt like it.
She sat on the edge of her bed and turned on the lamp that was on the nightstand. It filled the room with soft light, making it much easier to see. I took a moment to review everything. It had been forever since I’d been inside her childhood bedroom. It was exactly as I remembered it. Nothing had changed.
I sat on the edge of the bed beside her, and my eyes moved to the framed family photo she had on the nightstand. Lying beside it was a picture of us in the pool. I smiled as I reached over and picked it up.
I raked my eyes over her nearly naked body. She was underage then, but I sure as fuck noticed how good she looked in her bright yellow bikini.
“I remember this day,” I say, thinking back on how long it seemed now.
She took the photo from my hand and tossed it back onto the table. “You came all this way so say what you need to say.”
I took a deep breath. “I…I don’t even know where to start.”
“Why don’t you start with how you’ve been trying to get revenge on my brother by fucking me?” Her words were laced with acid, and they burned as they sank into me.
I nodded. “Alright, I admit that was the plan…”
“I knew it,” she yelled. “I can’t believe you’re just going to admit to it like that.” She sprang up and paced across the room.
