“I thought it was the right call, but it felt all wrong.”
“You need to tell her how it really went down.”
“She won’t believe me.” A messy ball of emotion clogs the back of my throat. “I was deliberately cruel. I really hurt her.” I slump to the ground and cradle my aching head in my hands. “You should have seen her face. She was hurting bad, and this isn’t the first time I’ve caused her pain.” I wet my dry lips and look up at my brother. “I have made so many mistakes when it comes to Elisa. I have hurt her so much even though it was never intentional. I was a selfish prick who didn’t give a second thought about anyone else. I deserve to lose her, and let’s face it, I have never been good enough for her. I could never be good enough for her. I?—”
“Are you done with the pity party?” J says, cutting across me.
“Fuck you.”
“Quit this pussy shit. This isn’t who you are. Yes, you’ve made mistakes, but you don’t have a time machine to go back and change it. All you can do is try to make it up to her and commit to doing better from now on. Starting with being brutally honest. Make yourself vulnerable. Lay it all on the line. Lili has loved you from the time she was a little kid. She’ll forgive you.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“You won’t know if you don’t try.”
“What if I’m no good at it? Relationships,” I add when I see the confusion in his gaze. “I don’t have a clue how to be in a relationship. That was always your forte.”
“When it’s the right person, it’ll come naturally. Now quit being a whiny bitch and get your ass in the shower.” He offers his hand, and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. “What about those girls?”
“They did it deliberately.” I grind my jaw as tension fills every nook and cranny of my body. “It’s the only explanation. They purposely sought me out and planned it to hurt Lili.”
“They need to pay.”
“My sentiments exactly.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I’m going to ruin them, starting with getting them thrown out of NYU. I should’ve done it last year when Elisa mentioned that girl was harassing her. I wanted to step in, but she made me promise I wouldn’t interfere. I should have followed my gut and put those bitches in their place, then none of this would’ve happened.”
“Let me know how I can help,” J says, glancing at his watch.
“I need their full names to run a background check. Ask Gia.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t involve her. Things could easily get messy, and Elisa is her best friend.”
This is fucking priceless. He just asked how he could help, and now he’s saying no. Screw that. Gia will do it when I explain. “Fine. I’ll ask her myself.”
“Ask me what?” Gia says, materializing in the doorway.
“Darling, what are you doing here?” Joshua flings a pair of dirty sweats at me. “Cover up.”
You’d swear Gia had never seen a man in boxers. My brother is totally overreacting, but what’s new. He’s like a Neanderthal on steroids when it comes to Gia Bianchi. I pull on my sweats as Gia crosses the room, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend.
Cold steel presses against my temple as she pulls a gun on me.
“Gia! What the hell?” Joshua stares at his girlfriend in disbelief.
“What the fuck is up with everyone pulling a gun on me?” I grumble, sighing as I shove my hands in the pockets of my sweats.
“It’s called karma, asshole.” Gia digs the muzzle in deeper. “I had to console my friend for two hours on the phone yesterday. I had hoped there was some logical explanation, but I gave you too much credit. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t pull this trigger.”
“I lied.” I turn my head so I’m looking at her, uncaring she has a gun pressed to my skull. She won’t pull it. In her own funny way, she likes me. You’d just have to inject her with alcohol to get her to admit it. “I lied to her because I thought it’d help if she really hated me, but I instantly regretted it. I should have told her the truth.”
“Which is?” Gia eyeballs me with healthy skepticism.
“Those girls targeted me. They faked their IDs and used different names. I had no idea they went to NYU or that they even knew Lili. If I’d known who they were, I would have drop-kicked them into the ocean with concrete-covered feet.”
“Honey, put the gun down before you accidentally kill my twin.”
