“I bet she did,” I said under my breath.
“What do you mean?” She frowned.
“How much do you really know about Katherine, Blair?” I asked, the question seemed to slip out before I knew I had asked it.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Dean? I just met her a week ago, but I think I’ve gotten to know her pretty well in a week’s time.”
“And does she seem genuine to you?” My body stiffened, shocked by my line of questions.
Blair glared at me. “Why would you ask that? Do you know something I don’t? Did something happen in your bedroom that night?” Fear casted down her face.
“No! Nothing happened that night, Blair. You got it all wrong.” I took a deep breath, knowing this was the right moment to tell her. “I’m sorry, I should have told you that night. Katherine and I—”
Just then, Blair’s phone vibrated. Katherine’s name popped up as the iPhone screen lit up.
Blair reached for her phone and giggled.
“What is it?” I tried to hold back the anger that was raging inside me. Once again, Katherine interrupted us at the worst time possible.
Does that bitch have a “best time to interrupt Dean and Blair” radar?
Blair put her phone down and flashed me a happy smile. “So I’m completely free this Saturday. What are you doing that night?” She bit her lips, knowing how much that turned me on.
I chuckled and immediately forgot about Katherine. “Spending time with you, of course,” I played along.
“Great! That’s what I want to hear.”
Then my stomach lurched when I saw her reach for her phone again and began to frantically text Katherine back.
“What exactly do you have in mind?” I tried to keep my voice calm and leveled as I waited anxiously for her response.
She swung her arms around my neck and smiled up at me. I heart melted at how beautiful she looked when she was in a completely happy mood. “Well I was thinking we can have a game night. I feel like I’ve really bonded with Katherine in the last week, and I really want my amazing boyfriend and my long lost big sister to get to know each other. I want you to see why she’s so fun and cool, and I want her to see how amazing you are as a boyfriend.”
“Oh.” My body froze at the thought. “Well, actually…” I racked my brain, trying to figure how to tell her to truth.
Her face fell in response to my hesitation. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have surprised you last week, and in hindsight, it wasn’t the best way to introduce you two. But Dean, she’s very important to me. She’s my
sister
, and she’s going to be a very big part of my life. I really need you to try to get along with her.” Her eyes searched my blank face for an answer. “Please, Dean. For me?”
I opened my mouth, ready to tell her the truth, but before my words came out, I stopped. Blair’s words hit me like a ton of bricks. They were sisters, and I didn’t need to know the meaning behind her infinity tattoo to know how important family was to her. I knew that if I told her now, I may lose her forever.
Forced to pick between two difficult choices, I once again chickened out. I smiled at Blair and caressed her face. “Blair, you know that I’d do anything for you, right? You know that you’re the most important thing in my life now, right?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded. “I feel the same way, Dean. You mean so much to me, and I can’t imagine a life without you.”
My heart felt full at her words, but my body felt tense with dread for Saturday night.
Just let her be happy for another week, Dean. Just get through that night and tell her next week. Just enjoy your last week with the woman you love before you lose her forever.
***
“Dude, thanks for agreeing to do this,” I greeted Josh when he got into my car. I knew going into tonight, I need another guy friend around to be a buffer between me and Katherine.
“Anytime. Thanks for thinking of me.”
I chuckled. “You make it sound like I’m inviting you to a real party. Like I explained on Thursday, this is a game night between you, me, my girlfriend, and my crazy old ex who turns out to be the long lost sister of my girlfriend. I’ve recruited you to keep the crazy bitch busy so I don’t have to interact with her too much tonight.”
Josh shook his head. “That’s really nuts. What are the chances this would happen?”
“Tell me about it.” I cursed my bad luck. “Anyway, I just need to get through tonight. I’m going to sit Blair down tomorrow when it’s just us and tell her everything.”
“Good for you, man. I’m glad you’ve decided to tell her. I know it’s a shitty decision to have to make.”
“Yeah.” I pushed away any further thoughts of how my conversation with Blair would go tomorrow.
