Once my stuff was put away, Austin sat on the floor next to me. “Are you okay with living here? I mean, I know it’s different and everything from the dorm. And maybe you want to live with kids your own age.”
“You’re only four years older than me.” I actually knew that it was four years and ten days, but he didn’t need to know that I had done that math more than a few times.
“But we can for sure get you back into the dorms. Fiona and I can really make a case with those Post-it notes.”
Panic filled me. Austin titled his head. “Don’t worry. If that’s something that scares you, we won’t do it.”
“How did you know I was scared?” I picked up my phone as it started to vibrate.
“I’ve known you a long damn time. Remember the bees? I’m intimately acquainted with what your features look like when you’re spooked.” He reached out and touched my cheek.
“The bees? Oh, I remember. It’s actually a huge recurring dream for me. Whenever I’m stressed, it’s you and me and the bees all over again.”
“You mean nightmare, right?” He rested back on his hands.
“Sure. Yeah.”
That was a lie. It was a dream. I was twelve at the time, on a camping trip with Teddi and her family. The kids had gone on a hike around the lake, and Milt, the middle Burathon kid, and Teddi had started to race ahead. Austin had waited for me.
I was a few paces behind when I stepped on a hive of ground bees. I froze in place as the bees swarmed me. The buzzing near my ears felt like it was shaking my brain.
Austin rushed to me and swooped me up into his arms, running with me to avoid the bees. We both got stung repeatedly. I clung to his neck as he thundered us to the shore of the lake and plunged into the water.
The lake water was ice-cold, and he made sure he was touching my hand at all times. When we bobbed together, we saw the bees at the edge of the lake, swarming in an ominous cloud.
Austin had taken care of me, even though his face was swelling.
We treaded water near each other. “Are you allergic?”
He nodded once.
“Why would you save me then?”
“I could never not save you, kitten.”
I’d had a crush on him before the bees, but I’d love him for the rest of my life after the bees.
At twelve, I looped my arm around his chest and told him to relax as his eyes swelled shut.
“I’ve got you. Just lay back. I just got my water safety certificate.” I wanted to be a lifeguard at the local pool as soon as I was old enough. Until then, watching for water safety was my job in my house.
I swam us both diagonally on the lake, Teddi waving her parents over as we got closer.
“Bees! Austin got stung!”
The Burathons splashed into the water, and there was a medic involved. Once Austin had Benadryl in his system, the swelling went down quickly.
“Buzz, buzz, baby,” Austin interrupted my thoughts.
“You were irrational to be willingly stung. I’m not allergic. I was hating it, but I'd have been okay.” I pushed myself to stand.
“When you call for help, I’ll always show up.” He stood up next to me.
You know how you can see perforations in paper? You know where it will break once there’s enough pressure put? That’s how my heart was right then. Anyone could predict how this would pan out. The inevitable tear. But this man had ruined me for anyone else.
I was stubborn and set in my ways.
After a shower, where I dipped into Austin’s luscious smelling conditioner, I put on leggings and a t-shirt.
When I walked back into his bedroom, he was on the phone. I made sure to pad around quietly as he conducted his business.
“Sure, I get that vibe. We can make that happen.” Austin turned and looked me up and down again. My skin lit up with his attention. Maybe I should've put on something fancier. “I actually have a perfect model for that.”
After he ended the call, he came close to me. He reached out and touched my hair, then pushed it behind my ear. “Do you think it would be okay if I took pictures of you? With you?”
My heart was beating in my mouth, my ears. “Um. Yeah. Sure.”
“This brand wants a really dynamic ad campaign and you would be perfect. Classically, almost old Hollywood gorgeous. You’ll be fantastic.” He snapped his fingers near my face and took off into the wardrobe.
I covered my mouth. He called me gorgeous. Buzz, buzz. All over again.
I heard my phone vibrate again. I picked it up off of Austin’s dresser. The text message from Teddi was all caps:
TEDDI: UR DATING MY BROTHER?!!
“Oh no.” I felt my stomach stop. I mean, I didn’t even get to explain to Teddi anything about the situation.
“Oh crap.” Austin emerged from the wardrobe. He had a white silk dress draped over one arm and was holding out his phone to me. There was one word, all caps. My name.
“I think we have to FaceTime Teddi before she flies here on pure rage.”
I nodded. Of course, that made sense. Calling her would make sense. The one problem I had was Teddi could read me like a book. We’d been friends for so long, she knew my thoughts before I had them. I couldn’t hide my feelings for Austin from her, not even if I tried really hard.
The tones for the ringing FaceTime made my fate’s choice for me.
“Hey, Teddi Bear.” Austin stepped in front of me and moved to the side so Teddi could see me.
I wiggled my fingertips in her direction.
“You need to tell me when, what, and where.” She was dressed up. Behind her were massive deep orange curtains.
“How’s the meeting going?” Austin ignored her questions.
“Fine. We’re on a break.” She glanced over her shoulder.
I racked my brain for what she was doing. Teddi had the energy and drive of eight people. There was the nonprofit she was starting up under the name of her boyfriend’s late mother, Ivy. Then there was the under-the-radar store of necessities she was working on with the local mafia boss and his crew.
She was a busy lady with a daily planner that rivaled a billionaire’s.
“Are they going to donate the space?” Austin moved over to the bed and patted the spot next to him. I sat down. He put his arm around me.
Teddi’s eyes went wide. “Of course. I could talk a fish into buying land. They’re going to donate food to the women’s shelter, too.” She leaned in closer to the screen. “Are you two f-ing with me right now? I mean, I know you’re in the same city, but like, why is Endgame texting me a picture of the two of you?”
Austin side-eyed in the direction of Endgame’s bedroom, then met my eyes. I squinted at him and the pain I saw.
Endgame was texting Teddi to tell on Austin?
“He was drunk. And he has no idea that Taylor literally grew up in our family.” Austin clenched his fist.
She nodded. “I gathered that. He was like, here’s how quickly your brother replaces me. I’m still living here and everything.”
Austin swallowed hard. “Taylor and you need to talk. She’ll catch you up.”
He passed his phone to me. “I’ll be back.”
He stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.