Little Do You Know (Bad At Love Duology Book 1)

Chapter One - Thalia

“I’M SO GLAD to be back. You have no idea how much I missed ice. Ice of all things,” I say, smiling at my older brother. Owen grabs my last suitcase while I adjust the carry-on strap on my shoulder.

“I love hearing you missed ice more than you missed me. Makes me feel like a great brother, Thalia,” Owen retorts. “We have plenty of ice back at the apartment.”

“I missed you too. You don’t understand. I could talk to you anytime, but getting more than three ice cubes felt impossible. My friends would make fun of me if I asked for more because the drinks already come chilled.” I glance over at Owen, walking next to him as he towers over me. Owen’s blond hair is shorter than the last time I saw him, and now he’s sporting a short beard that makes him look a few years older. “Thanks again for letting me stay with you. I know it’s probably not exciting for you to have me crash your vibe, but I appreciate it.”

I have a feeling our parents told Owen he had to let me live with him because they pay his rent, but it’s nice to think my brother agreed to it on his own.

He shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s not a big deal. We had the extra room since Chris moved in with his girlfriend.”

“We?” I ask, hoping I misheard what he said. Owen looks as if he put his foot in his mouth by saying something he didn’t intend to. “Who is we?”

“Well, Sebastian and I share the apartment. I thought you knew this?”

I shut my mouth quickly. I didn’t realize that I would also be living with Bash when Owen extended the offer to move in with him. I don’t trust myself to say anything. As far as Owen knows, we fought last year and haven’t spoken since.

“Lia, I swear he won’t even be in the apartment that often. We’re always at class and practice.”

“Okay,” I agree calmly. At this point, I can’t say anything. What’s done is done.

He looks at me skeptically. “That’s all? Just okay?”

“I’m not the same person I was when I went to France. I’m twenty now, soon to be twenty-one. I’m mature enough to get past how much I dislike your best friend,” I say, feeling the humidity in the air as we step past the airport doors.

My blonde hair immediately starts to curl, and I cringe, wishing for the cooler air of France. At least there, I know I don’t have to see Sebastian, let alone live with him.

“Are you all set for classes?” Owen asks while we venture farther into the parking lot. I scan the parked cars, looking for his truck, but I don’t see the hideous thing anywhere. I’m not sure why he still insists on driving that thing. Our parents offered to help him get a new one two years ago, but Owen prefers sinking more money into the stupid truck than it’s worth.

“I have to meet with my adviser tomorrow. I don’t quite understand why we can’t meet on Monday, but if she wants to work on a weekend, I’m not stopping her. I really am going to miss not having any homework, though. The past year was better than I thought it would be.”

I almost didn’t come back for my sophomore year at Duke. It was tempting to stay; Penelope wanted me to. My gap year in France helped me make connections, and I could have easily asked for a new assignment.

Owen laughs shortly, shaking his head. “Welcome to real life again.”

“Real life and responsibilities.” I groan as he pulls a set of keys from his pocket. Lights flash next to us, but it’s a car I don’t recognize. “Um, so where’s the rust bucket?”

“Very funny; it’s in the shop. I had to borrow Bash’s car.”

I ignore the fact that it’s Sebastian’s car, choosing to comment on the unreliability of Owen’s.Part of me wondered if he’d even be able to pick me up from the airport because of it. “Surprise, surprise. Why don’t you just get rid of it?” I ask, dropping my carry-on in the trunk of the sports car. Owen barely manages to fit my suitcase in next to it because the area is so small. What good is a car if you can’t fit anything in it?

“Because I like it. Why do you have a thousand lenses for your cameras?”

I roll my eyes and climb into the passenger seat without saying another word about his stupid truck. It wouldn’t make any difference to try explaining the different meanings behind the lenses to him.

Of course this is the car Sebastian has now. It suits his massive ego that’s probably only grown since the last time I saw him—pretty car for a pretty man.

Nope, we cannot validate Sebastian’s attractiveness. It’s not fair to my sanity.

It is a stunning car, though. The engine purrs quietly to life, and I can tell the quality of the leather is pricey by how soft it feels. I think I might be in love with it. That’s a much safer option than the alternative of loving the owner.

“Switch seats with me so I can drive?” I ask, running a hand over the black interior. It’s beautiful.

“Absolutely not. Bash gave me specific instructions that you’re not to drive it unless I’ve been shot and cannot operate the car.”

Figures. Sounds exactly like him.

At least with Owen driving, it gives me a chance to remember how pretty North Carolina is—even if the area we live in is mostly urban. There are worse places to live, but this is just not where I want to be right now.

My phone starts to ring in my lap, and I smile, seeing it’s my best friend from France. “Salut,” I greet happily, and Penelope begins rambling questions. It makes my heart hurt because of how much I miss her already.

“What’s it like there? Tell me everything? Have you seen him? Are you excited to be back?”

