Page 59 of Make Your Move

“It’s not his fault, Nash,” I tell him, attempting to take the fall for this.

Nash doesn’t even look at me. He only looks at Lincoln right now. “You lied to me.”

My face contorts in confusion as I look at Lincoln. His throat bobs as he swallows hard, but he doesn’t even bother to defend himself. “At the time, it wasn’t a lie.”

Nash cuts him off. “Were the two of you sleeping together then?”

The muscle in Lincoln’s jaw tightens. “Yes.”

“So, you fucking lied.”

Lincoln nods, but he doesn’t speak. I resist the urge to demand someone tell me what they’re talking about. There are enough pieces to the puzzle, I can make my own assumptions. Nash must have questioned Lincoln about us, and Lincoln lied about it. Nash falls silent, and it stretches around the three of us, growing more tense with every passing second.

“I think it’s best if you leave for the night,” Nash tells Lincoln, his eyes growing vacant as he stares at his best friend. Guilt floods me for being the reason behind this wedge between my brother and Lincoln. “I don’t know if I’m more pissed off at you or myself right now, but either way, I know it’s not going to end well if you stay.”

Lincoln nods in understanding. “I’ll go,” he agrees, letting out an exaggerated breath. “For the record, I was going to tell you.

“Yeah, well, it’s a little late for that.”

“Nash, don’t be unreasonable,” I interject, finally speaking up. I take a step forward, my hand reaching for Lincoln’s arm. My brother’s eyes flash to my hand before looking back at me. “He doesn’t have to go anywhere.”

“It’s fine, Nova,” Lincoln assures me, glancing down as he brushes his fingers against the side of my face. “I fucked up, and he needs time to process.”

I understand why my brother is upset, but this just seems a little ridiculous. Lincoln removes my hand from his arm and leaves without another word. He has nothing with him, but he walks out to his car and pulls out of the driveway less than a minute later.

“I should have told you,” I tell Nash, the guilt heavy in my tone. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

Nash rakes a frustrated hand through his hair. “I don’t even know what to think of this right now,” he admits as he walksover to the fridge and grabs a beer. He drains half of it in one gulp. “I feel fucking betrayed right now, but I also know if there’s anyone you should be with, it’s him. My mind is fucked right now, Nova.”

“I understand why you feel betrayed, and I promise you, it was neither of our intentions.” I pause, walking over to where he’s standing. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was worth bringing up. I didn’t want to say anything without talking to him about it first.”

“He should have told me,” he says, shaking his head. “He shouldn’t have lied in the first place.”

“I don’t think he knew what he wanted, Nash,” I tell him, attempting to provide some type of an explanation. “You know how Lincoln is. Do you think he really wanted to tell you he was sleeping with your sister, and it was nothing more?”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Is it nothing more still?”

I swallow roughly, my heart racing in my chest. “I don’t think so,” I admit, my voice quiet.

“Fuck,” he mutters, shaking his head with torment washing over his eyes. “Look, I’m not mad at you, Nova. Honestly, I’m happy for you because Lincoln is a great guy. Fuck him for that,” he adds under his breath before continuing. “I’ve seen how good he is with Poe. I just—this is out of nowhere, and I need to process this shit.”

Nash steps closer to me, pulling me in for a hug. “I love you, little sis. I want nothing but the best for you, and if that’s Lincoln, then I have no choice but to accept it.” He releases me, taking a step back. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed off at him right now.”

“You have every right to be mad at both of us.”

Nash takes another step away. “I’m going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow or something.”

“What about Lincoln? Are you kicking him out?”

“I should.” My brother’s nostrils flare, and he shakes his head. “But no, I’m not. I just needed him to go away for right now, okay?”

“Okay,” I tell him as he stares at me for another second before turning around. I watch my brother leave the room and listen to the sound of the basement door as he heads down to his room. The house suddenly feels empty, and I wrap my arms around my body, giving myself a squeeze.

That could have gone worse than it did, but thankfully it didn’t. It feels weird without Lincoln being here, but I know it’s only for the night. I’ll see him tomorrow after his game and then I can tell him the truth.

He’s not the only one who fell like a meteor crashing through Earth’s atmosphere.

He’s not the only one who fell in love.

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