Page 30 of Losing Ansley

"By feelings, you mean you like her more than just a little sister?" He asks, and I nod my head, watching his reaction. "Huh." He states and runs his hand down his jaw. "When did this happen?" He asks, and I'm not sure how to answer that.

"I don't know how honest you want me to be with you," I admit, and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Well, considering you haven't been honest with me at all. I'm going to say I want complete honesty." I look over at Bass, and he raises his hands in an I don't know gesture.

"It started on her sixteenth birthday," I tell him, and he pushes off the railing and begins to pace.

"What?!?" He rakes his hands through his hair. "You were twenty-two!" I sigh and look up toward the sky.

"Trust me. I know." I look back at him, and he's stopped pacing and is staring at me.

"I fought it. That's why I stopped calling her after that. I only talked to her when she called you, and I happened to be around. We never started talking again until we moved back home when our parents died. Even then, when she was eighteen, I still fought it." I explain to him. He leans against the railing again.

"So, what? Are you two a thing now?" He asks, and I rub the back of my neck. Complete honesty. That's what he asked for.

"We had a secret relationship going on for a little while, but she broke it off when she came to Atlanta. I still want her, but she refuses until I come clean to you. So, here I am." I spread my hands wide and shrug.

"You had a secret relationship?" Dylan asks, and he starts pacing again.

"Look, I know I made a promise…." I stop when Dylan turns on me.

"You kissed her." He states, and I nod. He sits back down, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"It's not like it matters. I didn't keep my promise either."

"Don't you dare!" I respond. "It was an accident, and I don't blame you," I say emphatically. Bass looks back and forth between us, his eyes creasing in confusion, but he doesn't say anything.

Dylan has been quiet for a long time, so I let him. He obviously needs to think this over. This is his little sister. He slaps his knees, stands up, and leans against the railing again. He looks back and forth between Bass and me, then points at him.

"Did you know?" He asks Bass, and his mouth pops open.

"Well, yes." He responds. "But my girlfriend is Ansley's best friend, so…" Bass trails off, and I snort. He glares at me, obviously not liking being put on the spot.

"So, when did you two kiss? You said it's been a secret?" He asks outright, and I think back to yesterday. That kiss was amazing. Having sex with Ansley is fantastic, but when kissing is just as amazing as sex, it is otherworldly.

"Yesterday was the first time I kissed her," I inform him, and he cocks his head.

"But…" Realization dawns on him, and he pushes away from the railing coming at me. I jump from my seat, knocking it over, and Bass jumps from his seat getting between us. "You fucked her, but you wouldn't kiss her?"

When he puts it like that, it makes me sound like a complete tool.

"I know, Dylan. I know!" I exclaims. Bass looks back and forth between us.

"You good?" He asks, and we both nod, so he returns to his seat. Dylan returns to the railing, but I stay where I'm at.

"Why would you do that to her?" He asks me, and I rub my hands down my face.

"Honest truth?" I ask him again, and he nods. "I couldn't deny my feelings and attraction for her anymore, but I thought I could hold out by not kissing her. The deeper I got in with her, the more I realized I couldn't do that to her." I tell him.

"Can I say something?" Bass interjects, and we both look at him. Dylan waves his hand at him to go ahead, and I shrug.

"Look, all Ansley wants is for Lincoln to choose her. You haven't done that completely from listening to this entire conversation. I don't know what kind of promise you two had, and I understand that Ansley is your little sister and all, but she's a grown woman now and can make her own decisions. She's also a gorgeous grown woman who will eventually catch another guy's eye if you don't get your shit together. Case in point she was with another guy at the game yesterday." He states and sits back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The thought of Ansley with another guy makes me want to punch a wall.

"I don't care about the promise. Honestly, it's not something I walk around thinking about every day. I know you and Ansley are close, but you two also argue a lot, so it never crossed my mind. But apparently, this has been building between you two for a while." He states, and I nod. He sighs.

"Are you asking for my blessing?" He asks. I pick my chair up and sit back down, staring at the city's lights. Am I asking him for that?

"No. Would I like it? Yes. If you don't give it, will it stop me from going after her? No." I tell him. He pushes away from the railing and walks to me, stopping in front of me. I'm hoping like hell he's not about to finish what he started earlier. Instead, he extends his hand, so I grip it, and we shake.

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