“He needs to call his girlfriend.”
“No I don’t. She’s with Penny anyway,” I say, getting annoyed with the attention being on me, seeing as I’m the one with the least amount of problems right now.
“She’s with Penny?” Lincoln asks questioningly.
“Yeah, so?”
Lincoln shrugs his shoulders, and the twins start inventing a new drinking game. At least I get to go home tomorrow, might as well join in the fuckery while I can.
“Okay, you roll the ping pong ball and whatever cup it lands in, that’s what you have to drink,” Benjamin says.
“What the fuck did you put in those cups?” Lincoln asks. Valid question.
“All of them are alcohol, except maybe one or two,” Gavin responds.
“We finish this game and you’ll let me go to sleep?” Lincoln asks. The twins nod and we accept the challenge. I’m tired and on the wrong side of drunk, the kind that’s more tiring and gives you a headache. It could also be my brothers annoying me that’s making my head throb.
Lincoln goes first and gets beer, the twins get some variety of beer as well and when I get to my cup the sting of tequila makes me want to vomit, but I push through. We go three more rounds and by the time we’re done the twins are more hyped than when we started and Lincoln and I are exhausted.
“Cigar?” Lincoln asks.
The ocean brings a quiet that wasn’t inside with our brothers as we light our own cigars.
“I am happy for you, ya know?” Lincoln says.
“I know.” I hide my smile with my cigar.
“You deserve to be happy. I’m excited to meet her. You know, outside of Avalon.” Lincoln smirks, and I have to roll my eyes. I watch my brother’s movements, and he hasn’t been the same lately.
“You deserve to be happy too, Lincoln.”
“I’m not sure the rest of the family would agree.”
I’m confused as I look at him and he waves me off. “You should invite her to The Bahamas. I know it’s a while away, but that just gives you more time to be together.”
“I’ll ask her.” I wonder if Jessa even has a passport, I guess I need to ask her sooner than later. We haven’t even completely slept together yet, so it seems like we’re moving fast, but at the same time it feels natural.
“I’m going to go for a walk,” Lincoln says. I give him a wave and go inside. I text Jessa before going to sleep. I should bring her down here sometime. I guess it’s not all that different from her house on the beach, but I’m sure she’d like it.
It’s odd how much my mind wanders to Jessa and how much I like it. I find myself wanting to invest my time into making her happy, and the happier she is the more fulfilled I’ll be. The idea of keeping her safe and comfortable makes me feel needed. I guess I never knew how good it felt to both be wanted and needed, but I think I’m addicted.
* * *
I could have probably waited until tomorrow morning to see Jessa at work, but I didn’t want to, and I worry that it’s too late. It’s almost ten at night when I pull up in front of the cottage, and I’m debating this being a bad idea. I shove that feeling deep down to the insecure part of myself I’m trying to vanish.
With a ridiculous amount of self-confidence, I knock on her door. She opens it timidly, but as soon as she sees me, a huge smile takes over her face.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I know it’s late, but I wanted to see you before work tomorrow.”
“Do you want to come in?” She opens the door for me and I walk in. What I see is not the normal lighthouse-coastal design I’m used to seeing. It’s more feminine and less beachy.
“The place looks nice.”
“Penny helped me,” she says as I look around.
“Did you two have a good time?”
