Page 74 of Light It Up Red
“Fuck you. My sister is an angel.” Enzo defends, although you can tell he doesn’t believe a word of it.
“No, my sister is an angel. Yours is the devil in female form.” Alessandro laughs.
“Your sister really is a fucking angel,” I agree. Because I’m certain Lili fell from heaven and I was the one lucky enough to catch her. “Come on. If we’re drinking, I want the good stuff.” I walk through the house and into the kitchen, where I have a few bottles of whiskey lined up on the counter.
I scoop them up, along with glasses my mom went out and bought. She stocked the kitchen with supplies, saying that I couldn’t live in a completely empty house. I disagree. I could live this way forever if I had to. Without Lili, I don’t see the point of having anything else.
After pouring a glass for each of us, I pull my phone out of my pocket and check my messages. I don’t know why I keep doing this. She hasn’t messaged back. She won’t. My fingers start tapping on the screen anyway and I press send before I can stop myself.
Me:
How likely are your brother and cousin to fuck up our house if their asses get drunk here?
She reads my text and then my phone lights up with her picture. She’s calling me. I smile. I had a feeling that would finally get a response from her.
“I’ll be back. Don’t break anything,” I say to my… friends? Teammates? Future in-laws? Whoever the fuck they are. Then I click the answer button on my phone. “Hey.”
“Why are Alessandro and Enzo at your house?” Lili asks me.
“Our house, babe. They’re at our house,” I correct her. “And I have no idea. They just showed up with Grayson, Liam, and Luke. Apparently, they’re here to drink my sorrows away.”
“Is that wise? For you to be drinking?”
“Well, it sure as shit ain’t going to help my sorrows. The only thing that could do that is you coming home,” I tell her.
“Travis, I…”
“I know… You can’t.” I sigh into the phone. I’m trying really fucking hard to be patient with her. I’m doing my best not to lose my shit. But, fuck, I just want to scream. Barge into that rental house and force her to come home.
“I’ll tell Alessandro to leave,” she says. “I’m sorry. They shouldn’t be bothering you.”
“Don’t do that. They’re fine. Besides, what better time to get to know my future in-laws?”
I hear the hitch in her breath. Then she goes deadly silent.
“Lili?”
“I’m so sorry. I know I’m messing everything up. I’m trying to do the right thing here, Travis.”
“The right thing for you to do is to come home, Lili. We can work out the rest later,” I tell her. “Please, just come home.”
“I have to go,” she says and the line goes dead.
“Fuck!” I throw my phone at the wall.
“Didn’t you just tell us not to break shit?”
I turn at the sound of Alessandro’s voice. He’s leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. “It’s my house. I’ll break whatever the fuck I want,” I grit out. My fists open and close at my sides.
“Sure, go ahead and trash the joint. Just make sure I’m here when Lili sees what you’ve done to it. I want to hear the lecture she gives you.” He chuckles.
“Well, she’s not fucking here. And I really don’t know if she ever will be.” I toss my hands in the air.
“She will,” he says.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know my sister, and I know that she loves you. She will come around.”
