by Linda Verji
“I’m about to murder your son.” Freddie ordered her brother, “Follow me.”
Without waiting to see if he’d follow her order, Freddie started moving. However, when she got to the archway, she realized that Ari hadn’t moved from the couch. With a kiss of her teeth she turned back, hurried to the couch and smacked the back of his head. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“Ow!” Ari rubbed his scalp while shooting her a glare sharp enough to pierce through steel. When Freddie lifted her hand to smack him again, he shot to his feet. “Fine. Fine.”
Their parents watched them in confusion as they exited the living room. Freddie heard her mother ask her father what that was about but didn’t wait to hear her father’s response. She was too intent on stomping up the stairs and into her bedroom.
“You know you can’t order me around like that,” Ari scolded as he followed her into the room and shut the door. “I’m older than you.”
“I’ll treat you like you’re older than me when you start behaving like it,” Freddie countered. Half-sitting on her vanity table and folding her arms over her chest, she demanded, “What was that phone call about?”
Ari didn’t answer. He just guffawed as he crossed the room to sit on her bed.
“You ruined my date,” Freddie complained.
He cut his eyes at her. “Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Freddie countered. “Why did you ruin my date?”
“Can you stop saying that word?”
“What word? Date?” Freddie asked. When Ari’s face got even stormier, she mocked, “Date, date, date, date. Yes, I’m dating Lex. Date, date, date.”
“Shut up!” he yelled out.
Freddie didn’t even blink. “No, you shut up.”
Ari puffed out in frustration. “Are you really going to keep dating Lex?”
“Yes,” she retorted defiantly. Giving him an eyebrow raise, she asked, “Problem?”
“Yes, it’s a problem,” Ari countered. “I don’t like it.”
Freddie snorted. “Since when did your preferences count in my love life.”
“Obviously they do, otherwise you and Lex wouldn’t have hidden your mess from me for so long.”
He had her there. Freddie had no good response to the accusation so she could only lower her eyes and mumble, “It’s not a mess.”
“That’s my best-friend, Freddie!” The anger seemed to melt from Ari’s voice and expression. Instead, he seemed hurt as he added, “That’s my brother.”
“He’s not my brother though!” she returned though her voice held less sharpness.
“Stop acting like you don’t know what I mean,” Ari scolded. “Why would you start something with him when you know how tight he and I are?”
“You’re talking like you’re his wife and I’m stealing your man.”
“Freddie!” Ari’s voice cracked loudly like a whip. He looked highly insulted.
“What?” she remained unmoved by his anger. “Seriously? What’s the problem if I date him?”
“Do I really need to tell you?” Her brother didn’t wait for her answer and continued, “Right now it’s kumbaya, but what happens if you break up? Obviously, I have to take your side, which means Lex and me are done.”
“Why are you assuming that we’ll break up?”
“Because that’s what always happens.” Ari sighed in frustration. “People get together and they break up.”
“People get together and they break up sometimes,” she corrected him. “And sometimes they get together and stay together.”
“Sure, sure,” Ari returned with a dismissive wave of his hand. “But you two don’t exactly have a record of that.”
Freddie narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“I know you both, remember? Neither of you stays in relationships.” He demanded, “How many long-term relationships have you been in?”
She answered with silence.
“None. Zero!” Ari answered himself. “And neither has Lex. And now I’m supposed to believe that this little fling of yours won’t end in a breakup too? Please! Tell me another lie.”
“You’re just making assumptions,” Freddie returned. “You don’t know where Lex and I will end up.”
“Neither do you,” her brother countered. “So all we’ve got are your stats, and they don’t look good. You’re both breaker-uppers.” Anger filled his expression. “I’m about to lose a friend because you couldn’t keep your hands in your own cookie jar.”
“Look, first, Lex was never in your cookie jar.” Freddie smiled as she teased, “Unless, you’re about to come out of the closet.”
Ari’s stormy expression left no doubt that he didn’t find the joke funny. At all!
“Okay, Okay-” Freddie surrendered with raised arms. “-maybe you’re right. Maybe this could end in a break up.” She soothed, “But that doesn’t mean that you’ll lose Lex. You can just keep being friends.”
“Explain that to me,” Ari retorted with unfettered sarcasm. “How am I supposed to keep being friends with the guy that broke my sister’s heart?”
Despite the vitriol in his tone, Freddie could see the genuine worry behind his words. For the first time she could see his side. Before today, she’d only assumed that his opposition would be because he was over-possessive when it came to his friends. But now that she thought about it, she realized that her brother was right to be worried. Her relationship with Lex had the potential to destroy a decades-long friendship.
Ari kept on ranting, “Okay then, let’s assume that this somehow works like you want. Eventually, you’ll have to deal with his family. And let’s be honest here, they treat him like garbage. How do you think they’ll treat you if you become a family member? I don’t want you getting involved with them.” His frown deepened. “This whole thing is a mess anyway you look at it.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Freddie soothed. “Lex and I haven’t officially even started dating.”
Ari’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Right now we’re considering dating,” she confessed. “We’re not official yet.”
