That Escalated Quickly
It was nearly midday when my train approached its destination.
I peered out the window, spotting my sister in the middle of the crowd.
There she was, a serious frown creasing her forehead, eyes disapprovingly focused on the watch on her wrist. An announcement crackled over the speaker— ah, the delay —and then the doors slid wide open.
“Jo?” I called, waving my hand, then slowly followed the stream of people. “Over here!” And when her gaze met mine her face lit up with a wide, welcoming smile.
“Finally!” She quickly pushed past and pulled me in for a hug. “My favourite sister came to visit!”
“Your only sister. Unless—” Something just occurred to me. “—mum and dad have a secret they are yet to share.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Jo laughed again, wrapping her arms around me tighter and tighter until I thought I might actually pass out—I was probably turning blue. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I managed to choke out. “Alright, that’s enough…I can’t breathe!”
“God, I still cannot believe it!” She slowly pulled away, her face beaming with joy while mine was finally returning to its normal colour. “I’m getting married!” she yelped, elated. “In two weeks!”
“And you will be the most beautiful bride.” I brushed a strand of wavy chestnut hair behind her ear, captivated as always by her eyes, which were typically a soft grey but a summer sky blue whenever the sun caught them.
Today was one of those days. But there was something more in their depths.
She was still my little sister—compassionate, dreamy, and kind, the girl I had always known—yet her eyes shone with newfound confidence and fierce determination. When did she become this woman?
“Let’s go.” She reached for one of my suitcases. “Miles will take us home.”
“Miles?” I repeated, unsure.
“Oh, right, you haven’t met him yet. He is the best man at our wedding. Mark invited him to stay over and soak up some sun with us before the big day.”
“Oh, so is he staying at the parents’ house?” I asked, surprised.
“Well, yeah.”
“Huh? Willingly?”
“Yes.”
“With our parents?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, I meant willingly with our parents?”
“Still yes.”
“So, what’s the story? Are you sure he isn’t being blackmailed or something?
” I asked, stunned because I couldn’t stay long in the same room with our parents, especially my mother.
We couldn’t even spend a day without fighting.
Let’s just say my mum and I rarely saw eye-to-eye on anything.
Unlike my younger sister, Josephine, I’d always been a bit, well, stubborn.
So, after graduating, I didn’t join the family business, which wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for me—well, it was never really about what I wanted anyway.
And since then they’d had a hard time accepting the fact that I, as they liked to put it, ‘abandoned them’ or, worse, ‘wasted my potential.’
The day I told my mother I wanted to be a paramedic, I swear I can still hear her high-pitched voice echoing in my head, repeating I was throwing my life away.
The thought of spending the next fourteen long days there filled me with dread.
It was that familiar feeling inside me whenever I was back: a knot tightening in my stomach, a storm brewing beneath the surface, an imbalance, like a plane hitting sudden turbulence.
Feeling that something might go terribly wrong.
It always did…With a shudder, I pulled my clothes tighter, wishing for another layer—a barrier against whatever was to come.
Forcing a smile to mask the turmoil within, I glanced at my sister.
Things we do for our siblings, right? At least they had plenty of space to hide in that huge, umpteen-bedroom house.
“Oh, there he is!” Jo suddenly said, casting her eyes ahead, her hand reaching for her back pocket at the sound of the ringtone melody, Mark’s picture illuminated on the screen.
“Who?” I asked, following her gaze.
“Miles,” she quickly whispered before accepting the call.
My gaze shifted onwards, eyes slowly taking in the whole picture. Whatever thoughts I had moments ago slipped into the abyss. Was that Miles? Caught completely off guard, the question almost slipped from my lips.
There he was, standing, leaning against the door of his red Ferrari, looking simply…
abso fucking lutely mouthwatering. Sleek, ice-blond hair styled to gleaming perfection as if he had just stepped off the stage of a hair product commercial.
A lock of platinum strands fell onto his forehead as he glanced down to check the time.
Toned muscles peeked from under the rolled sleeves of his thin shirt, sending my imagination racing, wondering what that might have looked like if he’d lost the clothes.
My eyes roamed over his broad chest and absolutely perfect stance.
The sight of him made my breath catch in my throat, welcome warmth reaching down my entire core.
He was definitely the type of man I could easily surrender to.
Yet he was also exactly the kind of man I should avoid.
