18. Seraphina
18
Seraphina
“We need to debrief,” Ava’s voice bangs into my head as Bianca barges into my bedroom, phone on speaker. I moan at the intrusion and blindly feel around my bed, grabbing a pillow from my side to lift it over my head. “Come over in an hour; I’ll make breakfast.”
“No,” I groan, waving my hand at Bianca.
“Yes,” Ava bites out, her tone stern. “You disappeared last night, and we are going to talk about it. So get your asses over here and stop being difficult. And pick up coffee on your way.”
Throwing the pillow off my face, I blink my eyes open, forcing my eyes to adjust to the bright light filtering through my windows. “Fine.”
“You’re driving, by the way,” Bianca tosses out, ending the call with Ava and pocketing her phone.
Sighing, I sit up and shoot her a look that must resemble a disgruntled squirrel because all my younger sister does is laugh and flip me off. “Can you get out of my room now?”
“Nope. I’m going to stay here and wait until you finish getting ready. I want an iced coffee sooner rather than later, and you’re dragging your ass today.”
“So you’re going to watch me get dressed? No. Get out.”
She rolls her eyes at my command and leans against my dresser, crossing her arms in front of her as she stares at me. “Just put on your leggings and a tank top, and let’s go.”
Shaking my head, I throw the comforter off my body and stand, stretching my body out as the night comes barreling back into me.
Lincoln.
Gemma.
Lincoln and Gemma.
It’s a mess; at least in my sleep I was able to dream of a world where Lincoln Simmons and his stunning bombshell girlfriend didn’t except as a very real, very perfect couple. I close my eyes against the mental images that assault me and shake my head. “I’ll be ready in twenty minutes, Bianca. Now, get out of my room.”
I pop open my eyes and take in B’s scowl. She lifts a hand, pointing it toward my chest. “Fine, but all you get is twenty minutes. We’re not repeating last night, where you made us rush out of this apartment.” With a final look, she turns on her heels and walks out of my bedroom, softly shutting the door behind her.
“Annoying sisters are going to be the death of me,” I speak into the empty room, walking to my closet to grab everything I need to get ready for an interrogation over coffee and eggs.
—
It took me fifteen minutes to get ready, a fact Bianca will never know because I lingered in the bathroom for an extra ten minutes just to annoy her. Eventually, the frequent knocks on the door became too annoying, and I gave in, allowing B to usher me out of our apartment without so much as a goodbye to Olivia, who seemed to still be holed up in her bedroom.
Lucky, lucky girl.
Though I’m typically a morning person, my sleep was restless last night, even after I came with thoughts of Lincoln on my mind. Honestly, it’s probably because I came with thoughts of Lincoln on my mind that I spent the night tossing and turning.
“Okay, Sera, tell us what’s going on,” Ava says from across the kitchen island, leaning against the granite as she pushes a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon toward me. I accept the plate, looking to my right to find that Bianca has an identical plate in front of her.
“Thanks,” I mumble, looking back to Ava. I bite down on my lip, debating what to say. If I tell my sisters that I ran away because Lincoln and his girlfriend were there, I’ll look pathetic. Yet, if I say anything else, I’m a liar. I sigh and pick up my fork, shoveling a bite of eggs into my mouth to buy me more time to respond.
Chewing slowly, I weigh my words and decide the truth is probably the best option. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did last night, but I panicked when Lincoln’s girlfriend came. I don’t know why, to be honest with you. I feel like an idiot for it, especially when there was no reason for me to feel the way I did. She seemed nice enough.” Except for when she thought I was Ava.
“Please, Gemma sucks,” Ava waves her hand, dismissing my last statement. “Why do you think you panicked?”
Because I will always have an unfathomable level of attraction for Lincoln Simmons , internally rolling my eyes at my inner monologue.
“I don’t know,” I offer, shoving bacon into my mouth as soon as the words leave.
“Liar,” Bianca scoffs, swirling her coffee cup against the countertop. “It’s because Lincoln is hot as fuck, and you wanted to climb that man until you realized he had a girlfriend.”
“That’s not—”
A throat clearing behind us has my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach. My eyes find Ava’s face and grimace at the look of disbelief stamped there.
“So, this is awkward,” Dante’s voice breaks the silence.
“D, shut up,” Grey grunts in response. Part of me hopes that it’s just Dante and Greyson behind us, that only the man I consider a second brother and CeCe’s giant of a boyfriend are the only two men in the kitchen with us.
“God, this is just too good,” Bianca snorts, giving the other part of me- the part that knew my life was a lesson on Murphy’s Law- confirmation that Dante and Grey are not the only ones in this room.
“Hey D, Linc. When did you guys get here? Are you hungry?” Ava casts me a worried look that communicates this is as much of a surprise for her as it is for us.
“Fuck yeah, I’m hungry. Do you have any French toast or—” Dante’s voice cuts off abruptly, followed by a grunt. “What the fuck, Grey?”
