Till The Sun Dies: Checkmate, #2

by Finn, Emilia

  Britt: Laine?

  Britt: Laine!

  Britt: Laine?

  Britt: Laine!

  Britt: Laine?

  Kari: Laine!

  Oh, God.

  Jess: Shush! Leave her alone. She’s probably asleep.

  Britt: Laine! Are you and Angelo hooking up? What the actual fuck? You’re talking to us again now, so spill before I hurt you!

  Kari: Luc is gonna lose his shit!

  Jess: As if he can talk! He’s the one who walks weird now because Marc fucked him up.

  Kari: Why did Angelo go on a double date several states away with you? It’s Jessie and Kane. Cool. We can roll with that, because we’re too scared to say anything. But Ang and Laine? ANG AND LAINE?

  Jess: Shhh! You’ll wake her.

  Britt: I don’t give a shit! We had a minute of silence for Laine’s snatch when I got Jack and she didn’t. I was quiet for that minute for you, Baby! Now it’s your turn.

  Me: You were not quiet! The minute lasted 3 seconds, and it wasn’t fair that he wasn’t put to the vote first! Girl code meant we should have voted!

  Britt: You’re awake! Omg. Omg. Omg. Are you in bed with Angelo right now?

  Me: …

  Kari: OMG! She is!

  I roll my eyes and reply: Shut up and get your hand off MY brother’s dick! You don’t get to be a part of this conversation, kettle!

  Britt: Laine! We need straight answers. The whole town is blowing up today. Shit just got real.

  Me: Ugh. What? What’s the problem?

  Britt: Are you dating Angelo?

  Me: No.

  Kari: Are you in bed with him right now?

  I tilt my head to the side to check on him. His broad back lifts and falls steadily, meaning he’s still asleep.

  Me: Yes, but it’s not what you think.

  Britt: Yes, you’re in bed with him? OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!

  Me: Take a breath, Brittany. Nothing sinister is going on. We’re road tripping, and no one wants me to sleep in a room alone, you know, with the whole suicide thing.

  Jess: Laine! Stop that!

  Me: And we didn’t want to break Jess and Kane up, so Ang is bunking with me. But it’s not how you think it is.

  Kari: I don’t know what you’re trying to sell to us, Baby, but the guys aren’t gonna buy it. Luc went over to Kane’s place last night to hang out with his sisters. That Eric dude answered the door and told him Kane took Jessie out of state. He said you and Ang went, too, because you can’t have an orgy with only two people.

  Oh my God.

  Jess: Hahahaha. You can’t have an orgy with only two people! I love Eric so much.

  Me: Yes, we’re road tripping. No, no one is having an orgy. Though Jess and Kane screw more often than any regular people should. It’s concerning that her vagina hasn’t fallen out yet.

  Jess: Stop throwing me under the bus and tell the girls about the date you and Ang went on last night!

  Britt: You went on a date?!

  Kari: Ahhhhhhhhhh! I always thought you and Ang would be cute together.

  Me: No date! We had dinner. A dinner that Jess and Kane were supposed to come to! They ditched!

  Me: You thought we’d be cute together? What?

  Kari: Sure! When you’re dating someone you’re not supposed to be, I guess you become attuned to other people that are looking at someone they shouldn’t. You think I missed his ‘I like them blonde’ comments? Or when you brought Graham to Meg’s baby shower. Pretty sure Ang had no enamel left on his teeth that night. I’ve always thought it was cute the way Ang would watch you.

  Me: You’re lying.

  Kari: I’m actually not. You think he didn’t watch you at 188? You think he didn’t go on a rampage when he found out you were dating Graham? Or after. He ran through a freakin’ fire to get you, Baby!

  Me: He’s my friend. Those are all friend things. Marcus would do the same.

  Kari: Okay… If you say so.

  Me: Don’t ‘okay’ me!

  Britt: Shut up and tell us about the date!

  Me: It wasn’t a date! We’re vacationing together, we needed to eat, and Jess and Kane said they’d meet us at the restaurant at seven. By nine, we’d already finished eating, and they never turned up.

