Page 23 of Scoreless Nights

“No you don’t! You have no idea what you’re even talking about.”

Fuck, she was making me angry. She had started to back up, scooting away from me on the bed, so I stood up and started pacing, running my fingers through my hair.

“All I asked was what upset you. Since you haven’t even answered me, then you’re right, I have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Can you please just leave me alone?” Tears were starting down her cheeks again as she spoke softly into her balled-up blanket.

“Dammit, Lil. Let me be your brother for once!”

ChapterThirteen

Lily

Imust have cried myself to sleep because I never would have risked Cruz seeing me so upset. Cleaning streaks of tears from my face had been as natural as eating for me, and the one time I let my guard down, Cruz saw.

“You’re not my brother,” I gritted at him, angry he spoke that word. He hadneverbeen my brother, and I hated when people tried to force the idea. He had been the only person I could ever count on to agree with me on that, and I recoiled at the thought of him suddenly changing his mind.

“What do you want from me?” he practically begged.

“I don’t need a brother, I need a friend, and I thought that was where we were headed.”

“We are!” He yelled, shaking his head. “Seeing you upset is making me crazy. Brother or friend, I don’t know why I feel this way. Just tell me who made you cry.”

“Please,” I cried, begging him to leave it alone.

He beaded his eyes at me, his nostrils flaring in irritation. He was finally backing up toward the door, but I saw his fist flexing, and I shivered a little seeing him so upset. It made me want to tell him everything, not only because he seemed to actually care, but because I wanted to make him feel better as well. But before I opened my mouth, he turned to leave with a deep sigh of defeat.

“You win, Lil. Whatever makes you upset is your business. You don’t need me acting like the brother or the friend I never was. But just remember, I’m not a kid either. So whenever you’re ready, I promise to be whoever you need me to be.”

He left, and my jaw was practically in my lap from the words he’d spoken, while also using my nickname. Knowing he cared so much about a few of my tears was making me want to cry all over again.

When I heard his bedroom door shut, I scrambled to my feet and down the hall to the bathroom. My face was blotchy and the black mascara that ran around my eyes almost made me look like I had been punched.

Geez, no wonder he looked so upset.

Before it got dark, I decided to walk the beach and get away from the apartment, so I cleaned up the best I could. When I walked into the living room, Cruz was standing in the kitchen with his phone up to his ear. He had changed into jeans and a t-shirt, with his hat turned backward and his sunglasses resting on the bill of the hat behind him.

“Dad,” his eyes widened toward me as he spoke, making me pay attention. “She’s been sleeping since I got home, so that is probably why you two haven’t heard from her.”

Shaking my head, I started to back away like they could hear me enter the room, but then at the last minute I made a run for it. Sliding on my flip flops, I darted toward the door, but Cruz's big arm wrapped around my waist and held me tight against him while he listened to his dad—and probably my mom—talk his ear off.

“Yeah Dad, listen, when she gets up, I’m sure she’ll see the missed calls and check in. She’s safe, though. No need to worry.”

A few more minutes of him telling my mom that everything was fine and then he hung up the phone. He tossed it hard onto the counter, but didn’t let his arm loosen around me. His breath was on my neck, and he mumbled something in Spanish like he always did when he was annoyed, or upset.

“Can you let me go?” I pushed on him, trying to get free.

“Can you tell me why you haven’t checked in with those looney ass people we call our parents?”

“I was asleep.”

“Gloria said you were supposed to call her on your way home from your interview, but you never did, so they called me.”

“And you covered for me,” I breathed heavily from how it felt being so close to him.

His nose went to my hair and close to my neck, his chest heaving as hard as mine. I let out a moan that made him jump a little and he backed away, letting his arm fall from my waist.

When I turned around, I could see chaos and distress in his eyes. He was looking off to the side, his jaw was tight, and I instinctively reached up to run my thumb over his cheek.

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