My eyes widened, then my nose wrinkled. “That’s disgusting, Kevin. Rod doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
He chuckled, but he sounded more tired than anything, and he rubbed a hand down his face. “Why is it disgusting for him to have a girlfriend?”
“Because he’s my brother. I don’t want to think of him like that.”
The look in Kevin’s eyes was sharp. “Yeah, well. I’m pretty sure your brother wouldn’t want to think of you in a relationship either.”
I scowled at him and folded my arms under my breasts, lifting them up. His eyes drifted lower, but sadly, he didn’t take the bait. His eyes were still clear when he met mine.
“What is the point of this, anyway?” I questioned. “Wouldn’t Rod tell me if he had a girlfriend?”
“As you told him when we started dating?” he countered.
“You didn’t tell him, either,” I pointed out.
He didn’t have an answer for that. Our getting together had been somewhat sudden. He came over for my brother, but he wasn’t around. Then one moment, we were both seated on the couch, arguing over movies. The next moment, he had me on my back, and we were making out. If my mom hadn't called me from upstairs, we would have gotten caught.
There was some pussyfooting around each other after that, trying to get time alone together so we could talk things over. We didn’t want to hurt anybody, and I didn’t want to destroy his relationship with Rod and my family any more than he did. So, we decided to date in secret until we thought it was just the right time. It would have been hell if we’d gotten together, only to break up a few weeks later. But here we were, still going strong, and I was more than confident now that it was forever between us.
Convincing the family was where the problem came in.
“Seriously, though,” I muttered, growing curious. “Is Rod seeing somewhere? Is it that girl, Becky? I’ve heard rumors that she’s into him.”
Kevin sighed, resigning himself to talking about my brother. “I can't say he’s dating anyone, but he lost his virginity before I did.”
I wrinkled my nose again. “Ew.”
Kevin threw me a look. “Anyway,” he said pointedly. “This happened before you, and I did anything, and he told me all about it.”
He kept staring at me like he was expecting me to get something. After a while of it, I frowned.
“So?” I asked, shrugging.
He sighed again. “So, Stacey. Guys talk about this sort of thing. When they get a girlfriend, their first experience with sex. He’s never dated anyone that I know of, but he’s been with a few girls. And almost every time, he keeps wondering if I’m seeing someone if I’ve had my first time already. He’s curious about me, and he can tell me everything, but I can't tell him all my firsts were with you. Think about how that feels for me.”
I raised the sheet to cover my breasts and raised my knees, hugging them to my chest as I looked away with another pout. Kevin carded his fingers through my hair, but it wasn’t enough to get me to turn around.
“Stacey,” he said, his voice strained. “He trusts me. And I love being with you, but every time, it feels like I’m stabbing him in the back. I’m an only child, so he is the closest thing to a brother for me.”
I turned to him with a glare. “And if he told us we couldn’t be together anymore? Would you just go ‘hey, man. Sure. I’ll go break up with her right now.’”
I watched him intently and watched several expressions go through his face. I couldn’t read them all, but the longer he stayed silent, the more I worried that he really might. Finally, he sighed, shoulders slumping as his expression fell.
“I don’t know what I’d do,” he said honestly.
Relief was warm in my chest, and I reached over to hug him, and one of his arms circled my back. Right behind that, though, was a feeling of guilt. Because of course, I felt it, too. I was keeping shit from my family, no matter how much I thought it was for the best for the both of us.
“I want to tell him, Stacey,” he muttered. “I know there are things I can't talk about with him because you’re his sister. But I want him to know that we’re together.
“I know. We’re just not ready to tell anyone else yet,” I said, soothing. “But I promise we will soon.”
Chapter 3
Stacey
I got up early on Sunday morning, earlier than my parents usually did. I crawled out of my bed, and peeked my head out my door, looking up and down the hallway and listening for any noises. Then I quickly got dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and went back to the bed and tried to shake Kevin awake.
“You need to get up,” I whispered with urgency, shaking a little harder when he didn’t wake up immediately. “Kevin! You seriously have to get up!”
But all he did was grumble and roll over. He wasn’t exactly a skinny guy, both he and my brother were into sports, and he had a couple of inches on me. He was all muscle, and the most exercise I ever did was gym class at school. Moving him when he didn’t want to be moved wasn’t exactly possible for me.
This is all my fault, I groaned to myself.
I was starting to think he wasn’t all that wrong when Kevin said I brought this kind of shit on myself. After we’d hung out for a bit last night, I’d made him go home. Then, he’d snuck back inside in the middle of the night. But he needed to sneak the fuck back out before he was caught, and his thoughts would come true.
I don’t want my family finding out like this, though!
“Kevin!” I hissed, taking one of his arms and tugging hard on it. “Get the fuck up already! Do it, or I won’t see you for a fucking week!”
“What?” He turned his head over to face me, frowning. “Seriously?”
I glowered. “Were you awake the entire time?”
He sat upright and scratched at his bed head. “It’s kinda hard to keep sleeping with you shaking me, Stacey.”
“Then get the fuck out already!”