  Jess: Right. Because it’s not like Kane and I didn’t peek through the glass doors and find you flirting. Both of you! No way were we coming in to interrupt the ‘oops, you’ve got ketchup on your chin. Lemme lick it up for you.’

  Me: That’s not at all what we were doing!

  Jess: …

  Me: It was gravy!

  Kari: Ahhhhhh! You like him! I knew it.

  Britt: So, it’s like a double date vacation. Twins and hot dudes.

  Jess: No orgies!

  Me: No.

  Britt: Okay, you’re not together. But do you like him?

  I take a deep breath and risk another glance outside the sheets. Ang hasn’t moved. His back continues to lift and fall rhythmically, and his chain, the one that mentions acting with your heart, sits on his shoulder.

  Case closed.

  Me: Yes… Yes, I like him a lot.

  29

  Angelo

  Busted

  As soon as she slides out of bed and dashes into the bathroom, I turn over and give up on my fake sleep. Our phones have been vibrating like crazy for the last hour. Constant buzzing that woke me before it woke her, but when her eyes cracked open and she made the noises typical of a hungover woman after a night she regrets, I slammed my eyes shut and pretended I was still out.

  I wasn’t ready to get up yet. I wasn’t ready to answer why I slept in her bed when we both know she’d been drinking and I should have made myself scarce.

  For the last hour, my phone has been vibrating with texts. One after the other after the other, but between each, it would fall silent.

  Laine grabbed her phone and buried herself under the covers, giggling and gasping, making me wish it was a call instead of text so I could listen in.

  Giggles are good, I suppose.

  But now mine rings. Not buzzing texts, but a phone call that just won’t fucking stop. The shower starts in the bathroom, so I snatch it up and accept the call, but I block the camera.

  No fucking way am I video chatting with these assholes.

  “What?”

  “Angelo. Where the fuck are you?”

  “Good morning, Marcus. What’s up?”

  “Don’t what’s up me, motherfucker. Luc! Speak!”

  I pull the cell away from my ear and groan. Not just Marc, but all of them. Luc and Scotch take up their own quarter of my screen, and yet, my quarter remains black.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “You’re vacationing with my sisters, Angelo?” Luc’s voice holds a hint of exasperation, but none of the heat Marc’s does, and when I look closer, not only is Luc in bed, but he’s trying really fucking hard not to show us who’s in bed beside him. “What do you need to tell me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Why are you vacationing with my sisters, Angelo? Why are you double dating with Jess and the thug?”

  “I’m here because Laine asked me to come. I’m here because she’s my friend and she didn’t want to be the third wheel.”

  “Angelo…”

  Fuck it.

  Jess and Kane know; why not just put my shit out there for them all?

  A year ago, I might’ve been afraid of risking my friends over this, because we all know what happened when Luc started dating Marc’s sister and how well that went down, but since everything this past year with Laine, I realize true friends are in it for life. They might get pissy, they might even punch you in the face and attack you with a plank of wood, but they’re either in or they’re out, and the emotional warfare is a load of bullshit.

  Tomorrow isn’t always guaranteed. Laine already proved that. So a squabble between friends just isn’t something that hits my radar anymore.

  “Alright.” I let out a deep
breath and lay my shit out there. “I’m here because I’m in love with your sister, Luc. Take it, leave it, do whatever the fuck you want with it. One day, a long time from now, when she’s not so vulnerable from the shit Graham put her through, maybe she’d be open to dating again. Maybe then I’ll have the balls to step up the way I wanted to two years ago and say something. She doesn’t know I feel like this, so maybe you bigmouths can keep this shit to yourselves until I get a chance to bring it up. If you throw it in her face, you might scare her, and if you’re the reason she cries today, I’m gonna beat your asses.”

  “Um…” Shirtless, in bed, and swatting Kari outside camera range, Luc swallows and tries to stare at me through a black screen.

  Taking pity on the guy, I hit the accept button and watch my face pop up next to his. His eyes flick around the screen. “You’re in bed.”

  “I am. But you gotta relax, it’s not like that. She needed a friend on this trip. That’s all this is.”

