Italwayshappens to me.
Seeing that we’re due to leave soon and I have nothing left to do, I make my way to my brother’s room.
“What in the world is happening here?” I stop in the doorway with my mouth dropped open when I spot a mess of clothes on Elijah’s floor.
His suitcase is empty because everything is on the ground.
“I hate packing,” he says, looking through one of his many drawers. “It gives me so much anxiety, and for what? I don’t know.”
“If you forget something, we can always go buy it. It’s not the end of the world.”
I plop down on his unmade bed, and he glares at my relaxed state.
“Why bother buying it if I can just remember to bring it?”
“The remembering part”—I laugh at his stressed face—“seems to be the problem here.”
“Duh.” He throws a pair of folded socks at my head, and it bounces off my forehead to the floor.
“I hope those were clean,” I stress.
There are no surprises when it comes to Elijah.
“You can eat them. That’s how clean they are,” he says, seriousness all over his face.
I scrunch my nose at the thought. No, thank you.
“We have a lot of talking to do.”
I groan, burying my face into his pillow. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I don’t care, Amelia. We need to talk about the pictures.”
“They’re just pictures.” My voice is muffled by the pillow, but I know he can understand me as he packs away.
“We all know just by looking at your face, you were transformed into a different world, staring into his eyes.”
Ew, my brother noticed that.
Sighing, I peek at him and find him already glancing in my direction. “What are you saying?”
“You’re falling for him.”
I gasp, sitting up straight and glaring at him like he’s the enemy. “I am not! He’s our rival.”
“Do you think your heart cares that he’s our rival?” He laughs, shaking his head as he folds a shirt. “It doesn’t give a shit.”
“It’s my heart. I know it gives a fuck. I can feel it.” Placing my hand on my chest, I frown.
“Did you also feel the way it was probably beating a mile a minute when he was kissing you?” He cringes at the thought.
“I was nervous.”
He points out, “Nervous that you were falling for him.”
“Ugh!” Throwing my hands up, I scold, “You’re so annoying. The only thing I can think about when I see his face is how punchable it is.”
He snorts, and I can tell he doesn’t believe me at all.