He sighed and heaved himself out of bed. “Yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute…”
I pouted my lips and crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. How dare he be so relaxed when I was so worried about this shit! He was the one pushing for us to tell them, and he wanted to let them find out this way? I knew better than to say those words out loud, though, because they’d probably just start an argument. We were both anxious about it. Kevin just wasn’t a morning person.
“There,” he said, pulling up his pants and doing up the fly. “I’m done, and it didn’t even take a minute.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, opening the door to peek out the hallway again, before pulling him behind me. We tip-toed down the hall, then down the stairs. I was never more grateful that the house didn’t have creaky floorboards.
We got to the front door, and I unlocked it, then opened it. I stepped aside so Kevin could walk out, but he didn’t.
“Hurry!” I hissed, glaring.
He just grinned down at me. “I’ll see you later,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss me.
My heart was beating too hard in fear, but I stood still and let him kiss me, kissing him back. I pushed him away after a little bit, though, before I could start clinging to him. He chuckled and took hold of the door.
He opened his mouth, probably to give me a parting shot before he left, but we both froze at the sound of my brother’s voice.
“Kevin?”
Immediately, my heart froze, and then started beating even faster and harder. I thought I’d have a fucking heart attack! We both turned to look, and there my brother stood, staring at the two of us.
Did he… Oh, fuck! Did he see us kiss?
“Dude, what are you doing here?” he asked.
Only then, when I heard it in his voice, did I notice that he looked more confused than anything else. He wasn’t even suspicious to see Kevin and me standing by the open front door, I was barely dressed, and Kevin still ruffled. I felt relief, and guilt right on the tail end of it. Because that lack
of suspicion just told me how much Rod trusted both Kevin and me.
We do need to come out with the truth. Just one more week, I tried to reason with my mind. Then Kevin and I can talk things through. One more week…
“You mean,” Kevin said slowly, “what am I doing in your house?”
Rod gave Kevin a look like he was out of his mind. “Uh, yeah, that is what I mean. It’s a little early in the morning, isn’t it?”
“Oh.” He glanced at me out the corner of his eye, then forced his lips to curve up in a smile. “I just wanted to come check in, see if you were in. I tried yesterday a little later and you were gone, so I thought I’d try…coming early?”
That last bit sounded like a question, but Rod still didn’t seem to think anything was strange. But he was frowning to himself, and I thought my heart would stop again when he started muttering.
“I didn’t hear you knock, though, and I was right in the kitchen…”
Kevin laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he dropped his arm and shrugged, trying to act natural and failing.
“I don’t know, man. Maybe you were too preoccupied with something? I didn’t want to ring the bell because of your parents, so I tried knocking, but not too loudly. I was going to call your cell if no one opened up.”
“Huh.” His eyes turned to me. “And you just happened to hear him?”
I shrugged, the movement a little too jerky, and crossed my arms over my chest defensively. “I was out of my room because I wanted to use the bathroom, that’s when I heard him. I didn’t think anyone else was up, so I came to open the door, and there he stood.”
After a second, his eyes drifted away from me again, and I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.
“So where were you, anyway?” Kevin asked quickly, changing the subject before Rod had a chance to ask too many questions.
“Oh, well. I promised my mom I’d keep her company for the weekend. I don’t know what has her down, but she’s been acting a bit depressed recently, and I wanted to cheer her up.” Then he aimed a pointed look at me. “Something, I might add, which should have been more Stacey’s doing than me.”
I snorted. “Yeah, right. You’re the mommy’s boy, remember, Rod? She probably prefers you to me, you’ve always been her favorite.” But then I frowned. “Wait up; Mom’s been acting depressed?”
His look turned unimpressed. “Fuck, Stacey. That’s probably why I’m her favorite. How have you not noticed?”
I pursed my lips. Yeah, I hadn't noticed, but that was just because I had my mind too full of Kevin these days. And the fact that Rod didn't deny he was Mom’s favorite—even though, he was, she didn’t bother trying to hide she’d always preferred sons—meant that it was something serious.
Cue even more guilt.
Don’t tell me… because of this fucking secret, I’ve been neglecting my family? Not paying attention to my mom was poor form, but not noticing Rod was worried? I knew him way better than that!
And better yet…
“Why didn’t you fucking tell me something was up with her?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “I would have liked to know there was something wrong with Mom. And how do you not know the cause if you know she’s feeling down?”
He rolled his eyes and waved a hand at me. “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” he mocked. Then he got serious. “It isn’t something to be too worried about. I didn’t want to bother you, and you looked like you were pretty preoccupied with something lately.”
I did my best to hold back a wink. So, he’d noticed I was acting strangely. I should be lucky he hadn't tried to ask or investigate on his own yet, but I knew he would at some point.
“Anyway,” he continued, sighing. “I promised her I’d be with her for the whole weekend.”
He drifted over to the couch and slumped into it. Slowly, Kevin and I walked over and sat down as well, keeping some distance between us.
“What did you guys do yesterday?” I asked. “And what do you have planned for today?”