“But I’m serious. Thanks for inviting me. I know it’s not going to be a fun night for you, but I really needed to get out of the house.” Josh sighed.
I looked over at Josh and felt sorry for him. “How are things with you?”
“I’m not going to lie, bro. It’s been rough since Julie moved out. Sometimes I forget she’s gone and would reach over in the middle of night to wrap my arms around her.” He shook his head at the thought. “It sucks.”
“Sorry to hear that. Have you guys talked since you broke up with her?”
“Nope. Two months and counting of complete radio silence. It hurts, but I don’t want to reach out just because I’m lonely. I don’t want to give her false hope. I broke her heart, I’m not about to bat it around and hurt it some more.”
“You’re a good guy, Josh. Did you really think your issues with her were things you couldn’t change?”
“Yeah, it sucks. There wasn’t really anything wrong between us, per se. We had become a boring old couple, but we still loved and cared for each other. But…sometimes there are things outside of a good relationship that can ruin it. Her parents hated me and thought I wasn’t good enough for their daughter. I would constantly hear them talking shit about me to her on the phone, and I never once heard her stand up to them and defend me. After two years of that, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I started wondering if she thought the same thing—that I wasn’t good enough.”
“But shouldn’t your relationship with her be the only factor in deciding whether to stay together?” I wasn’t sure yet, but I felt the need to defend their relationship. “You two loved each other. Isn’t that enough? Who cares what the parents think.”
“Blood is thicker than water, dude. Yeah, we may love enough other, but no matter how much we love each other, they are her parents, and they’ve always been a tight-knit and close family. I knew that they would always be an important part of her life. I couldn’t ask her to choose between me and them—I didn’t want to either. Plus, I would never want her to resent me for being the rift between her and her parents.”
“Right.” I thought about his comments as we drove the rest of the way to Blair’s place in silence.
Blood is thicker than water—
the words rang in my ears as a growing knot twisted in my stomach.
***
Two hours later and several drinks in for the four of us, I began to relax as I watched Katherine and Josh talking excitedly about some elaborate drinking game.
I smiled for the first time tonight as I pulled Blair closer into my chest and kissed her forehead.
Blair looked up at me with a gorgeous smile and I could see the sheer joy in her eyes. She leaned up against my ear and whispered, “Don’t you think they’d make a cute couple?” I could hear the delighted squeal in her voice and couldn’t help feeling hopeful that maybe Katherine found someone else to be interested in. I knew Josh needed a rebound to help him get over Julie, so this could be perfect.
I watched as Katherine flirted with Josh and wondered if I had it all wrong.
Maybe Katherine finally realizes that nothing would ever happen between us again. Maybe she finally realizes that things were serious between me and her sister when I had told her that I loved Blair.
“Let’s play a drinking game!” Katherine broke through my thoughts.
“I’m in!” Blair agreed in delight. “What do you wanna play?”
A devious smirk spread across Katherine face. “Let’s make this interesting. Let’s play strip blackjack.” She giggled as she got up and walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed a bottle of rum. She placed the bottle between us and flashed one of her high-voltage smiles. “So it’s easy. I’ll be the dealer. If I lose against two of your three hands during a round, I lose and have to take a shot and remove an article of clothing. If you lose your hand, you take a shot and remove an article of clothing.”
“Um.” Even through the numerous glasses of wine Blair had taken with Katherine, I could tell she still had some reservations. “Are you sure you want to play that?”
“Oh baby sister of mine, don’t be so modest.” Katherine flung her hair back with the back of her hand and laughed. “We’re all adults here. It’s not like we’re going to see something we haven’t seen before.” She swung an arm over Josh’s shoulder and beamed at him. “Don’t you wanna play, Josh?”
“Cool. Sssure,” Josh slurred.
I rolled my eyes at how drunk Josh had gotten tonight. He was supposed to be my buffer, but instead of making things better, he was making them worse.
“Well…” Blair tried again.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said flatly as I shot Katherine a look.
What is she trying to do?
