Page 3 of Late Nights

Yanking my attention away from Demi, I worked to keep my expression neutral. “Nothing. I’m just pointing out that she’s old enough to understand that her brother is sleeping with his girlfriend.” Looking back at Demi, I let a mischievous smile out. “Before nine p.m., of course.”

My comment had both Demi and Halle laughing.

Before Halle had rearranged West’s priorities, he had been a stickler about his nine p.m. bedtime. Neither of us had thought that him storming out of our apartment one night in his slippers would have started a feud between him and Halle that would eventually lead to them falling in love.

West gave us all an unamused look. “Very funny.” His attention returned to my earlier comment about his sister. “I don’t need to worry about you two, do I?” His eyes bounced between me and Demi.

Before I could say anything, Demi was already answering him with a smack on his arm. “Of course not,” she said, incredulous. “Cannon’s like a brother to me.”

My face blanched, not able to hide the sting of her words. West and Demi didn’t seem to notice my reaction, but Halle was watching me like a hawk.

Crap.

I hurried to avoid her gaze. I didn’t need her to have a conversation with West that didn’t need to be talked about.

Demi seeing me as a brother was a good thing, I reminded myself. It would help me remember there was a wall between her and me. One that was apparently well fortified on her side with the word brother.

Halle returned our focus to the earlier conversation—thank goodness. “West can sleep at my place. It’s really no big deal. He really is there most nights, so this won’t change things. And it would be weird to have you on the couch when his room is available.”

“Okay,” Demi said. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.” West stood and looked around our apartment, that was now filled with her luggage. “Not sure how we’re going to make this all fit, but we’ll figure it out.”

Demi let out a small chuckle. “I tried to pack light.”

“This is light?”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Halle interrupted. “When we went on that overnighter to Monterey a month ago, you packed enough for a small army.”

“The weather was finicky and unpredictable that time of year, so I needed options,” he argued.

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that,” she replied, amusement lacing her tone.

“It’s a Vanderhall thing,” I said to Halle. “You should see them go on a family vacation. They have a separate vehicle just for their luggage.”

“Hey,” both West and Demi said, reprimanding me.

I held my hands up in surrender. “What? I’m just telling her the truth.”

They both pursed their lips at me in annoyance, looking even more like brother and sister.

“Should I tell Halle about when you showed up at our dorm room at Stanford?” I asked West.

“Ooh, yes,” Halle said with excitement at the same time that West said, “No.”

“We’re focusing on Demi right now,” West said. “Not telling stories about our time in college.”

I chuckled but let the story drop for now.

“Give me a hand, and let’s get this luggage into my room.” West picked up two suitcases and headed back to his room.

Standing, I grabbed two more bags and followed behind him, the girls trailing behind me.

Once all the luggage was in West’s room, there wasn’t much room to walk.

“We can store some of the bags in my room once you empty them,” I offered.

“Thanks,” she said sheepishly, only looking at me for the second time since she’d arrived.

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