Knox didn’t need much context to understand what I meant. “It’s all in here,” he said, nodding over my shoulder at the butt plug on the bathroom sink through the doorway. Another knock echoed throughthe apartment, and Knox spun in a full circle. “What do I do? How do I explain why you’re here?”
I shook my head, pushing past him through the bedroom door. There wasn’t any time to come up with an excuse, so why bother? I walked to the front door with determined steps, unlocking it and yanking it open.
Adrian stood there, mouth agape, looking me up and down. He took in my appearance—the mussed up hair, Knox’s clothes—and from the look on his face, he came to the proper conclusion.
And he covered his eyes. “Tell me this is a delusion.”
“Morning, big brother,” I said, grabbing him by the arm to tug him into the apartment. I glanced over at Knox, who stood behind the kitchen island with his fingers interlocked behind his head. It was probably smart to put an obstacle between him and Adrian, who looked like he was ready to attack.
“What. The. Fuck.” My brother glanced from Knox back to me. “Since when has this been a thing?”
“It’s… pretty fresh,” I answered. I could admit that this had only just begun the previous night, but that wasn’t exactly true, was it?
Adrian shook his head at Knox. “Why did you keep this from me?”
Knox rested his hands on the counter in front of him. “I just needed to be sure,” he said, stealing a quick, subtle glance in my direction, “that it meant something.”
Adrian’s brows furrowed as he ran his hands down the front of the plaid button-up that gaped open over his Clash t-shirt. “Meant something,” he repeated, like he doubted it. “My best friend and my sister.”
I took a step forward. “We—”
“My best friend and my sister arefucking,” Adrian said, louder this time, as he raked his hair back with one hand. “I can’t even process this right now.”
“I planned on telling you about it pretty soon,” Knox said, tucking his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. I sucked on my bottom lip at the sight of the sharp V of muscle above his waistband, letting it distract me for a few seconds until Knox spoke again. “Truth is, I’ve sort of had feelings for Hallie for a while, and she only recently reciprocated.”
Knox nodded toward me, and I nodded at Adrian to confirm it.
“And I know I don’t even deserve her,” Knox continued, “which is why I can give you my word that I’ll never take it for granted how lucky I am to be with her.”
Adrian was quiet for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two of us as he slowly accepted this new development. He rested his hands on his hips, shaking his head again as he glanced down at the floor. And then he lifted his eyes again, narrowing them at me.
“Don’t you dare fucking hurt him.”
A surprised laugh burst from somewhere deep within me before I could stop it. Over on the other side of the room, Knox pressed his lips together, fighting his own smile. “Wow,” I said, widening my eyes. “You’re not going to ask him not to hurtme?”
Adrian was still scowling, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes that told me this was going to blow over pretty quickly. “Yeah, no. I know the both of you pretty well, and I can guarantee he’s the one whose heartbreak I’m going to be nursing when this inevitably blows up.”
“Gee, thanks for your support,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.
Adrian mimicked my pose, eyeing Knox now. “You know what you’re getting into, right? My sister is fuckin’ nuts.”
“I’m aware,” Knox said, shooting me a teasing smile from one side of his mouth. And then he lifted his chin at Adrian. “Does this mean we have your blessing, though?”
“I guess. I don’t really like it, but…” He stopped to inhale, rolling his eyes like he hated what he was about to say. “At least I know you’ll keep her safe.”
His reluctant affection made something ache in my chest. I made my way over to my brother to give him a side hug—which he barely accepted, patting my shoulder until I let go. “Yeah, yeah. I care about you and whatnot. Anyway, I didn’t come here for this awkward confrontation.”
I pulled back. “Yeah, whyareyou here?”
Knox glanced at the time on his microwave. “It’s a little early for you, isn’t it? What are you doing in this part of the city?”
Adrian took a deep breath, tucking his hands in the back pockets of his jeans like he was bracing himself. “I came here to discuss something with you,” he said, looking at Knox. “It’s kind of serious.”
It wasn’t often Adrian got serious, so his words immediately change the tone in the room. Knox came around the side of the island, motioning toward his little kitchen table. “Wanna sit?”
As the two of them sat down, I held onto the back of one of the wooden chairs. “Is this private, or can I stay?”
Adrian nodded at the chair. “It’s fine if you stay. Just don’t tell Mom what I’m up to.”
