"Um, you know, same old," I somehow manage to mumble. "Work and school, nothing new." I scramble to change the subject. "But I'm down to take a break. What do you want to do?"
She doesn't seem to pick up on my nerves because she moves on without question. She just shrugs and says, "Depends if you want to go out or stay in. It's Thursday, so we could get dinner and maybe a drink? Or I know you work tomorrow, so we could just stay in and cook something instead."
My nerves fizzle as a smirk inches onto my face. "You mean,Icould cook something," I say with amusement.
Remy grins. "You said it, not me." Her smile fades slightly as her focus on me tightens. "Is there anything youwantto do? Anything you maybe haven't... had the chance to do in a while?"
And in that moment, I love my sister more than I've ever loved her. Because I know what she's asking. I know she's trying to be sensitive about the things I've given up in one way or another over the past year, and trying to give me an opportunity to grab a little more of my freedom.
So I smile and say, "Let's stay in and relive the raves we've been to. We can play the live sets and reminisce. What do you think?"
Her grin is back, tenfold this time. "That sounds like a great fucking idea. Let's do it."
Our excitement is palpable as we start to put away our computers and straighten up our work area. Remy's so excited that she gets distracted mid-cleanup, already looking through her favorited EDM playlists to find the artist whose show she wants to bring up on the TV. I'm hurrying into the kitchen to make us a mixed drink—although we never did drugs at the shows, we did enjoy the occasional overpriced Lime-a-Ritas from the food stands.
I'm in the process of making us loaded Coronas when the door unlocks and a grinning Jax walks into the apartment.
Remy and I both look up in surprise.
"Jax?" my sister asks with a furrowed brow. "What're you doing here?"
His smile freezes in place when his eyes lock on hers. I don't know what's going on here, but I can tell by his body language that he's not exactly excited—or at least prepared—to run into Remy.
"Uh... I was... I was hoping to catch you before you left for the gym," he fumbles through his explanation.
She looks even more confused at that.That makes two of us.
"I'm not going to the gym," she says. "What did you need?"
He darts a glance my way, and that's when I realize...he came here to seeme.Remy was supposed to be at the gym, where she usually is on Thursday nights.
"Uh... I need... I mean, I just wanted—" Jax is struggling so hard to come up with an excuse that it would be adorable if it wasn't risking our secret coming out before I'm ready. So I decide to jump in to try to salvage this clusterfuck.
"He's been talking about making a shadow box for your jiu-jitsu medals," I cut in. Both Jax and Remy's attention snaps to me, Jax's eyes going wide with equal amounts of shock and panic. If he wasn't such a mess right now, that look would make me giggle andthendrop to my knees in front of him.
"A shadow box?" Remy repeats, looking at Jax again with questions written all over her face. "Since when are you crafty?"
At the sight of a blush lighting Jax’s face, something lances through my chest.
"I'm... not," he stutters. "I just thought—"
"He just thought, since he's paying for someone to make one for Tristan's first UFC win, he'd do one for you, too," I cut in again, the lie slipping easily from my lips that are now curved into an amused smile. "He's so thoughtful, right?"
Remy finally relaxes when understanding sets in. Her eyes light up and a smile stretches across her face as she focuses back on Jax. "Thatisthoughtful," she agrees. She starts to walk out of the living room and toward her bedroom, stopping to affectionately shove Jax as she passes him. "You're sothoughtful, you big bastard."
The second she disappears into her bedroom to look for her medals, Jax's panicked gaze swings my way.
I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
He strides over to me, his massive stature taking up so much room in the tiny kitchen that I can feel his body heat against me when he comes to stand in front of me. "What the fuck is a shadow box?" he hisses, only loud enough for me to hear.
I can't help it. I finally let out the snort-laugh that's been building in me since I realized why he's freaking out.
His eyes widen at the sound, a look of awe smoothing his stressed expression. "Did you just laugh at my pain?" he asks. "Actually no, scratch that... did you justsnortat my pain?"
Another laugh bursts out of me, and I drop my face into my hands, my shoulders shaking with laughter I'm trying to keep quiet.
"You should've seen your face," I choke out, eventually lifting my head to look at him again. He's gone from panicked, to awed, to now a combination of amused and tender as a half-smile tips the corner of his lips.