  “You’re there with Bishop and the twins, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Bishop and Jess are sharing a room, right?”

  “Dude!” Marc snaps. “How are you discussing this so calmly? You’re asking about your sister’s bed buddy right now!”

  Luc rolls his eyes. “Jess and Bishop… so that leaves Laine in the cold.”

  “Not in the cold.” I sit up in bed and brush my spare hand over my face. “I’m sharing her room, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. There’s no way anyone was letting her stay alone, and she was determined not to split Jess and Bish. Which left Laine and me the odd ones out. She volunteered to sleep in the fuckin’ car, Marcus, so cool your shit before you blow a gasket.”

  His face turns a darker red for every second this call lasts.

  “I’m her friend. We’re here as friends.”

  “Bishop treating Jessie well?” Luc asks quietly. “He’s good to her? You trust him?”

  “Yeah.” I glance toward the unopened bathroom door. The shower’s still going. The door still locked. “I trust him with my life, Luc. He’s good for her, and he’d kill to protect her. You don’t have to worry about Jess anymore. She’s set for life.”

  He gives a contemplative nod and lies back against the headboard the way I do. “Um… The thing with Laine–” He plumps his pillows in agitation.

  “I know, Luc. Laine’s yours, not mine, not for touching. You’ll kill me if she cries. I got it.”

  “No. Actually, I was gonna say I trust you. Ya know, if you wanted to tell her how you feel, you’ve got my blessing.”

  “You what?” Marc explodes.

  Unlike a year ago when Luc might twitch with fear, he simply shakes his head. “I trust you. When my sister is ready to date again, I’d choose you over any of the other fuckwits in the world. She tried strange, and she nearly died. You’re a good man. You’re good for her. If you were coming to me to ask, I’d tell you it’s cool.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugs. “I mean, don’t touch her, don’t hurt her, don’t break her heart or make her cry, because if you do, I’ll snap your neck. I know how to do it and make it look like an accident. But other than that, I’d be honored to keep you around.”

  “Well… shit, Luc.”

  He flashes a playful grin. “What can I say? I’m an enlightened man, and I’d hate to break a friendship for half a year just because I was a stubborn prick.”

  “Fuck you, Lenaghan!”

  Silent until now, Scotch watches our exchange and chuckles at Marc’s outburst. “Marc will come around, Ang. Don’t pay him any mind.”

  “Don’t worry, I wasn’t.”

  “So…? You’re gonna ask her out?”

  “Why does no one else think this is weird?”

  Kari pokes her head into Luc’s frame and flashes a wicked grin. “Morning, Marc.”

  “Ugh!” His screen goes blank as he escapes the fact his sister isn’t a child anymore, and when she stops giggling, Kari’s eyes meet mine.

  “I got rid of his negative ass. You’re welcome.”

  “How much of that did you hear?”

  “All of it.” She pushes curly hair off her face. “You should ask her out. I think she’s ready.”

  “She’s not ready. Two nights ago, she was a shaking mess when some creep looked at her wrong. No.” I shake my head, as though to convince myself. “No. She’s not ready.”

  “But is she a mess when you look at her? No.” She answers her own question. “She’s not. I get creeped out by dudes when they stare too long, too. It’s a built-in survival instinct. Women have been preyed on and hurt for as long as time has existed. It’s the reason we rarely walk alone at night, and if we don’t have one of those peep holes in our front door, we just don’t answer the damn thing if we’re home alone. That dude didn’t creep her out because of what happened to her… or, well, maybe a little, but not entirely. He would have creeped her out no matter what. But you don’t creep her out. I think she’s ready, Ang.” She lays her face against Luc’s chest and manages to force Scotch out of the chat. She rolls her eyes. “They’re so soft. They got their happily ever afters, so they don’t get to dictate ours anymore. I’m happy with Luc, and trust me when I say, Laine’s ready. She might not be ready for anything that includes sex swings and other wild shit, but she’s ready for something sweet and slow.”

  Luc’s face scrunches. “Okay. I was okay, I was being cool about this, but you need to stop now. I don’t wanna talk logistics.”

