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Julia shrugs, rolling her eyes. “I know. We’ve just been… busy.”
“Mm… That’s one way to put it.”
“Exhausting the world’s supply of lube?” She grins up at me as she puts on the underwear.
“Are you really going to wear those tiny panties?” I groan.
“Yeah-huh.” She says, doing a little twirl, giving me a spectacular view.
“You must have something less sexy in here,” I say, reaching into the drawer. She swats at my hand.
“First of all, how dare you?” she scolds, shaking a finger at me.
“And second of all?” I ask.
“There is no second. Just ‘how dare you?’” She pushes me out of the closet with a wink. Leaning against the door frame, I cross my arms and watch her put on her bra and shimmy into a short red dress.
“You realize I’m going to have to hide my hard-on all night, right?”
Julia pats my arm as she passes by, “You’ll manage. That or I’ll just have to sit in your lap and give you cover.”
“Not the kind of cover I’m used to,” I mutter.
The bar is packed by the time we get there, though half of the crowd is Donovan or Donovan-adjacent. I’m not great in crowds. I’d certainly prefer not to have my back to this many people at once but Julia lights up when she sees Lilah and Parker inside and I can’t be anything other than bone-deep happy when she places her hand in mine and smiles up at me like I’ve given her the world.
My eyes skim the bar, looking for Lukas. I really should have said something to him before now. Some fucking friend I am. There was no point in telling him I had a crush on Jules when we were kids, but maybe I should have done it, anyway. He probably would have kicked my ass back then, but at least it wouldn’t have been a secret. And maybe I wouldn’t feel like such an asshole right now.
I guess the question is, is there a good way to tell my best friend that I’m in love with his baby sister and banging her six ways from Sunday? If there’s a tactful way to handle that conversation, it’s over my social skills threshold.
I didn’t have to think about any of this while we were hiding out at her place the last few days. Every time the worry crept in, she’d walk by half dressed and most of my functioning brain would take a hike. It was just me and Jules, and it was perfect. The outside world could have burned away for all I cared.
But now the outside world is crashing into my bubble aggressively. Lukas is at the far end of the bar, taking a couple bottles from the bartender. He spots me and flags us down, and just like that, my reprieve is over.
Julia squeezes my hand. “I’m going to go catch up with Parker, see you in a minute.” She pulls my arm down so she can reach my cheek, kissing it before bounding off to her friend.
Lukas is stoney faced as I approach him. He presses his lips together and runs a hand through his hair. Fuuuuck, he looks pissed.
“Hey,” I say once I get within earshot. Every ounce of my self preservation tells me to keep my distance, give myself some space in case he throws a punch. But he’s my best friend, my oldest friend, and just about my only friend. And if it would make him feel better to hit me, I could take a jab.
“I should have told you how I felt about Jules a long time ago. I’m sorry, man. This just kind of happened, but I should have called you or something. I never meant to blindside you.”
The hard line of Lukas’ lips wobbles like he’s trying to suppress a smile. I squint at him and it happens again.
“Are you messing with me right now?” I ask, bewildered.
Lukas’ face breaks into a smile and he throws his head back, laughing at the look on my face.
“God, yes. Yes, I’m fucking with you, dude. You’re not as subtle as you think you are. I’ve known you liked her forever. Parker and I left Julia’s house the other night, placing bets on how long it was going to take you two to finally hook up.”
Lukas shakes his head and laughs. “And that bit about looking for a contact on the floor… I love my sister, but I don’t think Julia’s going to be getting any Oscars for that performance.”
“So… not mad.”
Lukas rolls his eyes and hands me a beer. “Nah. It’s about fucking time you got your shit together. Look man, I know I don’t get a say in it because Julia’s a grown-ass woman and all, but if there’s one guy on Earth who’s good enough for her, it’s you. You might actually be the first decent guy she’s ever dated. It’ll be nice knowing she’s not going to get fucked over again.”
I clench my jaw, holding myself back from asking about these guys who fucked Julia over. Full names and addresses would be helpful. But now is not the time for revenge on behalf of my girl, as much as they deserve it.
“She won’t,” I say hoarsely. “I can promise you that.”
