Page 37 of InfraRed
The sun beats down on my skin, instantly warming the chill my anxiety caused as I consider what to tell Lily. She deserves to know. My dad is keeping secrets from her because they’re my secrets. It makes me feel like shit, but I’m grateful he’s always felt our business was separate from theirs. Though, a few weeks ago, I was giving him such hell because he kepttheirbusiness away from me. I’m a hypocrite of epic proportions. But I’m not ready to tell her yet. “Can I promise to tell you one day? Just nottoday?”
“Yes. I know I’m pushy, but I won’t force you to tell me anything you don’t want. But only if you promise you’re okay. That I don’t need to worry about you.”
Relief that she doesn’t push and guilt that she’s so understanding—somewhat out of character for my bossy, controlling best friend—spreads through my chest. “I promise,” I mumble. “Did you… Um, did you mention to Dad that Graham is the one who brought me home?”
I close one eye as I wait for her response. “Why do you think I’m so fucking curious about what the deal is?”
My entire face scrunches as I lift my thumb and middle fingers against my eyes. My stomach does a double backhand spring, and nausea punches me in the solar plexus. “Okay. SomaybeDad knows about the crush I had on Graham when I was younger and has been wary of him ever since.”
It’s the truth enough, right?
“Hmm. Maybe I should remind him that Graham is notactuallyyour brother.”
“Lily, don’t you dare,” I screech.
“Fine. I’ll mind my business. For now. But if he gets overbearing and nuts with you, I will… I’ll hold out on him until he behaves.” I gag but don’t respond because there’s no point. Lily will do what Lily wants, and I will hide in my room until the storm passes. “Now, spill on all the sexy stepbrother deets. Please tell me: did he bend you over and call you his good girl?”
My face turns to fire, and I don’t need a mirror to know it’s turned every shade of red in the spectrum. “No!” At this rate, the neighbors will knock on my door to ask me to go back inside. “Nothing happened. Nothingwillhappen. He’s my stepbrother, remember?”
“So. Not like you’re actually related. No blood shared means you can swap DNA all night long. And all day.”
Lord, once her brain latches on to something, you need the jaws of life to pry it loose. She doesn’t care about the stigma. Forbidden isn’t even part of her vocabulary. If she wants it, she takes it, and she cannot understand why everyone doesn’t do the same.
“It doesn’t matter. I told you. He doesn’t see me that way. I’m the little girl he found crying in the library because I wanted my dad. The girl my dad asked him to watch out for.” I learned that secret not long after my accident. “I keep telling you, but you aren’t listening.”
“Yeah, whatever,Sunflower. I hoped after you sobered up, he would get you punch-drunk on his dick.” I groan. She laughs. “Okay. Okay. I’ll move on to something else.”
“What, I’m afraid?”
“How doyoufeel abouthim?”
See what I mean? Dog with a bone. “Ugh. I told you. I had a teenage girl crush. I was young and stupid, but I’ve long since moved on.” I huff when she chuckles. “I’m serious, Lily. I haven’t thought of Graham at all in years. I am over him.”
“Are you now?”
Graham
The yellow phone flies over the edge of the invisible railing as a high-pitched scream echoes over the buzz of traffic twenty floors below. Her eyes fill with defeat when her head snaps to where the device just went over. Given her lack of food, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why, and it pisses me the fuck off. “I’ll buy you a new phone, Casey.” The words come out more clipped than I intend. My irritation over the conversation I eavesdropped on along with everything else I’ve noticed this morning. affecting my tone.
I need my ass kicked, but I still don’t know if I could’ve done anything different.
“No,” she bites out through clenched teeth as her messy blond hair swishes down her back. “I told you I’m not your problem; even if it is your fault, I just tossed it over. Why are you here? I said don’t come back? How did you even get in?”
Shit.I didn’t think about that. I decide to ignore the question. “I told you I would be back.” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “You have no food. I brought breakfast since you obviously have decided eating is optional.” Her face turns red, and this time, it’s not just embarrassment. It’s anger burning her cheeks. She doesn’t want me interfering.
Too. Damn. Bad.
And Jagger, my wonderful brother who was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, failed to mention she doesn’t have damn food in her twenty-two thousand dollar a month apartment.However, she also doesn’t know it’s that much. The lease says much,muchless, but I don’t think Casey or Lily ever saw it.
“Come inside and eat something. Now.”
Her head falls back. I almost expect her to throw a fit. Casey was never a tantrum kind of kid, but everyone has their moments, even her. I saw a few when she was younger, but they became less and less as she got older.
A small huff escapes her lips, then she walks past me. I follow until we reach the kitchen island, my eyes never leaving those long, bare legs the entire way. She stops at the marble top and wraps her fingers around the white paper sack. She shoves it into my chest, looking me right in the eyes. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have wasted your time. I have food, so you can g—”
I grab her wrist, take the sack from her hands, and set it back on the counter. “A lifetime supply of Top Ramen is not food. Especially for you, and you damn well know it. Youwillfucking eat it.”
She tries a different approach when she sees I’m not budging. “Graham, please just take it and leave.”