by Finn, Emilia
38
Laine
Home Sweet Home
“Hold up, Twink. Stop here.” Reemerging from his make out session with Jess in the backseat, Kane taps the back of my head and points toward the welcome to town sign on the side of the road. Used to this routine, I pull over and stop under the shade of a large oak tree as Kane jumps over the side of my Buick.
This is our town’s sign, the first sign he marked as we left a little over a week ago.
Pulling the marker from his pocket, Kane runs toward the sign as Ang’s hand slides along the leather bench seat and twines with mine. Unbuckling my belt, I slide across and pull him into the kind of hug I wished a billion times over the years I could have had. I bury my face in his neck and ride the endorphins that being in his arms gives me. His scratchy jaw moves over my temple, then his lips press to my forehead until I sigh.
This is heaven to me. Finally, it’s my turn to be happy.
We’re on the edge of the town we both grew up in, the town everyone knows us as Laine and Ang, not Laine and Ang, and though I worried his loyalty to the guys would make him queasy at the thought of touching me once we got back, he still holds me against his chest; he presses his lips to my neck and whispers his love for me.
Jesus, he loves me. It’s still surreal.
“Hey… Ang?”
He nibbles along my neck until he reaches my ear. “Mmm?”
“Can you ask me out when we get back home? Real life, real world; I want you to ask me out, I want our families to know, then I want you to pick me up, take me out, treat me to my first real date.”
“Yeah.” His thumb slides over my cheek. “I promise. I’ll call you up, ask like a gentleman…”
“Woah, call me up?” I sit back and study his eyes. “Call me? Are you leaving as soon as we get back to the house?”
He flashes a handsome grin. “No. I’ll probably just go to the garage, since asking you out implies a phone call, but I don’t wanna leave till you tell me I have to. The garage is my compromise.”
“Done.” Kane turns back with a snicker and pushes his marker into the pocket of his shorts. I glance back to the sign and squint to pull the small writing in focus.
#Checkmate
#FuckYouAlex
#JessiesGonnaMarryMe
#AngIsBoningTheTwink
Angelo growls when he reads what Kane wrote. Jess cackles, and my face burns, but when Kane skips over the side of the car and leans forward until our noses almost touch, he winks. “Just thought I’d get the word out, in case you guys forget how to use your words again. No way are we having a repeat of the vacation from hell.”
“Vacation from hell?” I turn back and restart the car, and when Kane doesn’t sit back, I smack his face and giggle when he squeaks like a girl. “I thought it was an awesome vacation.”
* * *
“Fuckkkkk.” Ang groans when we round the corner of Kane’s street and find several too many cars littering the road. Trucks. Cars. Even Britt and Jack’s Mustang. “This is gonna hurt.”
Even knowing the crowd is family and not an armored enemy, Kane grows restless in the backseat. His hand flexes, opening and closing as though to hold an invisible weapon, and when the lack of weapons sends him over the edge, he pulls Jess possessively against his chest.
“Her brother already gave you the green light,” he murmurs. “You got his blessing, so run with it and don’t fucking give it back.”
I turn to Ang. “Luc gave you his blessing? For what?”
“To date you.” The car slows to a crawl as I move it into the driveway. “He called a few days ago, said he trusts me, said if I wanted to tell you how I feel, I have his blessing.”
“Really? He said that?”
He grins. “Yeah, he really did. I think he might even be our most mature band member now.” He shakes his head. “It’s like the twilight zone.”
I stare across the lawn and meet eyes. A dozen pairs.
Eric stands on the porch with a stupid grin and a fur-lined trapper hat squished over his hair despite the heat. When our eyes meet, he lifts his hands in the universal symbol for ‘it’s not my fault.’
Alex sits on the edge of the porch with his brand-new baby girl in his arms, and though he’s scowling, he’s not in our faces hitting Ang – which I consider his blessing.
With Kari under his arm, Luc steps forward hesitantly, almost like we’re strangers and he’s unsure of where he stands.
In a way, I guess maybe we are strangers.
