Page 72 of Resist Me

Lincoln

I watched the front door slam closed with pursed lips. While I wasn’t sure what to expect by coming here, it certainly wasn’t that. I’d texted West a few times, but I wasn’t planning on chasing after him or pushing him to talk to me. Willow was the reason I came today. I should have suspected she had ulterior motives and judging by West’s reaction to me, I figured I was right.

She came up to me looking a little sheepish. “Hey, friend.”

“Do I want to know what that was about?”

“It’s fine.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I called him out on his bullshit. He was already mad because a roach attacked him while his dick was out.”

“Ah. Makes sense, I guess. I’d be pissy about it too.”

“Maybe you should go after him,” she suggested.

I gave her a pointed look and crossed my arms over my chest. “I thought I was here to help with your little pest problem.”

“Right now, West is being a pest. Ha. That rhymed.”

It was impossible not to laugh. Willow exuded such a light, playful energy, and it was contagious. Her brother was similar. At least, when he wasn’t around me.

“Why are you trying to push us together?” I asked. When she looked like she would protest, I held up a hand. “I’m not dumb, Willow. The party invitation wasn’t just about you, then you nudged things in a certain direction last weekend. Whatever you saw from me, it doesn’t match what he feels.”

“I’m not all-knowing. Maybe he really does hate you deep down and it’s entirely possible- likely, even- that nothing else will happen with you guys. I just care about him and I think you’d be good for him. He’s never been in a relationship.”

“Never?”

“He’s always taken care of me. When he wasn’t doing that, he was playing football or with Kai, who had his own things to deal with. West hates for the people he loves to be hurt, so he carves out pieces of himself without regard for his own wellbeing, just to make sure we don’t become hollow.”

While I processed her words, I started going around the main rooms, treating them with chemicals that weren’t exactly what the professionals used, but they were better than the shit West bought. Really, it wasn’t going to do all that much unless a company came in here. Willow asked, though, and I hated the idea of them being so uncomfortable. Maybe it’d just give them some peace of mind. Until they saw another roach, of course. It might be better if they burned the place down and made it look like an accident.

She settled on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth. It was a little weird that she was watching me, but hell, she was a little weird.

“I don’t want to overstep,” I began. “But this thing with your dad…”

“Hm?”

“It affects him a lot, right?”

When she remained silent, I risked a glance at her. After a minute, she breathed a laugh.

“Yeah, it affects him. All of us, actually. Our dad isn’t a horrible person. I know that doesn’t make sense because of how he’s treated West.”

“Things aren’t always simple.”

“They really aren’t. He was a great dad for a long time. Our mom died giving birth to us. She and my dad were best friends since they were kids and sometimes they messed around. When she gotpregnant, they were gonna co-parent and, according to him, neither of them were upset. They loved each other, just not like that.”

“I’m sorry about your mom.”

She shrugged. “The thing is, I never missed having a mom. I didn’t feel like I needed one because he was…” A soft smile twisted her lips. “He was amazing. Until he stopped being a parent.”

I wasn’t sure if I had a right to ask, so I decided to let her choose what she told me. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed it to me, then returned to her place on the counter. I joined her, lifting myself onto the island.

“Do you care about West? The reason I’m asking is because I want you to understand him, but I’m not gonna tell you these things if there’s no point.”

With a slow nod, I took a drink. “It’s hard to answer that question. Until a few weeks ago, I legitimately couldn’t stand him. It’s not one of those situations where I actually liked him all along and fought it. He drove me insane. But…”

I paused to think about how to word it. The whole thing was still so new. I hadn’t intended for us to have sex at the party last weekend. I hadn’t even meant to kiss him. There were so many things that had already happened that it made sorting through my feelings more complicated.

“I like him,” I went on cautiously. “Enough to do things I wouldn’t normally do. I’m here right now, even though I felt stupid with every second I got closer. And even though he clearly wants to keep hating me, I’ve been willing to try harder, to get closer. So, yeah.Ifit was what he wanted, I’d pursue him. I’m just extremely iffy about his feelings.”

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