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“…to help you pack.”
It took me a moment to register what he said. I blinked once. Had he just said what I thought he had said? I blinked twice. He had said exactly what I had heard.
“Why is she coming to help me pack? Where am I going?”
Grayson ran a hand through his damp hair, unable to look at me. He bit down on his lip looking nervous. Grayson had a few tells when he was nervous and that was one of them.
“Are you going to tell me what you need to tell me, or are you just going to draw this out longer than it needs to?”
He sighed and turned his full body to me. “Remember when you said you just wanted to crash here for a little bit, so that you could figure things out?”
I nodded.
“And remember when I said that it could only be a maximum of two weeks?”
I nodded again. My stomach dropped to the floor. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
“Well, it’s been two months now, Lils, and you still haven’t gotten a job or made any indication that you are moving out anytime soon.”
“I’ve just been trying to figure out where I want to go from here. I’m not like you who has a college degree to back him.”
“But who’s fault is that? You opted not to go to school. But that isn’t the point I’m trying to make here.” He looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he turned back to me. “Jade and I are thinking about expanding our family soon, and we would like a space of our own.”
I stood to my feet. “So you are kicking me out? Where am I supposed to go, Grayson? I have no job, no money, and no home. Winter is settling in. I can’t sleep outside.”
“Lily sit down,” He pointed to the seat I had been on, and I obliged. “I’m not going to leave you homeless, Lily. You have a home. Mom is more than happy to have you back home.”
“You are kidding, right?” I scoffed, “Me and mom under the same roof is like trying to start World War 3. We cannot cohabitate.”
“Then the alternative is you are homeless.”
“But why do I need to leave? You have an extra bedroom that could work as a nursery.” I was trying to find solutions to a problem that had already been solved. “Okay, can you at least give me a month to figure stuff out, then I will be out of here?”
He shook his head. “You need to be out of here by the end of the week, Lily. I love you, but you have overstayed your welcome. Jade and I both feel…”
“So it’s her idea?” I spat.
Grayson narrowed his eyes at me, “Don’t be coming up with fake crap in your head, Lily. Jade and I both want a little more privacy. I would love to have sex with my girlfriend whenever I please without having to worry about being quiet for the sake of you.
I don’t see what the big problem is. You will get to live rent-free with mom. Most people would kill not to pay rent. As far as I can see, you are living the dream.”
“The dream? Don’t make me laugh, Grayson. You know what a bitch mom can be.”
“Hey. Watch it.”
I held up my hands in mock surrender. Grayson was a mama’s boy through and through. In his eyes, our mother had no fault. She was the perfect dutiful mother who sacrificed so much for our well-being. Lies. All lies.
“I can’t live with her, Gray. You would literally be sending me into the lion's den if you make me live with her.”
“Then you go homeless,” He stood from his place on the couch. “All I know is that you have to be out of here by Friday at the latest. I can’t keep babying you. You are twenty-four years old. You need to grow up now.”
He walked away before I could say anything.
I felt this low simmering anger inside of me building. This was all Jade’s fault. Ever since she walked back into Gray’s life, he has been obsessed with her to the point I believed it was unhealthy.
When it came to my brother, I never had to compete for his attention, unlike with my mom who basically ignored me the majority of my preteens and teenage life. He had played his big brother role down to the tee until he fell in love with Jade. Then his whole world stopped revolving around me and started revolving around Jade.
I was bitter. I wasn’t afraid to admit that. Was there any way I could rectify this issue? Not unless Jade magically disappeared. She was back in my brother’s life, and she was here to stay. I just had to accept that.
I wanted him happy at the end of the day. Did I think his happiness would come at the expense of seeing me kicked out and homeless? No. But I wasn’t going to fight him.
“Time to look for a freaking job,” I muttered to myself as I trudged my way to the stairs.
I could find a job. I mean how hard could it possibly be?