“Fine, nothing to tell, nope, and nope.” I answer all her questions in French, slipping easily back into the language. It’s almost like I never left. “ How’s Madame Thomas?”

“Fine. She told me I’ll need to eat twice the pastries to make up for the business she’s missing from you.”

My mouth waters at the thought of a profiterole right now. “Eat enough for me, and tell her I miss her food already.”

“Forget the food! Who am I supposed to go out with now? Mae and Simone suck at having fun. You left me alone to die of boredom.”

“Die surrounded by profiterole and bubbles. I feel so bad for you, you lucky bitch,” I swear, erupting into a fit of laughter. I can feel Owen staring at me, and since he did pick me up at the airport, I probably should be talking to him instead of Penelope. “Sorry, is it okay if I call you back later? I’m in the car with my brother.”

“Only if you send me pictures of all the hot American boys. I feel deprived here.”

“Of course,” I promise, hanging up. I look at Owen, confused by the one he’s giving me. “What are you looking at?”

“You’re still speaking French,” he says in English, turning back to focus on the road. I can’t help it. I just spent a year entirely immersed in the language and the culture. It’s not a switch my brain can make easily. I’ll get better at it.

“Sorry, habit,” I apologize, leaning back to watch more buildings go by. If I close my eyes, I can pretend the plane ride didn’t happen and I’m still in the apartment I shared with Penelope.

I keep them shut until the car is parked, resisting the urge to open them even when Owen pokes me hard. “Wake up; we’re here.”

I open them reluctantly. “I wasn’t sleeping, jackass. I just closed my eyes.”

“I think they made you meaner over there,” he grumbles, popping the trunk as I climb out of the low-sitting car.

“Everyone’s mean over there; it makes me look like an angel.”

Owen shakes his head at me. “I don’t believe you. Grab your bag. I can’t carry everything.”

“You could carry both bags and me if you wanted to. You forget I’ve been to the gym with you before.” I tease my brother, and he gives me a half smile.

“I’m glad you’re back, Thalia. I know the apartment situation isn’t ideal for anyone, but I’ve really missed you.”

I can’t help throwing my arms around him. “You’re the best. I’m seriously fine. Cool as a cucumber. I can be polite, but I’m not making any promises about how your best friend will act.”

“Don’t worry, I had a similar conversation with him already.” Owen chuckles, hugging me back. “Let me know if there’s any problems.” As if. I can handle Sebastian on my own. At least I think I can.

“Am I allowed to invite friends over?” I ask, pulling back to shoulder my carry-on again.

“I don’t care. Like I said, we’re never home. Please try not to trash the place if you do have people over. There’s only so much I can do to help keep the peace in the apartment.”

I smile because Owen is acting like I’m the same person I was before I left. I can admit I wasn’t a responsible person then, but I’ve grown. “I promise I won’t trash the place. I’m pretty responsible now.”

He looks skeptical. “You’re twenty. You can’t be that responsible. Just don’t be stupid.”

“I look forward to surprising you then with my high level of responsibility and low levels of stupidity.”

“You can start showing us tonight. You’ll have the apartment to yourself. Bash and I have a late practice and plans with the team for our season opener. I talked to Vera, and she said she would come by to see you.”

I totally forgot to respond to Vera asking when I was coming back. Shit, I’m a terrible friend. “Awesome, I can’t wait to see her. It’s been so long.”

Owen unlocks the apartment door and sets my bag down in the entryway. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s seen you. Your bedroom is the one at the end on the right. There’s food in the fridge, but there’s some money on the counter if you want to order pizza for you and Vera later.”

“Thanks. We’ll probably do a low-key movie night.” I’m too exhausted to do anything else.

Owen smiles and hugs me again quickly. “Prove me right, please.”

I push him off me. “Go away. You’re smothering me.”

My brother leaves, and I drop my bags into the bedroom that’s mine. I quickly jump in the shower to scrub my body clean of anything disgusting I could have come in contact with at the airport. After getting dressed, I flop happily onto my bed. It feels incredible compared to sleeping on the flight back from France.I text Vera quickly and let her know she can come to the apartment whenever.

I should be using this time to unpack, but I’m exhausted. I really hope Vera is okay with the movie night I told Owen we’d be having. I need some time to settle after the hecticness of the last week.

You also need to come to terms with living next to Bash, my brain reminds me.

Part of me wants to know how he feels about me living here. Actually, I don’t need to wonder. Sebastian probably hates it because he hates me. Maybe after having over a year to cool off, he isn’t as mad at me as when I left?

I push the wishful idea out of my head. Sebastian definitely hates me, but it’d be nice if he didn’t. I’ll have to prove that I’m different in a good way now compared to the irrational, impulsive teenager I was before I left. I’m aware there’s not a shot in hell that we could go back to how things might have been before our fight, but I’d like to not be walking on eggshells in the apartment I’m living in.

I can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst.