Space (Laws of Physics #2)(59)

“Okay. If you’re sure you—”

Leo nodded and brusquely walked past, leading the way.

I chalked his abruptness up to still being sick, so when we reached the lower room and he closed the door, I was surprised to see how annoyed he was.

“You know,” he started, gritting his teeth, and then exhaled a humorless laugh. “Abram is a good friend of mine. I mean, a really good friend. He and I have been through a lot, and he’s always been there for me.”

Standing straighter, I flinched back a little, realizing that Leo must’ve heard what happened last night after Abram played his song. No one had asked me what was going on with Abram, not even Kaitlyn when she came over and sat with Allyn and I on the couch. She’d talked about satellite internet delivery and a non-profit organization that helped provide internet connectivity to underserved areas. You know, the normal stuff women talk about when they hang out.

I’d been thankful for her company and for her lack of Abram-related questions at the time, grateful for the distraction, even though I hadn’t been totally distracted. I kept looking for Abram, hoping he’d come back, and unsure of what I would do if or when he did.

Everyone else kept their distance until Nicole suggested shots. Then, we’d all become fast friends. There was no greater bonding agent between strangers than alcohol.

But now I could see, even though Leo’s friends hadn’t asked me about Abram, they’d obviously asked him.

And Leo was pissed.

“Leo, I—”

“I get it, okay? I should’ve checked with you first before bringing everyone here. I knew you were going to be here, and I shouldn’t have invited a house party.”

“It’s fine. It’s honestly not a big deal. The house is huge, and I—”

“Why Abram?” he demanded, stone-jawed, his feverish eyes flinty. “Why him? He’s my oldest friend.”

I reared back. “Did—did Abram say something—”

“No. He’s asleep. I haven’t talked to him yet. Kaitlyn said he was up all night, so he’s sleeping now. God, Mona.” Leo growled, shaking his head and turning away to pace. “I really don’t want to lose his friendship, okay? Can you understand that?”

“Yes. Of course.” My instinct was to soothe my brother, especially since he was sick, but I didn’t understand precisely why he was so agitated, so I tried again for clarification. “I don’t understand why you would lose Abram as a friend, or why you think you’re going to. Because we argued?”

I didn’t add that, if Abram hadn’t walked away from our nutty family already, after what Lisa and I had done, I couldn’t fathom what would make him walk away now.

“Because!” He rushed forward, his eyes wide. “He’s into you, okay? I heard what happened, and it was obvious to everyone—and everyone was there to see it.”

That had me searching the walls around him, hunting for the puzzle pieces I was missing. “Wait. Wait a minute. You’re worried about losing Abram as a friend because you think he’s ‘into’ me?”

“Yes,” he spat, gritting his teeth, his hands coming to his waist. “Could you avoid him? Please? Just until I get a chance to smooth things over? Or . . . just don’t make it worse.”

I stared at my brother, my stomach lifting quickly to my throat, and then dropping slowly to my feet with the comprehension of what he was saying.

A short, stunned exhale pushed itself out of my chest. It tasted sour, and I said and thought at the same time, “I can’t believe you.”

Leo glanced at me, his eyebrows suspending high on his forehead. “What? What can’t you believe? That I don’t want to lose a good friend?”

“How good of a friend could he possibly be if he let this—supposed feelings for me—impact your friendship?”

Gritting his teeth, he angled his chin, his eyelids drooping to administer a glare.

I wasn’t finished. “If Allyn liked you, and you didn’t like her—”

He perked up. “You think Allyn likes me?”

“Shut it, Leo. And listen,” I whispered harshly.

He snapped his mouth closed and rocked back on his heels, looking feverish and exhausted and confused. And since he looked feverish and exhausted, I worked to harness my temper at his confusion.

I’d walked down here on a cloud of anger, clutching it close, because the only other option had been sorrow. Had I made mistakes with Abram? Yes. Did Leo deserve to lose his friend because of my mistakes? No. Obviously not.

But, dammit. “I’m your sister,” I whispered, less harsh, searching my brother’s gaze for some spark of understanding. “I would never do anything to hurt you, or Lisa. Or Mom and Dad. I’m your family. I want that to mean something.”

He swallowed with what looked like effort and sighed. “It does, Mona. But—” he stopped himself, shaking his head as though to clear it. “Abram isn’t the first, okay?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I lose friends whenever they meet you. They meet you. They fall fucking crazy stupid for you. You shoot them down. They don’t want to know me.” He didn’t sound angry. In fact, he sounded calm-ish, reasonable. He made it all sound so reasonable, and like it was my fault. “I don’t want to lose any more friends, okay? Friends are how you make it in this business. It’s all about who you know.”