Neither Jess or I are the twin girls he grew up with. Jess is with Kane now; a guy absolutely not who anyone expected she’d choose, and I’m me… I’ve definitely changed.
I open the door and climb out on shaking legs. We’ve been driving for a long time, and my brother’s stare makes me nervous.
“Luc.” I step away from the car, but stop again when Jess grabs my hand.
“Hold on.” As a united pair, we step forward and stop halfway across the lawn, and though Luc shows reluctance at Kari slipping out of his hold, he comes to us when she pushes him forward.
“Laine.” An age-old joke where he messes our names up, Luc presses a kiss to Jess’ forehead, then he turns to me and does the same. “Jessie. I missed you knuckleheads. That week felt like a lifetime.”
Silly tears prick at the back of my eyes. It’s so dumb; I have no reason to cry, no reason to be so emotional, and yet, I drag Jessie forward until we crash against his chest. I never expected our homecoming to be emotional, but tears clog in my throat, and when Jess rests her face on Luc’s chest and her eyes meet mine, they’re watery, too.
“Are you okay, Baby?”
“Yeah.” I pat his chest and swallow down the croak in my voice. “I’m great.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes. For the first time in forever, I’m really, truly happy. Thank you for not going crazy.”
Chuckling, he presses a kiss to the top of my head and squeezes me tighter. “I’m not Marc, Baby. You can trust me to be cool about just about everything. Just don’t run away again.”
“It wasn’t running away, it was just downtime.” My lips pull up into a wobbling grin. “I needed a redo.”
“Did you get it?”
I hiccup, then laugh at how silly I am. “Yup. I left all my bad memories on the beach; I didn’t bring them home again.”
Nodding his approval, he lets out a freeing sigh. “I love you so much, Laine. I’m so glad you’re okay. And you.” He turns to Jess. “Your boyfriend scares the fuck out of me.” She lets out a snotty giggle and nods. “I think you’re happy. You sure look it, so I’m only gonna ask once, then I promise to leave it alone–”
“I’m gonna marry him, Luc.” Her lips wobble when he stills. “I’d love your approval, then if you weren’t busy that day, maybe you could escort me down the aisle and hand me over.”
He pulls back to catch her eyes. “Really? What about Dad? You don’t think he wants to walk with you?”
She shrugs. “Maybe you could both do it. That’s the only thing that could make everything perfect, because Kane is good and pure and so fucking perfect for me. He’s not going anywhere, so I need your approval or you’ll break my heart.”
His eyes soften, and though they snap up to a movement behind us, they come back down with a nod. “I approve of your happiness. Both of you. So if you’re saying this is it, then I promise to trust you.”
“Luc.” Angelo’s business voice makes my heart thunder. The heat from his body warms my back, then he pulls me closer and extends a hand toward Luc.
I swallow nervously when Kane stops beside me and takes Jess’ hand. Jesus, it’s happening. On the front lawn while everyone watches, it’s going down.
“I know there’s a rule about dating sisters,” Ang says seriously. “And I know it’s ironic that we stand here and have this conversation, considering who was in your bed last night. But you and Kari are separate from me and you. From me and Laine. I broke the rules,
Lenaghan, but I’m not sorry.” Ang’s eyes drop to his still extended hand. “I’d like to formally ask your permission to date Laine, then I want to apologize for breaking the rules of friendship. I waited a long time to get here, so I’m not gonna back away if you say no, but I also wouldn’t feel right unless I get your word when I look into your eyes.”
Luc’s lips twitch with the ghost of a smile. It’s a role reversal, since Luc’s always the crazy one, the idiot that needs to be held back from making stupid decisions, but now he’s the boss, and he holds Ang’s heart in his hands.
Blue eyes sparkle with fun, his lips turn up into a smile, then he smacks Ang’s hand aside and pulls him in for a noisy back-thumping hug instead. “I trust you, Alesi. I already told you, you have my blessing.” Stepping back, the idiot of the guy pack surprises Kane and pulls him into a three-way hug that surprises him so much, his hand darts to the back of his jeans in search of a weapon that’s not there.
