Chapter 11 #3
As I join them in the living room, Argyros comes barreling through the front door like a missile, tail wagging.
He launches himself at me, paws slamming into my chest with enough force to knock me backward.
I suddenly forget I’m annoyed and collapse in a pile of fur and dog kisses, laughing as I bury my face in his soft coat.
And then I see him.
Hayes.
He follows Argyros inside looking like a walking fantasy—sun-kissed and all sharp edges, in fitted denim and a crimson football jersey that clings to him like it was custom-stitched for every muscle.
His leather jacket is slung casually over one shoulder, and he’s wearing that irresistible, traffic-stopping smile.
Amber squeals and throws herself into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” she gushes, kissing him—so much for playing it cool—and loops her arm through his.
I don’t get it.
Hayes has ghosted me all week. Barely any texts. No coffee. Skipping French class. And now he shows up at our apartment… for her?
“What are you doing here?” I ask, sharper than I mean to.
“Hey, Alligator.” He nudges my foot with his, a quiet tap like a peace offering. “Good to see you too.”
“You know what I mean. Shouldn’t you be at the stadium?”
“All the guys are meeting their families first, for the parade.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking almost nervous. “Since my parents are still out of town, Ambs thought maybe your family could come instead?”
Amber grins up at him adoringly. “We’d love to!”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to be a hassle or anything,” he says, glancing toward my mom.
She steps forward with a warm smile. “We’d be honored, Hayden dear,” she says, pulling him into a hug.
It still catches me off guard, how much she’s softened toward him over the years. She used to warn me about getting too close. All men leave, Alysander, she’d say. But now she treats Hayes like he’s the son she never had.
“Al?”
His eyes meet mine, searching.
I say nothing.
He hesitates, hand brushing the doorknob. “Or I can just skip the parade…”
“Yeah, why don’t you?” I snap.
I know I’m being rude, but I can’t help it. Amber keeps grinning at him like he’s a prize she just won back, and it’s making something sour and sharp coil in my chest. He barely has time for me anymore as it is. I don’t want to share him with her.
Not again.
“Alysander, knock it off. Of course we’ll all go to the parade.
” Mom grabs her purse off the table and pulls out a leather cord with a rough, metallic stone dangling from the end—dull gold, jagged, like something chipped from a cave wall.
“Here, hun,” she says, handing it to Hayes. “I made this for you, for the game.”
“Pyrite, right? For protection?” He grins, taking it from her with both hands. “Awesome.”
“That’s right.”
Mom lights up. She’s made him one every season since he started playing football.
Amber makes a face. “He’s not gonna wear that ugly rock, Mom,” she says.
“Course I am. Thanks, Mel.” Hayes winks and slips it over his head, tucking the stone beneath his shirt. “I’ll take all the help I can get.”
We head outside. Amber and Mom walk arm in arm while I rush ahead, Argyros trotting at my side like my own personal shadow. Hayes falls into step beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.
“Hey, grumpy,” he says, tugging gently at my braids. “You look different today. Where’s my jersey? You mad at me or something?”
“Nope. Just didn’t feel like wearing it.”
“If you say so.” He scans my outfit with a crooked half-smile. “This is good too. You look hot.”
“Yeah right.”
“I’m serious.”
I tug at the hem of the sparkly red top, suddenly self-conscious. “You sure? I kind of feel like a sequined tomato.”
His gaze sweeps over me then fully, slow and deliberate, lingering on the strip of bare skin between my tube top and skirt. He doesn’t even try to hide it. When he swallows, thick and slow, I forget how to breathe.
“Jesus, Al…” His voice is low as his eyes flick back up to meet mine—darker now, unreadable. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
My pulse flutters in my throat.
“See what?”
A full beat passes. Then another. Until the air between us stretches taut, electric.
“How gorgeous you are.”
I freeze.
The world seems to shift around me, everything narrowing to the space between us. My heart thuds so loudly I’m sure he can hear it. And for a second, I wonder if—
“Shotgun!”
Amber shatters the moment, sprinting past us and flinging herself into the front seat of Hayes’s G-Wagon.
Argyros follows after her, barking madly, ears flopping as he skids to the back passenger door, waiting for Hayes to let him in.
The dog and Amber exchange a brief look of mutual disinterest. Then both immediately pretend the other doesn’t exist.
“The dog’s coming in the car with us?” Mom asks, looking visibly uneasy.
“What, you thought he was riding on the roof?” I deadpan.
She gives me a withering look.
“No, I just… is he even allowed at the game?” she asks.
“He’ll stay in the car,” Hayes explains. “He just hates being left alone at my place.”
“Hm. I think I’ll take my own car, if that’s alright,” Mom says, already fishing out her keys from her purse. It’s not a question. She’s not about to share air with a hulking beast of a dog.
“I’ll ride with you,” I offer, following after her and hopping inside her old Toyota even though I’d much rather be in the G-Wagon with Hayes, curled up in the backseat with my dog.
But this is my shot to patch things up with her.
Earn back some goodwill. Truth is, maybe she’s not the only sensitive one in this family. I hate it when she’s mad at me too.
As Mom puts the car in drive, I glance back longingly at Hayes’s SUV. Amber leans into Hayes, laughing at something he just said. She tucks a strand of shiny blonde hair behind her ear, her whole body tilted toward him like she’s already picturing the wedding.
I huff and sink lower in my seat, my attention snagging on the black tourmaline charm swinging from Mom’s rearview mirror. It’s supposed to ward off evil spirits. She gave me one once too—for protection—but it mysteriously “disappeared” after I tossed it in a trash can behind the school gym.
I glare at her stupid amulet now, dangling and useless.
Ward off evil, my ass.
If it actually worked, then why the hell was my sister still here?