I can’t even deal with this scene. Clutching my cup, I cross the distance to my room and duck inside. I lean back against the door just in time to hear, “One!”
Cheers. Noisemakers. Whoops and hollers. I’m sure Braxton is kissing Hope, a prelude to him tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs to his room. I’ll probably have to suffer her dirty looks through breakfast tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get up early and go home before Braxton and Selene wake up. I’m not sure I want to hang out with people who all got laid the night before, while I’m spending the night alone in my room, with only my good friend vodka to keep me company.
I sink down on the bed and put the drink on the nightstand. As much as I want this year to be better, from the way it’s beginning I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a lot more of the same.
My phone vibrates in my hand and I smile, seeing the text is from Kylie.
I assume you have plans, but if not—date-free Valentine’s Day dinner. Just us three. Wanna come?
Sounds fucking perfect to me. I broke up with Hope a few days ago. She didn’t exactly take it well. I guess I’m a dick for breaking up with her right before Valentine’s Day. There was quite a bit of yelling, a slap that stung my cheek, and a lot of broken glass for me to clean up when she finally left.
Hope was definitely a firecracker. It was one of the things I liked about her, but there was a downside to her spirit. Hope will be fine. She’s hot as hell, and she could do a lot better than an asshole like me anyway.
I answer Kylie’s text, realizing it’s been a while since I could text back and forth with her without angling my phone so my jealous girlfriend can’t see who I’m talking to.
You know I’m in, baby girl.
It’s going to be a relief to be able to shamelessly flirt with Kylie again. She’s one of the reasons I broke it off with Hope, although I would never admit that to either of them. I knew Hope didn’t like Kylie. She seemed to think I didn’t see her glaring, but I’m not blind. It pissed me off. If a girl can’t handle my friendship with Kylie, they need to step off. I put up with Hope’s jealousy for a while—she gave me some very compelling reasons, and I don’t mean with words—but it got old.
Not that I blame her. It’s not easy to be with a guy who has a close relationship with another woman. Particularly when that woman is Kylie. She’s fucking adorable. She’s one of those women who has absolutely no clue how beautiful she is, and that only makes her hotter. She’s little compared to me and Selene, with inky dark hair, and these crazy blue-gray eyes, plus a tight round ass and a set of magnificent tits.
Yes, I notice her ass and her tits. Of course I do. I’m a fucking man, aren’t I?
I’m normally not the kind of guy who gives a crap about Valentine’s Day, but since I get to hang out with my sister and Kylie, sans boyfriends or dates, I’m in a pretty good mood about it. I wonder why Selene isn’t going out with that Nathan guy, but I guess I’ll find out tonight. I’m assuming it isn’t because they broke up, otherwise I would have heard. I decide to swing by a store and get them both flowers. That will make them smile.
I meet my girls at a Thai place not far from my condo. I saunter back to their table, holding two huge bouquets of roses wrapped in white paper—pink for Selene, red for Ky. Selene sees me first and her face lights up.
I grin at both of them. “Ladies,” I say, and hand them their flowers.
“Aw,” Selene says. She takes the flowers and holds them up to smell them. “Big brother, you’re the sweetest.”
We’re twins, but I’m older by three minutes.
“And for you,” I say, handing the red bouquet to Kylie.
Kylie takes the flowers, but looks more suspicious than my sister. “What is this all about?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day,” I say. “I wanted to make sure my girls had flowers.”
They’re sitting on the same side of the table, so I take a seat across from them.
“So how are we all dateless tonight?” Kylie asks.
“Nathan is out of town for work,” Selene says. “I was kind of bummed about it, but this is fun.”
Kylie’s eyes flit to me. She won’t ask. She’ll wait to see if I mention why I’m not taking Hope out tonight. It’s our thing. We don’t discuss our relationships.
“Hope and I broke up,” I say with a shrug.
“That’s too bad,” Selene says.
Kylie raises an eyebrow. “Is it?”
“Oh, come on, Ky,” Selene says, “Hope wasn’t so bad.”
“She hated my guts,” Kylie says.
My stomach twists a little at that. Kylie did notice. Fuck, that pisses me off. “Yeah, well, it’s over. So we can celebrate our singlehood together tonight.”
“You guys go ahead,” Selene says with a smug smile. “I’m very happily un-single at the moment.”
“I like Nathan,” Kylie says. “At first I thought he was too arrogant, but he’s actually pretty funny. I’m glad things are working out for you guys.”