"Don't bother lying. I know your schedule inside and out—-"
Argh.
"—-and it's already been decided you'll be moving over to my place while Io's away."
"What the hell?"
Nik glares at me.
"I mean, what theheck?" I struggle to contain my frustration as I try to make Nik realize he's taking my clinic visit way too seriously. "There's no need to make a big deal out of this—-"
"You had elevated blood pressure," Nik interrupts coolly, "and you were given medication for your headache."
ARGH.
"How do you know that?" Like, seriously. How the hell did he find out, when I've only been in the clinic for under an hour?
"If you hadn't skipped freshmen orientation, you wouldn't have to ask."
"Orientations are boring," I say loftily.
"But necessary and informative," he counters in a mild tone. "It's your college's SOP to contact next of kin if a student has any medical concern."
"And they contactedyou?Not Io?"
"Naturally."
Ha!
There isnothingnatural about Nik's involvement in Iolanthe's life, much less mine. All Nik just happens to be is this wealthy dude that my older sister used to work for and fell in love with.
But because I was desperate and penniless a few years back...
Nik is now a part of our lives, for better or for worse.
And right now, it's the latter.
Halp, God.
The interrogation begins as soon as his limo cruises out of campus, and Nik and I are facing each other in the backseat.
"How long have you been having these headaches?"
"Weeks." It's been months actually, but what's a couple of days, right?
"And you never bothered to get a checkup?"
"It's just aheadache."
Nik's gaze narrows, and I fight against the urge to squirm like I have something to hide...which I do.
The two of us might butt heads all the time, but that doesn't make me any less aware or grateful for all that he's done for Io and me. He's the reason my sister's still alive, and that's why I can't ask him for anything more. It's time I learn how to stand on my own feet, even if he doesn't agree with it.
"There's something you're not telling me," Nik says finally. "Isn't there?"
Shit, shit, shit.
"Can you give me a week?" I ask stiffly.