“Then that’s perfect.” Ari ordered, “Stop considering.”
For a second, Freddie considered listening to her brother. But the thought of not being with Lex sent pain shuttling through her. She swallowed. “I’m sorry, Ari. I want to but I can’t. I want to date him. I know that it’s selfish of me, but I still want to try.” Her tone pleading, she tried to explain, “You’ve liked someone before, right? You can’t just stop because you want to.”
Ari pushed out an angry breath. “Do you like him that much?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I do.”
It was only after she said the words that she realized that she really meant them. Until now, she’d assumed that she was only lusting after Lex. But the realization crept in that this was more than lust. She couldn’t be sure that it was love, but one thing was certain; she really, really liked Lex.
“You could’ve liked anyone else,” Ari complained, but there was no longer any bite to his words. “Why him? Why do you like him?”
“I don’t know.” Freddie shrugged. “For the same reason you like him.”
Ari had no response to that because he, like her, knew that Lex was a good man.
“Look, I can’t promise that he and I won’t break up because that’s not something I can control,” she said. “But I’ll try my best not to mess up your friendship with him.”
The look Ari gave her said he didn’t believe that was possible. But what could she do? She and Lex had gone too far to back out now. Only time would tell how their relationship would go.
* * *
LEX COULDN’T SIT still. He kept pacing around his house as worry danced around inside him. How was it going with Freddie and Ari? He hadn’t murdered her, had he?
Lex strode to the living room and picked up his phone from the coffee table. He was just about to dial her number when hi
s doorbell rang. Frowning, he strode to the front-door. However, the frown turned to tension when he checked the intercom screen. Ari?
Tapping down on the instinctive nervousness that shot through him, Lex opened the door to let his friend in.
“Hi,” Lex greeted.
Ari didn’t answer. He swept past Lex and headed straight to the living room. Lex dragged in a deep breath then followed him. While Ari headed to the bar to pour himself a drink, Lex settled on the couch watching him. Once he had his drink, Ari settled on the couch. It didn’t escape Lex’s notice that his friend chose the seat that was furthest away from Lex.
For several minutes neither man spoke, but the thick tension in the room was loud enough that words weren’t needed. Lex could tell that his friend was still angry with him, but something had changed. He didn’t seem quite as angry.
Though he was silent, Ari kept shooting Lex glares as he sipped his drink that left no doubt that he had lots to say. Lex wanted to end the silence. He wanted to say something that could ease the tension between them. He could’ve said that he was sorry, but that would be lying because he wasn’t sorry that he’d gone after Freddie. She was too important for him to apologize for. So he kept quiet.
It was only after Ari finished his drink that he spoke. “You must be so happy. Everyone’s on your side. My parents, the boys-” Ari laughed but there was no amusement in that laugh. “I’m the only bastard who thinks you and Freddie are a bad idea.”
Lex just watched him.
“You can have any other woman.” Ari puffed out noisily. “Why does it have to be Freddie? Are there really no other women that you can date?” His voice rose as he added, “There are always loads of women around you, so why did it have to be Freddie?
Lex was silent for some time then he returned, “Because she’s Freddie.”
“Ugh! Are you kidding me?” Ari exploded. “She’s my sister.”
“I know.”
“Don’t you even care about that?”
“I do. I did.” Lex met his friend’s eyes. “That’s why I held back for so long.”
Another long silence settled in. Ari rose and went to pour himself another drink. He settled back in his seat, staring at and twirling the glass but not actually drinking from it.
“I don’t get it,” Ari finally spoke again. His tone was softer, less angry. Frowning, he prodded, “What’s to like about her? She’s annoying and stubborn.”
Lex chuckled. “That’s your sister you’re talking about. Shouldn’t you be telling me that she’s too good for me?”
“Yeah, that’s true. She’s too good for a punk like you,” Ari agreed. “But why her though? And don’t give me any of that ‘because she’s Freddie’ crap.”
“Why do I like her?” Lex thought over it for a second. “Because she’s warm.”
The frown that immediately furrowed Ari’s brow left no doubt that he had no idea what Lex was yapping about.
“I don’t know.” Lex searched his mind for words to explain what he meant. “It’s like I’ve been cold all this time, but when I’m with her it feels warm.”
Lex hadn’t known that he was lonely until he’d met Freddie. It was like tasting summer for the first time. Like a prisoner who’s been born and locked in isolation for his whole life finally feeling the sun’s warmth. Now that he’d tasted that warmth he couldn’t go back to the cold. He couldn’t let go of Freddie.
“Have you been watching romantic melodramas while I wasn’t looking?” Ari made a disgusted face. “That was cheesy as hell! Ugh!”
Lex laughed. “You asked a question I answered it.”
“Wow! You’re completely insane, huh?” Ari was silent for a while then asked, “Are you sure this can even work? You’re not the commitment-type.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Are you kidding me? I know your dating history better than anyone.” Frustration evident in his tone, Ari reminded him, “You’re a ‘hit it and quit it’ man. And now you’re about to make my sister another number in that long line.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. With those other women, I wasn’t even trying. You know that! But it’s different this time.” When Ari gave him a disbelieving look, Lex revealed, “Both you and Freddie are important enough to me that I wouldn’t start something unless I was very, very serious. I wouldn’t risk our friendship unless I was looking for something long-term.”
