Page 20 of Heat Transfer
“And I thought my family was chaotic,” Felix whispered into my ear.
“You have no idea.”
His woodsy cologne sent my senses into overdrive, and the memory of him in the suit from earlier emblazoned in my brain. Same as the way he’d gotten up in my space to rescue me from the changing room stall.
“So right hand out of commish for the foreseeable future. Rough, eh?” Rory waggled his brows. I groaned, and that was before Mom cast him one of her infamous sharp looks. Rory garnered them every time he opened his mouth.
“Liam’s on his way,” Ollie said.
“Oh, so you’ll answer the phone for him,” Rory said.
“Well, yeah, I’m sticking my dick in him.”
“Where did we go wrong?” Mom asked Dad. “I’m pretty sure most families don’t overshare like this.”
“Depends,” Felix said. “My brother Marco’s on the oversharing train too.”
Ollie stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened. “Sothat’s where I know you from. You’re Marco’s little brother! And if you’re dating my little brother—way to keep it in the family.”
My brows scrunched together. “Gross. Never phrase it that way again. Ever. Just because he’s in the same extended friend group does not make it incest.”
“Why am I walking in on incest again?” Declan said by the doorway. His breath came out a little heavy, like he’d run here, but that could’ve been any amount of exercise for Declan since he avoided athletics like the plague. His thick hair was windswept, and his glasses were askew.
“I’m terrified to know the ‘again’ portion of the statement,” Felix said. I slid my arm around his waist and maneuvered us against the wall in the hopes we could avoid more curiosity from the family. As much as I had felt skipped over for years, Rory and Ollie taking center stage, the shift of attention made my skin prickle with nerves. If this thing between Felix and me were real, maybe I’d feel differently. I’d be basking in carving something out that belonged to me. Not just following along with the business, living in everyone else’s shadows.
However, Felix was here as a friend, and he was only my fake boyfriend because I’d been too chickenshit to correct Dad the first time.
“There’s no incest,” Rory said. “Although I heard this story at the shop about this chick who hooked up with twin sisters,andit turned out she was their half sister too.”
“I feel ill,” Mom said. “Is there room for me in the hospital bed?”
“For you, always.” Dad patted the side of the bed with his undamaged arm.
“Keep it above the sheets, guys,” Ollie said.
“Who’s rolling around in the sheets?” Aislin burst through the doorway. “I thought Dad was hurt.”
“This is the worst game of telephone I’ve ever seen,” Felix said, his eyes light with amusement. “It’s like a train wreck. I can’t look away.”
“Welcome to my family.” I rested my back against the cool surface of the hospital wall, and all the anxiety over what had happened to Dad drained away. But Mom was right. He should be retired by now, so maybe this accident would be the kick to the ass he needed to make the moves. I’ve been wanting to say something for ages, but every time I was about to speak up, I’d lost the nerve.
“Dad, I saw in the group chat—your arm?” Aislin slipped past us to his side. She still wore her work attire—a pink blouse and black skirt along with pumps—and her brown hair threaded with purple strands was twisted into a low bun.
“Because someone updates the group chat.” Rory took on a lofty tone.
“Get over it, Rory,” Ollie said. “Some of us have lives.”
“Way to piggyback off Mom,” Rory shot back.
“Who’s with Cor?” Declan adjusted his glasses as he stared in our direction. The hospital room, which had already felt cram packed with five of us, was now jammed with eight people. Too fucking many. Sweat prickled on my skin, partially due to the amount of bodies wedged in here but also because of the returned scrutiny.
“Felix.” He introduced himself before I could answer.
“Cor’s new boyfriend.” Ollie dove in, eager to be a thorn in my side. Considering the flack we’d given him when he and Liam first got together for missing the signs all these years, he deserved to pay me back. That still didn’t mean I had to like it.
“Oh!” Aislin turned to us, her blue eyes sparking with mischief. If I hadn’t been leaning against the wall, I would’ve backed away. “Great to meet you, Felix.”
Any second now, the interrogation would begin. And I wasn’t sure I could handle the pressure of lying to my family through that. We needed to get out of here.