Page 26 of Rent Free

I shrugged. “I don’t need to.”

“I sleepwalk and I have OCD,” he said. “But over the years, I’ve mostly grown out of both. There are a few things that I can’t stop myself from doing, though. Bells are one of them.”

“Not a bad compulsion to have.” I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant when in reality I was so fucking happy that he was talking to me.

Trying to play the mean girl was exhausting.

I hated that he didn’t talk to me.

I hated that my sister got more of him than I did.

I hated even more that I cared.

“I used to have night terrors as a kid,” I said into the silence. “I also say weird stuff in my sleep. One time when I was fifteen, Sage recorded one of those times and posted it on the internet because she thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny, because I was in panties and a camisole, and I had a bunch of creeps comment about how sexy I was instead of laughing about what I was saying on the video.”

Atlas’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“There are hundreds more where that came from,” I told him. “And they’re way worse.”

I wouldn’t tell him, though.

Not with these kids around.

If he wanted to have a discussion about my sister, I’d give him a discussion.

“Maybe you’re just overexaggerating the things that you said she did,” he suggested.

That shut me down quickly.

Over the years, I’d had many people say that to me.

Friends.

Bosses.

A freakin’ pastor.

Eventually it got to the point where I didn’t tell anyone anything about what Sage did, because no one would believe me.

I wondered if Atlas would ever open his eyes all the way when it came to her.

Maybe I should follow my brothers’ advice and come home.

Maybe Atlas wasn’t worth it…

Dinner went well, all things considered.

I didn’t say much to Atlas, and he watched me like I was an interesting insect.

The drive home was silent, too, because I’d been asked by Catherine to come to the back to watch her favorite part of Moana with her.

When we arrived back at the house, a couple of the brothers were in the yard drinking a beer.

When we got there, I walked right up to Quincy and Quinn and said, “I appreciate you fixing my tires.”

“You were right, they were slashed on the inside,” he said. “How’d you know?”

I snorted. “Because that’s my sister’s signature move.”

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