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Peoplekind. What a douchbag.
Kylie
The following week was rough, minutes felt like hours and hours felt like an eternity. I spent ninety-nine percent of the slow-moving time thinking about Seb. It was so bad, it got to the point where not only did my work suffer, but I kept catching Rocco shooting me confused looks. Once, he even asked point-blank what my problem was. I got so sick of his constant pestering that I finally blurted out I had a raging case of PMS.
Rocco’s eyes went wide and he fled the room. I might have taken a little pleasure in that. Nothing scared men like the threat of discussing your menstrual cycle.
Friday had rolled around, again, and even though I loved my internship, I couldn't wait for five o’clock so I could go home. Why? Not a clue. It wasn’t as if I had plans, except to sit around and mope, wishing I was with Seb. Maybe it would happen… in an alternate universe. A universe where Seb wasn't an emotionally stunted man-whore and my brother wasn't a hot-tempered, bullheaded, meddling idiot.
"Hot date?"
Piper approached my desk and I attempted to smile, but it was a weak effort. With anyone else, I wouldn't have bothered. Piper, however, isn’t "anyone else." I had to show her everything was okay. If I didn’t, she would pry. Piper was the only person who knew about Seb, and she had taken to drilling me about him at the most random of times. The woman was relentless. Good for a journalist, bad when you wanted to forget.
At least I didn’t tell her I hooked up with him last Friday. To Piper’s frustration, over the last week, each and every time she cornered me, I talked my way out of giving her an explanation for my weirdness. Eventually, she would call me out on my bullshit. I just hoped my time wasn’t up.
“Nah, just tired,” I said as I filed a few papers, mostly to avoid making eye contact. As observant as she was, Piper was even more so when she looked you in the eye.
"Riiiight." She perched on the edge of my tiny cubicle desk, clearly not about to go anywhere until she got what she wanted. "So, you’re saying your mopey attitude all week was because you were tired." Piper rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Try again."
"Come on, Piper," I whined. "Can we not talk about this?"
“Talk about what? The fact that you're really into this guy, the fact that you’re trying to hide it from me, or the fact that you don’t want to admit any of it?”
I huffed and crossed my arms. "It was just a bit of fun. Remember? You and I already talked about this. And, um, you were right, by the way.” I took a sudden, acute interest in my stapler, and flipped it over in my hands. “It was a mistake to get involved with him.” Of course she heard me, despite my mumbling.
"But totally worth it, right?" I glanced up at Piper and, to my surprise, she was grinning.
As usual, her smile was contagious and tugged at the corners of my mouth. I chuckled, but it was accompanied by a painful ache in my chest.
”Totally. Yep,” I agreed.
"See, I told you—” Piper read my wounded expression and her face fell. "Oh my god, Ky. I was just kidding when I said you were into him."
I ducked my head so she wouldn't see me cry. Piper’s hand curled around my arm. I pushed my hair out of my face, tried to keep it together, and failed.
“I swear I didn’t know,” Piper said. “It's more than that, isn't it?” She stared at me and realization flitted across her features. “Oh my god. You don’t just like him… you're falling for him."
I wiped my eyes and waved her off. “Not really. I don't even know him. So no, I'm not falling for him. I just wish—”
“You wish it wasn't so complicated," Piper said when I got too choked up to finish.
"Yeah."
It didn't matter whether or not I liked Seb, we could never be together, not for real. First, Rocco would never accept it
, and second, Seb would never accept me if he found out Rocco was my brother. Besides, it really was just sex. At least, for Seb.
Another jolt of pain squeezed my heart and I winced.
"I'm so sorry, Kylie. It sucks. I know exactly how you feel when you want to be with someone, but extenuating circumstances make it impossible."
"It does suck," I agreed. With a final sniff, I stood and smoothed my hands down my clothes. Chin up, trying to maintain some sense of dignity, I asked Piper, "What do you say we go out and forget about men and their extenuating circumstances?"
Piper's eyes glittered and that wide grin returned. "Let's go."
"I don't get you, Kylie. What is it? Suddenly you don't like hockey anymore?"
Exhausted by the subject, I sat on the couch and watched Rocco pace back and forth, his perma-scowl front and center, v-shaped wrinkle front and center.
