“Bailey,” I whisper, my body frozen in place.
Her eyes squeeze shut, and her voice comes out strained. “They’re looking right at us, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
She sucks in a heavy breath, then lets it out immediately. “Well, I guess this is happening then. We’re going to have to tell everyone.”
I nod and take a small step away from her. I swallow hard as we both turn to face Bailey’s mom and Jess at the same time. The kids are completely oblivious, and Bailey’s dad and brother don’t seem to be near.
So, at this point, it looks like it’s just her mom and Jess.
“What the fuck? Did you guys just kiss?” Harry yells from the sliding glass door, startling us both. His body takes up the small space in the open door with one hand on the wall and the other clutching the metal frame.
Of course.
“Let’s take this inside and away from little ears,” Bailey suggests, gesturing for me to follow.
I nod, falling into step behind her.
The three of us head into the formal dining area. As soon as we are out of earshot, Harry aggressively turns on his heels and stares directly at us. “Explain. Why the hell did I just see my best friend and my sister kiss in the middle of my parents’ backyard?”
Bailey looks over to me, then answers before I have a chance to. “It’s nothing, Harry.”
“That didn’t look likenothing,” he retorts.
Silence.
Neither Bailey nor myself answer. The tension in the room is growing thicker by the minute, making me wish that we had more time to formulate some type of response. For fuck’s sake, we both aren’t even aware of where each other stands in all this. Things have shifted; I’m just not sure how much.
I guess I figured that it wouldn’t last long. Or that things wouldn’t have gotten so complicated between us. Because now, as I stand here with my best friend, I want to be honest withhim—but how can I do that when I’m not sure if I’ve even been honest with myself.
Harry paces back and forth, clearly growing frustrated with our silence. “You guys can’t be dating! I thought you were messing around with your real estate agent?”
My heart stops.
My eyes quickly fly across the room to Bailey. Panic builds when she doesn’t meet mine back. Instead, she avoids my stare and answers Harry.
“We’re not dating,” she tells him, crossing her arms tight against her chest. “We’re just sleeping together.”
Now, my heart is pounding in my chest. I’m speechless and continue to stand here like an idiot.
Everything that has occurred between us over the last few months is all summed up in one simple and almost demeaning sentence. The emotions, the feelings, the moments we’ve shared that have taken over my existence are suddenly reduced to this.
Harry’s fists form tight balls at his sides. “Mason, what the hell! You’re fucking my little sister?”
With all the sudden commotion and yelling, Bailey’s dad, mom, and Jess have joined us now in the formal dining room. I scan the room before answering Harry. Her dad is resting his hands on the back of a chair at the long, rectangular dining table.
I swallow hard, straightening my shoulders and preparing myself for this conversation.
“Yes.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Bailey, but she still refuses to look at me. We’re not more than ten feet away from each other, but right now, it feels like we’re an ocean apart. I do feel empty and ashamed. I know she deserves better than me.
“I knew it,” her mom mumbles under her breath.
“What the fuck, you guys? I can’t believe this is happening! How long has it been going on?” Harry asks, but I’m not sure he wants to hear the truth.
I decide to answer because I know exactly how long it’s been since that life-changing decision in Burbank. “Right after Thanksgiving.”
