“It’s ok,” she tells me, holding me a while longer before pulling out of my arms. “You didn’t know.”
“Do you mind if I ask how it happened?”
Tully gives me a tight smile as I notice Noah on the couch in the living room, watching us up the hall. “It was cancer,” she explains, “leukemia. She was diagnosed at three years old and she fought it off like a boss until eight. She was incredible. The strongest person I’ve ever known. A piece of both me and Noah died when she did.”
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her, shaking my head as I try to contemplate what it would have been like to watch your baby sister suffer through something like that. “I can’t…I.”
“It’s ok,” she tells me. “You don’t need to say anything. Even though it still kills me to think about, I’ve come to terms with it and she wouldn’t want me breaking down all the time. She’d want me to be happy and strong so when she looks down on me, she’d have something interesting to watch.”
I simply can’t help it. I pull her in again. “You’re incredible,” I tell her. “I don’t know how you do it, but I bet you were the best sister she could have ever asked for.”
“Stop, you’re going to make me cry,” she laughs, “and if I cry, the boys are going to start hovering and being protective assholes and then our whole afternoon will be ruined.”
“Ok,” I laugh. “Let’s get this movie over and done with.”
“You’re on.”
Tully drags me back out to the living room and I watch with amusement as she goes straight up to the TV and turns off whatever rubbish the boys were watching to put the DVD on. “What?” Rivers groans, throwing his hands up in the air as the menu for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ appears on the screen. “Again?”
“Yep,” she smiles. “It’s a must. Henley hasn’t seen it before.”
Rivers looks across at Noah. “Wanna get out of here, man?” he murmurs. “Blake’s having a party tonight. All the boys are at his place now.”
Noah’s eyes flick to me before he scrunches up his face and gives Rivers a slight shake of his head. “Nah, I’m cool here,” he says, throwing his arm back over the top of the couch. “You go if you want.”
Tully blanches and stares at her brother for a short second before pressing her lips together and smothering a smile while making things really awkward for me as some sort of secret message passes between them. Rivers though… the look on his face is scary enough to kill.
Both the boys’ eyes fall on me and I find myself glancing away, unable to deal with their gazes. Noah’s curious one and Rivers deathly pissed off one. “Here,” I say, taking the box of popcorn from Tully. “Let me do this.”
She happily hands it over and I find my way into the kitchen before opening the packaging and sliding a packet into the microwave. I hit start and lean forward on the counter, pleased to finally have a moment to myself as the three of them have a hushed conversation in the other room, making me feel even more like an outsider. It’s been a crazy afternoon and to be honest, I still can’t believe I’m here. Especially after everything Tully just said in her room.
I mean, surely Noah doesn’t like me. He doesn’t even know me, but that’s not what Tully was suggesting. Maybe he just thinks I’m cool and legitimately just wants to be friends. That, I can deal with. Though, something is screaming at me that from this point on, things are changing and that scares the crap out of me.
The popcorn finishes and I open the door of the microwave, loving the heavenly scent that flows out of it. I grab the hot bag, being careful not to touch anywhere that’s going to burn my fingers as I take the bag back out to the living room.
I find everyone squished down onto the three-seater couch and I’m about to put the popcorn down on the coffee table when Rivers plucks it from my fingers before opening it and shoving his hand into the packet within seconds.
I go to make my way over to the other couch only to have a strong, tattooed arm catch me around my waist and haul me down onto the couch between him and his twin sister.
“Oft.” The air escapes my lungs as my back is slammed into the back of the couch before I do my best to get comfortable. I guess this is where I’ll be staying.
Noah removes his arm from around my waist and I scoot down on the couch as his arm ends up behind my head, resting along the top of the couch. He doesn’t touch me and I’m grateful for that. I’m not sure I could handle it right now.