Page 75 of Forbidden Lyrics

The animosity between them is thick, though. So thick that I felt like I couldn’t breathe in there. Even now, I feel like I can’t breathe. There was simply too much. Too many secrets. Too many unanswered questions. Too much testosterone.

Too much of everything.

With my head tilted up toward the night sky, I continue breathing deep, praying it’ll be enough to keep my nerves from fraying any further.

“What is this?” Gibson demands, wrenching the cup I’d forgotten about from my hand. The contents splash over the rim as he examines it further with his upper lip curled in disgust. “Did he make this for you? How much did you drink?”

Confused, I shake my head and push my hair away from my face. “W-what?”

My barely-touched rum and Coke drenches the expertly manicured lawn as he flips the cup upside down and throws it with all his strength.

“Who made it for you?” he demands. “Do you feel sick?”

Again, I shake my head, still lost. “N-no. Phoenix made it. Why?”

“You sure?“ Cupping my cheeks, he runs his thumbs along each side of my head. He looks at me carefully, dissecting every minor detail while making me feel like I’m underneath a microscope. But it’s the fear that does me in. The panic in his eyes makes my stomach clench and fills me with a desperation to put him at ease.

“I feel fine. Shaken,” I clarify, leaning into his gentle caress. “But fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” The warmth from his hands seeps into my skin, and I hate how quickly it disarms me. It isn’t fair. With a simple touch, I feel like I can finally breathe. Because he makes me feel safe when in reality, he’s one of the only people that I know could break me.

I peek up at him, taking in the swirling gold and green in his gaze that hints at how close he is to unraveling.

Ditto, Gibbs.

My tongue darts between my lips and moistens them. Then I add, “And, yes. I’m sure Phoenix made it for me. I watched him do it. Why do you ask?”

“Because I wouldn’t put it past Marty to drug it so he could take advantage of you.”

The idea of being taken advantage of is sickening, but I force the feelings aside and blink slowly. There’s too much going on to think about what could’ve happened. Right now, I need to focus on what did, and it wasn’t pretty.

“Marty?” I murmur. “As in your brother?”

The warmth from his touch disappears as he takes a step back and starts pacing the front lawn with his fingers raking through his messy, dark hair. “Yeah. Martin. The third brother. And the oldest.”

“I didn’t know you had an older brother.”

“Most don’t. As you can see, we aren’t exactly close. He’s a spoiled, manipulative drug dealer who preys on the weak. Like Fen. And––”

“Me?” I choke out, hating how right he is. I should’ve never come to this party. I should’ve never dressed like this. Gibson was right. I don’t belong here.

“I was gonna say like Donny Hayes,” he corrects me. “He saw our dad’s fame as an opportunity to cash in. And because my dad feels guilty for being a shitty father, he lets him.”

“Oh.” I feel like so much information has been thrown at me that it’s hard to keep up. My brows furrow. “And his name is Marty?”

It’s odd to have a name for the stranger who messed with my head all those weeks ago. Especially when the intensity he shrouds himself in makes you feel stupid for ever questioning anything he says. But apparently, I should’ve.

“Martin, yeah,” Gibbs clarifies. “Dad thought he was clever. Martin, Gibson, and Fender. They’re all guitar brands. Come on. I parked over here.”

He leads me down the street as the stars twinkle in the sky above us. The sight eases a little more of my anxiety as I look up at them, soaking up the beauty like a dry sponge, desperate for it to wipe away the last thirty minutes from my memory. But it’s no use. I screwed up tonight. I know it. Gibson knows it, too.

Our silence is heavy but comfortable. The sound of my expensive shoes clicking against the sidewalk and the occasional scuff of his black boots accompany our journey down the street.

But he isn’t talking to me.

And I don’t know what to say.

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