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They collide, gripping hold of one another’s forearms while excitedly jumping in place, their screeching slicing through the air.
“Look how tan you are!” Jones grabs Daph’s face, pulling their foreheads together. “I missed you.”
Daph tosses her arms overtop J’s shoulders. “I missed you, too, boo.”
I don’t think Jonsie and Daph have spent more than twenty-four hours apart since the day J first invited her to our house. So, the month Daphne just did in Miami with her mom was nothing short of torture for my sister. Considering Daph’s hatred for her mother, it probably wasn’t a cake walk for her either.
I think we were all a little caught off guard when Daphne said her mother was forcing her into a month-long mother-daughter vacation. The most initiative Belinda Burke has ever taken in being a mother is hiring a personal chef to ensure Daphne didn’t die of starvation before she was old enough to cook for herself. I’d be shocked to shit if they’ve had a conversation in the last six years that lasted beyond four verbal exchanges, so I don’t know what the fuck they did spending thirty whole days sharing a space. Not gonna lie, before she left, I did some digging to make sure Belinda didn’t have any newly implemented life insurance policies on Daph or any financial troubles we weren’t aware of.
Yeah, that’s how little I trust that bitch.
“I’m gonna go get Mom!” J announces. “She’s been waiting all day for you to get here!” She bounces off, sprinting in the direction of the concession tents where our parents are grabbing lunch, leaving me and Daph behind.
I eye her, slightly surprised when she forgoes insulting me in favor of tracing lines in the dirt with her foot.
Huh.
The silence stretches on for several more seconds, leaving me to be the one to initiate our interaction for the first time possibly ever.
“So,” I begin, “I see you survived a month with Mommie Dearest.”
“Right?” She laughs, and the sound defuses some of the unease I didn’t even realize I’d been harboring in my chest. “Although, I’m sure the way she’d tell it is she survived me. Trust me, she’s had her fill. Couldn’t drop me off fast enough. If that new spa she’s been itching to try wasn’t out this way, she’d have made me Uber.”
She stops toeing the dirt long enough to look up at me, her emerald eyes locking on mine. “Thank you for leaving the VIP Pass at the gate for me, Nicky. I really missed Jonsie. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had to wait another two days to see her.”
It takes me a second to realize I’m not breathing, almost as though the shine of unshed tears in her eyes caused my lungs to seize. Slowly drawing in a breath, I bring my arms to rest overtop my chest.
“Don’t mention it, princess.” Her nose scrunches up at the nickname she hates. “Pretty sure J was going through withdrawal, and we both know I can’t bear the sight of my sister unhappy. Even if her happiness comes at the expense of my sanity. So,” I initiate a few steps in her direction, “here you are.”
She sticks her tongue out at me while simultaneously flipping me off.
“There she is.” My face breaks out into a wide smile. “Welcome home, Daph.”
She chuckles, moving to pull her longer-than-I-remember tresses into a high ponytail. It’s only then I take in her full appearance. Daph’s tanned, toned legs are on display in a pair of shorts that are somehow even shorter than my sister’s, but her entire upper body is concealed by a black zip up hoodie. Considering I’ve got a hairline trigger when it comes to assholes ogling the two girls I’ve watched grow up, I’d normally welcome any help I can get in drawing as little attention to them as possible. However, it’s pushing a hundred degrees out here, and judging by the way she’s panting, she isn’t gonna make it much longer in that thing.
“Daph, why the hell are you in a sweatshirt?”
She finishes tying off her hair before pushing her sleeves up to her elbows. “It was cold in the car.” She shrugs.
“Okay… but it’s hotter than Hell out here. And while you may be a demon, even you are no match for the inevitable effects of heat exhaustion. Take it off.”
“No.” She takes a step back, almost a bit too quickly for my liking. It sets me on edge, and my eyes narrow in suspicion.
“It’s just… I don’t have anything on underneath it.”
“J keeps a duffle in the trailer. And on the unlikely chance she doesn’t have anything, I have spare team shirts. Come on.”
“Honestly, Nicky, I’m fine,” she insists.
“Why you being weird?”
“Why are you being an overbearing asshat?!”
“I’m always an overbearing asshat.” I hold her gaze, slowly advancing toward her. “But you’re very rarely weird. Overdramatic? Sure. High maintenance? Hundred percent. Pain in my ass? Abso-fuckin-lutely. But never weird.” I break our stare to glance down at the offending fabric. Daphne gives a subtle jump, just now realizing how close I’ve managed to come to her. My eyes slowly climb their way back to her face, and I’m a little rattled by how much effort I have to exert to ensure my breathing stays even.
“Take off the hoodie, Daph.”
Daphne turns to make a break for it, but I’m faster. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I lift her clear off the ground, crushing her back to my chest as I walk us up the ramp of the trailer.
