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"She pleaded for me to understand. I think you're pretty committed to her, too. It's just that… I'm pissed at you. I'm fucking pissed, but not enough to give up a good poker game."
I stay quiet, not entirely sure how to respond.
I meet Chris's eyes, and for the first time, there's an uncomfortable tension in the air between us.
“I... appreciate your honesty,” I reply, cautiously hopeful. “I know this isn't easy for you, and I understand your concerns. I just want you to know that I care about Emily a lot, and I'll do everything I can to make her happy.”
Chris nods, his expression softening. “I'm just protective of her, you know? She's my little sister, and I don't want to see her get hurt.”
“I get that,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I promise you—I won't hurt her. I haven't felt this way in a long time.”
We resume setting up the poker game, and as the night unfolds, it becomes clear that the tensions between us have eased a bit.
“See?” Ben says, clasping his hands together. “What did I tell you? If you just relax, things have their own way of working out.”
Ben's laughter is infectious, and I can't help but smile in response.
We continue to play the game, and sure, things are alright… but Chris and I don't engage in more of the personal conversations like the usual. There's still an underlying tension that brings the entire mood down.
I hope one day Chris will forgive me for what I did… but the stern look on his face makes it clear that today won't be that day.
Chapter twenty-seven
Emily
Iquietly turn the doorknob and step into our apartment, expecting the usual stillness of the late hour.
To my surprise, the soft glow of moonlight spills into the room, casting delicate silver threads across the floor. Lily stands there in her pajamas. Her long hair tumbles loosely, and she has an almost ethereal quality.
“Oh!” I say, surprised. “Hey, girl. I didn’t think you’d still be awake,” I admit.
With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Lily says, “I had to! I couldn’t even consider sleeping without hearing what happened when you confronted Mr. Mean-Boss.”
I laugh at that. So much has happened since I left Lily last that I almost forgot about our overarching goal of protecting the turtles.
Almost—but I could never forget completely.
“Yeah,” I begin, stepping further inside the living room. “I mean, when I took him to see the turtles . . .”
“Stop right there!” Lily says, interrupting me.
I turn to her, and that’s when I notice that she is holding two items behind her back.
“Before you dive into details, I've got two surprises for you, Em,” Lily reveals. “One's for good news, and the other's for not-so-good news.”
“Ah,” I respond, “I get it. Clever.”
I can't help but laugh at her playful approach.
Lily beams at me. “So, spill it,” she encourages. “How'd your visit to the marina go?”
“It’s good news!” I say. Smiling, I recount the events that happened earlier tonight. How I took Alex to the turtle-nest island, how he agreed not to turn on the lights in an effort to protest the innocent creatures.
I decide to… hold back on the parts that involved Alex and I getting a little too “close” on the beach.
“Thatreallyis good news,” Lily responds.
Lily's eyes sparkle with excitement as she unveils the bottle of champagne she's been hiding behind her back. She's eager to celebrate, but my hesitation holds me back.
