by Alex Grayson
I should tread a fine line where Oliver is concerned. He’s not only my best friend’s stepbrother, but her boyfriend’s best friend. Yet, I can’t seem to hold my tongue whenever his name comes up. I blame my mother. I inherited her inability to keep my mouth shut.
“V.” Rylee sighs. “Please just try to be nice. Besides dinner, you probably won’t even see him.”
“He plans to hang at my house some of the time. He wants to spend some time with Dani while we’re home,” Zayden adds in after listening to us. “I get why you don’t like him.” He meets my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Hell, somedays I wonder why I do. But he’s a good guy at his core. He just does some really fucked up things on occasion.”
“Good people don’t do what he did.”
“People make mistakes,” Rylee cuts in. “The point is that we learn from them. And maybe this is naïve of me, but I really think he has seen the error of his ways and is trying to make things right,” she offers with her annoying optimism. She’s always been a glass half full kind of girl, but ever since her and Zayden have been seeing each other, it’s like she sees the world through rose-colored lenses. Sometimes I want to shake her.
“I know Oliver better than anyone,” Zayden cuts in before I have a chance to respond, his focus on the road. “Yes, he can be an asshole. Yes, sometimes he behaves like a spoiled little bitch. But he’s been there for me in ways I will never be able to put into words. I promise you, he’s not all bad. And if I didn’t think he was sorry for what he did, there’s no way I would let him within a hundred feet of Rylee.”
“If I remember right, you were more pissed at him than anyone,” I retort.
“Still am.” He chuckles. “Just because I’ve chosen to forgive him doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed about what he did. He knows one wrong move and he’ll have me to answer to, and this time I won’t hold back. Fuck a lifetime of friendship. If he hurts Rylee again, there’s no going back and he knows it.”
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t see it. He’s rude. Crass. Full of himself. He seriously doesn’t even have one redeeming quality.” I huff, but that’s not entirely true.
Oliver Conley may be the scum of the earth, but he’s scum that looks like he just stepped out of a GQ magazine. Tall, athletic build. Sandy blond hair that’s always styled to perfection. And don’t even get me started on his eyes—a mixture of blue and gray that makes it hard to pinpoint what color they actually are. He’s gorgeous, though I’d never in a million years admit that out loud. But my hatred of him doesn’t blind me from what he looks like. Truthfully, I think I dislike him more because of it.
“Look,” Rylee turns deeper into her seat, “I’m not asking you to be his friend. Hell, I’m not even asking you to like him. I just need you to tolerate him. Do you think you can do that?”
“What the hell do you think I’ve been doing the last six months?”
“Giving him dirty looks. Throwing insults at him every time you’re forced to cross paths. Or my favorite, when you hide in your bedroom and pretend like you’re not home when he stops by.”
“Well, which is it? Would you prefer the dirty looks and insults, or me hiding in your room all week, because those are really your only options?”
“V,” Rylee groans.
“Don’t V, me. You’re the one who waited until we were almost at your house before telling me he would be there.”
“Fine, if you won’t do it for me, do it for my mom. You know how much she’s looking forward to having everyone together.”
“That’s dirty. Even for you, Rylee Harper. Using Evelyn against me.”
“Well, you leave me with no other choice. If you can’t be nice for me, then you have to be nice for her.”
“You do realize it’s not in my nature to bite my tongue?”
“I do. But I also know how much you love my mom, and there isn’t a chance in hell you would let that mouth of yours ruin the holiday she’s been looking forward to.”
She’s right, of course. Evelyn has been like a second mom to me for years. I love her like she is my own and there isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for her. And I know the same goes for her. She’s shown me time and time again that she views me as part of her family. As much as I loathe Oliver, I love Evelyn more. And in my book, that means something.
“Fine,” I concede. “I’ll try,” I grumble. “But if he comes at me wrong, I make no promises.”
“He won’t.” Zayden’s gaze once again meets mine in the mirror. “If he does, he’ll have me to answer to.”
“It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.” Rylee reaches across the console into the backseat and pats my knee. “Who knows, maybe if you two don’t spend the whole week insulting each other, you might actually find that you have some things in common.”
“Now you’ve gone off the rails. Just because I said I would play nice doesn’t mean I have any intention of actually talking to the douche canoe. My playing nice is not stabbing him with my fork at the dinner table.”
In the beginning, my anger toward him was solely based on what he had done to my best friend. And while that’s still a large part of why I don’t like him, it’s no longer just about Rylee. He’s made it personal now. Hell, he made it personal a long time ago when he attacked my appearance and called me overweight. As if not being a hundred-pound bean pole automatically makes me fat. And while I’ve tried not to put a lot of stock into anything that comes out of his mouth, for some reason that’s one comment I haven’t been able to shake. I know that it has more to do with me than it does him, but I still want to gouge his eyes out for his little snide comments every time he makes one.
“I don’t know. I think I might actually like to see that.” Zayden chuckles. “I say we let her do her thing, babe.” His head tilts in Rylee’s direction. “Might make for one hell of a fucking show.”
“Shut up.” She playfully swats his arm. “Though, it certainly would be a Thanksgiving none of us would ever forget,” she agrees.
