Yeah, I should’ve, but I’ve been too preoccupied and too selfish, keeping Thalia to myself as much as possible. “We were going to visit this weekend.”
For the next hour, Thalia’s once again subtly interrogated by Mom while my father, Shawn, and I sit in the living room, brainstorming possible security measures.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Theo
I NEED HELP.
Advice.
A few pointers.
It’s hard to admit, but here I am on a Friday evening, sitting with my younger brother in his obnoxiously large living room while Thalia’s waitressing at a birthday party on the other side of Newport.
“Spill your guts,” Nico says, popping a cap on his Corona and handing me a Budweiser.
He rounds his big-ass couch that would never fit in my living room and plops down in the corner, legs sprawled on the coffee table. “What’s going on?”
I toy with the bottle opener. There’s no easy way to start this conversation, but I can stall for a bit to relax and get comfortable, AKAdrunkenough not to care. “Are you and Kaya okay?”
They’ve been casually dating for about as long as Thalia and me—six weeks, to be precise. Me not having the urge to run far away from my girlfriend and bury the intense affection she brings out in me comes as no surprise. The same from Nico sends a ripple of confusion through my system. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that he’s not trying to exorcise whatever the fuck he feels. Who knew he couldfeel? Not me.
“Yeah, I guess. She’s been good lately.”
Good as in not getting shitfaced every evening. That girl has a serious drinking problem. Despite how beautiful Kaya is on the outside, she’s hideous inside—manipulative, spoiled, rude, and toxic,but... she might become someone worthy of my brother once she gets sober.
One can hope.
It’s not just my thinking. Shawn and Logan worry about Nico as much as I do. Shawn even suggested instigating an intervention, but neither Logan nor I have the guts to tell Nico that the first girl he showed genuine interest in is a monster in our eyes.
Cruella DeMonis Logan’s nickname for Kaya. And he’s right there. She is a demon, but what kind of a brother would I be if I didn’t stand by his side? His choices are just that; they’rehis, and it’s my job to accept them unless he’s getting hurt or hurting someone else. So far, he doesn’t seem bothered by Kaya’s stunts. He’s got a savior complex, and it shows.
Besides, maybe I’m not entirely fair basing my animosity toward Kaya on a couple of double dates gone bad. Thalia and I had dinner with them a few times, and while Kaya’s sober or tipsy, she’s cool. Shit goes south once she oversteps her daily alcohol limit, though.
Still, she gets along with Thalia, so maybe she’s not that bad. On the other hand, she’s besties with Cassidy, who’s been spending a little too much time with my girl for my liking, considering our past. Thalia must’ve been made aware by now that I slept with Cass, but to my surprise, she has never brought it up and invites Cassidy over every now and then.
“Any news on the break-in?”
I shake my head, instantly annoyed. “Nope... it’s fucking weird. The guy broke into my place, threatened Thalia, and now silence.”
It’s been over a week, but Shawn has no leads. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened either, as if whoever broke into my condo changed his mind, but the unease churning in my gut keeps me awake at night.
I drive Thalia to and from work every day, and I told Jared to team her up with another cart girl, for the time being so she’s not alone at any point during the day.
“Let’s hope it was just a fucked-up prank. Now, get on with it. You’re tense. I sense something heavy.”
“Kind of. I rub my face, wondering if I should back away from the idea. Maybe I should call Logan? Maybe he’s better equipped for this conversation?
Argh, who am I kidding? Logan would make this even more uncomfortable. Ideally, I’d talk to no one, but I’m at my wits’ end after six weeks of trying and failing...
Nico’s my second-to-last resort.
Iwillcall Logan if I absolutely have to.
“I never thought I’ll be coming to youforpointers.” I down half of my beer in one go, take a deep breath and hold it until I say what must be said. “You ever had a girl who couldn’tcomeon your dick?”
Nico cocks an eyebrow, face impassive as he silently processes the topic. We’re guys, alright.