Star-Crossed Secrets

by Kali Brixton

  “I hope so.” It sounds like a super-complicated situation compounded by familial obligations. “She sounds like a great girl.”

  There’s a sparkle in his eyes as he smiles. “I’m a lucky man, Luca. I found a girl worth fighting for, and she’s worth every single jab along the way—which brings us full circle.”

  I shake my head, knowing what he’s going to say. “I told you, it was just this one time.” Even though after last night, I’d be down for a lot more.

  “That’s fine if that’s what y’all decide. But Ev’s a special girl. Think it through with your big head, not your little one.”

  I squint my eyes. “So, now you’re telling me to go after her?”

  “No, I’m telling you that whether it’s the first time or the millionth, you’d better go into it with eyes wide open because if shit hits the fan, it’ll get flung on everything and everyone in that situation, including…” He nods to the bathroom door, where Kieran has apparently died.

  RIP, buddy.

  “Regardless, if you haven’t already, talk to her and see how she feels about things. Although, I highly recommend that if you decide to go any further with her, don’t bring her back to the apartment her older brother shares with you. That’s asking for a world of hurt.”

  I nod gravely, knowing that Kieran isn’t the only one that would stand in the way of us—if there were such a thing as an “us.”

  The toilet flushes again, and I’m so happy it’s not my turn to clean the bathroom. Kieran emerges, looking slightly worse for the wear.

  “You all right, man?” Dreidan asks him, a laugh hiding behind his question.

  “No more gas station sausage biscuits. Ever.” Kieran warns. “We ready to go?”

  I look at him incredulously. “K, are you sure it’s a good idea for you to go after that?”

  “The girl Bree’s bringing with her as my date just sent me a picture.” He types out his passcode and reveals a picture of a tan, toned stomach and the underside of her breasts, her hand precariously low to the bottom of the picture. His phone disappears into his back pocket and he makes his way to the door. “I’m going.”

  I love Kieran like a brother, but some days… “Knock yourself out, K.”

  Dreidan waits until Kieran walks out the front door and gives me a sincere look. “Talk it over with her. Kieran’s super protective, so I don’t think she’s been with many guys.”

  A boiling sensation enters my bloodstream, a sensation something similar to jealousy rearing its ugly head. “No, she hasn’t.”

  He mulls over my words, his eyes growing wide. “Please tell me you didn’t punch her v-card.”

  I contemplate how to answer that.

  If I say I didn’t, he might assume there have been others, which there haven’t—and I’d rather not think about.

  If I say I did, he’s probably going to chastise me.

  If I—“Holy fuck, you did!” he roars. “And you took it here? Man, you must have a death wish.”

  Dammit. “Please do not get shit-faced and tell Kieran.”

  He claps me on the shoulder and gives me a serious look. “Lucky for you, I’m the DD for this trip. But I promise, I won’t say anything.”

  Relief washes over me as he grabs the tickets from the coffee table where he laid them down during Ev’s grand performance. “Thank you.”

  “It’s not my business, but I’ve gotta know—and remember what I witnessed before she left…” Fuck. Where’s he going with this? “She got under your skin, didn’t she?’

  Unsure of what to say, I just stare at him, not willing to admit to his accusation, but not denying it either.

  He gives me a knowing smile. “I was Bree’s first too. Changed my perspective on a lot of things.”

  Dreidan’s phone rings. When he sees the caller ID, he blows out an annoyed puff of air as he answers it. “Quit gettin’ your panties in a wad, Kieran. I’m coming,” he fusses as he ends the call. “That guy has zero patience.”

  I laugh at him, knowing it’s true. Kieran’s extremely impulsive, which makes life as his best friend interesting.

  “Safe trip. Again.”

  He waves the tickets back and forth as he smiles. “I just hope we don’t have to make seventeen pit stops on the way this time.”

  I shake my head as he makes his way out the door. Finishing with cleanup, I make my way to my bedroom, stopping to pick up the condom wrapper. I sit down on the edge of the bed in disbelief of how this morning went. Rolling the empty packet in between my fingers, I relive the memories of what happened between Ev and me. And the way she trusted me with something she could only give away once? An empty condom wrapper’s such a poor memento of something amazing like what it felt like to be inside of her, to see how she fell apart at my touch. But seeing as how there’s nothing left behind besides this and her scent on my pillow, I—Wait a minute.

  I roll over and look beside my bed, a small piece of something white sticks out from underneath my covers, which have fallen halfway off the bed. Reaching over and snatching it from the tangled mess, an enormous smile stretches my cheeks.

  I snap a quick picture and hit “Send,” following up with a quick message.

  Me: Found these in my sheets. Know the owner?

  Ev: Probably belonged to the girl I ran out of your apartment. ;)

  Me: I’ll get them to you sometime soon.

  Three dots bounce for a while before another message comes through.