“You’re here to help move the old furniture out of the primary so we can put the new set in. Work first, eat later. Vixen, what time is your client’s party today?”
“Shit, I forgot about the furniture.” Ava winces, looking over at me with an apology in her eyes. “I thought you guys were coming next week. And I have to be at Daphne’s house for four today. I’ll start my prep as soon as Ser and B head out, though, so if you need me, I’m going to be busy for a few hours.”
“Come upstairs for a minute then? I need to make sure you’re good with where we will put the bed and dresser.”
Ava looks to me and Bianca holding up a single finger as she responds. “Okay, give me a minute to make sure they don’t put my bed on the roof.”
I nod, words stuck in my throat as she rounds the corner, the sound of footsteps retreating echoing in the kitchen. I refuse to turn around to see if anyone is still with me and Bianca.
It’s rude and horrible manners, but if I make myself as quiet as possible, my existence may go unnoticed.
Bianca clears her throat and I look over at my sister. “I need to make a call; I’ll be right back.” Bianca slides off her stool and moves toward the sliding glass door right off the kitchen.
“What? No. B, come back here,” I hiss, watching as my sister slips outside, smiling as she closes the door behind her.
“Why, Seraphina? Are you afraid to be alone with me?”
I jump at Lincoln’s voice. “Of course not,” I squeak.
I am a liar.
“So why don’t you turn around and face me?”
“Eggs. Mmm,” I offer, quickly picking up my fork and shoving another large bite into my mouth.
I don’t have to look at Lincoln to know he’s probably rolling his eyes. A hand touches my shoulder, spinning my body on the swivel stool until my back is against the countertop. As soon as I’m facing him, his hand drops, and he steps back, putting space between us.
“You’re full of shit; Ava makes a lot of things well, but her eggs are always overcooked and too cheesy.”
I swallow my bite, running my tongue along my front teeth to make sure there are no bits of food stuck in them before I speak. “She makes eggs the way my mom makes them.”
“They’re horrible.”
I can’t help the small laugh that escapes my lips. “Don’t let her hear you say that. You know how she gets.”
He hums in response as his eyes wander over my face. “It’s good to see you again, Seraphina.” I don’t miss how he’s calling me Seraphina and not cierń.
“You saw me last night.”
He clears his throat, looking away at my words. “Listen, about Gemma. I wanted to apologize for—”
“Please don’t,” I cut him off, holding up a hand to silence him. “She seems really nice, and she’s beautiful. You worked with her at Garganello’s, didn’t you? Sorry I ran off last night, I wasn’t feeling well. A stomach ache, you know?” I cringe at the words leaving my mouth.
“Seraphina, Gemma isn’t—”
I interrupt him again, not willing to hear whatever words are about to come out of his mouth. “Oh, she’s not the same girl that you worked with? That’s crazy. Two Gemmas in your life? What are the odds? Anyway, it was great to see you again. I’m so happy that you’re doing what you love. And—”
“Jesus, Seraphina. Will you stop interrupting me and let me talk?” My eyes widen at his tone, my words dying as his voice booms out in the kitchen.
“Sorry,” I offer, looking down at my hands in my lap. Because I’m not looking at his beautiful face, I miss the hand that sneaks out, cupping my jaw to raise my eyes back to his. My lips part, and I release a breath as I meet his bright green stare.
“I forgot how much you like to ramble, cierń. What I was saying is that Gemma isn’t—”
The sound of the sliding door opening stops Lincoln, forcing him to drop his hand as we look toward the door. “Are you ready to go, Ser? I need to go to the sorority house to help with some of the recruitment prep.” Bianca rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed by the responsibility.
“Sure,” I nod, risking a glance at Lincoln as I slide down the stool. “Let’s clean off the plates for Ava before we go.”
“I’ve got it, Seraphina.”
“Lincoln, it’s okay,” I shake my head, turning around to reach for the plate. My movements still as Lincoln’s hand closes around my wrist.
“I’ve got it,” He murmurs the words into my ear, and suddenly, my lungs are filled with his masculine scent, my body on fire from his lingering touch. I want to turn my body and walk into his, fling my arms around his waist, and bury my nose in his t-shirt to absorb him.
But I don’t, because he has a girlfriend.
Instead, I nod and step to the side, allowing Lincoln’s hand to fall from my wrist. “Thanks. We’ll see you around?”
Lincoln nods, offering me silent confirmation that I will, in fact, see him around.
“Right, well, B, are you ready?”
“Uhhuh,” she grunts as I turn and race out of the kitchen, not bothering to yell goodbye as I powerwalk through the front hallway and out of the townhouse.
It’s not until we’re in my car, buckled and driving back toward our apartment, that Bianca breaks the silence.
“Are we going to talk about this?”
“Nope,” I answer, turning up the volume on the radio to drown out the possibility of any conversation.