“Welcome to the family, thug. So long as you take care of my sister and never try to steal her from us, I won’t ever hurt you.” His eyes light up. “You should come to dinner this weekend; we have loads to catch up on, and Alex is on a tear, because some asshole is graffitiing all over town.”
“Oh, hey, Ang.” Kari steps forward with a large envelope covered by erratically placed stamps. “This came for you while you were gone. The return address says Earl from Ohio.” She grins conspiratorially. “I’m dying to know who Earl from Ohio is, because he writes in cursive like he was raised during the Depression.”
Accepting the parcel with a grin, Ang’s eyes flash to me as he tears the paper open and presents a mint condition Buick Super owner’s manual. “I knew he wouldn’t let me down. Suck it, Laine! You owe me fifty bucks.”
Epilogue
“Welcome back, Laine.” Stepping aside, Sonia smiles as I enter her opulent office. The usual tea tray remains on the small table between the chairs, and as I move closer, I catch a whiff of the flowers and dead pigeon. “Take a seat and tell me everything.”
She’s almost like a mother hen pecking around her chicks, the way she moves around me and pushes the tray of cookies in my direction. She still wears fancy suits, high heels, and perfectly coiffed hair, but she long ago shed some of her professionalism and is now someone I might consider my friend.
“Tell me.” She sits forward and tucks her ankles to the side. “I want to know everything. I’ve seen this look in your eyes before; this sparkle of excitement. How is Chester?”
I burst out laughing and think of the bikini clad plastic llama statue that now takes up residence in Dixie’s ice-cream parlor. Britt happened across a yard sale last month, handed over twenty bucks, called up her squad, and hatched a plan to steal Miss Dixie’s lover and swap them out in the dead of night.
Britt is a wife, a mom, and yet, she donned her black clothes – if you ignore the giant purple lettering promoting her husband’s gym across the bust – pulled a cap over her eyes to hide her identity in case the police – her brother – picked us up, and together, we stole the statue from Miss Dixie’s and replaced it with a six-foot tall plastic llama in a pink polka-dotted bikini.
Just like old times, Jess, Britt, Kari, and I had a sleepover that night to talk boys, eat bad food, and together, we woke at dawn to Miss Dixie’s screeching that echoed clear across town.
I’m not entirely proud of my actions, but at the same time, Dixie’s a bitch who deserves to feel a little pain.
For now, and until we switch them back, the old statue remains in the front office of Kane’s new security business. A few days after his disappearance, Dixie became desperate enough, and fed up enough with the lack of police help, she stomped into Checkmate Security to pay for a private investigation. This led our group into a flurry of activity and laughter as we tried to hide the stupid thing in the storage closet while she told Eric her troubles and begged for his help.
The Oscar for best acting goes to Eric for his ability to not give us away while he took Dixie’s statements and accepted her credit card details.
“Laine?” Sonia taps my knee and brings me back to the real world. “Talk to me. I know you called me to discuss something important.”
I draw a long breath and end it with a smile. “I saw Graham yesterday…”
Not at all what she was expecting me to say, Sonia sits back and reverts back to her therapist self. “And how did that make you feel?”
I laugh. Leaning forward more carefree than I ever expected to feel after running into Graham again, I snag a cookie and take a bite. “At first I freaked a little; my heart was pounding a million miles an hour. I was in the store with Jess, Ang, and Kane. We were heading over to Spence’s for the afternoon, but Jessie and I wanted a picnic first, so we went to the store to grab snacks.” I meet Sonia’s eyes. “I swear, I haven’t thought of Graham in months, but then we turned into aisle three and bam!” I clap my thigh and make Sonia jump. “He was right there in the flesh. I’ve been good for ages, being with Ang brings me so much comfort, but seeing Graham was a surprise.” I laugh at the irony. “Surprise feels like an understatement, but you get what I mean. Seeing him so unexpectedly almost sent me into a full tailspin. This is such a small town, so how I’ve avoided him for so long surprises me, but there he was, picking out chips and soda.”
“What happened next?” Discretely, she pushes the box of tissues my way, but I don’t need them today.
I don’t need them anymore.
