Every Which Way (Sloan Brothers) (20 page)

“Now who’s Lily?” her grandma asked confused.

It was getting worse with her. Severine kept a smile on her face, “My friend, Grandma.”

“Oh right, right. That pastor’s child.” She smiled as if she knew the answer the whole time. “Just look at you—you’re stunning, Severine!”

“Thanks.” She held Severine’s face in her hands, and her eyes misted up slightly. Severine grasped her grandma’s shoulders and hugged her tiny frame to her tall one.

“Let’s bake!” Severine stated enthusiastically.

“Alright, Severine, I need you to get all the ingredients out. Clacy, can you gather them utensils from my car?”

Severine made eye contact with her mom as her grandma called off directions. She may be confused more often, but you bring her to the kitchen and she was back to her old confident self.

Severine enjoyed the moment and gathered everything that her grandma called out. “So how’s school going, dear?”

“Pretty good. I have a couple of easy classes and, of course, a few hard ones that keep me busy studying.”

“Good, good. You need that. Keeps you away from those boys,” her grandma called out as she washed her hands and dried them.

“You’re against me dating?”

“Well, does he go to church?” Severine looked thoughtfully at the table. They had never had that conversation. Macsen was too busy letting jealousy eat at him. “Probably, Grandma.”

“Probably is no good, Severine. He needs to go.” Her voice was no-nonsense. In her grandma’s eyes, Macsen was as good as gone.

“I’m lacking in attendance since I started college too, Grandma.” In fact, she had lacked attendance in the last few years.

Her grandma looked up at her sharply. “Well, you need to change that, don’t you, dear?”

Severine needed to change a lot about her life.

Chapter Twenty-one

“Severine! It’s nine thirty! Lily just got here!”

“Shit, shit, shit,” Severine groaned out. She threw a stack of clothes back into her suitcase and tossed it toward the bags that were steadily building near her door.

One glance around her room, and it was just as she left it. She was going back to school, with a mind that had been wiped clean. There were prints all over her. She’d have to deal with that when she got back to campus. She didn’t want to deal with it any earlier. But every head was turned in her direction. Severine would have to make a move soon.

She gripped the two nearest suitcases and dragged them behind her. They thunked loudly on the carpeted stairs.

Clacy frowned as she waited for Severine on the first floor. “I once had a beautiful pink suitcase,” her words filled with sarcasm.

“Hey! You told me I could have it!”

“That’s true. Suddenly, I’ve forgotten why.”

Severine rolled her eyes and wheeled her suitcase toward the open back door. Lily stood on the deck and smiled. “Well, the princess has arrived. I though the plan was to leave by nine?”

“Yeah, well, I had more crap than I thought.”

“More stuff upstairs?” Lily asked.

“Yup.”

Lily’s bags were sitting on the driveway. The fun part was always trying to figure out how to cram everything back in. Severine started piling her bags into the trunk. After thirty minutes of cursing and arguing where to put what, Lily, her mom, and Severine were finally able to fit everything.

“You guys should be going. I don’t want you on the road too long after dark.” Clacy gave Severine a firm hug and kissed her cheek. She pushed back and stared at Severine for a long moment. She was dressed nice, making it clear she had somewhere to go. Makeup only illuminated her European features. She discreetly wiped underneath her eyes and gave Severine one last hug. “Love you.”

Severine clenched her eyes tightly together and kept a smile on her face. “Love you, too.”

In the entire world, the two of them were the worst at saying good-bye. It was awkward, and most times, filled with tears. It was better to say, ‘See ya later!’ It seemed less final.

“Call me when you get back to the dorms.”

“I will,” Severine confirmed as Lily quickly hugged Clacy.

Severine took a deep breath and pulled away. She was driving to a shit storm of problems.

Lily sifted through her iPod and Katie Costello’s voice came through the speakers.

“When we get back, I need to talk to you about something.” Her face was alight with a contentment that never went hand-in-hand after leaving her parents.

“Just tell me now.”

“Or,” Lily dragged out, “I can wait and tell you when we get there.”

“Is it good?”

“I’m not telling,” Lily sang mysteriously.

“Anything to do with Ben?” This game could be fun on the long trip back to campus.

“Maybe.” Lily tapped her fingers on her thigh and watched the road fly by.

Severine pulled out her sunglasses and smoothly put them on. “Tell me, Lily, have you ever wondered what it’d feel like to be a hitchhiker?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“It’s a viable question. I’m so close to kicking you out of my car if you don’t tell me your big news.”

“No! I’m proud that I even went this far without saying anything!” Lily wailed.

“I’ll call your parents right now and tell them that you’re pregnant and don’t know the baby daddy. But that you do know you’re having a boy, and you’re naming it Glenn.”

“That came out way too quickly to be from the top of your head.”

“Just get it over with and tell me. I’m already dreading going back.”

“Why?” Lily’s face contorted into concern. Their joking was pushed aside. Severine was ready to disclose some of the chaos in her world.

“Things are just tense with Macsen.” Severine kept her gaze focused on the road as she spoke. It was easier that way. “Everything goes back to his brother.”

“Thayer?”

“No, his evil twin, Michael,” Severine stated dryly.

Lily barely glanced at Severine. “What’s the problem with Thayer again?”

“Macsen thinks there’s something more.” Severine squirmed in her seat awkwardly.

“Well, duh.” Lily put her sunglasses on. They barely stayed put on her pert nose. She twisted her blonde hair into a knot and reclined her chair. She was relaxed, completely at ease. Severine was ready to bust apart at any minute. “That dude wants to have you all to himself,” Lily finally added.

