My bedroom door bursts open
“Hey sis, I’m back!”
Dylan’s gaze swings to Gareth—completely naked, standing in the middle of my bedroom—then slides to me, still in bed. My brother’s expression flickers through different stages of emotion before it finally transforms into rage.
My stomach drops, the world tilting on its axis.
“What the fuck?”
Shit.
“Dylan,” Gareth says, equally as stunned.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt, crawling out of my bed. Tugging down the hemline of Gareth’s T-shirt I’m wearing, I shuffle to my feet.
Dylan’s eyes narrow. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he huffs with a disbelieving laugh. His eyes snap between me and Gareth as he reaches calmly for his jeans, tugging them up his legs as if he has all the time in the world—not like it’s burning down around us. “You two?”
Panic floods my bloodstream.
This isn’t how I wanted him to find out; this isn’t how I wanted to tell him.
My hands begin to tremble. “Dylan?—”
“Why the hell,” he cuts in, voice dangerously low, “is my best friend in your bed, Indy?”
Silence stretches, the whoosh of my heart the only thing I can hear as I stare wordlessly at my brother.
Dylan’s attention shifts from me to Gareth. “Get out.”
“Dylan,” I snap.
He ignores me.
Gareth doesn’t say a word—doesn’t move, either. I can tell he’s restraining himself in the way his muscles flex subtly, his jaw hardening.
My head spins—I don’t know how to handle this. I wasn’t ready.
“I said get out,” Dylan repeats, taking a step closer to Gareth.
My heart beats so hard it hurts, rattling my chest like it’s about to explode. “Stop, Dylan. Let us explain.”
“There shouldn’t be anything to explain!” Dylan roars, the force of his anger booming.
Gareth closes the distance between them in two quick steps, but he doesn’t lose his composure. He just stands there—calmand collected. “Calm down,” he urges, keeping all emotion out of his tone.
Dylan laughs, ugly and condescending. “You want me to calm down?” He glances at me with the fakest grin on his face. “The man’s got jokes.” Then he glares at Gareth. “No, Gareth, I don’t think I will.”
The room feels like the air’s being sucked out of it. My mind frazzled with the weight of yesterday’s fears and the disaster unfolding in front of me. I feel useless, every word in my vocabulary evading me.
Gareth turns away from Dylan and comes to my side. Threading his fingers through mine, he squeezes my hand. A silent promise—we’re in this together.
Wechooseeach other.
The contact grounds me, instantly releasing some of the tension I’ve been holding onto.
Dylan’s face hardens, and something inside of me breaks.
I’ve never seen him this angry—this hurt.
