Love Thy Neighbor (Friend-Zoned)(73)

Smiling, I tell her, “My sister is in her last year of physical therapy and she says it’s worth the long haul.” She smiles softly and I say, “Hang in there, babe. It’ll be worth it in the end.”

We all chat for a while longer before Trick asks his cousin aloud, “So, Isa baby, you dating anyone?”

She flushes bright red, her eyes wide as she looks across the table at a suddenly stiff Nik and Max. She stutters, “N- No! I mean, no boys asked me out. They wouldn’t anyways. I’m not their type.”

She sounds so dejected that I reach over Asher’s lap to take her hand. I say loudly, “Then they’re stupid because you’re beautiful and smart.”

Ash looks over at me with a soft expression, his eyes suddenly gooey. I shoot him a dark look through furrowed brows and shake my head discreetly. It dawns on him. He clears his throat and scowls again.

Good boy.

Max snaps, “What do you need to date for anyways, Isa? You’re still a baby. Don’t sweat it til you’re older, honey.”

Oooh, shitballs.

I know he was trying to be the supportive brother, but not only did he call his sister a baby in front of his friends, he implied that she needn’t worry about dating…ever.

All the girls gape at Max. Their expressions say surely he’s lost his mind. Suddenly, an Isa I’ve never seen before emerges. Her eyes narrow at Max and she spits, “I’m not a damn baby, Max! I’m f*cking nineteen. I’ll be twenty in a few months…and I’ve dated. A lot! And I’ve kissed guys too. Watch!”

She turns, grabs Asher’s face with both hands and pulls his stunned face down to hers. She kisses him with enthusiasm. He doesn’t move a muscle. Too stunned to react, he just sits there and takes it and I want to burst into laughter. So I do.

This is the funniest thing ever!

I love that my family is not the only one with anger issues.

Isa lets go of Asher’s face, turns to her brothers, flips them both the bird and exclaims, “Vete a la mierda!” before standing and stomping down to the ladies room.

Now, I don’t speak Spanish, but it sounded like she told both her brothers to f*ck off and by the look on Nik and Max’s faces, I’d say I’m right on the money.

Nik’s face pulls into a frown as he mutters, “What the hell did I do?” He points to Max and accuses, “He’s the knucklehead.”

Leti looks devastated. She turns to Max and demands, “Fix this!”

Maria says to Max through a humorless chuckle, “You’ve done it now, Maxie Boy. Have you ever heard of finesse? Because you need it. In bucket loads. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”

Max opens and shuts his mouth like a gaping fish. At least he has the grace to look guilty. Tina moves to stand but I hold out my hand and say, “Stay. I’ll check on her.” Without waiting for a response, I head over to the VIP ladies room.

As soon as I walk in, I see Isa sitting in one of the armchairs looking sadder than she should be. I plop into the chair next to her and state, “That was quite a show, honey.” She shrugs and I go on, “I gotta say I liked it when you told your brothers to f*ck off.” She cracks a smile and I admit, “But my favorite part was when you made out with Ash.”

Isa covers her face with her hands and bursts into laughter. I laugh with her. We both laugh so hard that we cry. Once I get my laughter under control, I ask, “What was that about, babe?”

She puffs out a frustrated breath. “I’m sick of them treating me like a child. I know I’ll always be the baby of the family, but there’s a point where it needs to stop. The over-protectiveness. The babying. It’s too much. I hate it.”

Nodding in agreement, I say seriously, “Well, now they know. That’s for sure. I think you might need to say something to Asher though.” I chuckle at the memory of his expression. “He looked seriously freaked out.”

I imitate his wide-eyed, stunned expression and we burst into laughter again. She says softly, “You call him Asher.”

Shit. I did, didn’t I?

With a small smile, she goes on, “No one calls him Asher except Mom.” I open my mouth to try to explain myself but she cuts me off by saying quietly, “That’s really cool.” And somehow, I know she’ll keep my secret.

Standing, I pull her up with me and pull her to my side. I hold her hand and say, “I could use a drink. C’mon.”

We walk out of the bathroom and over to the bar.

***

Someone clears their throat and I look up.

Nat stands smiling behind Isa, holding onto her hand in a show of support. Isa says to the entire booth, “I’m sorry for making a scene. I apologize for almost ruining your night.” She turns to me looking sheepish. “Sorry, Ghost. You were the closest guy to me who wasn’t a relative and I was making a point.”

Giving her a small smile and rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly, I say, “Well, I guess you sure showed them, huh?”

Isa smiles a megawatt smile at me and I see Nat lower her head as her body shakes with silent laughter. Nik clears his throat and says, “That’s okay, honey. I know I forget you’re a woman now and…” His face softens as he continues, “…I know you’re not a baby anymore.”

Max stands and wraps Isa in a big hug. They hold each other and talk quietly for a while and I know they’ve worked it out when I see them both smile.