by G. Bailey
"I don't think it would affect your relationship, that boy is crazy about you," she says.
"Maybe. I’ll think about it. I'm sorry about Elliot, he is so quiet usually. Honestly, I'm in shock he spoke."
"No worries, he is always like that with me. Elliot is an asshole at the best of times, but he is a loyal friend, and I would guess he cares a lot about you."
"I'm still sorry he was like that, but the ringtone was brilliant." I give her a little smile, and she laughs.
"Allie, I'm going," Sebastian shouts up the stairs, and Allie hugs me quickly before walking out of my room.
I check my phone to see I have a message from Blake.
Sexiest man alive: how's the head? I wish I was there to make you feel better. X
Me: feeling ok, just going to sleep the day away x
He replies quickly.
Him: so you’re going to dream about me like I do of you ;). Luke invited me to the cinema tonight, want to come? X
My heart flutters at his words. I do dream of him. I'm glad it's not just me.
Me: I'm always dreaming of a sexy man devouring me. He looks like an angel ;) and yes, I will message Luke and ask him if he wants to go out somewhere with me tonight. I’m sure he will invite me. X
Him: this angel wants to do sinful things to you all the time. I’m not sure how angel-like that is ;) and good idea x
I message Luke, who invites me a little later, and I fall into a deep sleep. I wake up to my alarm at four p.m., which I set so that I would have an hour to get ready and have a snack.
I dress in an oversized-blue sweater and leggings and put my hair up into a messy bun before adding a little makeup. At least I’m feeling a little better, I think as I check my phone. A movie sounds great, even if I have to pretend around Blake. I run into Luke in the kitchen as I grab a drink.
"Are you ready for an action movie with lots of shooting, sis?" He grins quickly before texting someone.
"What, no romantic film?" I pretend to act shocked as I pour myself a glass of water. I drink quickly and grab an apple off the fruit bowl to nibble on.
"Err, no. I'm sure Blake won't want that," Luke responds finally, finishing texting whoever and slipping his phone into his pocket.
"We will see, he might be a closet romantic movie fan." I laugh with Luke. I know that's not true, Blake likes horror or high action films, like Luke it seems. I honestly don't mind, I don't have a favourite type.
"Let's go," he says with a chuckle, and we pick Blake up on the way.
"What are we watching?" Blake asks when we enter the cinema in town. It’s not a very big cinema, with only two screens, but it’s got a few people inside so it must be doing okay.
"You choose," I say, looking around at the snack options.
"What about me, why can't I choose?" Luke asks with a pout, which looks funny on him with his tattoos and a slight beard.
"You’re just not as pretty as Blake," I say with a grin.
"Well, if it's who is prettier, you should choose, beauty," Blake says, looking at me intensely.
"‘Beauty’? But he is right, you choose," Luke asks, the question aimed at Blake, but he doesn’t look mad or surprised.
"Just a nickname," Blake says with a wink at me when Luke turns away. I’m surprised Blake is even risking telling Luke he has a nickname for me, but Luke doesn’t seem bothered at all.
We choose an action film, and the boys look surprised but happy that I agree to watch it. Luke buys me and himself some popcorn and a drink, and Blake buys himself the same. Blake says he will catch up, so we head into the cinema and sit down. Blake comes over with a tiny Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in a pot; triple chocolate, my favourite. Damn, I want his ice cream and other Blake related things.
He sits on my other side and says, "This is for you." He puts the ice cream in my empty hand.
"Seriously, you’re the best," I say and start devouring the ice cream.
"Izzy has a serious Ben and Jerry’s problem. There is never any in the house." Luke frowns at me, but I can see a small smile as I grin.
"Oh, I know," Blake says, and I panic, hoping Luke didn't hear that. Luke doesn't say anything, just looks at me for a second before smiling at us both and messing with his phone. I want to call Blake out on his relaxed behaviour, but when I turn to look at him, the movie starts.
