Rage bubbles in my veins as my sister rushes through the crowd and stops in front of a man with dark, gel-slicked hair. He’s dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. He grins at her and then says something I can’t hear because of the music and noisy conversations that I suddenly fucking hate. Nova lights up at whatever he says and throws herself at him in a hug. Red bleeds into my vision, and my fingers itch to wrap around his throat until he takes his last breath.
My world falls apart, and I watch it shatter as Brandon hugs her back with a smug smile, his hand too close to the top of her ass for my liking.
She wants him. He makes her happy. I can’t take that away from my little sister, no matter how badly I want to be selfish and keep her as mine.
Haze follows the direction of my glare, then turns to me with a low sound in the back of his throat. “Fuck, man. I knew you were obsessed with her but didn’t realize just how bad it reallyis.” He shakes his head and stands closer to me while we watch Nova talk to Brandon. “You gonna kill him?”
My teeth clench together until they creak and threaten to grind into dust.
Haze knows about Nova. I’ve talked about my sister with him—all innocent things and never anything to suggest my real feelings for her. But I guess the cat is out of the bag—or maybe it’s been out of the bag for a while. It’s not like he’ll judge me for this. He’s in a relationship with his twin sister, Indi.
“I can’t,” I say through gritted teeth.
Haze nods, and I want to smother that shit-eating smirk on his face.
“You can’t?” he says. “Or you won’t?”
“There’s no difference.”
My gaze returns to Nova and Brandon, who continue chatting. She says something to him with a flirty smile and playfully swats his arm, using the same tactics I told her about earlier this morning. Only now, she’s using those skills on him and not me.
Brandon laughs and raises his head, catching me staring at him. His grin turns from innocent to straight smug.I’ve got your girl now; that’s what that look says.
Haze scoffs with an annoyed roll of his eyes. “Quit being a pussy, bro. Kill the motherfucker and make her yours. You love her. She’s into you. Why are you over here pouting?”
“She’s not into me. And even if she is, which she isn’t, I can’t give her what she needs.” I turn my glare on him.
“The fuck do you mean? Did you not see how she was looking at you before that asshole showed up?” He shakes his head and motions toward Nova, who’s still talking with Brandon. “If you don’t get your head out of your ass and break his wrists for touching her, I’ll do it myself. I still owe you big time, and I don’t mind making that motherfucker disappear.”
My spine straightens, and my gaze swings to Haze. “Don’t you dare. I won’t be the reason for my sister’s heartbreak.”
“You won’t be. The fuck?”
I swipe my palm down my face with a harsh sigh. “You don’t know that. I’m helping her learn the ropes, but I won’t hang her with mine.”
Haze’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. He groans and drops his head backward, shaking it before pinning me with a harsh look. “You know, Aiden, you’ve always been a good friend. You’ve helped me and others when we needed it, and you never once asked for anything in return. It’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes. You’re hurting yourself by holding back, and at some point, you’ll break. Don’t let her break you, man. Let her love you.”
I blindly reach into my front pocket and pull out my vape. I inhale the sweet vapor and slip my gaze to Nova. “She’s not gonna break me.”
“All right, I've got one suggestion for you before I need to change the subject to something more serious.”
I arch an eyebrow and blow out the vapor.
“Since you want to be a stubborn asshole about this, I’ll suggest the biggest fuck-you that you can give this guy. I have a special recipe that I use with Indi, but for different reasons. It’s simple. Put your cum in her food. When she kisses this guy after eating your food made with love, he’ll taste you. Can’t think of a bigger fuck-you than that.”
I choke on my next inhale and turn my whole body toward Haze. He grins and smacks my back to clear my lungs of the pink-lemonade vapor.
“Wh-what?” I cough out.
“Whatever Nova likes to eat, incorporate your cum into it. Don’t make it so obvious, though. That’ll ruin the fun.” He drops his arm and slips a mini recipe book from his jacket pocket, thenhands it to me. “Since you asked so nicely last time we hung out, I got this for you. Go through it and have fun.”
I flip through the pages, each one making my eyebrows hike higher on my forehead. “Jesus Christ,” I mumble. “I didn’t realize your recipes included cum or I wouldn’t have asked for it.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it. You’ll see why I do it whenever you get around to it.” He spares another sympathetic scowl at Brandon before moving closer and lowering his voice. “On a serious note, I’m glad to see you so I can give you a heads-up about some shit I’m hearing on my end.”
I snap the book shut and raise my head. All the annoyance and melancholy of losing Nova right before my eyes melt away. The serious tone in Haze’s voice flips the business switch in my head, and I go cold. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been hearing whispers about trouble brewing here in town. Something about a group working closely together to stir up some shit. I guess it’s been something in the making for a while. Be careful, man. Watch your people, and watch your fucking back.”