“Are you two trying to talk me into it? Say the word, and I’m game.” I don’t try to hide my enthusiasm over the idea.
“You two.” Rylee shakes her head. “There will be no stabbing.”
“I don’t have to stab him. I mean, there are plenty of ways I could….”
“Would you look at what you started?” Rylee cuts me off as she scolds Zayden, who laughs. I swear, these two are so freaking cute it’s nauseating. “No bodily harm.” Her gaze swings back to me.
“Fine.” I sulk, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“Now that that’s settled, do you want to stop and get something to eat before we get to the house? My mom works until later, so I doubt she’s going to want to do dinner tonight.”
The mention of food makes my stomach groan loudly. I’m so hungry I feel like my insides have resorted to eating itself, and yet, the thought of actually eating food makes me feel sick.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Zayden is the first to answer.
“Yeah,” I agree, even though I really don’t want to.
“Let’s wait until we get to town and go for pizza. I’ve been dying for some Perogi’s,” Rylee suggests.
“That sounds great. But you know if we go there, I’m going to have to get some to take to my dad’s. Dani would likely murder me if she knew I went to her favorite pizza place and didn’t bring her anything.”
“Maybe we can wait and just order in. We can get one for Dani and your dad too.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He snags her hand, lifting it to his lips before laying a light kiss to it.
I can’t help but smile at Zayden. For being kind of rough around the edges, he probably has the softest heart of anyone I know. You wouldn’t know that from talking to him, but spend enough time around him and it’s apparent. I don’t think I could have asked for a better man for my best friend. I know there isn’t one thing he wouldn’t do for her, and I love him for that. I love that she has that. But I’d be lying if I said
a part of me wasn’t a little envious.
I know I’m still young, and have plenty of time to meet someone, but when I watch Rylee and Zayden together, I can’t help but think that I’ll never share that type of connection with another person. At least not on the same level. I’m fairly certain what Zayden and Rylee share is something that stands all on its own and isn’t something many people are lucky enough to find.
I turn my gaze back out the window, not really paying attention to Rylee’s response or what Zayden says after. My mind drifts back to Oliver and what the next six days will likely entail for me. Even if I promise to be on my best behavior, that doesn’t mean he will be. And I’m not one to let someone walk all over me and not defend myself.
Maybe I’m just thinking the worst. I’ve been around Oliver a few times over the last couple of months, and while we almost always take shots at each other, it’s not like we get into screaming matches or anything. It’s nothing I can’t get through. Then again, that’s when I only have to endure him for a couple of hours, not six days. I’ll be lucky if I haven’t stabbed him in his sleep by day three.
I know my problem with him, but I’ve never fully understood his problem with me. Unless his problem with me is that I have a problem with him, which is what I originally assumed. But now, I don’t know. It seems like his issue with me runs deeper than that. You would almost think I did something to him. Then again, maybe I did. I’ve taken quite a few shots at him over the last few months. Maybe I’ve bruised his ego a little.
Poor baby….
He’s lucky I haven’t bruised more than that.
At the end of the day, I know Oliver and I are going to have to reach some kind of common ground. As much as I hate it, he is my best friend’s stepbrother and it doesn’t look like that’s something that is likely to change, given how happy Paul and Evelyn are. We’re in each other’s lives whether we like it or not.
Maybe these six days will be good for us. Or maybe one of us will end up killing the other before we make it that far.
I guess only time will tell….
3
OLIVER
I pocket my keys as I walk through the front door, dropping my bag in the entryway. Tension leaves my body stiff. It’s been months since I’ve been home, and I already regret coming. The day I left for Seattle University, my father and I got into a huge argument. As the norm for the last year, it was about my mother. There were some things I wanted to know, and he refused to talk.
Fucking typical.
Feminine laughter comes from the kitchen, so that’s where I head. It isn’t Evelyn, because her car wasn’t in the garage, so it’s either Rylee or Savannah’s. By the male laughter that follows, my guess is on Rylee.
I push open the door and come to a stop. A grin tugs at my lips as I lean against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. Zayden has Rylee pinned to the table, one of his hands keeping her arms locked around his waist by gripping her wrists, while he uses the other hand to tickle her side. A loud burst of giggles breaks from her as she squirms unsuccessfully in his arms.
“Oh, my God, Zayden, stop!” she squeals, throwing her head back. “You’re gonna make me pee my pants!”
“Then give me what I want,” he demands, moving his fingers up her ribs.
“No! Savannah could walk in at any minute.”
I chuckle lightly because it’s not Savanah they need to worry about.
Rylee lifts her head and peers at me around Zayden. Her eyes go wide. “Or maybe Oliver.”
Zayden looks over his shoulder at me. “You’ve got shitty fucking timing.”
I shrug and move from my perch. “It’s my house.” Walking to the fridge, I pull out a bottle of water. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long.”
I uncap the bottle and take a pull. “Your mom at work?” I ask Rylee.
“Yeah. She called a bit ago. She’s going to have a late night. We’re ordering some pizza and watching a movie. You in?”