“Oh come on, Dean.” She shot me a smoldering gaze as she leaned toward me, letting the soft flesh of her cleavage to spill out from her tight top. “From what Blair told me, you’re quite the adventurous type. This seems right up your alley.”
I glanced at Blair from the corner of my eyes and noticed her blush at Katherine’s admission.
“Come on. Don’t be prudes. I’m pretty sure I’ve
seen it all
,” she gave me a meaningful look and smiled. “Besides, it’ll be a lot of fun! Little sister, wasn’t it you that said tonight I should try to get to know Dean better. He’s been pretty quiet all night and hasn’t come out of his shell yet. Don’t you think this would be a fun ice breaker to change that?”
“You’re not making any sense, Katherine.” My body tensed as it became apparent that Katherine was up to her old tricks again and hasn’t lost interest in me.
“Oh don’t be a party pooper. Blair says you’re such a fun boyfriend.” She turned to Blair. “Didn’t you say that, little sister?”
Blair shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I did, but…”
Katherine turned her attention back to me. “Well I’d just like to see for myself how fun you really are.” She kept her eyes trained on me as she slipped her drink. Her tongue moved purposefully around the straw.
Rage engulfed me as I stared at disbelief at how low Katherine was able to stoop.
“Hey, babe.” I rubbed my hand up and down Blair’s arm. “Bathroom break. I’ll be right back.” I gave her a kiss and got up and headed to the bathroom down the hall.
When I got out of the bathroom, I found Katherine standing in the hallway waiting for me.
“Hey there,
stranger
,” she purred through the crooked smile on her face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed at her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looked at me innocently.
“Cut the bullshit, Katherine.”
“Fine,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m doing everything you want me to do but are afraid to admit.” She walked toward me, causing me to back up away from her.
“I don’t want you to do anything, Katherine.”
“Oh come on, you don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“Don’t you remember how much you loved me? Don’t you remember how whipped you were? And rumor had it, that day when I broke up with you over the phone, you flew to LA to surprise me and ask me to marry you.”
Fury churned inside like molten lava as she reminded me of the fool I once was. “That was when you were the only pussy I’d had. But that’s not me anymore, you conniving bitch. I’ve had 735 different pussies after you, so if you must know where you rank now in my mind, You’re in 736th place.”
She glared at me, but her lips challenged me as they curled into a smile. “Dean, how do you really think this will play out?”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I don’t follow.”
“I’m talking about you and Blair. Do you honestly think things will work out?”
“My relationship with Blair has nothing to do with you, so stay the fuck out,” I hissed at her.
I tried to walk past her to get back to the living room, but she blocked my way. “Baby, I just call it the way I see it. And the way I see it, I have
everything
to do with you and Blair.”
She rang a finger down my chest. I quickly pushed her hand off me and backed away. “Get your hands off me.”
“You see, Dean. You’re
mine
, not hers. She has nothing on me.” She took a step toward me and batted her eyes up at me.
“You’re fucking nuts!” I spat in a low, forceful voice. “I’m not yours. I wasn’t yours the day you decided to fuck my frat brother. And do you know what the funny thing is? I’m so relieved that you did fuck him. I can’t imagine having to be married to a crazy bitch like you.”
For a second, Katherine seemed taken aback by my words. But then to my surprise, Katherine started to smile. I saw her eyes look past me at the end of the hallway and before I could turn to follow her gaze, she grabbed my shirt and pulled me on top of her.
Shock paralyzed me for a second when I felt her lips on me and her tongue pushing it ways into my mouth.
A gasp came from behind me. “What the fuck is going on?” The last voice I wanted to hear at that very moment cried out from behind me.
I pushed Katherine off me and turned toward the voice.
The look on her face stopped me cold and I felt my chest tighten as all the blood drain from my face.
It was Blair.
CHAPTER FIVE
Blair
My chest constricted, and I couldn’t seem to breathe. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them kissing passionately in the hall. Were my crazy suspicions about them actually been right all along?