The twins share a worried look before facing me with identical expressions of concern on their faces.
Luke takes a small step backwards as Leo speaks in a tone you’d used on a skittish animal, eerily calm. “Listen, Hale. You’re always the calm one among us so I’m going to need you to stop with your girly meltdown. My brother and I need to reclaim our spots as the drama queens. Do you think you can do that for me?”
Get it together, Hale. He’s right. It’s just Lana, not a tornado threatening to engulf your town.
When we first became a group as kids, I immediately and naturally fell into the leadership position. My first foster placement was a military home and they were extremely strict about controlling emotions and making sure we always acted impeccably, even at a young age. Apparently, I didn’t live up to their perfect expectations, so they sent me back to the group home but not before my innately calm and collected personality was ingrained. Being sent back was the best thing that happened to me, though. Now, I’m still the leader of our little family, even with the world falling apart around us, so I have to make the right choices. I never make rash decisions and, so far, it’s worked in our favor.
About a year ago, we all admitted our feelings for Lana to each other in private. It was around the time of our last birthday when it became terribly clear that not only were other guys approaching her for dates, but we were also becoming scarily territorial over her as those assholes showed up. The idea that those fucking frat guys thought they deserved her after screwing around with half the town? Fucking made our blood boil. Our small state college was full of sleaze balls.
We’re not saints by any means—well, except for Zedd, who hasn’t even talked to a girl romantically—but we’re much better than those idiots. Since then, we haven’t looked twice at another girl.
However, just admitting it wasn’t enough. It seemed taboo to have feelings for the girl we’d grown up with and was technically our foster sister. We needed time to accept our feelings towards her and time to mature before we were worthy of her.
Even now, we’re not worthy of her, but it’s time to show her we want to put in the work to make this happen.
Zedd was the one who clued us in back then. Unlike the rest of us, who were busy seducing other women right in front of the girl of our dreams, Zedd’s entire focus had been on Lana. He sat us down and forced us to start paying attention to the looks she gave us, to the way her face fell when Leo hugged a girl or Luke flirted with one or I paid a little too much attention to a classmate. When one of us went on a date, the ones left behind noticed how she trudged around the house, pretending to be upbeat but nowhere near her normal energy levels. Her smile would fall as soon as she thought we weren’t looking.
Hearing how upset we made her was enough to make our hearts drop but seeing it? Torture.
Without needing further prompting, we grabbed our heads and tugged them out of our asses. Those other women had been flings. We’d never connected with them. We were done hurting her to pursue something temporary. No more. It might have taken us some time to figure it all out, but now… Now we’re ready for the rollercoaster of emotion our girl will undoubtedly take us on.
My Little One.
Everything has changed in the past year for us, since it became astonishingly clear that our feelings were reciprocated by her, even if she still doesn’t want to admit it.
Last night, after the bonfire and our conversation, we decided to lay the decision of how our future will play out at her feet. She deserves our honesty about our feelings towards her. We’ve taken the leap off the cliff… now we just need to see if she’ll jump with us. Whatever happens, this will be a big change for the group, but we made out decision and fate is in motion.
When she walked into our not-so-covert covert meeting and accused us of talking about boobs and vaginas last night, we collectively snorted at the ridiculous notion. The only boobs and vagina we think about are hers but she’s blind to the effect she has on us.
The memory of those sinful shorts and revealing tank top, the way she crossed her arms, pushing her perky tits together in defiance, the outline of her nipples through the white top—delectably sinful. I suppress a groan as my body tightens further.
But we still don’t know how the conversation went so we’re walking on eggshells—or if it even fucking went.
I’m sure he pussied out. She’s acting just as she has every other day of the last sixteen years. Where are the nerves or the discomfort we were anticipating and preparing to break through?
But no, she goes for typical Lana unpredictability and throws us for a loop. Acting completely fucking normal.
I breathe in deep to center my thoughts and blow out a shaky breath. The fall of my chest takes my anxiety with it and I nod to myself. “Okay. I’m good.”
“Finally!” Luke says, and then swoons dramatically onto his twin. Leo’s not quick enough to catch his brother so they both stumble to the ground. “What shall we do, brother?” He drapes himself over his brother’s lap. “Sugar Britches owns my heart. It bleeds for her! I feel I may burst from the uncertainty that plagues us. I must know if she reciprocates my”—I shoot him a reprimanding look and he backtracks—“our feelings or I may … uh, kicketh the bucket. Mine own poor heart shall cease its very beating if it be true the lady does not loveth me.”
Leo places his hand over his brother’s heart. “Oh, brother, steady. Steady. I suffer with thee, the agony and uncertainty. But we might not but persevere! For the sake of our love, we wilt. And if the lady does not returneth our love, I shall prepareth our graves.”
I groan. “Who the fuck told you drama queens to take Shakespeare in college?”
Instead of responding, Leo joins his forehead with his brother and his body shakes with a theatrical sob.
Scoffing at their utter ridiculousness, I read between the lines to their truth. They have a habit of resorting to humor when things get too deep but I know they’re scared at how she’ll react.
Whether she’ll accept them.
“Well,” I say, clapping my hands once to break them out of the impromptu play they just performed for me. “I think the best course of action would be to talk to Ash first—just in case he backed out and didn’t tell her. If that’s the case, we’re worrying for no reason.” I will beat the shit out of him if he wussed out.
“Until we know for sure, we need to act normally. Zedd doesn’t seem concerned—not that we can read the guy most days—so we can trust that he’ll not let anything slip. Let’s just go to the lake and try to find a moment for one of us to get Ash on his own and find out what the fuck happened.”
Ending with a satisfied nod, I’m certain the plan will work. I look up to find the twins looking at each other, smirking, eyes twinkling.
Fuck. That can’t be good.
Not sure if I even want to know, I still ask. “What are you two plotting?”
The smirks quickly morph into full smiles. Suddenly, they’re all wide-eyed, trying to look all innocent. Lana may call them her angels, but sinless darlings, they are not.
“Whatever do you mean, Hale?” Luke chirps from his position in his brother’s lap. “We heard your plan.”
“Mhm!” Leo hums in agreement, nodding violently like his head may fall off. “Sounds foolproof!”