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ONE
OAKLEY
My arm isa steel vice around Ava’s waist as we board the plane to Mexico. My girlfriend practically vibrates at my side, the three fruity drinks she gulped down in the airport restaurant warming her blood and dissolving her inhibitions.
I peer down and smile at her as my heart rattles in my chest. Pride, happiness, excitement—it’s all there as I watch her cheeks flush a bright shade of pink, and her green eyes shine with a potent hunger for adventure.
“I can feel you looking at me, weirdo.”
She’s grinning when our eyes meet. Her smile carves itself into my soul, right over the scarred outlines of where it already lives. I wear her markings with pride, wishing they were visible for everyone to see.
“You’d think you would be used to it by now.”
I laugh under my breath and move her in front of me once we enter the cabin of the plane. Already having memorized our set numbers, I guide her toward the empty seats and motion for her to sit beside the window while I toss our bags above us.
It feels stuffy, too crowded for my tastes, but I swallow down the complaints and flop down beside Ava. If it were up to me, we would be on a private jet or at least be sitting in first class, but Ava brushed off my pleas and insisted we fly commercial. She thinks I’ve become a bit spoiled, and she wouldn’t be entirely wrong. I don’t even remember the last time I flew on a plane that didn’t have the Seattle Seals logo etched on the seats and enough legroom for me to stretch out completely.
Speaking of legroom, I currently have none. My left knee digs into the back of the seat in front of me while the other hangs in the aisle, getting knocked by every passing passenger before I’m being glared at like I’ve been sitting here watching porn on full blast on my phone for the past few minutes.
There’s a stifled laugh from beside me, and I whip my head to the side to see Ava smiling into a closed fist, looking everywhere but at me. Resting my palm on her exposed thigh (thank you, jean shorts) I squeeze it and grumble, “You think this is funny, do you?”
She nods, wide eyes finally flicking to my scowl. “It’s nice to see you be humbled.”
I pitch Ava’s inner thigh and look away from her just in time to catch sight of a mess of blonde hair heading toward us. My sister skips along the aisle with a massive smile and two tall men following closely behind her.
“See! I told you we wouldn’t be late,” Gracie hums in satisfaction, twirling around to tap Tyler’s nose before facing forward again and fixing her excited stare on me.
She ignores Tyler’s glare like she always does and bounces her way over to the seats across the aisle.
“Hey, guys,” Adam says from behind Tyler, wearing a typical, relaxed expression that has me lifting my hand in a small wave as a feeling of familiarity blankets my shoulders.
I don’t expect much of a greeting from Tyler, not after he’s been stuck babysitting my sister for the past couple of hours, so I accept his grunt as a hello without complaint. I owe both of my best friends for watching out for her after she all but refused my offer to ride with Ava and me to the airport.
Apparently, two hours is too early to be arriving at the airport before a flight in Gracie world.
There’s a high-pitched growl from beside me, and I watch with an arched brow as Gracie attempts to pull her hot pink leather carry-on above her head. A string of trucker-like curses falls from her mouth when it proves too heavy. Knowing my little sister, there’s most definitely enough clothes and toiletries packed inside of the bag to last her far longer than a week on the beach.
I’m pushing out of my seat as soon as her shoulders slump in defeat, ready to help, when I’m hit with a feeling of uneasiness. I suck in a harsh breath between my teeth when Tyler moves before I have the chance. He stiffly steps behind her and rips the carry-on from her grip, sliding it into the compartment nearly at his eye level before doing the same with the rest of the bags. I don’t realize I’ve been white-knuckling the armrest until Ava slowly peels my fingers away from it and interlocks them with hers instead.
“Thank you,” Gracie mumbles when she spins around to face him again, head tilted back so she’s able to make eye contact. Tyler’s posture is pin-straight as he stiffly nods and gestures for her to sit down. She all but tosses herself into the window seat before staring at him with raised brows. Her gaze flickers between Tyler and the seat beside her.
I look at Adam and find him already watching me. There’s a question in his eyes as he waits for me to tell him what I need him to do here. Nodding once, I give him the go-ahead.
Adam slaps Tyler on the shoulder blade and brushes past him, sitting beside Gracie. “You bring any good movies, Little H?”
Maybe I should feel like an asshole for not letting my sister sit next to the guy she’s been crushing on for two years—okay, maybe I do a little—but she’s onlyeighteen.
He’s too old for her. Not to mention Tyler is one of my closest friends. I know him in ways that she doesn’t. They wouldn’t be good together. She’s too . . . Gracie for him.
Tyler finally turns around to move to the empty aisle seat directly in front of me and glances at me briefly, just long enough for me to see that I’ve offended him before looking away.
“She’s a little old for you to be scaring away boys, Oakley,” Ava hums, her nails moving along the top of my hand, making me shiver.
I press a soft kiss to the top of her head and lean back against the headrest. “She’ll never be too old.”
Ava, ever the voice of reason, makes me feel guilt like no other as she says, “Let her have fun on this trip. You know how stressed she’s been these past few weeks with her new job.”
I frown because she’s right. Besides the few days before her dance competitions growing up, I haven’t seen my sister this worked up. Between choreographing dances for children of all ages and teaching alongside the Devil Incarnate, AKA Cleo Manford, Gracie’s new boss, she’s been strung tight enough I worry she’ll end up snapping in half.
