Callous Heir

by Michelle Heard

  “Felt what?” Kao asks. “Tingles, a fluttering, desire? You need to be more specific here.”

  “Desire and something else I don’t… It was…” I try to think of a word. “It was warm, almost like compassion?”

  “Could it be you’re interested in her?” Kao turns in his seat, so he’s facing me. “You don’t have to dissect every single thing in life. I know it’s your first instinct, but you’ll miss out on half of life if you do that.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “If you’re attracted to her, I say give it a chance. Look at Fallon and me. We’re opposites, and it works for us.”

  I lock eyes with Kao, “Carla and I aren’t opposites. We’re fucking light years away from each other, and she’s five years younger than me. She’s a kid.” Thinking she’s so much younger than me doesn’t bring me the same wave of apprehension and aversion it always has in the past.

  “Noah,” Kao squeezes my shoulder, “it’s time you admit Carla isn’t a kid anymore. Three years ago, it would’ve been wrong, but now it’s a different story. She’s had time to grow up.”

  “Mentally, I know she’s an adult, but,” I tap against my heart, “in here, it feels wrong. As if I’ll be taking advantage of a teenage girl’s innocent crush.”

  “It’s only been a week. You don’t have to find all the answers right now, although I know it will probably drive you insane if you don’t solve every damn thing life throws your way.” Kao takes a breath, then continues, “If you want my advice, just hang out with her. If the feelings continue to grow, then go for it. If you don’t fall in love with her, the worst that can happen is you’ll become friends. You can’t keep treating her like an annoying kid. That shit is going to get you on the wrong side of Jase.”

  Kao’s right. It’s only a matter of time before this thing starts to affect everyone around us, and I’m not one for drama.

  “What if I’m friendly with Carla, and she takes it the wrong way?” I voice my biggest worry.

  “Then you sit her down and have a conversation with her. Tell her how you feel, and respect how she feels. I think it’s about time that conversation happened. You can’t just swat Carla away as if she’s a fly. She’s one of us and deserves more than that.”

  “Me… have a conversation?” I let out a chuckle. “You know I suck at talking to people.”

  “Pretend you’re talking to me,” Kao says.

  I give him a scowl. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work. You understand me.”

  “Just try, Noah. If you can’t communicate with her and things get bad, then I’ll talk to her. Okay?”

  I let out a sigh. “Yeah, okay.” Giving Kao a smile, I say, “Thanks for listening.”

  “Always.” Kao nods his head toward the house. “Let’s get in there before Fallon asks where we are. She has us on a tight schedule.”

  I let out a burst of laughter as we climb out of the car, and we each grab a box from the U-haul trailer.

  Walking toward the house, I decide to take Kao’s advice. After all, he is the one with a successful relationship. I’ll be friendly with Carla and see where things go. If I keep feeling awkward, I’ll tell her I only want to be friends. But if these emotions keep growing… My mind comes to a screeching halt.

  One step at a time, Noah. First, try to be friends with her.

  When we enter the living room, we find the girls sitting amongst boxes. Carla looks up, and the second her gaze lands on me, she impersonates a scene from Tangled, “Whoa! Somebody get me a glass. Cause I just found me a tall drink of water.”

  Even I have to admit she’s really good with doing impersonations. I let out a chuckle, and shaking my head, I place the box by the others.

  CARLA

  What just happened?

  My mouth drops open, and stunned, I stare at the smile on Noah’s face.

  Where’s the scowl? Where’s the glare of death?

  Maybe he’s just being nice because everyone else is here?

  Yeah, that’s probably it. Don’t read anything into a simple smile.

  I continue to unwrap Fallon’s collection of gemstones, then I ask, “Where are you going to put all of these?”

  “I have a crystal vase somewhere. I’ll just chuck them all in there.”

  “This vase?” Hana, who’s Fallon’s best friend, says as she holds it up.

  “Yeah, pass it to Carla.”

  I take the vase and carefully drop the gemstones inside.

