AllFreeNovel
Share Us
HAMMER
“Hollis, my man, I’ve got some news!” my dad shouts.
He has the worst habit of showing up without knocking or texting in advance and waiting for a reply.
We freeze for half a second, my panic echoed in Hollis’s eyes. But his hold so many other emotions, too, like guilt and shame. My stomach sinks.
“Go to the spare bedroom, now,” he orders. He strides across the kitchen, shouting, “Hey, man. We’ve talked about this.”
I rush around the corner and down the hall. My heart is in my throat, my stomach in knots. We were seconds away from getting caught. If we’d been in the dining room, we would have.
“Oh, shit. Are you on a date? Did you change your mind and decide to see Scarlet again?” Dad asks.
The knot in my stomach becomes a brick.
Heat climbs my spine at the mention of Hollis’s ex and my former favorite actress. And then the words register. Again? He’s seen her? Since when?
“Yes, I’m on a date. Not with Scarlet. You think we can do this later?” Hollis’s tight voice filters down the hall.
“Right, yeah. Absolutely. Sorry, man. Good for you. You should’ve told me.”
“How about I text you later?”
“Or I’ll just see you in the morning. We can talk on the plane. Have a good night.”
I’m shaking with anxiety and anger. Sweat trickles down my spine, and my heart thunders in my chest. He was right. We used to tell each other everything.
Hollis appears in the doorway. “He’s gone, and I put the safety latch on.”
I cross my arms. “See Scarlet again?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“How do you even know what I think? When did you see her? Before you kissed me? After?” He knew about Jameson. He was there for the entire dumpster fire. This is why I always feel off center with Hollis.
A million emotions cross his face, but it’s the remorse that makes my stomach and heart sink.
“Aurora.”
“Before or after, Hollis?”
“After.” He runs a hand through his hair.
He might as well rip my heart out. “What the hell?” I try to step around him, but he blocks the door.
He raises a hand, like he’s trying to calm me. Like I don’t have a right to be upset. “Can you let me explain?”
“Do not barricade me in this room so you can feed me some bullshit story about why you went to see your goddamn ex-girlfriend after you kissed me and told me it was a mistake!”
“That’s not what I’m doing.” He moves aside, though, and I step out into the hall.
He follows.
“Did you fuck her?” I’m on the verge of tears.
He blanches. “Of course not.”
I spin to face him. “Did you kiss her?”
