Page 29 of Broken By the Bad Boy

He returns to the bed and grabs my shoulders. “Get up, lazy ass.” I am not lazy. I chose to spend the day indoors and think about my boyfriend instead of helping him set up the Christmas tree.

“Mom says we are eating out tonight.” I roll onto my stomach and dig my elbows into the bed. His eyes dart to my scattered closet. I have not had the chance to arrange or do anything useful outside pining for Ben. “Dress nice. Maybe put on some makeup or something to look pretty.”

“I’m pretty even without makeup,” I snap.

Hayden’s entire face contorts into something ugly, like he’s choking on sour lemons. I swear, siblings are the worst. He sweeps his hair off his forehead, and I sigh for the millionth time. He never grows out his hair, but he came home sporting bangs he keeps fighting with every few minutes. Maybe it’s his strategy to win girls because it gives him a chance to show off his toned biceps when he raises his hand.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” His knuckle bops my nose, and he pinches my cheeks like I am his chubby cheek sister from nine years ago. Duh. I have a boyfriend now. “Is that a yes or a yes?”

I am getting off the bed already. I raise my hand and sniff my armpit, almost gagging at the smell that assaults me. Hayden chuckles. “Told you, you stink.”

“Shut up. It’s a natural smell.”

He makes a face at me. I flip him the bird, and he raises both hands to do the same.

My phone pings. We share a look, and I dash for it before he does. The text from Ben has me smiling from ear to ear. I type up a reply to him and add many heart-eyed emojis to it. Hayden snorts as I stalk to the bathroom. He is aware Ben is my boyfriend. Mom has not shut up about him. She is more excited than I am. I pause at the door to stick out my tongue at him.

In a singsong voice, I say, “Single. You are so single. You have no girlfriend. No one wants you. Oh, big brother.”

The pillow Hayden sends flying misses my head by sheer luck. I skip to the bathroom to prevent another attempt, laughing so hard my ribs hurt. I missed my big brother. It feels good to have him back.

Thirteen

My bath lasts allof ten minutes. I hop to my room while humming a tone I have no idea where I heard it. Hayden is on my bed, snacking on the batch of cookies I made earlier this week. I was hoping to see Ben so I could give him and his brother some. Asher always has something sweet to say about my cookies. Hayden scoops more of my ice-cream into his big mouth. I walk over to him and smack the back of his head.

“Yo,” he says, turning his head to me with a deep scowl. His eyes rake over my wet body, and he plugs his nose. Stupid. He’s the worst sometimes. I squeeze the water out of my hair and splash it on his face. “Was that necessary?” Batting my scanty lashes, I nod. “That’s not cute, Tessa.”

Ben will gladly disagree.

“That’s my ice-cream,” I say in my defense and point to the bowl. “And those are my cookies.”

“So?” Hayden asks as he licks the spoon clean. My lips press into a line. He grins, and I stalk away from him. Brothers. He continues munching my snack loudly to annoy me. He’s lucky I love him. Placing my laptop on his crossed legs, he says, “Tessa, what movie do you suggest?”

“Movie?” I stop my search in the closet and pull out two hangers with different dresses.

If we are eating out tonight, I bet it’s somewhere fancy. Our parents love to get out of the house during the holidays. They spend couple’s time first, then we all go somewhere nice for a family date. I am a bit surprised Mom made this request. She should be enjoying her date with Dad, but I won’t turn down free food and services.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for dinner?” Hayden’s forehead wrinkles. I facepalm. He has the brain of a goldfish. “You told me Mom said we are going out to eat, so why aren’t you dressed?”

Hayden blinks. “Oh.” He stares down at his sweats and wife-beater like he just realized he’s not dressed. A smug grin takes over his lips. I groan. “I can get dressed in five minutes. I’m a guy.”

To buttress his point, my brother kicks out his legs and pulls the comforter over his waist to make himself comfortable. I hide a smile when I notice the bed. The ugly ass fixed the bedsheet.

“Whatever, bro.”

“Whatever, sis.”

I raise one hand and ask, “This?” The other hand shoots up. “Or this?”

With his head bent over my laptop, he murmurs, “I like the first one.”

He didn’t even look at the dresses. “Hayden.”

“What?” I dangle the clothes in my hands, and he narrows his eyes. “The one on your left.”

“Good choice,” I tell him and return the other dress. “Go get dressed.”

“Yes, Mom.”

---