EversinceDaviddroveoff, a restless itch gnaws at me. It's the same raw ache that always follows a clash with Hayvin. I remember it burning through me after that blowout at Charlie and Keaton's cookout, the tension following us home.
It's not lost on me that most of our fights, which are very few, revolve around one person, but what the fuck am I supposed to do? Cut one of my friends out of my life? She's my best friend's twin sister, for fuck's sake. The shit is just all ridiculous. Hayvin was coming at me like there's something she's got to worry about between me and Jerica.
It's not like that with us.
Jerica and Reggie breaking up was the last thing I saw coming. Well, maybe not the last, since they've split before, but still. They were wild about each other the last time I checked in, even tossing around the idea of marriage. I never trusted Reggie—something about him always rubbed me wrong—but it wasn't my call to make.
There was a moment when I wondered if something could happen between us. Before my fling with Charlie, she swore I was in love with Jerica and pushed me to confess. Charlie was wild like that. So when I ended up on a business trip with Jerica and David, and heard she and Reggie were on a break for some ridiculous reason, I tested the waters. Jerica let me down easy, saying she loved Reggie and saw me as a brother. That stung, not gonna lie. Distance brought clarity, though. Charlie had gotten in my head, and all I really felt for Jerica was a mix of irritation at being turned down and the kind of affection you have for your best friend’s little sister.
I don't get why everyone insists on seeing something between us that just doesn't fucking exist.
"Hayvin doing okay?" David asks quietly. "Usually she's at the door when you leave."
I don't even register it until he points it out.
This time, she didn't walk me to the door.
For the past three years, Hayvin squeezed every last second out of our time together before each business trip with David. Even before she moved in, I'd have her stay over the night before I left. It became a ritual I craved. Being that important to someone messed with my head in the best way. I grew up in a cold, empty house, and that kind of warmth always lit me up inside.
So why the hell didn't I notice she wasn't there this time?
I fold my arms over my chest and glare out the window. "She's upset."
"Because you didn't tell her you were coming or because of who you're going for?"
His words have me jerking my head toward him with a scowl. "What are you getting at? Why would it matter? She knows that you're my best friend. It shouldn't matter who I'm going for.Jerica is your sister and my friend. All I'm doing is going with you to help her move. Why is that such a big fucking deal?"
"Can I ask you something?" He glances over to catch my nod and then continues, "Why don't you all hang out with your friends very much? Did you know that none of the people we work with even realize you're in a relationship? I brought you all up in conversation the other day, and they had no idea who the fuck Hayvin was. They thought she was one of your random hookups and not the person you've been in a three-year relationship with."
I pull at the collar of my shirt and shift around in the seat as an uncomfortable feeling settles inside me. "My relationship has been no one's business. Why would people we work with know? They're not my friends. They're just coworkers. If I don't associate with them outside of work, why would you assume I would tell them about my relationship with Hayvin?"
David taps his fingers against the steering wheel and nods. "So why do they know about all the others in your life?"
"Because they weren't important."
He smirks. "Including Charlie?"
Hearing Charlie's name catches me off guard. What is David getting at now?
"Of course she is," I snap.
"So why does everyone know about Charlie but nobody knows about Hayvin?" he presses.
Silence settles in the truck as his question echoes in my head. How did I not see what I was doing? It was never on purpose. Hayvin is mine, and I’m such a possessive bastard with her that I guard her fiercely, even from my own friends, because I don't want anything to threaten us. We always end up with her crew, since they had her first, and honestly, Everleigh would destroy me if I tried to keep her best friend away. But it turns out, I'm not the only possessive one. Everleigh's just as bad, and I knowbetter than to pick that fight. Some part of me keeps our world small on purpose, just to protect what we have.
"That must be what set this argument off," I mutter, watching the trees fly past as my brain plays over everything.
"Talk it out, brother."
I grab my Gatorade, take a long drink, and slam it back into the cupholder. Letting out a heavy breath, I sink into the seat. "Man, I don't even know what to make of all this. There's a lot of shit we need to talk about when I get home, because she was saying some wild things. Somehow, she's convinced she's my second choice." David snorts, and I turn to glare at him. "What was that supposed to mean?"
David shakes his head. "You're a dumb fuck. You'll eventually figure it out. What else did she say?"
There is absolutely no chance I'm telling my best friend that my girlfriend suspects I have feelings for his sister. That idea is complete bullshit, and I refuse to risk our friendship over some ridiculous lie.
"Let me guess. She's worried about Jerica coming back single to Granite Bay."
"Something like that," I mutter.