  Kao comes back into the living room with Noah right behind him, and they set down the boxes in their arms. Then Kao’s gaze rests lovingly on Fallon. “Babe, you still want me to go get pizzas and beer for when we're done unpacking?”

  “Yes.” She climbs to her feet and goes to give him a kiss. “We’ll be done in an hour.”

  Kao presses another kiss to her lips. “Anything else we can get while we’re out?”

  “Maybe some wine?” I ask. “I struggle with beer.”

  “What kind?” Noah asks, and again I can only stare. He tilts his head. “Carla, which wine do you like?”

  “Ahh…” I gape like a fish because he’s actually talking to me of his own free will. I finally manage to gather my shocked self enough to answer, “Semi-sweet white, please.”

  When he nods, I ask, “You’re not going to give me hell for being too young to drink?”

  Noah shrugs. “It’s not my place. Besides, it’s no different than Fallon having a beer.”

  Whoaaaaa? What the…? Huh?

  I’m still stunned out of my mind when the guys leave.

  “Are you okay?” Fallon suddenly asks, yanking me out of my thoughts.

  “Yeah, just confused. Noah’s never nice to me.”

  “What do you mean he’s never nice to you?” she asks, a frown forming on her forehead.

  It’s just us girls, and deciding to tell them what happened three years ago, I say, “I had a crush on Noah way back, and he shot me down. Since then, we’ve been… let’s just say Noah does his best to keep me at a distance.”

  “Why didn’t any of us know this?” Fallon asks, glancing at Hana, Jade, and Mila.

  I shrug. “I wasn’t about to advertise my being rejected to the whole world. It was embarrassing enough when it happened.”

  Fallon’s frown deepens. “But we’re not the whole world.”

  “I know.” I shrug again. “It’s over and done with.”

  “Are you still in love with him?” Mila asks.

  With Mila being Noah’s cousin, I shake my head and lie, “Nah, I got over being in love with him a couple of years back.”

  Aria and Forest finally walk in when we’re almost done with all the work. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask them where they’ve been, but I decide not to. If they wanted to tell me what’s going on with them and why they’re keeping their distance from me, then they would’ve.

  We stack all the empty boxes in the U-haul Kao and Noah left here, then start to clean the house. Mila and Jade dust everything while Hana mops the floor.

  Walking into the kitchen, I see Forest and Aria washing and drying the dishes.

  “Hey,” I murmur as I begin to help Fallon pack them away.

  Aria grins at me. “Hey.” I also get a smile from Forest, and it makes me wonder if I’m not just oversensitive.

  We’re busy packing away the last of the plates when Fallon says, “Leave those out for the pizza.” She places glasses for the beer and wine next to it, then looks at me and asks, “Can you help me with the bedding?”

  “Sure.” I follow her to the first bedroom, and we each grab a side of the sheet and pull it over the mattress. Wanting to make conversation, I ask, “How does it feel to own your own home?”

  “A little surreal.” Fallon glances around the guest room. “It’s exciting and emotional.”

  She takes a shaky breath, which has me moving closer to give her a hug. “You deserve this with Kao.”

  “Thanks.” She smiles and takes a deep breath. “And thank you f
or being here today. I really appreciate it.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  We move to the next room, and by the time we’re busy with the main bedroom, it feels like my back’s about to break in half.

  Straightening up, I place my hands on my lower back and stretch. “God, my back. I feel eighty years old.”

  “I hear you,” Fallon agrees.

  Just then, Noah peeks into the room. “Are you almost done? The pizza’s here.”

  “Just in time,” Fallon grins, walking past Noah and down the hallway.

  I keep rubbing my back as I follow after her.

  “What’s wrong?” Noah asks from behind me.

  I glance over my shoulder. “Nothing. Why?”

  He gestures to me. “You’re rubbing your back.”

  “Oh.” I wave a hand. “Pfft, just sore from bending over while making the beds.”

  “Hold up,” he says.

