Chapter 148
I run a hand over Luka’s head – he’s been sprawled out beside me this whole time, yawning dramatically while I try to talk sense into his twin. Sometimes I wonder if we spoiled them both too much. Luka maybe more than Lucille.
He’s like a house cat. A lazy one.
I rub his temple – no fever. Honestly, I’m starting to think he faked being sick just for the attention.
“What do you think, Luka?”
Without even cracking an eye open, he mutters, “Don’t care. She’ll figure it out when they shove her off a cliff. Or not. Maybe she’ll think it’s their love language.” Another yawn.
My eye twitches.
This kid…
Lucille, meanwhile, is livid. “At least I have friends! I’m not the one who’s too lazy to make any – or keep them.”
Luka rubs his eyes and gives her a deadpan look, like even acknowledging her is a personal sacrifice. “And never get rid of them. Please. Save the rest of us the horror.”
I press my fingers into my temple.
Then, I catch myself thinking – God, I wish Emilia were here.
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She would’ve had Luka eating out of the palm of her hand by now. Or coaxing Lucille with cookies. Either way, problem solved.
And now I can’t stop thinking about how she looked this morning – hair damp from the shower, tied up in that lazy bun she somehow still makes hot. Or how she stole my hoodie, and how it looked ten times better on her than it ever did on me.
She smells like coffee and something sweet I can’t name, but I‘ d kill to have beneath my tongue. Her laugh lingers in my head. longer than it should. And don’t even get me started on how casually she leans against the doorframe just to watch me get ready.
Damn it.
Lucille’s still ranting. Luka’s halfway to sleep again. And I’m sitting here thinking about a girl who’s just a floor above me. Who I was with less than an hour ago.
An hour too long. What am I even doing away from her in the first place?
I sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. “Alright, that’s enough. I’m going to bed. You have school in the morning. You too, Luka.”
He sits up like I just betrayed him. “What? I’m sick.”
“Nice try, kiddo.” I ruffle his hair as I get up. “I’m not one of your sisters you’ve gotta work harder to fool me.”
–
I cross the room to Lucille, who’s still radiating teen rage. I reach out to pat her head, but she ducks away with a dramatic huff.
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“When are you leaving?”
–
“Tomorrow, probably.” Her face shifts for a second – something flickers behind the glare – but she just folds her arms tighter and turns away.
“Good,” she mutters. “Now Seth won’t have to climb through windows while you’re gone.”
Climb through-?
I freeze, then whip my head toward the window. Sure enough, I catch the shadow of someone climbing into the room directly above us.
Emilia.
“Shit.”
I make it upstairs in record time, but I’m still too late. And it doesn’t matter how fast I ran – because what I see sends white–hot fury straight through my skull.
The urge to murder my brother has never burned this strong.
But Emilia beats me to it.
She’s standing there, lips smeared with Seth’s blood, eyes blazing. Her voice is low and venomous. “You disgusting pervert.”
And then she swings.
The mopstick cracks across the side of his skull, hard enough that I flinch.
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I’m halfway through my mascara when my phone buzzes.
Lyle: You can find your way to the hotel, right? I can meet you there but I won’t be able to pick you up.
I nearly poke my own eye out.
Of course he can’t pick me up. Of course.
I’m this close to texting Lyle back something that could peel the paint off every wall in Manhattan – but then Theo sends a photo.
And just like that, my priorities realign.
–
It’s a Hello Kitty charm dangling from his rearview mirror. But not just any Hello Kitty – she’s decked out in a New York Titans jersey and a matching cap.
Theo: Got my niece tickets to their first game of the season. This was her return gift.
Me: That’s adorable. But shouldn’t you have kept those tickets for yourself? Pretty sure that’s the closest you’ll ever get to the ice.
Theo: Well played, considering you’re taking a man you can clearly do better than as your date to your cousin’s engagement party.
Me: I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. How’s it going with the girl?
Theo: Horribly. She’s going out with some guy who has readily available dick pics in his gallery. Public folder. Not even hidden.
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