AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Itwasyour intention. That’s the problem. You were purposely lying to me, to him, and to yourself.” Conor opens my fridge and grabs a beer that’s there from when my dad was here. He cracks it open, and I shake my head.
“You have no idea what I was thinking. I’m not having this conversation with you. The only person who deserves this conversation is Rowan.”
His jaw clenches so hard I think he might crack a tooth. “I fucking hate it, Ky. He’s my friend.”
“So what?” I toss my purse on my small table and wind around him to the fridge.
“You don’t get it, do you?”
I grab a water and twist the cap off with more force than necessary. “You’re trying to control me, just like Mom. Well, news flash, no one is controlling what I do anymore.”
“Listen to you. You’re like a spoiled child. I mean, who buys a bar just because? You’re not even you anymore. You think you have something with Rowan? Well, news flash to you, sis, he doesn’t even know the real Kyleigh Nilsen. He didn’t even know your name.” He finishes half the beer, slips off his shoes, and stomps over to my couch.
He cannot be serious right now. He’s going to sleep on my couch? Overstep much?
“Leigh is part of my name.”
He stares blankly at me. “That’s your answer? Some bullshit that it’s part of your name? You never go by that, and in fact, you hate when people call you that.”
“I said that once when I was in the fourth grade when Mrs. Trinton kept calling me that.”
“Okay, so I’ll call you Leigh from now on then. Hi, Leigh, I’m Nor.”
I narrow my eyes and inhale deeply, my fist clutching my water bottle so tightly, water spills over the rim and down my hand, dripping onto the floor. “You’re being a real jerk.”
“Because you’re about to fuck everything up for me here. This is the year. I can taste the fucking Cup, and you fucking Landry is going to screw it all up.”
Good thing Bodhi isn’t here to overhear that sentence.
“I should’ve realized this is all about you. Figures. My entire life has been about you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Fuck off. You’re so dramatic.”
I put the cap on my water and slam it on the counter. “I’m sorry, did you have to go to all my sporting events? I must have missed that. Did you have to sit in the stands, or worse, get pushed to play with kids you normally wouldn’t have because instead of being with your real friends, you have to befriend the siblings of your brother’s teammates?” I twirl my finger. “Yeah, that was me.” I point my finger right back at me. “And now you’re going to come to Chicago when you’ve been gone for years and tell me who I can and can’t see? You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“See? You think you’re seeing Landry?” He shakes his head. “Jesus, Ky, he’s using you for sex. As soon as the season starts, you’re gone.” His words cut through the flesh and bone right through to my heart. “Not because he’s a bad guy, but he’s not gonna have time. And believe me, I know the guy. He carries shit from his childhood deep down, and he’s told me more than once that he’s not the marriage type. So, come down from the tower, Ky, he’s not saving you.”
“You’re such an asshole!”
I stomp down the hallway and slam my bedroom door, flipping the lock. Then I crawl into my bed, curl into the fetal position, and let all the frustration surface, crying myself to sleep while wishing I could magically disappear.
Thirty-One
Rowan
I knockon Henry’s door at six in the morning, unable to sleep and tired of walking the streets of Chicago.
He opens the door and runs his hand through his disheveled hair. “I expected you earlier.” Stepping out of the way, he holds the door open for me.
I’m sure Bodhi is sleeping, so I try to be quiet, toeing out of my shoes, and stepping into his family room.
“She’s Conor’s sister.” I shake my head and run my hand behind my head, tugging at my strained neck.
“Unreal.”
“I’m not even upset about that. I mean…I’m shocked, but she lied. For a long time.”
He sits down and extends his legs, resting his feet on the ottoman. Bodhi’s toys have all been put in their designated bins, and books are stacked on a shelf under the television in the console. “Yeah.”
