Page 41 of Catch Me

“Are you not worried about having my name on your arm? What if someone sees it?” I say, still tracing the lines with my finger, softly so I don’t irritate his already sore skin.

Nick shrugs once. “I don’t give a shit really Lo. If someone sees then they’ll know that I love you and that’s something I’d like the whole world to know.”

“Ok…but I'm scared that Sean will see it.”

My heart is beating a little quicker at the thought of my brother spotting Nick’s new ink and figuring out that we’ve been simultaneously betraying him and lying to him for months. I don’t think I could take it, Sean being mad at me like that, hurting him. But even more than that, I couldn’t take him being disappointed in me. I can imagine the look on his face right now, so clearly it feels like he’s standing in front of me. His eyes are soft and sad, dimples nowhere to be seen and lips turned down into a frown as he peers down at me. My brother is the oneperson in my life that I’ve always looked up to, admired even and I know I can give him a hard time, but deep down he means everything to me.

Don’t tell him I said that though, it will only boost his already oversized ego.

CHAPTER 22

LOIS

New Year’s Eve has never been my thing. It’s just an excuse to get drunk and pretend like you’re going to transform into a better version of yourself at midnight, which everyone knows is never going to happen. I never make new year's resolutions because I know myself and I know I’d never stick to them. But when Sean told us he was planning a New Year’s Eve party at their huge house share over the weekend, how could we say no?

Molly shimmies her black, shear tights up her legs, snapping the waist band back with a huff. “Jesus Christ, I have no idea how Callie makes this look so easy after literally carrying a human in here.” She pats her stomach. “She even kept her abs in tact, now tell me how that’s possible after ballooning to ten times your normal size?”

I smile to myself, pulling my own dress down over my butt. “She’s magic, that’s why.”

“Ha,” Molly barks, “more like she's a witch who’s put a spell on you, that’s why you keep complimenting her all the time lately.”

No, that’s because I'm scared shitless that Callie will give up on keeping Nick and I’s secret and eventually she’ll crack and tell Sean everything.

“We need to go, we’re going to be late.” I grab my bag from Molly’s bed and order an Uber from my phone as she applies one last layer of red lipstick.

Our Uber drops us at the end of the boys’ vast driveway that’s currently littered with random cars that I’ve never seen before. Apart from one, I do recognise the silver BMW that’s nestled into the corner of the driveway, like it was one of the first to arrive. I have no idea who it belongs to, but something about it makes me feel uneasy. A familiar knot forms in my stomach and my neck is prickling with anxiety. Molly takes the lead, pushing open the heavy wooden front door and pulling me inside by the hand. Callie got here an hour ago, insisting she needed to help the boys decorate because in her words they’re ‘useless’, which I can’t argue with. The house looks great though, banners hang from the walls and fairy lights have been draped loosely across the ceiling, creating a starry sky even when we’re indoors. I locate Sean and Callie pretty quickly, heading over to give her a loving squeeze and my brother a punch in the ribs, which heannoyingly dodges. I glance around the room for Nick, but can’t seem to find his usually very obvious large frame and tattooed skin. Molly comes up behind me, pinching my ass and kissing Callie on the cheek. She gestures towards the staircase with a wink and I twist my head to see what she wants me to look at. Nick sits on the bottom step, head down, beer bottle in hand along with a forlorn expression. I walk over to him tentatively, making sure Sean’s back is to me the whole time.

I place a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you ok?”

“Oh, yeah, hi baby, when did you get here?” His voice is small and unfamiliar, it’s giving me a stomachache.

“Just a minute ago…are you sure you’re ok?”

He stands up, wiping his palms down his jeans. “Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Come on, let's get you a drink.” His eyes still haven’t fully met mine and I can’t stand to be anxious the whole night, so I grab his wrist when he tries to head for the kitchen.

“Can we talk first?”

He glances over one shoulder at me, his gaze still cloudy with something I can’t decipher. But he nods and laces his fingers through mine, taking me up the stairs to his bedroom. He clicks shut his door behind us and lands on the bed with a sigh, elbows resting on his knees and eyes on the ground.

“I just erm, I heard from my mum today and,” he glances up at me, moisture in his eyes that he sniffs away hard. “She said my dad has been arrested for breaking his bail conditions.”

“Oh my god, what did he do?” My throat is tight as I approach him, dropping to my knees in front of him and taking his face in my hands.

Nick’s large hands grip my waist. “He hit my sister,”

“He—He…what?” I splutter, eyes wide and jaw on the ground.

“Yeah I know, but I wish I was as shocked as you are. The truth is this was bound to happen, they never should have let him out.” Nick shakes his head sadly, the aura around him is heavy andin that moment I realise how lucky I am to have a family that is somewhat functional.

I stand up, taking his hands in mine and pulling him up with me. My arms link around his neck and he squeezes me tightly to his chest, his face tucked into the warmth of my neck as he breathes slowly and evenly.

“Wanna go back downstairs now?” He murmurs against my skin, pressing a soft kiss against my neck as he stands straight again.

I nod, gently smiling at him, but the look of hurt is still etched onto his face.

“Actually, I have a better idea.” I take his hand and pull him out of his bedroom, down the hallway to the main bathroom.

The upstairs landing is pretty desolate, the unwritten rule at these parties is that nobody steps foot upstairs, but it can be a difficult rule to impose. A couple of first year stragglers topple out of the bathroom and I drag Nick inside, slamming the door behind us and pushing him back against it. My lips descend onto his in an attack that can only be described as desperate. But Iamdesperate to distract him, to take the sunken look from his eyes and smash it into a million pieces. I always feel privileged when Nick shows me the vulnerable side of him, but I also hate to see it because I know it means he’s unhappy. He takes my invitation immediately, lifting me into the air and dropping me onto the marble counter. His hands are everywhere, exploring every inch of my skin like he’s never touched me before. The warmth of his fingers as they trail up my spine, dancing along my goose pimpled skin and sending me into orbit before he’s even removed my clothes. Like he’s read my mind he pushes a hand up my thigh, under the material of my dress and hooks a finger under my thong, whipping it off in one swift motion. His jeans are on the ground too without me even noticing him remove them and before I can take a breath and prepare for hissize, he pushes inside me. His hand is on my lower back, hauling me closer and sinking himself deeper into me, making my nails claw at the ink on his back. I hold him so tightly, like I might fall off a cliff if I let go and his lips crash into mine in a hot kiss. His tongue swipes hungrily against mine, the taste of him driving me crazy with need. His thrusts speed up, the muscles in his back tensing so hard I think they might pop out of his skin any moment. I know he’s about to come because I feel his cock tighten inside me, his eyes tightly squeezed close and his lips devouring my collar bone like he’s starving.

---