Page 129 of Jesse's Girl

Maria comes back into the dining room, glancing between the rest of us.

Marcus spins to pick up his car keys from the table, then makes for the front hallway.

“What, you’re not even gonna stay to eat?” Maria calls after him.

“Lost my appetite!” he calls back.

I sit there in shock for a moment before I push away from the table to follow him.

He flings open the front door and charges down the porch steps to where his SUV is parked in the driveway.

I jog after him. “Marcus, wait! Can we just talk about it?”

He spins around. “What the fuck were you thinking, Jess?” His eyes dart between mine, as if trying to find the answer in my face. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t wanna know. God. She’s my fucking sister!”

“Look, I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I let out a surprised breath. “Are you kidding me?”

“Do I look like I’m fucking joking?” he asks, glaring at me.

“Dude. Ever since we were kids, you’ve been clear Ada was off-limits.”

“What are you talking about? When did I say that?”

“I dunno. Kai made some crack about her once, said something about getting in her pants, and you nearly kicked his ass!”

“Uh, when?” He screws up his face.

“Senior year?”

His jaw drops on a scoff. “And you don’t think I’ve maybe, I dunno, grown a bit in the last decade? Jesus Christ. We’re adults, Jess.”

“Okay, fine, but the day I moved in you were all like she’s my sister and telling me not to get involved, saying it would be messy and shit…”

“And was I wrong?” He throws his hands out at his sides.

“We just… thought it would make things weird. It was”—I catch myself—“it is temporary. We didn’t think you needed to know.”

He paces in front of me.

“I’m sorry. Really.” Guilt twists my stomach. This is not how I imagined Marcus finding out.

“What changed, man? You and Ada were friends for years. Why now?”

“I dunno. It just… changed.”

He shakes his head with a joyless smile. “I knew something was up. I fucking knew. You were all…”—he grimaces—“weird around each other. Even before you moved in with her.”

“I know. I tried really hard not to… We both did. For a long time.”

“Oh, well, in that case, do you want a goddamn prize? Because not fucking my little sister should be the bare minimum of friendship, Jess.”

“I know.” I look at my feet.

“And yet that didn’t seem to matter much to you, did it?”

---