Severine finally glanced at her friend, and when she did, her mouth was agape. Her heart was racing with paranoia. How much could Lily see?

“From your facial expression, I can tell that’s exactly what you wanted to hear. My work here is done,” Lily announced.

“I didn’t need that, Lily.”

“What? The truth? I know you know. And I know your thoughts are along the same line as his,” Lily paused. “Well, that might not be true. He looks like he has some naughty thoughts.”

“Do you see why this is so messed up?”

“Yeah. But it’s just so hard to care. When a problem looks that good, what’s the issue?”

“Hitchhiker!” Severine reminded.

“BUT, since you’re my friend, and I love you dearly, I will remind you that even though your
problem
makes a cut off look like an Armani suit, you do have one good thing that looks equally gorgeous.”

This complication would always wring her tightly and drop her harshly to the ground. “I know that.”

“Do you really?” Lily asked quietly. “You don’t have to know anything. It’s okay to be mixed up!”

Severine came out with the truth. “When you’re mixed up over two brothers, it’s not okay. Especially when one of those brothers is your boyfriend.”

“So...who do you want?”

“I need Macsen.” Severine’s words were firm and unwavering. “He’s stable—someone I can depend on.”

“Yeah,” Lily nodded in agreement, “but I didn’t ask what you needed, I asked what you wanted.”

*    *    *    *    *

By ten o’clock that night, her car was emptied out. Severine’s luggage sat at the edge of her bed. The bed that she normally hated now looked like the snuggle bear on the Downy container. Severine just wanted to cuddle tightly with it.

Across from her, Ben and Lily stood, looking ready to pounce on each other at any minute. On a normal night, Severine gave a shit what they did. But all she dreamed of doing was having a sweet, sweet sleep affair with her bed.

Her body dropped to the bed, and her arm covered her eyes. After a few minutes of listening to Ben and Lily murmur quietly, Severine propped open an eye. “What’s up, guys?”

Lily jumped, looking ready to rocket toward the sky. Her smile was way too perky. “You know that exciting news that I refused to tell you about in the car, and you threatened to kick me out of the car, but then it was all right because we moved onto another subject?”

“I remember,” Severine affirmed with a slow nod.

“Well, I wanna tell you now!” Lily eagerly chanted. Her small hand reached out for Ben’s. He beamed at her with tenderness. Severine knew before Lily declared the truth. “I’m moving in with Ben!”

“You’re moving in together,” Severine repeated back.

Severine couldn’t help it. Her eyes drifted back and forth between the two of them slowly. This was a big step, something she had never expected Lily to do. They had planned on sticking out their college life together. This was an issue Severine had never thought about because...Lily was Lily. Moving in with a guy for her, even thinking about it, seemed like light years away.

“Are you pissed at me?” Lily inquired.

“No, not angry. Just really, really shocked. I had no idea that you two were that close.”

Benjamin stepped forward. “Severine, I live ten minutes away. I expect that you’ll always be there hanging out with us.”

“Come on,” Severine laughed, “I’m not going to barge in like that!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of!” Lily protested. “I want you to come over anytime. I mean it! We won’t be living together, but I’m still your best friend.”

Any other guy and Severine would be pissed. This was Benji. She was more than okay with him taking over her spot in Lily’s life. Her friend was happy; she was moving forward.

Severine
wanted
Lily to be happy with everything in her life and if living with Ben created that, then she’d put on a bright smile.

But it was hard to imagine not sharing a dorm room with Lily and not seeing her all the time.

Severine stood. “I’m happy for you, I really am!”

“Ah! I’m so relieved!”

Severine smiled. “So I’m guessing you’re not staying here tonight.”

Lily nodded, her eyes gauging Severine’s actions. “You promise you’re okay with this?”

No, she wasn’t okay with this. But her head was already nodding. “I swear.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Severine was sticking her neck out. There was no Lily to talk to. Her room felt too quiet.

Her hand paused briefly. Its hesitance told her she shouldn’t be here. Severine ignored that warning and knocked loudly.

Thayer answered the door before her hand had even pulled away. Before her was Severine’s problem, the source to Macsen’s insecurities and Severine’s conflict.

“Oh,” he stated, “hey.”

“Hey,” Severine mumbled back. “Is Macsen around?”

His eyes narrowed for a second before leaning against the doorframe. “No. He’s out.”

Severine shifted on her feet. Thayer seemed to enjoy her discomfort. “Well, I just came over to talk to him.”

“You can wait for him if you want to.”

Not with you here, Thayer. You scare the shit out of me
. “Sure.” Severine might regret her choice later.

The entire apartment was quiet. The TV played an episode of Shameless. Thayer went back to sitting in the lazy boy. He looked uninterested in whatever she decided to do.

“This is a great show,” Severine announced awkwardly as she sat down on the couch.

Thayer moved his arm above his head in a relaxed position. His arm became more pronounced with muscle. Nothing for Severine was relaxed.

“You’re a complexity, Blake,” Thayer expressed deeply.

“Because my DVR isn’t filled with the Kardashians like the bitches you bring home?”

“What bitches am I bringing home?” Thayer challenged.

Severine ignored his question and asked one of her own. “So, where’s Macsen?”

“I don’t know. I’m not his fucking nanny,” Thayer paused. “Is there trouble on Lover’s Lane?”

“No trouble,” Severine lied. “I just wanted his help on something.”

“On what?”

“My Mac.”

“Why?”

“Because it broke,” Severine uttered slowly.

“I got that,” Thayer snapped out. “But how?”