“I thought you were going to Uber?” Ally asks me.
“My PayPal is shut down, and I left my wallet at home.” Wow, that lie came off my tongue quick. Ally doesn’t believe a word of it.
“I can call you an Uber,” Ally suggests, but I shake my head.
“Why, when you can take me? Meet up with him later.”
“Dude, stop cockblocking,” Taco says, and I give him a look that I hope he realizes means he is trash.
“Chalupa, I mean Nacho. Sorry, can I call you Nacho?” I ask and his look says no, but I don’t care. “I don’t need to cockblock. You’re not worth her time—”
“Ash, stop,” Ally says then, pressing her hand into my chest. “Go back to your date. Stella can give you a ride.”
Our eyes meet, and I silently beg her not to do this. “You’re better than this.”
She looks away. “See ya.”
I want to stop her, but there is no point. She does what she wants. That asshole has some kind of pull on her. As I watch them walk out, Taco’s hand slides down her back to her ass, and I cringe as the anger eats me alive. What the hell is she doing? When Stella comes up beside me, I can feel her gaze on me as I exhale.
“Just FYI, you can’t care more about your best friend than you do a potential girlfriend. Your date can get a little icky about it.”
I take a deep breath as I shake my head. “Ally has been my best friend for a long time—she is important to me. Whoever I am with will just need to get used to that. I care about Ally’s well-being. She doesn’t think before she acts.”
I meet Stella’s gaze, and she’s giving me a weird look. “Dude, you know the only reason Jasmine was okay with your relationship with Ally was because she wanted to sleep with her, right?”
I don’t need this reminder. “So?”
“So, a straight woman isn’t like that. They want you all to themselves. You either need to be prepared to give up this need to protect and be there for Ally, or start dating her, because you can’t have both.” She pats my chest. “I’ll be ready to leave in ten. Might want to go back and smooth things over with Angie before you lose that potential. She’s really great, and I think you two could be good together.”
I make a face. “She only wants to sleep with me.”
She shrugs. “What’s wrong with that?”
With that, she walks away as I let out a long breath. I think there is something wrong with me because, unlike my sister—and I know, my brother—I don’t want to just fuck someone. I want a relationship; I want the person I’m with to understand my relationship with Ally. She means a lot to me. I don’t care what Stella says; anyone who wants to be with me will always have to be cool with Ally. She’s my person, and it’s that simple. I’ll be alone forever before I stop worrying, caring, or trying to protect her. Anyone who can’t understand that wouldn’t understand me. It’s loyalty, and Ally has all mine. When I turn, I see Angie waiting for me. She looks annoyed, and I really don’t want to go back over there. Maybe we could be great together, but I want someone who wants me for who I am. Not because I look good and can rock her world. I can, but I want more.
I want to chase after Ally and make sure she doesn’t go home with that jackass.
Man, I knew coming home would be a cluster, but I honestly didn’t think the cluster would be caused by Ally.
Chapter Eight
Asher
I haven’t talked to Ally since she left Brooks House last night.
This is weird for us. We usually talk a lot, but it’s been sixteen hours—and nothing. Not that I’ve texted her, but she hasn’t texted me either. I’m still struggling with the fact that she left with that asshole. It’s ridiculous and annoying. She needs so much more than some dude who only wants to fuck her and mess up her life. I don’t know why she doesn’t see her worth when it comes to relationships. She settles for shit, and it blows my mind. She’s highly intelligent, so why does she want him? He’s an idiot. Fucking infuriating.
Infuriating is also how Angie was. She didn’t like that I tried to stop Ally. For someone who just wants to fuck around, she gets really jealous, really fast. It’s actually a turn-off, but I can look past it. Mostly because I don’t care. Angie can be jealous all she wants, but I’ll continue to be concerned for Ally. It’s nice to be wanted completely by someone—and for them not to want to sleep with Ally—but I don’t think things will progress with Angie. She’s a cool chick and hot as hell, but we are on different paths. She doesn’t want what I want, and that’s fine. I’ll see her again, but I’ll make sure she is aware of what I want. I don’t date for fun; I date for a future. Seriously, I was engaged at nineteen. Obviously, I want companionship with someone who completes me.
As I move through the kitchen, cleaning up the mess from the breakfast I made for everyone, the house is quiet. This month, my dad started scouting for the Assassins, and he left this morning for Boston. My mom is at the restaurant, and the girls are at school. It’s nice to have the house to myself, but I’m still ready to move out. I need my own space. Emery took the last pancake I made, and apparently Stella didn’t have any, so she tried to stab the pancake away from Emery but stuck her middle finger instead. The screaming was real—even Mom and Dad got involved. It was entertaining, to say the least. So now, Emery is walking around holding up her middle finger since it hurts but directing it right at Stella. At every turn, she flips her off. It’s insanely immature, but that’s Emery and Stella.
If I don’t get out of here soon, I might end up in a straitjacket.
When my phone rings, I bring it out of my pocket to see that it’s Aiden.
Thank God.
“Damn, getting ahold of you is like trying to reach the president.”
Aiden laughs. “I’m a busy dude. Winning hockey games and planning a wedding.”
I sputter with laughter. “Please, Shelli and Elli are doing all that.”
“True,” he laughs again. “So, what’s up? You’ve been harassing me.”
“Wanting to talk to my brother is harassing you?” I ask as I lean on the counter. “What if I needed something important? Would that be harassing?”
He groans in frustration. “Dude, shut up. I know what you want. You want my condo because you can’t handle the girls.”
“Well, aren’t you intuitive?”
He laughs. “I lived there too. I know what it’s like now that their periods have synced.”
I laugh along with him. “Stella stabbed Emery with a fork this morning. It was by accident, apparently.”
Aiden snorts. “No, it wasn’t. I don’t understand those two. They almost always kill each other, yet they love each other more than anything. It’s weird.”
“So weird,” I agree on an exhale. “But seriously, can I get your condo?”
“Yeah, it’s empty. Take it.”
I jerk back in surprise. “When did you guys move?”
“Last week. We moved into a bigger apartment while they’re finishing building our house.”