It was like old times, just with the addition of the vast black pit of pain and grief that seems to have taken up residence in my chest.
He took great delight in telling me that Jodie was busy hanging out with the girls but refrained from telling me if that included Bri or not. Prick.
He also stole my phone the second we returned from the gym to stop me from even trying to reach out should I have wanted to. Which of course, I didn’t.
And the next morning, I’m once again woken by someone banging on my door.
“Go away,” I bellow, nowhere near ready to restart the study session Toby has already warned me is happening today.
I pointed out that really, he should just go next door and study with someone on his own intellectual level, but he insisted that I was a better study partner than Theo. I mean, I get it. I’m way more fun. But some of that IT shit he was studying yesterday was well beyond anything I’m capable of.
The knocking continues despite my refusal to let whoever it is in.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, rolling out of bed and pulling on a pair of boxers. That’s all the fucking effort whoever is at the other side of my front door is getting.
The knocking continues as I walk through my living area.
“All-fucking-right,” I bellow before twisting the lock and ripping the door open. “What do you—” My vicious words die the second my eyes land on a concerned pair of familiar blue ones. “Calli?”
“Hey, Bro,” she says with a wide, genuine smile. “How’s it going?”
“Uh…”
I look behind her, half expecting to find Daemon loitering, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I don’t find him. That feeling is quickly followed by a fuck load of guilt.
“Can I come in? I have breakfast,” she says, holding up a paper bag and takeout coffees.
“Uh…”
“Jesus. I’m coming in,” she decides, pushing past me and marching down toward my living room. “No one is following me,” she calls back when I don’t instantly close the door and trail after her.
“Right,” I mutter to myself as I finally swing the door closed.
By the time I get to her, she’s ripped open the paper bag and she’s got a chocolate croissant half stuffed in her mouth.
“What?” she asks around her mouthful of croissant.
“Just wondering what the hell he saw in you. You’ve got crumbs… everywhere.”
She glares at me, but there’s no real fire in it. There never is with Calli. She might want to be a bad-arse like Stella and Emmie, but deep down, she’s just too nice, too sweet. She can hookup with the baddest motherfucker in the world and she’ll still be my little sister. Just maybe a little less innocent.
“Fuck you, Bro. I’m a catch and you know it. You, on the other hand…” Her eyes drop down my body, lingering on each bite, scratch and hickey. “Look like you’ve been ravaged by a bear. Have fun Friday night?”
“You really want details?” I ask, stalking over and stealing one of the croissants.
“Sure. If you can handle hearing mine in return.”
A shudder rips down my spine at the thought.
“Nah, you’re all good. I’ll let you use your imagination. Check this one out on my arse, though.”
I turn around and tuck my thumb under the waistband of my boxers as if I’m actually going to show her.
“God, no,” she cries, covering her eyes with her hand. “Go and put clothes on. I came here to work, not be traumatised.”
“Work?”
“Yep, Toby said—”