Twisted Love (Twisted, #1)(28)
“What can I say? I’m charmed,” he drawled. “Wherever I go, women follow.”
“I think she was there before you, dickhead, and I hope you’re not neglecting your work to make out with your new ‘friend’.”
“Da fuck? Tell me you’re kidding.”
I waved my hand in the air. “I am, I am. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
As much of a horndog as my brother was, he took his work seriously. Whereas I had to bust my ass for my A’s, he was one of those annoying people who didn’t have to study much to excel in school. But he loved medical work and helping people. Even when we were young, he was the one who’d bandaged me up after I scraped my knee and looked up ways to help me with my nightmares while our father threw himself into work.
It was why I let Josh get away with his overprotectiveness. He could be annoying as hell, but he was still the best brother.
I’d never tell him that though. If his head inflated any more, he’d have trouble walking.
“By the way.” I tried to sound casual as I fiddled with the sleeve of my shirt. “Halloween is coming up, and I was thinking of pulling some pranks. Is there anything Alex is scared of? Clowns, spiders, heights…”
Suspicion crawled into Josh’s face. “Halloween is more than two months away.”
“Yeah, but it sneaks up on you, and I want to prepare.”
“Hmm.” Josh tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Hmm…”
“Any time before I’m eighty would be great.”
“Shut up. You know how hard it is to think of something Alex is scared of? I’ve known him for eight years, and I’ve never once seen him afraid.”
My face fell. Well, shit.
“You could try the usual stuff people hate, but I doubt you’d get anywhere.” Josh shrugged. “One time we ran into a bear while hiking and the fucker didn’t even blink. Just stood there looking bored and annoyed until the bear wandered off. Jump scares don’t work either. Trust me—I’ve tried many times to prank him in the past and failed every time.”
“Good to know.”
Perhaps this phase was a lost cause. If Josh, who knew Alex better than anyone, couldn’t scare him, none of us could.
The suspicion returned to Josh’s eyes. “Is this your idea, or a certain redhead’s?”
“Ummm…mine?”
“Bullshit.” Josh scowled. “Don’t tell me she’s still infatuated with Alex. He’s a lost cause when it comes to relationships—won’t ever get into one, and he only fucks certain women.”
I was dying to ask who these “certain women” were, but I couldn’t without sounding like I was interested in Alex. Which I wasn’t.
“I don’t think Jules was ever infatuated with him,” I said. “She just thinks he’s hot.”
“Whatever.” Josh raked a hand through his hair. “Hey, I have an early morning tomorrow, so I’m gonna crash. Let me know if you succeed in pranking him and take a video of it for me. I could use the laugh.”
“Sure.” Concern replaced my earlier discomfort at hearing about Alex’s “certain women.” I could tell Josh was worn out despite his jokes and wiseass comments. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and lines of tension bracketed his mouth. He’d begged off early our last few calls, and usually, he could stay up all night talking about the dumbest stuff.
Once, he’d waxed poetic about his new sneakers until three in the morning.
“Get some rest. If I have to fly down to Central America to kick your ass, I’ll be pissed.”
“Ha.” Josh snorted. “You wish you could kick my ass.”
“Night, Joshy.”
“Don’t call me that,” he grumbled. “Night.”
After I hung up, I took out my notebook and scratched out phase three.
PHASE FEAR STATUS: ON HOLD (INDEFINITELY)
12
Ava
“The experiment is a failure, but at least it’s over.” I sucked down the rest of my cranberry vodka. I’d nursed it for so long all the ice had melted and it tasted like fruity water. “Thank God.”
“Too bad.” Bridget looked disappointed. “I was looking forward to seeing Alex lose his cool.”
“He still can. The experiment isn’t over yet.” Jules wagged her finger in the air.
Unease crawled down my neck. “Yes, it is. We decided on four phases: sadness, disgust, happiness, and fear.”
“There are five phases.” Jules’s hazel eyes sparkled with mischief. “The last is jealousy, or did you forget?”
“I never agreed to that!”
We were at The Crypt, Thayer’s most popular off-campus bar, for one last hurrah before classes started Monday. Students had started trickling back, and the bar was way more packed than earlier this summer.
“But it’s the best one,” Jules argued. “Don’t—”
“Ava.”
I stiffened at the sound of my name said in that voice. The voice that used to whisper to me at night and tell me it—he—loved me. The voice I hadn’t heard in two months, not since he showed up outside the gallery one day in July and demanded I speak with him.