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“Got it.”

I hung up the phone and Alex wasted no time in assaulting me with questions.

“Delane’s having a party? What, you weren’t going to tell me that you were meeting up with her again, huh? How is she by the way?”

I started the car and began my turn around back to the access road. Blinker on, hands on 10 and 2, good little driver so that Damian’s app would leave me the hell alone.

“She’s good…it’s uh, her birthday coming up.”

“Ohhh, man! Where you guys headed? And where is my invite?”

I chuckled. “Look, I barely got invited myself. And, uh—” I chanced another look back at Serenity. “It’s a club somewhere. I’ve never been to it before.”

I took the car through a turn around and back up the opposite direction. I held my speed at 50 and looped back through to Alex’s neighborhood.

“Damian barely let me out as it was. I am lucky he even let me drive the car.”

Alex shuddered. “Uhh yeah, your brother is scary. What is it with scary older brothers?” he laughed and leaned back to check on Serenity. “Right Serenity? No offense, but you’ve got one for sure! Silas is something else.”

I stiffened at the wheel. ETA to Alex’s house: 2 minutes. I wished he would shut up and stop finding ways to bring up topics I wanted to avoid. Now, here I was, not even able to bypass a damn stop sign in his neighborhood without braking properly because of the scrutiny Damian had on my driving.

“My brother can come across scary,” Serenity agreed with a little smile. “But that’s only because he would kill for those he cares about.”

My heart was beating so hard in my chest. I remember a time when Silas offered. Actually offered to kill for me.

Then he still tried to.

Alex’s eyes widened and he shot me a look as if to say, “See? What’s up with that?”

A second later, he voiced the thought out loud.

“Exactly. That’s some intimidating behavior right there! And I’m going to have to sit down and meet him!”

I breaked too hard as we pulled up to the stop sign at the end of Alex’s block.

“Sit down? With Silas? Why?” I asked, more frantically than I intended to.

Alex reached over to my shoulder again, squeezing. “See, Noah? This is why we need to hang out more! You’re so behind on everything. I asked Serenity out and we’ve gone on a few dates. Tonight is another one!”

Mentally, I cringed. Alex’s comment had me feeling out of my element. So uncomfortable. I tried to focus, but I wanted nothing more than to get out of the car.

“Oh? Congrats?” There was the driveway. The driveway was in my sights.

Alex unbuckled his seat belt before I had fully pulled into his driveway and I flinched when Damian’s car started blaring alarms at me. Alex didn’t seem to notice. He was excitedly planning something. I could see a mischievous grin molding onto his features.

“You know what? You should come with me to talk with him. I’m not trying to go alone.”

And here we were, back to Alex’s house, safely parked before I could officially explode mentally. There would be no way in hell I’d be sitting down with Silas and Alex. Not a single cell in my body could handle an experience like that.

“I definitely don’t think that would be a good idea, Alex.”

“Why? I know everything is a bit chaotic ‘cause of your dad, the media, and the party, but you guys were kind of friends right? You two already know each other.”

Yeah we do, I thought. Too well.

Alex suddenly dissolved into laughter, like he was trying to get out a joke so funny, he couldn’t even speak it in one go. “Remember when I was trying to smooth things over with Serenity—she already knows by the way, about the fake dating and stuff, so don’t worry, that’s fine—and I called you on the phone, and you made that joke—”

“Alex, no.” Oh god, I thought. Anything but this.