And why was I not fucking invited? Even though I knew and accepted Mom’s obvious favoritism, I didn’t like it. Most girls my age weren’t too close to their mom’s, either, not best friends level close, anyway. But, all of my friends at least talked to their moms. My own would rather sit down with my brother to watch a football game than sit down and make time for a chat with me. A lot of shit I would have been grateful had she taught me; I went to my friends after they learned from their moms.
That didn’t mean I hated her or anything. She was my mother, of course, I loved her. Just, sometimes, I wished I existed somewhere in her life when it wasn’t just that she needed to make sure I stayed fed, or the few times I was in trouble. Even then, sometimes, she’d have my dad be the one to handle it.
“Secret,” Rod said, winking at me. Then he turned to Kevin. “Anyway, we have a test coming up this week. I hope you’ve studied for it because I’m going to need to borrow your notes before the test.”
Kevin frowned. “Fuck. I don’t remember there being a test, though?”
“For fourth period English? Around Wednesday? Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”
By the look on Kevin’s face, he probably had. I couldn’t join in the conversation, because we had some different classes, and this was one that I didn’t have with either of them.
“Whatever,” he said, waving a hand at Kevin. “Just try and study, okay? You’re good at making notes, even if you’re crap at using them.”
“Hey!” Kevin cried out, indignant.
Rod laughed, and then let out a sigh. “Seriously, I’m going to need them. With this shit with my mom, I don’t know when I’ll be able to do it myself, so I’ll be counting on you.” Then he slapped his knees and pushed himself back up off the seat. “Let me get you something to drink. My dad would kill me if he found us with his beer, though, so you’ll have to be okay with root beer.”
“No, man, that’s okay,” he said quickly, jumping up with my brother. “I can get some for myself.”
I slowly got up and watched them go, moving back to the stairs. Rod wouldn’t want me to be a part of the conversation. Even though he shared Kevin with me, there were still times when he would rather it was just him and his best friend.
How is he going to take it, when he realized I have more of Kevin than he does?
Kevin met my eyes before they were both out of sight. The look in them was probably mirrored in mine.
Yeah, that was such a close fucking call.
I sighed, letting out the tension in my body, and suddenly, I felt like I could sleep some more.
Soon, though, I told myself, trying to be firm. Soon, we’ll tell them everything.
Chapter 4
Kevin
Stacey went up the stairs, probably reading, like I did, that Rod wanted to talk to me alone. His parents were usually up pretty late on Sunday, and it wasn’t even eight yet, so we had an hour, maybe two.
I followed him to the kitchen, and he ducked his head into the fridge. He pulled out a bottle, handed it to me, then picked one of his own. Next, he went through the cupboards. He found a bag of chips and led the way back to the living room.
“Where did my sister go?” he asked distractedly, glancing around the room as he opened the bottle.
“I think she went back to her room,” I said, opening mine and taking a sip. “Or, to the bathroom. She said she was going before I interrupted.”
His eyes drifted back to me. “Yeah. About that, I’m kinda glad you came to find me before I had to. I just thought it was a little early to come knocking on someone’s doorstep.”
I let out a sheepish laugh. “Yeah. I guess I just have no shame.”
He didn’t laugh like I half expected him to. Now that we were alone, and I was over my bout of fear, I got to look at him closely. What I found didn’t make me happy at all. Rod was one of the most cheerful bastards I knew. He was also a morning person, unlike me, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to
find he was the only person awake in his house—well, besides Stacey, but she’d had her reasons for waking up early.
Rod, though, at that moment, looked drawn. Like he was way older than he was, a teenager just barely eighteen years old, with too much weight on his shoulders.
“I did want to see you yesterday,” I continued when the silence stretched too long, clearing my throat. “But I came over, and you weren’t around. Stacey couldn’t even tell me where you were.”
He sighed and drank. “I left pretty early. She wasn’t even awake when we left. Mom just wanted to get away from the house, and I went with her. We didn’t do anything special.”
“Can I ask what this thing with your mom is?” I asked slowly, not sure if I should be prying. “Stacey doesn’t know, but it’s getting to you. You do know what it is, don’t you?”
He hadn't admitted it to Stacey, but I knew my best friend. He probably knew, or suspected, and that coupled with how his mom was reacting, was probably what had him thinking so much. He’d been acting a little distant lately. I still saw him around the school, of course, but he wasn’t as free to hang out after classes.
I’d put it out of my mind because him being busy meant I had free time to spend with Stacey. Suddenly, I felt very guilty for ever thinking that way at all. I couldn’t just pick one. While I loved Stacey, Rod would always be my best friend. Before junior high, he was one of my only friends. Then Stacey was another, and we all picked up more friends after that. But I was still the closest to him.
“This thing with my mom,” he started after another stretch of silence. “I don’t know, man. It’s just so messed up; I kinda wish I didn’t know it.”
He went quiet again, and I couldn’t bring myself to break the silence this time.
Whatever this shit is, it’s messing him up. I’m a shitty friend for not noticing something was up.
“You know you can talk to me if you want to, right? About whatever, I wouldn’t mind. I might not be able to help, but even I’d be better than nothing, right?”
One More Night: A Second Chance Romance (One More Series Book 4) Page 2