The movie is awesome, and the boys ask me if I want to go for a meal when it’s finished as they are hungry. I don’t know how they are hungry when they both went for a second load of snacks half way through the film.
We walk down the street to a local pizza place that the boys say is good, and we get a table.
"So, Luke, what do you want to do when you finish school?" I ask as we wait for our pizzas.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I like tattoos." He grins at me before continuing. "I draw designs and work at the local tattoo shop. I'm going to work there full-time, as it's something I enjoy."
"That's cool, did you design your tattoos?" I ask, admiring the ones I can see on his lower arms.
"Yes, I did; do you like the arm ones?" he asks, pushing his sleeves up for me to see more.
"Yes, I like the dragon. I always wanted a tattoo. You'll have to do one for me." I smile widely at him, and he smiles back. I look over at Blake, whose eyes have that dark, hooded look, which I know means he is turned on by the idea of me getting a tattoo. The thought gives me shivers.
"Sure, just don't tell the others. I can show you my new designs if you want, and maybe I can draw something for you." He winks at me.
"I would love that," I say, and he has a massive smile.
My phone beeps, and I pull it out to see it’s a message from Blake.
Sexiest man alive: the thought of you having a tattoo is making me damn hard now and I want to take you home x
I look over at him, and he has a small smile on his face. I don't reply as I know Luke will guess, and we eat our food discussing school. Luke goes on about some date he has Friday and asks for Blake’s advice where to take her, it’s kind of cute how Luke treats Blake like our older brothers. When Luke leaves to go to the toilet, Blake leans over the table.
"You’re coming to my house tonight." He states it as a fact, it’s clear it’s not a question.
"I want you, too," I whisper, and he turns his beautiful blue eyes on me with a small smirk.
"Oh, you'll have me," he says in a sexy, gravelly voice as he sits back with a promise in his eyes that I intend to help him keep tonight.
23
Blake
"So what do you think?" I ask Harley as we look at the apartment I’m thinking of buying. It's a second-floor apartment in a new building. Everything is pretty much new and has that unlived-in feel to it. The building has a swimming pool, gym, and good security due to it being a five-minute walk from the university I’ve gotten into.
It's a ten-minute walk to the local shop and park too. It’s a four bedroom apartment, so I can get some roommates to pay the bills with me. Overall, it's nice. I'm standing in the main bedroom, which has one light-blue wall and three white walls. It’s the same throughout the apartment. It's all very clean and white. It has built-in closets in every bedroom, and bathrooms in each one, too.
"I like this one, you should get it. The other two we looked at were rubbish. Is the price all right?" Harley asks, looking out one of the windows.
"Yeah, it's a friend of my mum’s who built the building, so he is going to give me a nice discount," I comment, taking my hoodie off because of the hot weather we have had.
"That's good," Harley says as he walks out of the bedroom with me into the long corridor.
"Thanks for your advice," I say. I asked Harley to come with me today because I needed a different viewpoint, and someone older is usually better at seeing things I can't. I would have brought my mum, but she is getting very emotional about the idea of me moving out, and I worried she would be crying by now.
"You’re like a brother to us all, yo
u know that." He grins and pats me on the shoulder. I’m filled with guilt at his comment, but I look away before Harley can see my reaction. We walk back to the estate agent, who waited at the door, and I say I’ll call him later to buy. The poor man looks crazy happy now, enough to make me smile. My phone buzzes as we walk to my car.
Beauty: does your mum want me to bring anything for tea tonight? X
Me: just your beautiful self. How was your exam? X
Beauty: it went really well. Only a few left now. I can't wait to get my results. How's apartment hunting? X
Me: that's really good. Tell you later. I really like you x
Beauty: I really, really like you too. See you later. X
I can't help the massive smile on my face even if I try, and Harley glances at me.
"Who's made you smile like that?" He laughs.
"Like what?” I ask, ignoring his question about who it is as I put my phone away. It's not like I can say ‘oh, it’s your beautiful sister.’
"Like a cat that just caught a canary." He chuckles, shaking his head.