“Ang was already holding my hand.” I grin with satisfaction and think back to this time yesterday. “He does that a lot. He held my hand and pulled me closer. As soon as he saw Graham, he pulled me to a stop so I didn’t have to go closer.” I smile, remembering as he leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Do you wanna go, Laine? Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Um…” But of course, I wouldn’t be that lucky.
Graham turned before Ang could sweep me up and carry me away. As soon as he saw me, his faced drained white and his shoulders came up in defense. “Laine?”
“Graham used to be the cliché every girl in the fairy tales aimed for; tall, dark, and handsome. He had the chiseled jaw, dark hair, dark eyes. His hair was always perfectly combed, his suits always sharp and expensive. But the first thing I noticed yesterday was the beanie he had pulled so low over his head, I couldn’t even see his eyebrows. His cheeks were sunken and sickly, his skin was gray, and the whites of his eyes were yellow.” I meet Sonia’s eyes. “He looked sick, like, terminal illness sick, and when he saw me, I swear, he looked scared.” I remember how Ang’s large hand held mine, how he’d pulled me in so my body was pressed to his ribs.
My heart slammed against his side, my hands shook, but Graham’s fear did something for me. Something truly good. “Talk to me, Laine.”
Bravely, the way the younger, crazy me would have acted, I dropped Ang’s hand and stepped forward.
“I swear, I thought he was going to crap his pants, Sonia. I thought he would just keel over and die, the way he shriveled up with each step I took.” Playing with the fray in my jeans, I laugh. “I shouldn’t take pleasure in that, but the petty, statue-stealing side of me basked in it. His eyes darted between each of ours – mine, Jess’, Kane’s, then Ang’s. He was going to drop a load in aisle three, and then the universe decided it was a good time for Alex and Oz to walk in in search of chips and dip for the fights on TV.” I giggle as I remember. “A part of me is actually tempted to say ‘poor Graham’.” My belly bounces with my soft laughter. “I truly don’t think in all the time I spent in Infernos club, I was ever as scared as Graham was yesterday in the middle of Jonah’s store.”
“Do you think seeing him has set you back at all?” Sonia asks. “Do you feel like we need to increase your sessions just to make sure?”
“No.” Freedom. Sweet, blissful freedom. “I think seeing him freed me. I was rehearsing this grand speech in my head, I was going to tell him how I’m still standing, still
strong; it included choreographed fist pumping and sassy hair swings. I was probably going to smack my own ass and tell him to kiss it as I walked away.” Snickering, I place my cookie down and brush the crumbs from my lap. “In reality, none of that happened. When he was panicking, when he was literally shaking in front of my eyes – which only got worse when Ang stepped up close enough I felt his body heat on my back – I simply picked up a bag of chips and tossed them in his basket.”
Sonia claps a hand over her mouth in surprise, which makes me giggle.
“A long time ago, back when we’d been together for a few months and he was done trying to impress me, I sat down with a soda and chips and started a movie; I was exhausted after a long week of work… and other stuff.” I shrug. “Graham got mad at me, like, scary, loud, mad that completely took me by surprise. He snatched my chips away and screamed for an hour that I was fat and useless. He was relentless.” I shake my head. “It was so bad, I went to the bathroom and stuck my fingers down my throat just to undo the damage I’d supposedly done. I’m not fat.” And to prove it, I pick up the half-eaten cookie and shove it into my mouth. “I’m definitely not useless. Graham was, and still is, a coward and a bully, and he degrades others so he can control them. I looked around Jonah’s store yesterday, because even without words, we’d drawn attention. My sister stood with Kane, Ang stood with me, my cops stood together and unclipped their guns, and even two-bucks-a-blowy Belle, the store cashier, stood behind me just to catch the gossip. Graham froze up until I actually felt bad for him, so I tossed my bag of chips into his basket, gave him a flirty wink, and kept on walking.”
“Laine.” Smiling proudly, Sonia reaches out to my tissue box and snatches one up to wipe beneath her eye. “I’m so unbelievably proud of you. I feel like I owe you a graduation certificate or something. A high-five as an absolute minimum. My baby’s all grown up and doesn’t need me anymore.”