  Ev: You can keep them as souvenirs of the day you almost got murdered. ;)

  Thank God for pajama parties.

  Me: I would’ve rather kept you here. ;)

  Ev: Such is life…

  Those three dots go to bouncing again like crazy.

  Ev: I didn’t get to say this but thank you for making last night so wonderful.

  Me: I told you that *I* was the lucky one.

  Me: Shame we didn’t get to finish our breakfast—or the second one I had planned. *sad face emoji*

  Ev: Sure is. That bacon was perfect! *heart emoji*

  Ev: Second breakfast would have been amazing too. *devil emoji*

  A laugh barrels through me.

  Me: I do what I can.

  Me: Maybe we can have another breakfast date sometime? Hopefully with no interruptions this time. *palming face emoji*

  Ev: I’m game if you are.

  Fuck. Yes.

  Me: Oh, I’m game, all right.

  Me: You let me know the time and day and we’ll work something out.

  I didn’t hear anything back from Everleigh for a couple of hours, so I figured she was busy and had better things to do, just like she said she did before she left today. However, once I heard from her, I realized how much those two messages were worth waiting for…

  Ev: My roommate is going home to visit her family next weekend.

  Ev: I thought maybe we could hang out and have breakfast.

  Ev: Followed by *second* breakfast. *winky emoji*

  Ev: If you don’t already have plans…

  Trying to think of something clever or witty to say, I eventually settle on simplicity.

  Me: I do now.

  6

  Luca

  I drive into Everleigh’s sweetness once more before I erupt inside her as the condom fills with what feels like a never-ending orgasm, prolonged by her convulsions around me.

  Fuck, this never gets old.

  As I hold her against her bedroom wall, my face buried in her neck as her arms hold tight around mine, I curse the fact that her roommate only had one final today.

  Thankfully, Ev knows her roommate is always one of the last ones to leave during an exam and since this is Kensi’s hardest class this semester, that should buy us enough time to get dressed and chat for a moment before I have to slip out.

  What I wouldn’t give, though, to have her one more time this morning.

  For the past four months, we’ve met in secret and stolen every moment we could together. Clandestine lo
oks across campus or whenever she stopped by the apartment, stolen kisses in our vehicles, surfaces that will never be the same after we got done having our way with each other on them. Even though we nearly got caught by Kieran another time and her roommate twice, it did nothing to slow this blazing inferno in my veins for her.

  Dreidan was right about this changing my perspective on things, though…

  Ev and I talked about it before we slept together the second time, realizing that we wanted to keep meeting and seeing each other, but to keep things to ourselves for now. During one of our many conversations when we talked about our futures—separate, not collectively, I disclosed about how my dad was putting pressure on me to go to another law school than Emory. That discussion was much easier than the one dealing with the unspoken understanding that I was destined to have an arranged marriage like Lia—all to preserve the pure Italian bloodline with a daughter born into the network of families Dad’s involved with. Although, I think it has more to do with control than anything else. Everleigh has known for a long time that I couldn’t give her more than what we have right now, so she took what I could give and accepted it without question.

  Yet as our heartbeats thunder against one another’s while we catch our breath, descending from our shared high, I realize how much I’ve grown to depend on her presence in my life. It’s not just been about scratching an itch, it’s about all the little things that have made me fall for her every day these past few months. How she sometimes leaves one of my favorite candy bars hidden in my nightstand to find after a visit. Her excitement about becoming an elementary school teacher. How, even though she busts Kieran’s chops about him procrastinating on studying for a big test, she’s always there to help him with what she can. Her laugh and her smile. Her sharp wit and her ever-growing sense of responsibility to protect others from bullies…

  Somewhere in the last couple of weeks, I can no longer say I’m falling in love with her because I’m already drowning in it. It’s become an all-consuming inferno and the last few times we’ve had sex, it took everything I have to not tell her she’s now engrained in the fabric of my soul because she is—and she always will be.

  My lips slowly find their way to hers, leaving a wet path from where I was to where I want to be. Reluctantly, I slip out of her as I set her down, noticing her little silver toes sparkling in the morning sunlight.

  “When d'you changed your toe polish?” They were a deep blue last night when I threw her legs over my shoulders to gain a little more leverage.

  Her toes flex on her soft rug, shining even more. “Someone left me smelling like a steaming pile of sex last night when they left, so I did them after I showered.”

  My thumbs drag across her bottom lip as I relish how swollen they are from our many kisses. “He’s a lucky guy.”

  Her blushing cheeks break into a huge grin as I scoop her up and plop her down on her bed, crawling in beside of her. Although Everleigh’s still as sassy as the day is long, the past few months have shown me her soft side and the parts of herself she keeps hidden from the world most of the time.

  How did I end up with such an amazing girlfriend?

  WHOA. She’s not officially your girl yet, remember?

  Yet being the operative word.

  Smooth fingertips trace my pecs as we lay there, still in the afterglow of our morning “workout.” “You feel good about the project today?”