  She presses a kiss to his chest. “Sorry. I’m just saying… we’re not children anymore. And she’s not a fragile piece of glass. Give her some credit; she survived some bad shit. She might be the strongest of us all.”

  The shower stops, and the creaking stall door makes my heart race. “Okay. I’ve gotta go. She just finished in the shower.”

  “Dude! Maybe I didn’t make myself clear earlier. I said asking her out is okay. I did not say sex swings, hotels, or showers were okay. Fix that shit, today!”

  “Keep this quiet, guys. If you scream this shit in her face and scare her, I’m gonna be pissed.”

  The door opens slowly. “Ang?”

  “Gotta go.” I hang up and toss my phone onto the bedside table like I wasn’t just talking to the whole family. Act cool. Be cool. But when she steps out in a towel, I nearly swallow my whole fucking tongue.

  “Is someone here?” Wary eyes scan the room. “I thought I heard someone.”

  “Just me. I was on the phone.”

  “Oh?” She clutches the towel around her wet body and stares through worried eyes. For a brief moment, I wondered if Kari might be right. If maybe Laine could handle a simple invitation to dinner.

  It would be exactly the same as last night… but on purpose.

  But one single phone call, voices in another room while she thought I was asleep, and she’s officially spooked again.

  She’s not ready.

  Not even close.

  “It was just Chuck at the garage. We were setting the guys up for today.” I push the sheet off my body, and when her eyes drop to my standing crotch, I bite off an oath and sit forward. I drop my head into my hands and will the stupid fucking thing to deflate.

  “You okay?”

  “Mmhm.” I’m such a pussy. “You done with the bathroom?”

  “Yeah… I…” She steps forward on unsure feet. “Ang. Men routinely need to pee when they wake in the morning. You know… sometimes their… um…” She crosses one delicate ankle over the other and brings her pinky finger between her teeth. “I understand biology. You can get up and go to the bathroom, and I promise not to tease your… boxers.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I press the heels of my palms into my eyes until I see stars. “Towel. Shower. First thing in the morning. It’s…”

  She steps forward. “You like my towel?” A slit forms over her thigh where the two ends meet. She continues forward on feet with hot pink toenails and a little ring on the longes
t toe, and she doesn’t stop until the soft fabric feathers over my leg. “Maybe we–”

  “What do you wanna do today?” I throw my sheet off, since she already knows it’s there, and brush past her. My hands itch to reach out and trail over her thigh. My tongue salivates at the thought of following my fingers until they reach pieces of her body that the towel hides, but my brain knows better, so I get up and move to the bathroom. “It’s the first real day of vacation, so you get to choose what you wanna do. Think about it. When I get out of the shower, we’ll get some breakfast and go out.”

  30

  Laine

  A Little Help

  “I’ve decided to go for it.”

  Jess’ eyes narrow across the same table Ang and I ate at last night, but instead of flowers, candles, and wine, just like Ang predicted, the place is now filled with toast, coffee, and people in swimwear.

  “Go for what?”

  “I’m going to try and force his hand. I think he wants me.”

  “Ya think?” Kane sits back and sips at a delicate mug of coffee. “You tickled his balls, didn’t you? Told you that would work. Never fails.”

  “No, I didn’t tickle anything! But we had dinner last night, we had fun, we drank and watched movies. He helped zip me up.”

  Jess flashes a dirty grin. “You sly girl. Girls don’t need help with zippers.”

  I sit forward and match her grin. “No, we don’t, but he doesn’t know that. He helped me, and he helped with my necklace.”

  “Pretty bauble, Twink. I noticed it, but forgot to say something.”

  I reach to my chest and finger the beautiful crystal. “Thanks. He gave it to me the day we left home. He said it’s for healing and stuff.” I shrug. “Don’t know if it works, but I love it. I feel like I sleep better with it on.” Or maybe I sleep better because I’m sharing my bed with someone I trust. “This morning, I was showering, and when I came back out in my towel, his, umm… his…”

  “Dick.”

  I glare at the thug and his poking-out-pinky. “Yes. His dick. Thank you, Kane. It stood up because of me and my towel.”