That was the wrong thing to say. Jordan’s face falls, and he quickly brings a hand up to cover his expression, but I can still see the pain in his eyes.
“You think you asked for it?!” My brother turns his head in my direction, fuming.
“That’s not what I meant. I’d rather not get into details. Trust me, you don’t want to hear them,” I say.
Mike’s eyes widen and his ears turn an unnatural shade of red as his head snaps back toward his friend.
Jordan groans from his place on the sofa, then brings himself to stand and square off. He’s fighting to keep his voice steady. “I know what it sounds like. And what this looks like. I swear, I’d never hurt her. At first, I was just trying to help. Thenit escalated. Things got out of hand tonight. I think we were both disappointed in the outcome.”
The redness fades from Mike’s features, but he’s still seething as he stands still and quiet, trying to process.
“What do you meanthings got out of hand?”
“She told you, you don’t want to know.”
“You know what? I think I do. And you better start talking. Now, Jordan.”
“Mike—” I try to reason, but my brother cuts me off, still yelling at his friend.
“My sister just called me sobbing. Imagine my shock when I learned she needed me to come and pick her up because she locked herself out, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being near my best friend.” Jordan winces, but Mike doesn’t stop. “I knew something was wrong. How long have you two been sneaking around like this?”
“Not long,” Jordan says at the same time that I admit, “Since Idaho.”
My brother spins toward me again, his face twisted with the hurt from our betrayal. “That was a month ago.”
“Nothing serious happened until recently.” I know in my soul it’s a lie. We may not have gone all the way physically, but I gave Jordan my entire heart.
“Apparently, nothing is happening at all,” Jordan corrects.
Hearing him dismiss our connection so casually tears the gaping hole in my chest further open, but I can’t argue with him. I did this. To all of us.
Mike scrubs a hand down his face. “I swear to god, one of you better start making sense. I’m about five seconds away from completely losing my shit here.”
I crack a weak smile. “I think it might already be lost.”
He points at me. “Not. Funny.”
It’s not, and my reaction is completely inappropriate for the situation. I almost feel sorry for Mike, but it’s been an emotional night, and one sad smile turns into a reluctant laugh, which causes Jordan to relent with a smile and a small chuckle of his own.
My poor brother is so confused and frustrated with us that he throws both hands in the air. He looks to Jordan first. “Explain.”
“A couple months ago, Shelley meant to send a voice memo to someone else, but she accidentally sent it to me instead.”
Mike’s brows pinch together and his mouth twists into a confused expression. I’m quick to add, “You really don’t need to worry about it.”
“The fact that you called me here in the middle of the night and you’ve both been so secretive about this says otherwise,” my brother deadpans.
“We were trying to avoid this exact reaction,” I rationalize, but I know it’s not entirely fair. This is a lot to throw at Mike at once. It’s not like we gave him a chance to react any differently. Still. “Fine. You want the truth?”
“Yes!” He huffs, frustrated and impatient.
“Okay, but you asked for this,” I warn. “I didn’t think you’d want to hear I was having trouble achieving orgasm, and thought I needed some assistance.”
My brother’s eyes widen and his nostrils flare again.
Jordan winces and takes a step back, probably afraid that Mikey’s going to take a swing at him. “I wouldn’t phrase it exactly like that.” He raises both hands in front of him, placating my brother.
“Howwouldyou phrase it?” Mikey crosses his arms, staring him down.
