Page 52 of 4-Ever

“I have to get out of here.”

Brodie placed a hand on my forearm which I shrugged off. I didn’t want anyone to touch me right now.

“Maybe think about why you’re so upset with Faise,” Brodie suggested. “No one else has an issue with who he fucks, even if it’s Averell.”

“Yeah, bud. It’s time you shit or get off the pot,” Holls added.

“Nicely put,” Brodie snarked, then gave me a stare that meant serious business. “We can’t have this tension in the band. Deal with your feelings for your best friend.”

How could I when I was still confused myself? So what if my dick got excited today visualizing me and Faise fucking? That’s normal. He’s hot, I’m horny. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed how sexy he was before. But whenever that inconvenient urge popped up, I always managed to shove it away. Acting on that would cause a mess I wasn’t prepared to deal with.

Right?

“What about our promise to each other? No fucking around, nothing that screws with the band dynamic? Look at what happened to Jesse,” I argued.

Holls and Brodie exchanged a long look.

“When we started out, yeah, that was a valid concern,” Brodie explained. “But you’re not eighteen anymore. And this is you and Faise, not Jesse and whoever. Figure it out.”

“I think it’s too late.”

I motioned to Faise and Averell, standing way too close, in each other’s personal space.

“Yo, Faise!” Holloway called out and waved his arms in the air.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I bit out.

“Giving you a much-needed kick in the ass,” Holls chuckled.

What the fuck did he mean by that?

My best friend ambled over in a graceful strut, a lock of black hair falling down over his eyes, a curious look on his face. My heart beat double time, triple. The closer Faise got, the higher the beat, until it was all I could hear.

I looked over and caught Averell’s gaze across the room. The challenge in them was unmistakable.

He’s not yours, asshole.

“What’s with the glare?” a familiar voice called out. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

CHAPTER 15

RONIN

Ijumped at the sound of my sister’s voice, turning to find her standing behind me.

“Baby sister!”

Ciara was beautiful as always, in a fuchsia pantsuit with her long, dark hair in a high ponytail.

But she looked different somehow, slimmer than the last time I saw her. Her face was pale and her eyes red-rimmed, and puffy. Maybe from travel?

“Took you long enough to get here,” I teased and pulled her in for a hug.

She jolted in my arms and that was fucking new. Ciara was used to my bear hugs.

Something was wrong.

“Ci, what’s going?—"

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