  When I stop walking, Noah’s arms come around me from behind. My eyebrows disappear into my hairline as he pulls me back against his chest, and then he lifts me off my feet, and I hear a cracking sound.

  “Oh, God… Noah,” I groan from relief.

  I don’t even have time to absorb the feel of having his arms around me because he instantly sets me down and steps back.

  Turning around, I grin at him. “Thanks. It feels much better.” Then I see the startled look on his face, and it makes my heartbeat speed up for some reason.

  Not wanting this weird peace treaty to end, I say, “You should’ve gone into the medical field like your mom. You have a healing touch.”

  Spinning around, I walk away from him.

  Yeah, don’t rock the boat, Carla. Enjoy the cease-fire cause it won’t last forever.

  Chapter 5

  NOAH

  I follow Carla into the kitchen, still trying to process the burst of desire I felt when she groaned.

  Yeah, whether I like it or not, something is happening… between us. I pull a face, not comfortable with the idea.

  Just be friends with her, Noah.

  Carla inspects the bottle of wine, then says, “Oooh, I love this wine. Thanks, guys.”

  Taking hold of the bottle, I open it for her and pour some in a glass. When I shift the glass to where she’s standing, she watches me with wide eyes.

  “Do you want ice?” I ask, figuring that’s what the look is for.

  “Uh… No. I’m good, thanks.” She picks up the glass and takes a sip, her eyes still locked on me.

  I shrug and closing the bottle, I set it aside. I reach for a plate and grab two slices of pizza. Leaning back against one of the counters, my gaze drifts over all my friends, and seeing them happy makes a smile tug at the corner of my lips.

  “Wow,” Hana suddenly says. “Can you all believe how far we’ve come over the past year? I mean, we’re standing in Kao and Fallon’s home.”

  “Yeah, it’s been quite some year,” Mila murmurs.

  “Where’s Jase?” I ask. “And Hunter?”

  “Oh, they’re working,” Jade answers. She glances at her watch. “They should be here at seven.”

  A slight frown forms on my face when I notice Carla standing to the side, deep in thought. Carla is like Fallon in many ways, and seeing her not taking part in the conversation is unlike her.

  Before I can think it through, I move closer and lean back against the cupboard by her. I cross my arms over my chest and leaning down a little, I ask, “Are you okay?”

  Her eyes widen on me again. “Ahh… yeah?” She shakes her head. “Not to ruin things, but why are you talking to me?”

  I shake my head. “What do you mean?”

  “You never talk to me unless you really have to,” she explains.

  I shrug and glance over the kitchen. “I’m trying the friends thing, seeing as we’re now living together. Fighting with you is exhausting.”

  “Oh… okay.” She relaxes and takes a sip of her wine.

  My gaze drops to her, and I wait for her to comment more on what I just told her, but when she keeps quiet, I ask, “What? You have nothing to say?”

  Shaking her head, she smiles at me. “Hell no. I’m taking the olive branch.” Carla grins, then does an impersonation of Edna from The Incredibles, “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”

  I let out a chuckle, then mutter, “Good.” When she takes another sip of her wine, I say, “You should eat something.”

  Her eyebrow pops up, and she almost says something but then presses her lips tightly together. It looks like it’s killing her to keep quiet.

  “Let it out before you stop breathing,” I mutter.

  She begins to chuckle. “Careful, Noah. It’s seriously starting to sound like you care.”

  I shake my head and pushing away from the counter, I walk to where Kao is shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth.

  When everyone’s done eating, I help Kao clean up while the girls hang out in the living room.

  “Things seem to be going okay with Carla,” he mentions as he hands me a plate to dry.

  “Yeah. It’s weird but okay,” I admit.

  “It’s a step forward, though,” he says.

  “That remains to be seen,” I mutter.

  Jase comes into the kitchen. “Hey, guys.”

  “Hi,” I reply as I place the last plate in the cupboard.

  “Why are you working on a Saturday?” Kao asks him.

  “We’re busy with a big contract,” Jase explains. He grabs a beer from the fridge and gulps some down, then he asks Kao, “Are you going to show me around?”

