She opens the door to the pool house and flips on the lights inside, and I almost laugh when I step inside.
Reed’s mom, Tina, has a basket of Reed’s favorite candies and junk food sitting on the counter, along with a sign stating that she’s stocked the fridge for late-night cravings. A balloon is tied to a teddy bear plush with a guitar on the couch. I glance over to Andi, who’s biting her lips to keep from laughing.
I can’t fucking wait to rag Reed about this.
“I think I’m jealous,” I say, and Andi bursts out laughing.
It’s still the most adorable and addicting noise I’ve ever heard. The face she makes when her nose scrunches up, and she throws her head back…
She grabs onto the counter to hold herself together, then wipes a tear from her face as she tries to collect herself. I toss my bag onto the couch and grab the teddy.
“I’ll make sure to tell Tina you’re upset you didn’t get one,” she says once she’s recovered.
“Damn right,” I say. “This is my new good luck bear.”
“What, are you going to take it on stage with you?” she asks.
I look at the bear in my hand. “It could use some spike bracelets,” I say. “More eyeliner.”
“Can’t forget the liner,” Andi agrees.
Our eyes meet, and Andi clears her throat as she glances at the ground. “This is only my second time here,” she says. “To the new house, I mean. It’s nice. I love that there’s room for everyone.”
“Better than sharing the living room with me, right?” I ask, referring to the few occasions when Andi was home from college and slept on the couch when I was also over.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I miss our sleepovers,” she says, and I can’t help wetting my lips at the look on her face.
“What, ah, what about you? When were you last home?” she asks.
“Last Christmas,” I reply.
Her phone rings, and Andi frowns as she looks down at it. “Oh. Shit. Work.” She holds a finger up. “Sorry, give me a second—Hello?”
As Andi answers her work call, I start rifling through my bag for a set of clothes to change into. The stick of the airport makes me feel as if I’m crawling with germs.
I take my shoes and shirt off without thinking twice, and when I turn back around, I find Andi staring in my direction, her thumbnail in her mouth and the phone halfway against her ear. She appears to be in a daze, and I throw my dirty shirt at her face.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I heard you, Cyn,” she says as she dodges the shirt.
I grin at her and mouth, “My eyes are up here,” to her while gesturing two fingers to my face.
She throws the shirt back at me.
“—No, I decided to stay with family. It’s easier to catch a ride with the guys from here,” she goes on. “Reed and Mads,” she says. “No. No, Cyn. No photos of him sans mask. I know.”
My gaze lifts to her again, and I find her staring at my shoulders, a strand of hair curling around her finger.
And that little fucking smirk that she gives me makes my dick twitch.
I feel like a teenager again, and I have to remind myself that we’re grown-ass adults with a shared bond to this family and equally shitty childhoods that no one can take away from us.
And that we’re both doing everything we can to escape the past.
The thought sobers me.
“—Okay, Cyn. Yeah. No, I’ll text you tomorrow. Bye.”
Andi ends the call and presses it face-down on the counter. “Boss was just making sure what happened to your last photographer doesn’t happen to me,” she says as she folds her arms across her chest.