"I don't smile like that." I wave away his comment with my hand.
"You just did, and you’re avoiding the question." He stares me down, clearly wanting the answer now.
I ignore him again and slide into my car while he gets into the passenger seat. "So Elliot hasn't applied for college, but won't say what he is going to do. Are you worried?" I change the subject.
"A little, but Elliot is smart enough to know what he wants. He and his girlfriend have been arguing a lot, and I'm concerned he is paying too much attention to Lily, and not enough to his exams." He frowns and looks out the window before continuing.
"I feel like it’s my fault if things go wrong. We have enough problems with Izzy and the fighting. Adding a woman to the mix isn’t a good idea. Look what’s happened to Seb; he is spiralling out of control most days."
"Is that why you don't date?" I ask, because I’ve never seen him with a long-term girlfriend. I’ve seen him take random girls home sometimes, but not often, and I never see them again.
"I don't have time. Plus, no woman holds my attention for long." He looks out the window with a tight jaw.
"Maybe you just need to meet the right one." I smirk.
"Like you have?” He smirks at me as I don’t answer. “It wouldn't work for me." He looks away from me again, but I have to look back at the road.
"Let's change the subject. How's the gym?" I ask, leading into simpler conversations.
"We are doing well, better than well. I'm thinking about adding an extension with new rooms for more classes. I’ve had a lot of interest," he says, giving me a look of relief at the conversation change.
"That sounds like a good plan," I say.
"I’ll need something to do with Seb and Izzy at college. Luke doesn't need much help considering he does no work and gets straight A’s like Seb. I don’t have to worry, anyway, with Luke’s job at the tattoo parlour waiting for him after school. Luke has told me about his plans to buy his own studio after a few years," Harley says, looking proud.
"He has it all planned." I grin. Luke may be the baby of the family, but he is the planner all right.
"I'm proud of him, well, of all of them. Despite our childhood and the fighting, they are good men," he says, flexing his fists on his lap. I know Harley wishes he could change it all.
"Agreed." I nod at him.
"I wish we had found Izzy sooner. Just seeing where she lived makes me wish I could have changed some things,” he says, and I frown not knowing too much about where she is from. I know her foster parents weren’t good people, but she probably didn’t want to relive any of it by telling me.
"She seems happy now and not messed up by foster care," I reply.
"Yes, I know. Even with all the changes in her life recently, she is doing her exams and has applied for university."
"She is remarkable," I mutter quietly, so he doesn't hear, and shake my head. I drop Harley off and thank him again for his help before heading home. I know Izzy is coming over in about an hour, so I decide to draw in my room after saying hello to my mum.
I flip through the book that is filled with drawings of Izzy. She is all I can draw now, as I can’t go long without thinking of her.
I started drawing a picture of her yesterday at my house when she fell asleep on the sofa. I was looking down at her lying on my chest with her beautiful, golden hair spread across me. Her plump rosy lips slightly open as she snored lightly. She is simply beautiful.
"Hey, you," a sweet voice says from my doorway. I look up from my chair, and Izzy is walking over with a smile meant just for me on her face.
"Hey, beauty," I say, tilting my head to admire her. She is wearing black, skinny jeans and a simple, green vest, which shows off her breasts and lights up her eyes.
"What are you drawing?" she asks, looking at my drawing pad as she stops in front of me. I wrap my other hand around her waist and pull her onto my lap as she giggles. I gently kiss the top of her head.
"Here, have a look," I say and pass her the pad. She looks at every one slowly but never says anything. I'm getting slightly worried she doesn't like them when she wipes a tear away, and my forehead starts sweating. I say quickly, "Sorry if you don't like them, I can throw them away."
She shakes her head at me. "They’re amazing. Do you really see me like this? This woman is stunning. I can hardly believe it's me," she says, looking up at me with vulnerable eyes.
"You are stunning, Izzy. Hell, there aren’t words for how beautiful you are, but I think my drawings capture you well." I place a kiss on her soft cheek.
