Page 10 of Always Been You

By the grace of God, I’m able to put the awkward encounter from this morning out of my thoughts long enough to take my statistics final, but as soon as I set my pen down after completing the final test of my first semester of college, the events of the morning began to resurface.

I’m not sure why James is being so weird, but I know that something is off and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Could it all really be about work? Or is it something else? I know what James is like when he’s stressed about work and he has never come off like that. I’m packing the rest of my stuff into my suitcase when my phone rings.

“Can you be ready earlier than one? I got out of work a little earlier,” James says as soon as I answer.

“Hello to you too, and yes, my exam went well, thanks.” Really? This mood is still lingering then.

“Sorry, Gabrielle. Just a lot of shit going on with work.”

I frown, thinking of his use of my full name which he rarely uses.“You never call me Gabrielle.”

He chuckles and a wave of irritation hits me. “It’s your name.” I can hear the overt sarcasm and it annoys the shit out of me. He never talks to me this way.

“You know what I mean, James.”

He’s quiet for a second and then it’s as if my previous comment wasn’t uttered. “Can you be ready sooner or no?”

“Why are you acting like you’re mad at me?” It’s a weird thing when you’re in love with someone in your family. Fights or disagreements with them feel personal in two ways that somehow have to co-exist within you. I’m his sister and the person he may be closest to in life. He’s my best friend and I never wanted to be on weird terms with him. But I’m also in love with him which makes things difficult in their own way.

Luckily for me, we aren’t together, so I can push him without seeming like the whiny emotional girlfriend.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You were weird this morning. Like I did something. I don’t buy that it’s about work. Please talk to me.”

He sighs. “Gab, just let it go. It is just work.”

“And now you’re lying to me! What happened to telling each other everything?”

He’s silent and I pull my phone away from my ear briefly, wondering if we lost the call or if he really lost his mind and hung up on me. “Do you need help with your stuff?”

“Why do you keep changing the subject? Why are you not answering any of my questions?”

“GAB!” he shouts and my eyes widen at his tone. “Just…let it the fuck alone, alright?”

My eyebrows furrow and tears prickle at the corners of my eyes. This is where I draw the line. What the fuck did I even do? I’m literally so in love with the man, I could barely focus on my final exam because this was weighing on me and he has the audacity to treat me like this? “Fuck you, James. Don’t take whatever shit you have going on out on me. I’m not coming over. I’ll tell Mom to book me a train.”

“No.”

Excuse you? “Yes.”

“Gabrielle, don’t be stubborn.”

“You should have thought about that before you were a dick,” I growl before hanging up. I rarely do that. Hang up on anyone, let alone James. Guilt pumps through me as I begin to pace the room wondering why on Earth he’s behaving this way. What happened between me going to bed and waking up this morning that would make him so pissy with me?

A part of me wonders if maybe he heard me masturbate last night, but while he may be slightly embarrassed over it, who the hell cares? It’s not like I screamed his name during my climax no matter how badly I wanted to.

My phone begins to vibrate in my hand and part of me wants to ignore it, just once. Just so I can say I can and that he doesn’t have complete power over me. I squeeze my eyes shut and let out a breath before answering the phone. “What?”

“Come let me in.”

I grit my teeth, getting myself ready to give the bitchiest attitude. “Why?”

“Because I’m here to get you and you might need help. Don’t make me tell you again.” His tone is direct with a bite to it and my mouth drops open just as my sex throbs painfully. Fuck, why is that so hot? Don’t act turned on, Gabrielle. Act pissed.

“Excuse me? Who are you? Mom?”

“Gabrielle, I’m not in the mood.”

---