CHAPTER 24
“What are you doing here?” I carried my tired feet to the door. “E, you’re always welcome, but you”—I pointed a finger at my stupid-ass brother—“you’ve lost the privilege to come see me.”
“Yes, whatever my girl said.” Mikey wrapped his arm around my shoulder and brought me closer to him.
Emmie’s jaw clenched hard.
“Lily, I asked Jay to come with me. I promise there won’t be a recurrence of what happened last time,” Evy said, a pleading look in her eyes.
“Fine, but only because you asked.” I turned my eyes to my brother. “I’m still mad at you.”
“Lily,” Emmie started, but I held up a hand, twisting back to let them in. My brother knew very well that I wasn’t happy with what he did. I sent him a long text stating how disappointed I was with him for the way he handled everything. I know my brother loved me, but beating up his best friend, who stood by him in his darkest days, was a disgusting thing to do.
Evy and Emmie sat opposite us. Evy had a smile on her face, and Emmie was sporting the same blank expression .
Mikey still had his arms draped around me like a protective shield. I'm not sure if he was taunting my brother or trying to stake his claim.
Long trickles of silent minutes passed, but none of us spoke a word.
“Are we going to have a contest of who speaks first? If so, I win,” Mikey quipped.
Emmie narrowed his gaze at him.
“Jay.” Evy gave him a sharp look, squeezing his thigh hard.
Emmie nodded, inhaling air down his lungs. “I’m sorry,” he grumbled under his breath.
Whoa, I did not expect that. My brother hardly apologized to anyone unless he meant it. My heart was already warming up to him a bit.
Mikey’s eyes glinted with joy. “What? Can you say that again? I almost didn’t hear you.”
“I said I’m sorry, fucker.”
Mikey cupped his ears, raising his brows. “Still can’t.”
Emmie snapped, holding Mikey in an intense glare. “I’m sorry for hitting you, fucker.”
“Wait, one more time! Let me get my phone. I think you gave me a good picture to put on the thank-you card of our wedding,” Mikey joked, retrieving his phone, and the tips of my ears burned red.
Wedding? As in with me? I knew he was just kidding, but my gut wrenched with something I couldn’t really explain.
We used to dream of getting married as kids, but that was long erased after he left me .
The desire, it was back. I had to tone it down. Michael and I were just having fun, and it’ll stay that way. I can’t get roped into him again. I can’t have hope destroy my peace.
“That’s it.” Emmie climbed to his feet. “I think I regret less about rearranging your smug face.”
“Jay.” Evy sighed, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. “Remember what I told you.”
It was clear that she was the one who dragged him here. The last time they left the apartment, Evy was crushed, but it looked like they had worked it out. I mean, who was I kidding? Those two lived in a separate bubble.
“Yes,” Emmie replied, darting his eyes back to Mikey. “I am sorry for hitting you like that. I don’t know what came over me, but I still don’t like whatever it is that you’re trying to pull with my sister.”
“I’m not trying to pull anything with your sister. We’re together,” Mikey firmed. His voice was steady, unlike the usual banter.
“I need to talk to my sister,” Emmie said after a moment. “Alone.”
“But I don’t want to talk to you,” I replied sharply.
“Please, Lily.” Emmie’s eyes looked hopeful as he gave me a small smile.
“Fine,” I mumbled, getting up and leading him to the guest room while he followed me.
Just as I closed the door, my brother gathered me in a tight hug, and I melted in an instant, hugging him tight.
“I’m sorry, little shit.” He ran his hand over my back. “I just love my sister a little too much. ”
I tightened my arms around his neck, and a sudden burn spread across my rib cage.
It didn’t matter if we fought like children and had our differences; I loved my brother to death. His strength was something that I was awed by ever since I was a kid.
And I could never stay mad at him for long.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled against his shoulder.
The concern in his bright blue eyes didn’t fade. “I know you’re an adult now, but you’ll always be my baby sister. This thing with Mikey, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I smiled, squeezing his hand. “I know it isn’t what you expected, but I’m fine. Mikey is many things, but he’s been treating me really well, and he takes good care of me, Emmie. For now, that’s all that matters to me.”
“Okay.” He ruffled my hair, smiling. “I never thought I’d see the day you two would be on the same page.”
A faint blush heated my cheeks. “It just happened quickly, almost as if we weren’t separated at all.”
“The idiot does know how to charm everyone to his liking. I was sure that he wouldn’t start anything with you, but who am I kidding? It was long overdue. I guess. I’m not one hundred percent okay with this, but I’ll try it for you, okay? But you have to promise me that you’ll be careful.”
“I will,” I reassured him.
A spark of an actual smile lit up his face as he brushed a finger across my cheek. “Enough about that fucker. Are you okay? You look exhausted.”
“Yeah, I have the flu,” I blurted, caught off guard. Fuck, my brother knows that I rarely catch the flu .
“The flu? Why didn’t you tell me? Did you not take the shot last year? Come on, let’s get you checked.” He gripped his hand around my wrist.
