Page 9 of Fragments of You

“It’s time to go inside,” Felix tells me, spinning me so fast it momentarily disorients me.

“Yeah, scurry off, Felix. Wouldn’t want her finding out about all the things we both know you haven’t told her.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Felix hisses, practically shoving me through the front door before closing and locking it. “You shouldn’t have come out there,” he scolds, swiping at the blood still dripping down his chin.

“What did he mean about Celine?”

“He’s just trying to start trouble. You know how Nash is.”

“You’re right, I do. And Nash may be a lot of things, but he’s not someone who says something just to say it. Now tell me the truth.” I stand firm, my heart beating a new hole inside my chest cavity.

“I may have kissed her once.”

“What do you mean, may have?” I feel on the verge of losing the contents of my stomach.

“It was a long time ago.”

“She’s only eighteen. How long ago could it have possibly been?”

“Four years maybe. It was way before you and I... You know.”

“You kissed my baby sister when she was fourteen?”

“She asked me to. Said she wanted me to be her first. I didn’t want to, but I felt bad for the kid.”

“You were eighteen and you kissed my fourteen-year-old sister?” I repeat, unable to fully digest the news.

“Technically, I was only seventeen at the time and it was just the one time.”

“And you never told me this, why?”

“I don’t know. It felt weird to say it out loud.”

“Because it is weird,” I state the obvious.

“It was a long time ago. Back when you and Nash were still together. It’s not like I knew you and I would one day become something. If I had, I never would have done it.”

“You swear to me that’s all that happened?”

As grossed out as I am at the thought of him kissing Celine, I don’t really have the right to punish him for something he did before we were together, no matter how much I want to right now.

“I promise.” He seems so genuine that I actually feel guilty for being upset with him.

“Did Nash say why he was here?” I change the subject because finding out that my future husband once kissed my little sister is strangely not the biggest thing that’s happened to me today.

“We never really got to that part. He asked why you were here. I told him we were together. He punched me in the face. I think that about covers the extent of our conversation.”

“I’m sorry he hit you.”

“I’ve been hit harder.” He smiles and the air in the room feels a little less heavy.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” I reach for his hand, which he gives me without a second of hesitation. “It’s not too late to cancel on my parents,” I tell him as we enter the bathroom.

“And let all that Thai food I ordered go to waste?” He takes a seat on the side of the bathtub as I grab a few supplies from under the sink.

“I highly doubt it would go to waste. You forget I’ve seen you eat.” I turn back to him with a piece of peroxide-soaked gauze in my hand. He spreads his legs, allowing me to step between them, his hands finding the backs of my thighs.

“I don’t want to let him win. He can’t just show up here and disrupt our lives. We made the plans and we should keep them.”

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