  One of the best ruses I could come up with to spend more time with her was my senior project, which I designed to include a few perspectives from future community leaders, including a girl who had just gotten accepted into the teaching program. Kieran didn’t bat an eye when I told him I was getting Ev to help on the project. With her making the dean’s list every semester, it’s easy to imagine why I’d want her help, especially when he’s been on the receiving end of it so many times over the years. Little did he know I helped myself to her than she helped me on the project. “Yelp. I’ve had a lot of help with getting it ready this past month.”

  She raises an eyebrow. “You could’ve gotten it done a lot faster if we hadn’t been so distracted.”

  “I’d like to think that was all time very well spent, don’t you?” I ask as I kiss the delicate skin around her eye closest to me.

  “I guess a few anatomy lessons here and there didn’t hurt.”

  I quirk a brow at that remark. “A few?”

  She laughs, a sound that now loudly rings in every chamber of my heart. “Time flies when you’re having fun, right?”

  “That’s what they say.”

  “Speaking of time flying, you’d better get a move on in case she comes back a little earlier,” she says as she burrows further into my side, her words and actions contradicting one another.

  “Are you kicking me out of your bed, Evergreen?”

  Her breath tickles my ear as she captures it between her teeth. “You keep doing that thing with your tongue like you did last night and you’ll always be welcome in my bed, Mr. Giordano.”

  I grin, popping my dimples for her amusement. “I’ll keep that in mind. How about you?”

  “I feel a lot better than I would’ve if you hadn’t helped me study for it.”

  “Glad I could help.” I lay a gentle kiss on her temple. “You’re gonna do fine, though.”

  “Hear anything about Emory yet?”

  I sigh. “Dad texted me yesterday and said a letter came from there to the house.”

  “With your LSAT scores and GPA, I know you’re gonna be a shoe-in.”

  Not enough of one to get me off the waitlist yet, though. “When are you planning on moving out of the dorm?”

  “I have to be out by Saturday at three, so I’m going to see if Dad can run down and help me move out all the big stuff.”

  I prop myself up on one hand, furrowing my brow at her. “Why would you do that when your brother and I can do the heavy lifting?”

  She’s quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “How would we swing that?”

  Because it would be weird if I asked Kieran to help her when I wouldn’t usually be talking to her without him there. “You could ask him if he and I can come help. You know he’ll pout, but he’ll be here Saturday morning, especially if there are some blueberry cake donuts in it for him,” I wink, knowing Kieran’s weakness for them and how his motivation goes through the roof when they’re offered as leverage. “We could bring your stuff to your house since I’ve gotta go pick up my letter and talk to Dad, anyway.”

  “That’s really nice of you. Thanks for offering.” Her arms wrap around my torso, squeezing me into a hug. “It’s hard to believe the semester’s already over.”

  It’s hard to believe I won’t see her on campus anymore or be able to sneak away somewhere private with her. I’ll still be living in an apartment with Kieran, though Dreidan and Bree have already secured their new place, which leaves an open bedroom and a dangerous proposition. “You still planning on living in the dorms next year?”

  She nods. “Scholarship pays for it, so it seems like a waste of money to move out on my own if I don’t have to just yet.”

  Damn. I was planning on suggesting to Kieran that we see if she wanted to be our third roommate instead of having to try to find another person to go in on rent with us. Although admittedly, my intentions for having her as a roommate weren’t of the purest nature. Thoughts of living spaces bring me to another question. “Lia and the girls still got their apartment, or are they moving somewhere else?”

  Since Everleigh hangs out with Lia so much, another person we’ve had to keep in the dark for other reasons, I’d been thinking about my little sister a lot lately. “You know, I could always talk to her and see if she’d…”

  Ev’s dropped some hints about how she’d like to see us reconnect, but I believe that ship has sailed, then sunk to the bottom of the ocean. “I fucked up, Ev. She has every right to hate me.”

  “But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still need her big brother in her life.
As much as I want to punch Kieran in the teeth some days,”—she pauses thoughtfully—“Well, most days, he’d have to do or say something really awful to get me to kick him out of my life forever.”

  Bitterness drips off my laughter. “I stood by while my sister married an asshole at sixteen, then didn’t stick up for her when she told Mom and Dad, she was done being abused by him. That’s more than enough for her to never speak to me again.”

  “Let me ask you something,” she begins, her hand finding my chest, rubbing back and forth. It’s something she’s recently started doing, and I’ve grown to love it—just like her. “Do you ever wish you could go back to that day and do things differently?”

  I sigh heavily. “Every time it crosses my mind.”

  “It’s been two years now, Luca. By you not at least coming to her with an apology and telling her you want to work on regaining her trust, she has no reason to think you regret it.” Feeling her hand pause directly over my heart, I listen to her words, as if she wants them to penetrate the layers of regret. “Just…promise me you’ll at least think about it?”