“Emmie.” I rested a hand on his shoulder, but he was already halfway out the door. “Emmie,” I said a bit louder, and he brought his eyes back to me.
“I’m fine, Emmie, it’s just the flu. People get it all the time; I don’t need to be checked for that.”
“No.” His brows tugged. “First anemia, now the flu, there could be some underlying issue. I’ll rest easy knowing that nothing’s wrong.”
“Emmie.” I mustered a sturdy tone. “That’s enough. I’m tired of everyone trying to drag me to the hospital. If I’m clearly not well, I’ll be responsible enough to go myself, okay? I’m not a kid anymore, so stop treating me like one.”
He looked stunned for a second and then burst out laughing. “Someone learned to speak up while I was gone.”
I rolled my eyes, poking out my tongue.
“Not a kid, my ass.” He shook his head, pulling me. “Fine, come on, let’s go, but this will be the last of your excuses, Lily, then I’m kidnapping you.”
“Funny, that’s what your best friend said.”
Emmie’s arm stiffened. “He is not my best friend anymore,” he grumbled.
I sighed inwardly. Honestly, boys sometimes acted like petulant children.
“Why the fuck is my girl’s hand on you?” Emmie thundered .
Confused, I darted my gaze to the sight in front of me. Mikey had his eyes closed with a blissful smile while Evy was kneading his neck.
I couldn’t help the laugh that choked me at the expression on my brother’s face. He was a bit too much when it came to her. He knew very well that Mikey and Evy were as close as siblings, yet my pig of a brother was jealous of every single man in her vicinity.
“Jay, this is because of you. Mikey hurt his neck badly when you pushed him on the floor,” Evy chided, shaking her head at Emmie.
“That fucker is clearly lying.” Emmie started to storm toward them in furious strides.
Mikey immediately shot up from the chair and hid behind Evy, who was also laughing at this point. “E, save me from the big monster that’s trying to beat me up,” Mikey whined in a childlike voice.
Evy and I couldn’t stop laughing at those two.
“Okay, stop, you two,” Evy called out. “I’ve had enough of you both. I’ll give you exactly an hour to sort this by yourselves, and once you’re done, meet us upstairs.” Evy gestured for me to walk out with her, and I obliged. I deeply craved some girl time.
They both stilled, exchanging pained expressions.
“We have nothing to sort out,” Emmie commented.
“I don’t care. Come on, Lily.” She held the door open for me, and I hurried out. “I don’t want to see even a drop of blood spilled on the floor. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” They both grunted a sorry reply .
And with that, we chuckled and left them to their own devices.
“We both got tangled with a bunch of idiots, didn’t we?”
“Yeah,” I agreed as we entered the elevator, riding one short ride to the top floor above us to their swanky apartment that took up the entire floor.
“Come on, let’s go make some lunch. I’m so hungry.” Just as she finished that sentence, her fluffy little one, Strawberry, jumped on her.
We crouched to the floor and gave that spoiled girl plenty of cuddles before we made our way to the kitchen.
“I’ll help you, though you’ll have to give me the instructions because anything that I try to make ends up being burnt or tastes exactly like the Dead Sea,” I said, lowering myself into the breakfast chair and watching as she pulled out some pots.
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to make some simple pasta.” She opened the oven door while she eyed me excitedly. “Helen made some fresh bread before she left. Just smell how incredible it is.”
I eyed the freshly baked focaccia that had a shiny, brown top smelling like rosemary and butter. The sight itself made my stomach growl. “Why don’t we skip the pasta and devour that before the boys come back and steal it?”
“As much as I liked your suggestion, Jay loves this, but here.” She cut me a huge piece and placed it on a plate before sliding it my way. “You enjoy this while I make the pasta.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t wait before I took a bite and instantly scalded the roof of my mouth.
“Slowly,” she remarked. “Drink. ”
I nodded gratefully as I took the cold bottle of water from her and chugged it down my throat.
“So when were you going to tell us that you’ve been fucking Mikey?”
Fuck, the water went down the wrong pipe, and I almost choked on it.
“OMG, I’m sorry.” She patted my back as a cough heaved out of me, more aggressive than usual. “You okay? That was so insensitive of me, sorry.”
She kept apologizing, but I gestured to her that I was okay. It took a few long minutes before the buzz in my ears and the blur of my vision returned to normal.
“You okay, Li?” Regret coated her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, E,” I rasped. “I just didn’t expect that.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, bad timing.” She smiled, folding her arms as she leaned against the counter. “So you and Mikey, huh? You two have been crushing on each other for years.”
I flushed. “I don’t know how it happened. One minute, I was annoyed as fuck with him, and the next, he was making me breakfast, driving me around, handing me my favorite matcha, and listening to me complain while I completed my projects. He just… said the right words and did the right thing, and I just got swamped by him. It felt like he was my best friend again, and all the familiar feelings just came rushing back, and here we are.”
“That does make sense. I think Jay might regret having to ask him to take care of you, but I think being in each other’s presence was what you guys needed,” she said, filling the pot with water and placing it on the stove. “But wait till Katy hears this.”
