“Oh, I don’t have you here with me, but at least I have the memory,” I muttered, turning off the shower. “I try to make it through the night, but I can’t control my mind. Just thinking about you, thinking about you…”
The sound of a knock on the bathroom door sent me leaping back in fear, clutching my chest. The tile was slick with water, and I slipped, landing hard on my ass.
“City, you okay in there?” The voice belonged to Damien, and I groaned inwardly. Everyone else called me Sa, but Damien insisted on “City,” despite my countless requests.
His arrival meant Damien and Nickolai, my brother, were back from their final year of college. They’d been inseparable since Damien’s father, Rico, brought his nephew over when they were sixteen. Rico, a friend of my parents, often brought Damien over to hang out. Damien and Nickolai had clicked instantly, and now, they were practically joined at the hip. It wasn’t surprising they’d ended up at the same university.
“No, dip-shit,” I replied, scrambling to my feet and rubbing my aching cheeks. I was sore and in a foul mood. Lately, Damien and I had been at each other’s throats. We hadn’t spoken much before, but now, a strange hostility had sprung up out of nowhere. Even though we’d never been close, he’d always been polite. Since turning seventeen last year, he’d been nothing but a jerk. Damien and Nickolai were three years older, and I knew now that I was eighteen and they were twenty-one, they’d be even more insufferable. They were adults now, and I braced myself for the endless taunts all summer.
Damien’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Watch your mouth, City.”
“Make me,” I retorted, defiant.
“Open the door, and I will,” he challenged.
I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around my body, and flung open the door, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes.
“Hmph. Turned eighteen and don’t know how to act,” he said, and I finally took him in. He looked…different. He’d filled out with muscle, his jawline sharper, his features more defined. His skin was smooth, honey-colored, flawless. It was always clear, and I’d always assumed he was just blessed with good skin. It was either that or he wore makeup, but the former seemed more likely. His lips were smooth, soft, and full, and I hated how good he looked. It wasn’t fair.
“Hmph. Turned twenty-one and don’t know how to act. Get out of my way,” I snapped back.
“Make me,” he smirked, mirroring my own defiance.
“Why are you even up here? You know there’s a bathroom downstairs,” I pointed out.
He shrugged. “Yeah, but Nico’s using it to shower.”
I glared at the towel in his hand. “Why are you showering here? Don’t you have a home?”
“I’m crashing here for a while…maybe the whole summer,” he answered, and my frown deepened. “I’m doing an internship at Dad’s company in the city. Since my place is three hours away, and this house is an hour and a half, your parents invited me to stay.”
“Oh, goodie,” I muttered sarcastically, stepping out of the bathroom. “The floor’s wet. Try not to slip.”
Damien smirked. “Eat shit, City.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” I said, walking past him and into my room. I slammed the door shut and got dressed in shorts and a large tee. I wouldn’t be leaving the house anyway. I was more of an indoor person, even in summer.
After moisturizing and getting dressed, I left my room and headed downstairs to the kitchen for a snack. There, I found Nickolai, who everyone called Nico.
Nico grinned. “Hey, big head.”
“Hey, ugly,” I greeted with a playful smile.
“Thanks for coming to my graduation,” he said sarcastically. I hadn’t gone; I had a final exam I couldn’t miss.
I chuckled. “I had a final. Wouldn’t miss you tripping on the stairs for anything.”
Nickolai flicked my ear and laughed. “Let’s leave my eighth grade graduation in the past, please…” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long gulp.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” I frowned. They were supposed to have flown back with Damien and Nickolai.
“Well, their honeymoon starts in two days, so they decided to start it today. They’re somewhere in France by now. They won’t be back until August, with meetings in France, England, and Italy. They figured they might as well stay in Europe for three months,” he informed me. “So, I’m left in charge.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can handle myself.”
“Still, Mom and Dad left me in charge, so no boys over—”
“I’m not dating anyone,” I said, rolling my eyes. Nickolai was fiercely protective of me, as was Dad, my two uncles, and Dad’s best friend, Nathan. They all disliked the idea of me dating, even though Nickolai had been dating since eighth grade.
“Good,” Damien said from behind me, and I jumped slightly. I was always on edge around him, probably because I’d nursed a long-standing crush on him, a secret I’d never revealed. Now that he was being so mean, confessing my feelings was unthinkable.
I turned to face him and noticed he had only a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping down his toned chest.
Why did he have to look so good?
“So I’m stuck with you two for three months?” I sighed, and Nickolai nodded.
“Natalie will be over from time to time, though, so you’ll have company,” Nickolai said, and I eagerly smiled. Natalie was Nathan’s daughter, and she was actually really cool. We’d been friends since birth, practically, and I was thrilled she and my brother were dating. They’d been together for a year, and I was certain they’d be planning a wedding and starting a family in a few years. Part of me wished I could have a relationship like theirs with Damien, but I knew he didn’t feel the same way.