“Well, you and Freddie don’t seem to be on the same page. She didn’t sound like she knew you’re looking for something serious!” Ari watched Lex keenly. “She said you two weren’t even official yet.”
“I asked her to date me. She hasn’t given me an answer,” Lex said. A rueful smile playing on his lips, he added, “Who knows? This conversation we’re having right now might end up being for nothing. She might not want to date me.”
“Why wouldn’t she want to date you?” Ari sounded outraged. “You’re a catch.” However, when he realized what he’d just blurted, he slapped his own mouth. “Damn it? What am I doing? Am I encouraging you?”
The look of disgust on Ari’s face was enough to make Lex burst into loud laughter.
“Don’t laugh!” Ari ordered even though his own mouth twitched. “I still haven’t forgiven you or given you my approval to date her.”
Liar! Lex thought on the inside even as his grin widened.
“I still reserve the right to punch you whenever I feel like it,” Ari threatened. His tone became graver as he added, “And if you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.”
The look he gave Lex left no doubt that he meant every word.
CHAPTER 20
“I think he’s coming around,” Lex told Freddie over the phone later the same night.
“Well, that’s good news!” Freddie, who was already in bed, turned to lie on her side. Holding the phone to her ear, she added, “I thought for sure he’d kill one or both of us.”
Lex’s chuckle rang clear through the line.
Freddie smiled in response. “I’m glad it’s over though, and we don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Me too,” Lex said. He paused a second before asking, “Are you already in bed?”
“What do you think?” Freddie laughed. “It’s past two a.m.”
He sounded worried as he asked, “I didn’t wake you up or anything, right?”
She laughed again. “I think it’s too late for that question.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’ll just put it down to you missing me too much to wait until morning to talk to me.”
Lex was quiet for a while then he murmured, “I did.”
She frowned in confusion. “You did what?”
“I missed you too much.”
Those five simple words sent immediate heat searing through her. They softened her up, melted her, and took her breath away.
She gulped before saying, “But we just saw each other hours ago.”
“I know.” His tone suggested that that didn’t mean anything. He still missed her.
Freddie licked her suddenly dry lips. She tried to think of something to say to ease the sexual tension that had crept into their conversation but couldn’t think of anything.
It was Lex who broke the silence. “Do you want to meet?”
Her heart bumped against her ribcage and her breath whooshed out in a loud gasp. “Huh?”
“Do you want to meet?” he repeated.
“Now?”
“Now!” he confirmed.
It was almost three in the morning. No sane person would leave their house at that hour of the morning without a damn good reason. A decision like that called for an emergency. This wasn’t an emergency. It was just crazy! Yet she couldn’t bring herself to tell him all the reasons why they shouldn’t meet. Instead she found herself breathing out, “Okay.”
“Okay.” There was a smile in his voice as he added, “I’ll pick you up in thirty.”
She sat up in bed. “I
’ll wait for you outside our gates.”
With the impromptu appointment made, she scrambled out of bed to get ready to meet him. Should she wear a dress? No. No. That would be trying too hard. It was three a.m. after all. She settled on a long, purple cardigan over a gray tee and gray leggings. Not too overdressed but sort-of sexy too. Should she put on makeup? What was she talking about? She didn’t even know how to do makeup. Man! It was hard being a girl. She settled on lip gloss.
By the time she was done fixing herself, twenty minutes had flown by. She started towards the door, then remembered that their front-door was excessively noisy. If she went through it, someone would hear it then her whole family would know her business. She turned to stare at her window. The last time she’d used the window, she was seventeen and trying to go to an Omarion concert during exam season. It had been surprisingly easy considering that there was a big oak tree right next to her room. The tree had only grown larger with time, and it would be easy to climb down it again.
But that would be juvenile, right?
Oh, who cares? Being an adult was overrated anyway. Freddie tucked her phone and keys into the pocket of her cardigan and headed to the window. The climb down was just as easy as predicted. The branches were strong enough to hold her weight and the jump down wasn’t too far. She got to the ground without any mishaps.
Unsurprisingly, the morning chill had set in. Thankfully, Freddie didn’t have to tremble outside the gates for too long. As promised, Lex came on time. As soon as he brought his truck to a stop, she rushed to the passenger-side and opened the door.
Lex, of course, was looking as sexy as usual. He had on a black hooded sweatshirt over a white tee to match his black joggers. But Freddie was too cold to appreciate the aforementioned sexiness.
“Brrr!” She rubbed her arms as she settled in the car. “It’s cooold.”
“Sorry.” He leaned across their seats and brought her in for an embrace. “Did you wait for long?”
“Mm mm!” she mumbled. He was so warm and smelled so nice that she burrowed into him. She tucked her nose into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist.
His hands soothed over her back, warming her up. When he cupped the back of her head and tilted her face up to him, Freddie met his eyes. With a smile, he dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers. When he pulled back from the light kiss, he was still smiling. “Hi.”