“I miss her. Why can’t she come live with us?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” She wiped her hands on a soft tea towel and fiddled with her phone till the ring of the video call hung in the air. She carefully set the phone by the side wall facing us.
“Evy, what’s wrong?” Katy had a panicked look on her face.
“Katy, does something have to be wrong for me to call you?” Evy asked with a frown.
“Oh right,” Katy mumbled to herself. “It’s just you rarely video-call me, so I thought something was wrong.
“Hey, K.” I waved a hand, poking my head into the camera frame.
“Lily baby.” Her pale green eyes darted to me, and her lips broke into a wide smile. “Are you guys together?”
“Yes, we’re making lunch.”
Katy’s eyes glinted sadly. “I miss you guys. I wish I was there.”
“Then move here already. I have no clue why the hell you guys are clinging on to LA.” Katy looked a lot better than she did a few weeks ago. She was dolled up in her usual makeup and designer suit. But I felt like she was hiding how truly exhausted she was. Somehow, I related to that because I was doing the same thing.
Something was clearly tormenting her.
My heart ached with not knowing what was going on with her .
But I felt like a hypocrite thinking that because I was also hiding what was truly wrong with me.
“I wish I could do that,” she muttered, averting her gaze. “But tell me about you guys. What’s new?”
“Well, we paid a visit to someone, and you won’t guess what happened next?” Evy’s teasing eyes dashed to me, and pink splotches my cheeks.
“What?” Katy looked between the two of us. “What is it, you two? Just don’t leave me hanging like that!”
“Why don’t you say it, Lily?” Evy raised a brow.
“Umm,” I started, my eyes roaming over Katy’s expectant eyes. “Mikey and I are kinda together.”
“Kinda together?” Katy’s nose scrunched with confusion. “Together how?”
“Together as in exchanging body fluids and going out… Wait, do you and Mikey go out? How serious are you guys? Is he your boyfriend now?” A frown marred Evy as she shot off her rapid questions.
“Whoa, back up,” Katy screeched through the phone, her eyes wide. “Lily, when the hell did it happen? Aren’t you that fucker’s mortal enemy? How the hell did he come by? How the hell did you come by? Does that mean all the years of foreplay between you guys are over? And why the hell didn’t you say anything to me?”
I huffed a loud sigh. My brain was reeling from their back-to-back inquiries. “I’ll tell you guys everything, but please, I need a minute first.” After a long sip of some ice-cold water, I reiterated everything that happened between Mikey and me these past few weeks, obviously leaving out certain inappropriate scenes. They both had a giddy look on their faces while they oohed and aahed over his little gestures.
“I’m so happy for you. You deserve a good man, and Michael is the best.” Evy pressed a kiss on my forehead and headed over to the stove. Soon, the smell of garlic and olive oil wafted through the air.
“I could hear the sizzle,” Katy moaned. “I can smell that pasta from here, E.”
Evy laughed, waving the spatula in the air. “Then you better get your ass here, Evans.”
“I wish.” Katy pouted before returning her eyes to me. “Li, I’m thrilled and all, but how serious is it between you and that fucker? I don’t want you to get hurt. He is known for parading his entourage of women. I don’t want you to get dragged into it if that fucker’s playing games. If he leaves you, I swear I'll wring his balls out.”
I sighed. “I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it, but I know he’s not fooling around because that boy is with me twenty-four seven. I guess, at this point, we’re just having fun. No labels, just us.” Not that I didn’t want to. I wanted to call him my boyfriend, go out as a couple, laugh and make plans about the future, and fall in lo… I didn’t even want to think of that word. It felt like I had no right.
Katy’s frown deepened. “Lily, you have to talk about these things before you jump into a relationship. That way, you both are clear of your expectations.”
“Oh, come on, Katy.” Evy closed the lid on the pasta and leaned on the counter to meet Katy’s eyes. “Relationships cannot be plotted on a daily planner. It has to flow naturally. They’ve been best friends before, so they already know each other, but the magical feelings of fears, doubts, and flutters in her heart? She’s got to experience it all and she has all the time in the world, so I’m not worried.”
I just had the opposite—no time at all.
“You’re probably right, but I’ll leave you girls to it. I gotta go. I have a meeting in a few.” Katy waved goodbye as she cut the call.
Evy and I set the table and settled on the couch while we waited for the boys, enjoying an iced lemon soda.
I curled up beside her, leaning my head against her shoulder as I hugged her from the side while Strawberry curled up on her other side.
“The magic of falling in love? Did you feel it with my brother?” I asked a moment later, my exhaustion getting hold of me once again.
“Yes.” A nostalgic smile spread over her lips. “I still do sometimes. I know the way we love each other is probably not healthy in standard terms, but we can’t help it. We’re both too obsessed.”
“I think the right kind of obsession is good. People try to scrutinize everything rather than just letting it be.”
“True,” she agreed.
I sighed, burrowing closer to her.
The magic of falling in love. I think I had already felt that once, and it was a little too close to how I was feeling now.