Chapter Twenty-Three
The moment JT left the driveway, Ali was on her phone. Tommy picked up almost immediately and she didn’t waste a second before laying into him.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Ali? Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine, but you’re not going to be if you don’t apologize to me and to JT for being the biggest fuckwit the world has ever seen. And remember, this is a world in which Kyle exists.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You told JT that she was an unserious person. You implied that she took advantage of me, your older sister, who not only got married and divorced, but also holds down a full professional job and owns a house? Which one of those things signals damsel in distress who needs your protection or even your opinion?”
Tommy groaned. “She came crying to you? God, what a drama qu—”
“I’m going to stop you before you make this worse for yourself, baby brother.
She isn’t a drama queen. She didn’t come running to me.
She simply informed me that she’d told you that we kissed, and I was able to discern through my powers of being a reasonable human being that someone had hurt her feelings, and imagine my shock when that person turned out to be her best friend and my baby brother. ”
Tommy sputtered.
“I’m not done. It’s bad enough that every time I see Mom she tells me how amazing Kyle is and what a fool I was to divorce him.
I don’t need you and your misguided protective brother shit when it comes to my love life.
I will kiss any person I damn well please, and if that’s JT Cox, you don’t have the right to say two words about it, okay? ”
“Ali, I wasn’t trying to be an asshole. But come on, you know how she is.”
Ali stared at the ceiling, willing herself to find some bit of calm.
“Yeah, I know how she is. She’s sweet, caring, funny, and she has been helping me get my house put together even though she has no obligation to do so and there’s literally nothing in it for her.
So, if that’s what you meant, then yes, I do know what she’s like.
If you were going to tell me a bunch of stories about her love life, I would be happy to tell you again how it’s none of your fucking business. ”
“Okay, I’m sorry. Geez.”
He sounded like such a teenager she almost laughed.
But that would give him the wrong impression that she had forgiven him.
“I’m not the only one you need to apologize to.
She bailed you out the other night when you decided to leave to hook up with some random chick, and then you decided to yell at her instead of just saying thank you.
So, yeah. You better apologize and it better be good.
Not one of your dumbass bro apologies where you’re all ‘you know man I’m whatever, we good?
’ and then you move on like nothing happened.
You hurt her feelings, and she might not dwell on it, but I will.
I will set up shop next to you and tell every girl who thinks you look fun the worst, most embarrassing stories from our childhood until you never get laid again. Do you understand me?”
“Ali, oh my god, you are unhinged. I’ll apologize. I get it! I was out of line. I’ll call her now.” She could almost hear the wince in his voice. “She’s going to think it’s so weird if I call. Can’t I text her?”
Ali sighed. “You do what you think is best. But you better make the apology good enough to make up for you running your mouth about her ‘taking advantage of me’ like you think she’s some kind of creepy predator.
That was way out of bounds, and I think you know it.
If it freaks you out that your sister likes kissing women, that’s a ‘you’ problem.
Do not make it hers and do not make it mine.
Figure your shit out. And do it fast. Good night.
” Ali hung up, feeling exhilarated by her anger.
It felt good to unleash it for once instead of swallowing it and letting it fester.
If the voice in her head told her she was never this fierce on her own behalf, she ignored it.
She was mad and she’d done something about it.
And it felt fucking amazing. She rode the high through half a chapter of her book before it subsided, leaving her exhausted and a little emotionally hungover.
She crawled into bed feeling proud. And that was worth whatever kind of hangover. She’d earned it.