She shakes her head. “Nope. I wanted to share with one of my people. Or all of them.”
“It’s kinda weird, though,” Lil muses. “Luca’s birthday being one of the days you put in the bowl.”
“Yeah.”
“So, whose birthday do you share?” I ask.
“Ford’s. He’s a good birthday buddy to have. We find each other the most ridiculous shit. I got him one of those ten-foot-tall t-rex skeletons last year, and then we stole it and made it look like it was eating his car.”
“How do you steal a ten-foot-tall t-rex skeleton?”
“Very carefully.” She gives me a bratty smirk and wink. I wonder if she knows what that does to me. The wink, the smirk, the attitude… fuck, I’m a sucker for it all.
We relax and watch a movie. I move to sit on the same side as the girls so I can see better, which means Ariana is close enough to touch. I fight the urge to do so constantly. Lil falls asleep halfway through, and at some point, Ariana takes my hand in hers. When I scoot closer, she leans her head on my bicep. After she yawns for the third time in five minutes, I kiss the top of her head. “You should go get some sleep, baby.”
“Yeah. But I don’t want to. We haven’t had any time alone for days.”
She looks up at me, and I lean down to kiss her lightly, but once our lips meet, it’s like a match to tinder. We deepen the kiss and only break when we both need air. I rest my forehead on hers, then go to kiss her again, but Lil stirs and kicks her feet out.
“Ouch, fuck, Lil!Connard!” Ariana rubs her lower back. She pushes my cousin’s legs off the couch, and Lil falls to the floor.
“You dick!” Lil lies on the carpet for a second before lunging at Ariana.
“Fuck!” Ariana squeaks, yanking her hand from mine and jumping to her feet on the cushion, then over the back of the couch before racing down the hall, Lil hot on her heels. I hear a door slam and lock as I stand to follow them.
“Did you just lock me out of my own room? Rude!” Lil laughs. Then she stops abruptly and turns to me to poke a finger against my chest. “Hey, you two were holding hands and sitting super close together.”
“Maybe,” I shrug. She cocks an eyebrow at me and pokes me in the chest again.
“Don’t break her heart, Luca. I’ll be first in line to murder you.”
“I’m pretty sure your dad already has dibs on that spot.”
“Well, just know there’ll be a line.”
I nod. “I wouldn’t expect any less from this family.”
A ripped piece of paper appears from under the door that says, ‘I’m prepared to discuss your terms of surrender.’
“My terms of surrender? My terms are: open this damn door, so I don’t have to go find an axe and break it down, and maybe I won’t smother you in your sleep.”
“I don’t accept those terms because I know that means you’ll try to tickle me until I pee my pants. I’m not opening this door until you swear to not fucking do that again.” Ariana’s voice is muffled slightly by the door.
“One time, Ari. That happened one time, like, ten years ago.”
I laugh. “You two are ridiculous.”
“Hey, mister, move along. Nothing to see here.” Ariana says through the door.
I laugh again and smile as I walk away. “Okay, you sort this out yourselves. I’m going to bed.”
Chapter 32
So many balls
Ariana
Lil running her finger lightly down my nose pulls me from dreamland. It’s our nice way of waking each other up.
