You'd think I'm a teenager right now—playing games, feeling antsy about seeing a girl, changing my clothes over and over. Hell, I've even practiced what I'll do when she gets here. My palms are sweating, and I'm sick. So sick. Fuck. I'm eighteen again.
A silver Audi rolls into my driveway, distracting me enough from my pacing to offer a little reprieve. Step one of my plan is here.
The party is already underway, and everyone seems to be thoroughly wrapped up in the alcohol and festivities, so no one notices when I step away to greet my secret guest.
Long, sleek, tan legs show themselves first before the platinum blonde hair draws my attention. If she was anyone else, I'd think she was enough to turn my head, but she's not anyone. And quite frankly, since Rain has been back, I have stopped noticing other women at all.
I groan and curse myself for even letting her get under my skin.
As if my love life wasn't already fucked up enough because of the girl. Six years. Six damn years, and I've been unable to achieve any sort of real relationship, despite my best efforts. There's always that rift between me and every girl who isn't Rain, because no one measures up to the girl I once knew. Not even the woman she is now meets the standard she once set.
"I was surprised to get your invitation," Tria says while stepping toward me.
To be honest, I never imagined there would be a day when I invited Rain's evil half-sister to my party, but if Rain insists on putting her hands all over my brother in front of me, then it's time to fight back. She hates Tria, so my plan to piss Rain off goes into effect tonight. Our playing field needs to be level.
"Well, you've told me more than once that you want to find a way to be in Rain's life. Here's your shot," I say nonchalantly, not trying to make this seem like a big deal.
Her scrutinizing eyes prove to me she's not buying what I'm selling. It's true, but also misleading. I really would like to see Tria and Rain get close, but my main motivation behind my proposal is to infuriate the blonde who has haunted my dreams for longer than I care to think of.
"Your plan was vague on the phone. Are you proposing we pretend to be in a relationship or something?" she asks while crossing her arms over her chest.
I chuckle while looking around to make sure no one is watching or listening. All I see are the flickering lights inside my house, and all I hear is the loud thudding of the wild music.
"No, nothing that prosaic," I murmur while turning back to her, finding amusement in her obvious confusion. "And I'm not that immature. I'm proposing we become friends. I mean that sincerely. Not just for pretend. But... I don't want it to look sudden, simply because it'll come off as contrived, and you'll never get accepted. We have to make this look as though we've been friends for a while, meaning you'll have to look comfortable around me."
She relaxes slightly. I can't believe she thought I'd do something as childish as pretend to be in a relationship. I refuse to see pretending to be friends as anything less than genius. Nope. It's not immature at all.
"Won't she just hate me more if you and I are suddenly acting like besties?"
"Doubtful. She and I haven't been close for years, so it's not like you're moving in on her territory. Look, just say yes or no. It's simple. How else are you going to be in the same room with Rain if she won't tolerate your presence?"
A flash of pain taints her hazel eyes, and I feel a twinge of guilt for how harsh that sounded. Before I can apologize, she groans in defeat. "You're right. This probably is the only way. Just... the other Sterlings... don't let them... I don't want to deal with them."
Her gaze falls to the ground. It seems like she's... scared? The guys never even acknowledge her.
"What do you mean?" I ask, propping up against her car.
She looks around, as if she's paranoid she's going to be overheard. No chance of that. Most everyone is already drunk. The party wasn't supposed to start for another ten minutes, but the majority of people got here two hours ago. Kode is probably wasted by now, since he showed up first. I'm surprised he peeled himself away from Rain.
I force the bitter thought away so I can concentrate on Tria.
"Corbin, Maverick, and Kode torture me any time they think I cross some freakishly stringent arbitrary line. All I have to do is look at Rain wrong, and they do something... terrible."
My lips turn in a frown. She's holding a grudge? Since high school? She's the one who started it.
"The only time I've ever known of them retaliating is when we were in school and you started the rumor about your parents taking in Rain because she was fucking people for food."
Her eyes widen in horror as a gasp flies out of her gaping mouth. "You think I started all that?" she squeals. "The only thing I said was that she was a charity case my family felt sorry for. I was thirteen, Dane. I wasn't going to announce to the judgmental snobs at school that my father fucked the maid and had a kid right around the same time I was conceived. It would have humiliated my mother even worse. Was I selfish and bitchy? Yes, I was. I repeat—I was thirteen. You don't make the best decisions at that age. Was I a vicious monster that spread that terrible shit around? Hell no. I was sick when I heard what the rumor had escalated to."
Given her extreme sincerity and utter disgust, I actually believe her. I wish I had known about this back then. I spit in her food for two years because of that. Damn. I probably shouldn't mention that.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I did," she growls. "Your jerk brother and cousins refused to listen to me. I almost became a pariah after that, because no one messes with a Sterling. All eyes fell off Rain and all whispers turned into rumors about me. Did you ever hear the rumor about me having an abortion at fifteen?" she asks, letting her lower lip tremble.
"I... did," I mutter slowly, not sure where she's going with this.
"Kode started that. He even bragged about it to me."