I take a moment to think about it. I was originally planning to be at home as little as possible to avoid my father as much as I could, but going out right now doesn’t really appeal to me. He won’t be home for another few hours anyway, so I can stick around for a bit.
“Sure.” I recap my bottle and hop up on the counter. “You been home yet?”
Zayden leans back against the counter and tugs Rylee to his front. “Dad’s at work and it’s Danielle’s last day before the holiday, so she’s still in school. I plan to stop by and drop off a pizza for them later.”
Movement to my left pulls my attention toward the door as Savannah walks in. We all look over at her. She gives me the scowl she reserves just for me, and I return it in kind.
“Your mom and dad make it to Iowa okay?” Rylee asks, pulling Savannah’s attention to her.
As she answers, I take a minute to look at her. Thick blonde hair swept up on top of her head with a few pieces hanging loose. Slender but graceful neck. Sea-green eyes—slightly slanted. Boobs just big enough to fill a man’s hand. And hips the perfect size for holding onto as you fuck her from behind. She’s a damn fine package—one my dick has taken notice of. Too bad as soon as she opens her mouth, it takes her appeal down a couple or a hundred notches.
“I see the asshole’s made it,” she remarks, as if to prove my inner thoughts.
“And it looks like the bitch did too,” I retort.
“You both knock it off,” Rylee says, looking from one of us to the other with narrow eyes. “You’re both adults. Now act like it.”
“She started it,” I grumble.
Rylee’s lips twitch, but she holds back her smile. “Well, I’m finishing it.” She pulls away from Zayden and grabs her phone from her back pocket. “I’m calling Perogi’s. What does everyone want?”
“White pizza for me.”
“What in the fuck is a white pizza?” I ask Savannah.
She doesn’t even have to describe it, the name alone sounds disgusting.
With a huff and an eyeroll, she faces me. “It’s made with ranch instead of red sauce, and mozz cheese, chicken—”
I cut her off, “Wait. You can’t have a pizza without marinara sauce.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she asks with irritation in her tone, “Says who?”
“Says me.”
“And you’re the God of all things pizza?” She arches a brow.
“No, but everyone knows it’s the sauce that makes the pizza. Especially from Perogi’s.”
“Not my pizza.”
“What you get is not pizza. It’s an abomination trying to mimic pizza.”
A small growl slips past her lips, and I fight back a laugh when it looks like she wants to stomp her foot like a five-year old.
So much for Rylee’s statement about us being adults.
Shooting me a glare, she turns back to Rylee. “A large white pizza for me.”
Just to piss her off, because I know it will, I ask innocently, “Don’t they offer personal pans at Perogi’s?”
For a moment, it almost looks like there’s pain in her expression, but it’s gone before I can analyze it. Her glare turns murderous. “The better question is, do you have to special order extra small condoms, or can they be found on the shelf?”
Before Rylee can interrupt our bickering—and from the look on her face, she’s about to jump all over my ass—I hop down from the counter.
“The better person to ask would be your last boyfriend.” She opens her mouth to respond, but I give her my back and face a pissed off Rylee. “Meat lovers for me, with extra pepperoni and add mushrooms.” I turn on my heel and stalk out of the room.
I plant my ass down in the only available seat and settle my plate of pizza on my lap. Zayden and Rylee are laying down huddled under a blanket on the couch and Savannah has taken up both cushions on the loveseat—also with a blanket over her—which happens to be my favorite place to sit.
I shoot the back of her head a glare
and hope she can feel the heat of it. I’d demand she move, but by the look Rylee keeps sending me, I’m not sure my balls would stay attached to my body if I did.
I pick up a slice of pizza and take a big bite. “What are we watching?” I ask around the food in my mouth.
“Not telling,” Rylee answers with her eyes still glued to the TV. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Don’t feel left out. She’s not telling me either,” Zayden inserts.
“And this doesn’t concern you? There’s no telling what they’re going to make us watch.”
“You could always leave.”
I look at Savannah with a sneer. “And you’d just love that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’d love nothing more.”
“And that’s exactly why I won’t be leaving.”
Rylee yanks the covers off her in a fit of madness, leans away from Zayden to sit on the edge of the seat, and points one finger on each hand at me and Savannah.
“I’ve had enough,” she growls. “This is ridiculous. It’s Thanksgiving, for Christ sake. The time for being thankful, not hateful. If you two don’t stop this shit right now, I’m going to tie you both to a chair, lock you in a room, and force you to talk about whatever the hell your issues are. Got it?”
She glares at Savannah until she gives her a muttered “got it” before aiming it at me. I jerk my chin up in agreement.
With a huff, she spins around and settles back against Zayden. He pulls the covers back over them and murmurs something in her ear that has her body relaxing.
I glance at Savannah to find her looking at me over her shoulder with hate-filled eyes, her mouth moving as she chews on her God-awful pizza. Using my middle finger, I scratch the side of my nose. Her eyes roll before she directs them back to the TV.
A moment later, the room fills with a beat, giving away that whatever we’re watching is a Universal Studios movie. Stormy clouds appear next on the screen. I take a bite of my pizza, and nearly choke when I see the title of the movie.