Page 38 of Black Roses

I stare at my phone awaiting a reply. I startle when it rings and Charlie’s face pops up on the screen. I swipe my finger across the screen to answer it.

Before I can even say hello, she’s screaming at me. “You will do no such thing, Pipes. Your sisters need you there. Besides, I already have a ticket to Sydney. I leave tonight.”

Two emotions are battling in my head. Relief and sadness.

And then there’s the guilt. Guilt over the relief I feel that she’s not begging me to come back. Guilt over the small part of me that wants to be somewhere other than with her. And guilt over the fact that it’s because of a man. We swore we’d never let a man come between us. Never let a man weasel their way into our lives and then rip the rug out from under us like all men do. Eventually, they all do it. All relationships end. Death, divorce, boredom, violence. They all end badly.

I selfishly wonder if she’s moving on without me. We’ve never been apart for this long. “You’re going to Australia without me? What about, uh, what’s his name, Donovan? Is he going with you?”

“Donovan is last month’s news. You didn’t really think it would last, did you? You of all people know better than that. He was good for a few weeks of food and shelter. It’s all good.”

It’s not good. It’s never good when she says that. I know her better than the birthmark on my left thigh. “What happened?”

“Nothing really. Pretty much the usual.”

She doesn’t have to elaborate. The usual means he slept with someone else. Sometimes the usual means coming home to find our shit packed and left on the doorstep. But it always means they’ve had their fill of her. I’ll never understand why. Charlie is beautiful and sexy and, based on the stories I’ve heard, a goddess in bed. I’ll never fully understand why men go through her like a dirty dishrag. She’s bitter, yes. But who wouldn’t be, having been through what she’s endured. Maybe it’s me. When guys find out I’m not good for a threesome, they don’t usually want a third wheel hanging around and sleeping on the couch.

“Men suck,” I say. Then I try once more. “Why don’t I meet you in Sydney? It’d be fun. We can do a walkabout again.”

“I said Donovan was history. I didn’t say I was going alone.” I can almost hear the smirk through the phone. “How else do you think I could afford the ticket? They are like two thousand apiece. We’re running out of money, Pipes, in case you haven’t noticed. I mean, your parents have been great. Real life savers. But at some point, we are going to have to talk about—”

“Not now. We don’t have to talk about this now. Can I please just get through this wedding?”

I hear her heavy sigh. “Sure, Piper.”

“How long will you be down under?”

“I’ll be back by July. Then who knows? I’ll just have to see which way the wind blows.” She laughs. “Or whoIcan blow to set us up for a few more months.”

I laugh with her, but it’s not genuine. I hate the fact she sleeps with men to put a roof over our heads. She claims she enjoys it. I don’t buy it. It’s going to break her more than she’s already been broken. Of course, that’s why we’re perfect for each other.

“Promise me something, Pipes.”

“Anything.” I’d do anything for her.

“Promise me you won’t close yourself off while you are there. You have this incredible opportunity to get to know your family again. This one chance to maybe have something you never thought possible. Promise me you won’t close the doors that may be opening to you.”

“What did Skylar tell you?” I snap, my eyes burning through the floor to where I know my sister is eating breakfast.

“Nothing much. But from what she did say, I can tell that being back there is good for you. Maybe you can finally heal. Maybe you can slay those demons once and for all.”

“She obviously talks too much. Being back here isnotgood for me. It brought back the nightmares, Charlie. I belong with you. Cradle to grave—it’s what we’ve always said.”

“I know. If that’s how it turns out, I’m all good. Just promise me you won’t give up something special simply because you feel you owe it to me. You owe me nothing. And no matter what, we will be best friends forever. Never doubt that.”

She doesn’t sound like herself. It makes me wonder if this new guy has her thinking about something more permanent. I don’t push though. I never push. Just as she never pushes me. Nudge maybe, never push.

“Fine,” I promise. “But just make sure I know where you are, because on July 8th, I will hunt you down.”

“Sure thing, sister,” she says, before moving on to describe her new man and their sex life in nauseating detail.

chapter sixteen

mason

Her inky black tips whip around in the breeze, lashing across my face when I come up behind her. I put my arms on either side of her, caging her in as she looks out upon the city.

A swift updraft catches her hair and I get a glimpse of her tattoo. My eyes quickly trace the delicate shape of the lone rose, and I long to touch it with my fingers as I did the night of the marathon. There is a story behind every tattoo, any tattoo worth having anyway, and I’d bet my right arm that Piper’s story is a game changer.

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