  I hang the towel on a hook so it can dry and walk to the living room. Jade is kissing Hunter as if she hasn’t seen him for months.

  My gaze lands on Forest and Aria, where they look like a lovesick couple.

  Yeah, fake relationship, my ass.

  There’s a seat open next to Carla, and figuring it’s safe enough with everyone here, I drop down next to her. Her eyes are on her best friends, and there’s a slight frown on her forehead. She tilts her head closer to me and whispers, “Is it just my imagination, or do they look in love?”

  My eyes go back to Forest and Aria. “Nope, not your imagination.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she murmurs.

  I can’t tell if she’s happy for them or not, so I ask, “Do you have a problem with them dating?”

  Carla turns her eyes to mine. “No, I just hate when people hide things from me.” She shrugs. “If they’re happy with each other, that’s all that matters.” Her gaze goes back to them. “They’ve been best friends forever. I really think they could make a success of a relationship. They’re already committed to each other.”

  Her words hit me deeper than I expected, and I ask, “Do you really think that’s all it takes?”

  “Of course.” She frowns at me. “Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I’m just surprised you think so, too,” I reply.

  Her frown deepens. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Just,” I turn my body a little towards hers. “I would’ve thought you’d believe in true love.”

  “What? Like falling madly in love and it staying that way forever?” she asks. When I nod, she chuckles, “Come on, Noah, we both know that’s only the initial hormones going into overdrive. When the honeymoon phase is over, it’s all work.”

  Frowning, I lock eyes with her. “I’ll probably regret asking this,” I pause to think whether I shouldn’t just keep quiet, but then push through, “Why do you bother with me then?”

  She lets out another chuckle. “Damn, you can’t even say it, can you?” Then she fucking mimics Donkey, “You’re so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, you’re afraid of your own feelings.” Leaning back against the chair, she glances away from me and out the window, and then she murmurs, “You’re worth the work.”

  Her words make my heart constrict, and then there’s a burst of warmth in my chest. Frowning, I focus on the new emoti
on.

  Is it gratitude? Maybe it’s because I’m flattered?

  CARLA

  When I glance back at Noah, he’s deep in thought, as if he’s busy working out some impossible equation.

  I place my hand on his thigh, and it instantly snaps him out of his thoughts. Leaning toward him, I say, “Relax, Noah. You’re going to burst a vein with all that thinking.”

  I get up and go to the kitchen, so I can refill my glass. As I take a sip, Jase comes into the kitchen. When his eyes land on me, he comes to throw his arm around my shoulders, giving me a sideways hug. “How’s school?” He takes the glass from my hands and takes a sip before handing it back.

  I shrug. “It’s okay.”

  “And the workload?” He asks as he helps himself to a slice of pizza.

  “A lot. I’ve spent most of my time in the library.”

  “You’ll get into the swing of things,” he says. My brother’s eyes lock on me, and then he tilts his head. “Besides school, is everything else okay? No one’s giving you shit?”

  Jase is the most perceptive person I know. I shrug again. “It’s different from high school. You know? It’s… lonely.”

  He takes a step closer to me, concern tightening his features. “What do you mean it’s lonely? You have the other girls. Forest and Aria are also there.”

  “Yeah,” I smile at him so he won’t worry. “I’m just struggling to adjust. Don’t mind me.”

  Jase’s eyes sharpen on my face, then he asks, “There’s nothing else bothering you?”

  I shake my head, and stepping forward, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my cheek against his shoulder. “I’m good, but you know what would help a lot?”

  Jase hugs me back, muttering, “What?”

  “All your notes and assignments.” I pull back, and grinning at him, I say, “Pretty please, Jase.”

  “On one condition.” A sneaky grin tugs at his lips. “Admit I’m the smarter one.”

  I scrunch my nose and pull a disgruntled face, then mutter, “You’re smarter.”

  A victorious smile splits over his face. “I’ll email them tomorrow.”