A slight but controlled smile played across my face.
He turned as I approached and, I swear, my hands never so hastily fixed anything in my life as they tugged my shirt into my jeans then brushed my hair back. Why am I suddenly so self-conscious?
As soon as his gaze met mine, an eyebrow raised with unimpressed amusement.
Um…? I blinked. Twice. Unsure. He muttered something under his breath, revealing an askance glance in his eyes—the kind that said, “ Who does she think she is? ” The sharp features noticeably tensed before he hid them behind the round-framed sunglasses.
Excuse me, what’s with the attitude? My faint smile, which was barely even there, vanished without a trace.
Was that…me? Or perhaps someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?
As I came up to his car, we were yet to exchange words. What if…What if he just had a bad day? He was staying at my parents’ house after all. Du-uh!
“Hey,” I said politely, outstretching my hand. “I’m Jo’s sister—”
No “hi” or “how are you?” He simply moved past me and reached for my suitcases with a curt, “I’ll take these,” and as he did, he walked towards the trunk.
“Um…thanks?” Okay, so he clearly wasn’t interested, which only made him more annoying since I was the one who was—but what about manners?
It’s not like we’re living in the Stone Age, right?
We’re supposed to be civilised by now. Who did he think he was?
Suddenly, my body spun back, my hands landing on my hips, my tone more demanding than I intended.
“Wow! Do you realise how rude this was? What are you, a caveman? Or simply having a bad day?” Shoot .
I paused, mortified. Did I really just call him that?
Miles peeked over the trunk, then glanced around. One eyebrow arched slightly as he took in my question. Frankly, my own eyebrows slanted the same way at the words I’d just uttered.
“Yes,” I added, staring at him, ready to bury my face in my hands any minute now, “I was talking to you.”
Whatever I said seemed to snag his attention, because Miles casually slid his glasses down his nose until his eyes met mine, peering over the rims. Then a hint of amusement played at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m neither,” he said, his voice low yet with a dismissive edge in it, “But I do appreciate the concern.” Huh, this is going well.
“Look—” My fists immediately clenched with frustration, the nails digging into my palms as I took a step closer. “—I don’t know what your deal is,” I rasped through gritted teeth, “but…” Be a bigger person, Lore. Be a bigger person.
I breathed deeply, trying to regain control before I broke my knuckles against his face. On the bright side, there was always a first time for everything, right?
Be…a…bigger…person. A slap perhaps would suffice. To cause less damage. To us both.
Breathe . Another long inhale as I decided against violence and finally asked, “Did I do something…to offend you?”
Miles pushed the trunk closed with a thud, his arm resting casually on top of it.
Then he turned and looked my way. “Offend me?” he repeated, incredulously drawing out the word “me,” as if it held some new, intriguing meaning I wasn’t sharp enough to grasp.
And for the love of all that is holy , the smugness of his expression was just begging for my fists to punch him right then. Right in his jaw.
“Sorry.” Jo appeared beside us, shoving her phone back in her pocket. “That was Mark.”
“Thank God,” I quietly muttered. My self-control was hanging by a thread.
“Okay, where was I? Right—” Jo beamed, her eyes darting between me and—ugh—him. “—Miles, this is my sister, Lore. And Lore—” She turned to me. “—this is Miles.”
He offered me a tight-lipped, very pretentious smile.
“Charmed,” he said. Charmed? I nearly snorted but managed a flat “pleasure” back.
I already knew the drive home would be the least pleasant one ever.
Not that it ever was pleasant. Ugh! I could scream.
“Shall we?” he asked, unbothered, his voice annoyingly perfect.
I crossed my arms and gave a slight shrug. “Sure,” I muttered calmly, hoping I sounded even less bothered than he did, but inside— oh, why do I even care? —I was completely off balance.
Confidently striding forward, he opened the front passenger door for me.
“Oh, I’ll be perfectly fine in the back,” I insisted, reaching for the rear handle, swinging it open. “Oh,” I sputtered, surprised and confused. Jo crumpled from the other side, consumed by towering stacks of boxes filling the entire space. “Did you rob a post office or something?”
“Um…call it a pre-wedding shopping spree,” my sister’s voice muffled from somewhere under the packages. “I know, I know, I might have gotten a little carried away.”
“A little, huh?” I sighed.