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“But you aren’t angry that we’re . . .” I gestured to Ethan and myself, still hesitant to say the word “dating” in front of James. “I thought you’d be furious.”
“Why?” James raised an eyebrow. “You both are adults and if you like each other enough to date, I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it. It’s your choice, not mine.”
It felt like my ears were playing tricks on me, but James had actually said those words. My confusion deepened; there was no way he wasn’t angry.
“But he’s your best friend!” I exclaimed.
“And she’s your little sister!” Ethan chimed in simultaneously.
“Okay, that’s enough.” James stood up, looking furious. Ethan and I quickly rose to our feet. James pointed an accusing finger at Ethan. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me. She’s my sister, and you had the audacity to date her!”
Oh no! I knew it was too good to be true. There’s no way James wouldn’t be angry, considering how protective he was.
“And for you, Olivia,” James called out, his gaze piercing. I swallowed nervously, shifting on my feet. My nervousness subsided when I felt Ethan’s hand intertwining with mine. “I can’t believe you’d keep this from me—dating my best friend. You don’t even have the right to look at him.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ethan argued. “You can’t?—”
“Hold on! I’m not finished,” James cut him off, his eyes blazing with fury. “Both of you need to do better!” As soon as he said that, James sat back down, and as if the chair triggereda switch, his expression changed from angry to amusement. “Is that what you wanted me to do?”
“What?” I struggled to process my brother’s sudden switch. I looked at Ethan to find him with the same confused expression.
“What just happened?” Ethan asked.
“I had to yell at you both to make you stop with the silly questions,” he said dismissively, waving his hand. “Come on, sit down.” Reluctantly, we both took our seats. “Now that we got that part out of the way . . . Olivia,” his tone turned stern, “I’ll trust you not to hurt my best friend.”
I scoffed. “Shouldn’t you be warning him not to hurt me? I thought you were my brother.”
James smiled. “I don’t need to warn him. Ethan knows what will happen if he dares to hurt you. He knows how we used to deal with guys who hurt you, and I won’t hesitate to do the same.”
“How did you deal with guys?” I asked, looking from Ethan to James. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing, it means nothing,” Ethan quickly interjected.
“What do you mean nothing?” James chuckled. “Hasn’t he told you about all the guys we had to take care of because they messed with you?”
“Wait, what?” I asked, a smile forming on my face. I turned to Ethan, who looked frustrated. “Is that true?”
“Well, James can be persuasive, and I couldn’t just ignore the needs of my best friend,” Ethan reluctantly admitted.
“Remember Bob, the guy who stood you up on prom night?” James said excitedly
“What did you do to him?” I leaned forward, recalling how Bob had avoided me after that night.
I was heartbroken when he ditched me on prom night, so heartbroken that I didn’t care what happened to him whenJames stormed out after he saw me crying. But now I was curious.
“We just gave him a warning.” Ethan shrugged, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
I scoffed. “So you two are the reason I had so many male enemies back in high school.”
“Don’t blame us. You kept crying and James kept showing up at my place looking angry,” Ethan said, chuckling. “We had to do something.”
“I always wished that you would like Ethan,” James said, his eyes softening. “So, you can imagine how happy I am to see you two together. It’s surprising, but I’m glad nonetheless. What’s better than two of the people I love the most in this world getting together?” He looked at Ethan. “And I’ve told you, silly things like what people think and the age gap shouldn’t matter as long as you both care for each other.”
“James,” I called out, tears welling up in my eyes.
“Come here.” James stood up, opening his arms wide. Without hesitation, I walked into his embrace. He ran a soothing hand over my hair and kissed my forehead. “You know I love you.”
“I know, and I love you too.” I smiled.
