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Sidelined 9
Addison
There’s a firm knock on the door as I exit the bathroom, toweling off my hair.
“That’s probably room service.” Eric’s voice rumbles from the bed. “I ordered us breakfast.”
“I’ll get it.” I toss the towel over the edge of the tub and cinch my robe tight before answering the door.
“Surprise.” Alex engulfs me in a hug before I can fully open the door.
“What are you doing here?” Panic swirls through my mind. I say a little prayer that Eric is at least dressed before Alex sees him.
“Your text said tryouts got extended, so I’m here to cheer you on.” He glances down as he releases me and heads into the room. “Sis, you really shouldn’t answer the door in a robe. You never… What the hell?” His tone morphs from chiding to menacing as he stops cold, his face turning a vibrant shade of red. I take a few cautious steps forward to find Eric pulling up his boxers on top of the disheveled sheets.
“What are you doing in my sister’s bed?” Alex growls.
“It’s not what it looks like.” Eric holds his hands up in surrender.
“So you’re not fucking my sister?” Alex flexes his hands into fists at his side.
“I am, but it’s not like you think.” Eric reaches a hand out to me, and I drift toward him like a magnet being pulled to its mate.
Alex’s arm shoots out to block my path, trapping me behind him. “What do I think?” he snarls.
“You think this is just sex.” Eric’s voice is eerily level, like it’s taking all his composure to stay calm.
“Damn right that’s what I think. That’s what you’ve done for as long as I’ve known you, which is why I told you not to go anywhere near my sister.”
Eric stares at my brother without blinking. “I tried not to. For years I tried not to. I couldn’t fight it anymore.”
I flinch when Alex smacks the wall with his palm. “Fuck!” he shouts. “I knew something weird was going on. I hear her giggling at night, fucking giggling. She hates that shit, always needling me when she hears the women I bring home do it. I knew something was up. I just didn’t expect that something to be my best friend’s dick. I can’t believe you’d disrespect me like this. And you,” he whirls around to face me, “you’re no better.”
“Wha…”
“Do you know how hard I try to look out for you?” He jabs his finger at my chest. “I’ve made you one of the guys since you don’t have friends of your own. I helped you join the football team in high school, and I fought with Coach to keep you on this team even though he thought you’d be a distraction when he noticed half the team drooling over you.”
“That’s why I was cut?” I gasp.
“I went to bat for you,” he talks over my shock, “though I guess Coach was right. Only you aren’t just a distraction, you’re a liar, too. Both of you.”
My jaw struggles to form words as I shake my head. “We only lied to protect you.”
“Maybe that was your motivation. Feels like his was pretending to be friends so he could get close to my hot sister.” He jerks his head toward Eric, still sitting half naked on the bed. “Stay with him when you get back. I don’t want to see either of you for a while.” The door closes behind him before I can find the words to make him stay.
The drive home is mostly silent. Whether he intended to or not, it certainly looks like Eric used my brother to get close to me, and I let it happen. Encouraged it even, by trying to live in Alex’s world as much as my own.
“What are you doing?” I ask as Eric pulls up to his apartment.
“Alex said to stay here.”
“That will only make things worse.”
“No, what’s worse is you going home and shutting me out in an attempt to smooth things over with him.” He puts the car in park and turns to face me. “We said this is real enough to fight for, so fight. Stay here with me, and together we’ll convince him this is all just a big misunderstanding.”
“You think he’ll ever believe you didn’t use him to get to me?”
“No, I don’t.” He exhales and leans his head against the headrest. “Because that’s exactly what I did.”