"Thank you," she says and turns to kiss me slowly. I move the drawing pad to the floor, and she moves to straddle me as our kisses get deeper. I'm about to lift her vest top off when I hear a shout.
"Dude, where are you? The front door was open." We both go silent as we hear footsteps on the stairs getting closer.
"Shit, that's Seb,” I say, and Izzy panics, running for my bathroom and shutting herself in as my door opens.
"Hey, I tried texting. Do you want to go to a party tonight? It's in the next town, but it looks good," he says and collapses on my bed. I quickly notice my pad lying open on the floor, showing a picture of Izzy, and move in front of it so Seb doesn't see.
"Nah, I have to study. Our exams are this week, don’t you have to study too?” I ask.
"You sound like Harley now. Ah well, I’ll see you tomorrow, man," he says, getting up and walking to the door.
"Hey, isn't that Izzy’s bag?" he asks tensely, pointing to the leather handbag near my door.
“Nah, just some girl who left it here," I say, mentally groaning and trying to keep my face neutral.
"I heard you are fucking someone. Who is it?" He leans against my wall, right next to the bathroom door where Izzy is hiding.
"No one you know. She isn't from around here," I say, hating that I’m lying to him again.
"Good luck. I doubt it will last once you get bored." He laughs, but I don't.
"I won't get bored."
"Dude, you always do. Even that girl you lost your virginity to, you dumped after a week," he says, shooting me a weird look like I’ve lost my mind.
"It's different this time," I say, shaking my head.
"Sure, text me if you change your mind about the party," he says, ignoring my comment.
"All right, see you later, man," I say as he turns to leave.
"Later," he shouts, hopping down the stairs. I wait until I hear the front door shut before opening the bathroom. Izzy smiles at me but looks a little sad. I'm guessing it has something to do with what Seb said. She is sitting on the counter, so I move to stand between her legs.
"You know, I can't remember any girl before you? Seb is right, I got bored with them quickly. And, honestly, I didn't care. I was a bad person, but I know that. When I saw you, it was different, and I couldn't stop thinking about you. I have made up excuses to see your brothers, just
to catch a glance of you. I’ll never get bored with you, Izzy, or ever want to forget you." I stop short of saying anything else.
"I'm just worried about how serious we are getting, but thanks for telling me." She smiles and kisses me. It's meant to be a gentle kiss but soon turns deeper. I spend the rest of the night showing Izzy how much I need her, and I know I'm never going to be able to let her go.
24
Izzy
The next week passes uneventfully; I spend three afternoons at Blake’s after school and one with Allie. The week is filled with our end-of-year tests and me finishing my final artwork. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier, my life is good. I have an amazing boyfriend, great family, and awesome friends. The exams, I think, are going well, and my future is finally planned. The only hiccup is the fact my brothers don’t know about me and Blake.
The rest of my time is spent at home with my brothers, who made me bake them cupcakes on Saturday and then ate them all without leaving me one, which is shocking considering I made twenty-four of them. Sebastian just said, when I asked him about the missing cakes, “They were so damn good, I forgot you hadn't had one. It's all right, you can make more.” He laughs when I playfully hit him on the arm.
It's now Sunday night, and I know from Blake texting me earlier that he is staying over tonight to have drinks with Elliot and Sebastian.
So I wander downstairs around nine, after finishing my homework, and I hear them laughing in the lounge, which makes me smile as I walk in.
“Hey, guys,” I say as I see them all sitting on the sofas. Sebastian is eating Chinese, while Elliot and Blake are racing each other on some game. Blake glances at me with a heated look, which causes him to crash in his game, and I hold in a grin.
“Hey, sis, do you want a drink?” Sebastian offers and gestures to the bottles of beer on the table. I don't mind beer, but it's not my favourite.
“Sure,” I say and grab a beer, opening it before sitting next to him. Luke comes into the room with a few bags of tortilla crisps and throws a packet at Elliot before sitting on the floor next to the sofas.