Bad Things(103)

“Casual? Now that I don’t believe. I didn’t see it at first, but he’s been crazy about you from the beginning. I’ve never seen him like this, Danika. You’re special to him. He’s fallen for you.”

“I doubt that, but thanks for trying to make me feel better. You’re a good brother.”

Whatever Jared tried to say in response was interrupted by his big brother approaching from behind, and grabbing him around the neck, wrenching him away from me. Tristan took merciless knuckles to a squirming Jared’s head.

“What was that all about, little brother? Why’d you take off with my girl?”

“You know why!” Jared choked out, finally wresting free of the bigger man. “Damage control. You should be thanking me.”

Tristan had my other heel, and he handed it to me. I took it, backing away from him.

He followed me and tried to put an arm around me, but I was in no mood.

I jerked away, glaring.

“What, boo? You mad at me?”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now. How about you give me some space?”

I could see he didn’t like that by the storm gathering in his eyes.

“I don’t like space. We can go home if you want, but I’m not doing space. If you have beef, that’s no way to squash it.”

“It is for me. Go hang out with Cory and Frankie. Jared and I want to take a walk.”

His jaw clenched, and he looked like he wanted to argue with me, but he seemed to think better of it. He pointed at his brother. “Take care of her.”

“Of course.”

Tristan started to turn away, but suddenly turned back, and I saw a playful twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me again.

I saw his tactic. He was fond of using charm to get his way.

“He’s my brother, so don’t go getting him to take your side,” he told me with a small smile.

In a way, his tactic worked. I’d gone from wanting to get a voodoo doll of him and stick pins into it, to wanting to tease him back.

“He’s my brother now, too. Just ask him. He’s started calling me sis.” As I said the words, I realized how bad I wanted that, to be part of this family. It was an acute sort of yearning, and one I hadn’t realized I sought with such desperation until I was staring directly at it. I’d always wanted a family, and I loved everything about having Jared as an adopted brother.

He seemed to agree, smiling at me, and moving close to take my arm. “Well, if I have to choose, I choose Danika. She doesn’t pick on me.”

Tristan waved us off, but his smile was big now, his dimples taunting me. “Fine. Go have your walk and talk about me. I’m going to go complain to Frankie about how crazy women are.”

“Good luck with that,” I called to him, Jared already tugging me away. “She’ll take my side, too.”

“Not if I let her give me another tattoo!”

“Ha! That’s what you think. I’m letting her give me one, too, and I have no ink, so that’s a much bigger thrill for her. And if I have to, I might show her a boob.”

That had him turning on his heel and following us. The ink part more than the boob.

“What do you mean? You’re getting ink? Where and what? And when did you decide this?”

I smirked. “Space, my friend. All good things come to those who give me space.”

“I’ll get it out of Frankie!”

“You won’t. She’s already been sworn to secrecy, and she won’t risk me backing out just to appease your curiosity.”

“You’re an infuriating woman, you know that?”

I gave him the mature response for that one, sticking my tongue out at him as we walked away.

“Talk to me, sis,” Jared began, as we finally lost sight of his brother.

I sighed, leaning into him again. “I’m just upset. It’s not the kind of upset anything can be done about.”

“So vent. You’re a venter, right? It helps. Let me hear it.”

I was a venter. I don’t know why, but saying things out loud almost always made me feel better, even when the saying didn’t change anything.

“What Rosette said back there, about the night of the performance. Well, obviously that stung. I mean, I had pretty much already guessed that they had a past together.”

“I wouldn’t call it that. She was a random hook up, Danika. That was his MO for a long time, but trust me when I tell you that he’s completely different with you.”