3 6
Jealousy
"I am so sorryâ"
"Baby, you don't need to apologize," Jalen quickly cuts me off, turning to me. "You took several hits for us with my parents. This is the least I can do after all of that."
I pause. "Well, I'm glad you're acknowledging that. But, uh, that's not what I was apologizing for. I was gonna say sorry for my sweaty hand."
"Oh," Jalen says, face going blank. "Um, okay. No need to apologize for that either."
"Really?" I ask, tilting my head. "Because I'm grossed out by how slippery they're getting."
I try moving my hand from his grasp to emphasis my point, but Jalen's hold tightens. "Nope, it's fine," he tells me, smiling as he squeezes my hand.
I smile, too, then lean up to peck his cheek before we continue walking up the front porch. "Thanks, I appreciate that. Even if you don't really mean it."
"I mean it," he tells me, tightening his hold once more.
"Aw, that's cute. You got bad at lying in our time apart," I coo.
"Lyndon," he scolds, visibly cringing at the reminder of our break. "Can we not..."
"Let it happen again? Got it," I tell him with a nod.
He shakes his head, smiling briefly before reaching for the doorbell.
I lean my head onto his shoulder as we wait, and he lightly rests his head on top of mine. I take in a deep breath, enjoying the content feeling this small moment brings me. Then, I say, "I will always mention it, though. Just so we never forget."
Jalen groans, removing his head from mine, but his hand never loosens its grip on mine. "You will be the death of me, I swear."
I shrug. "As long as it's a happy death, it's okay, right?"
He chuckles, flashing me that delicious dimple. "Yes, of course, dear."
"Oh no," I say while shaking my head. "You did not just dear me."
Nodding his head, Jalen says, "Yes I did. And every time you bring up the... past, I will dear the shit out of you."
I stare into his eyes. "Okay, so I'm just gonna replace dear with fuck to make this better."
Jalen's eyes widen, before his tongue quickly wets his bottom lip. "Don't talk to me like that when we're standing in front of your fucking parents' house."
"What're you gonna do about it?"
The single step he takes closer has my knees already feeling weak, and if the door didn't swing open right then, I'm one hundred percent sure we would've left.
"Exactly on time. Color me shocked," a sarcastic voice greets at the door.
My mind races for some type of rebuttal, but I can't think of one. Not when my father is standing there, and Jalen just finished moving away from the close position he previously was in.
Dad had to have noticed it.
His almost-white eyes move from me, to Jalen, to our intertwined hands. He looks up, and brings those similar eyes to mine. With just that one look, I know he noticed.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Prince," Jalen says, while extending his free hand.
Dad's eyes flicker to the outreached hand, before he slowly raises his own and accepts it. They shake hands for less than a second before they both pull away.
"Pleasure is all mine," Dad says, eyes twinkling with newfound amusement. "Please, come in."
I squint my eyes. "Thanks for inviting me into my own house."
Dad's head tilts to the side, that same sparkle of amusement in his eyes now showing on his face as he slowly smiles. "Anytime, Sunshine."
I swallow hard at the nickname, refraining from rolling my eyes. Instead, I take a step forward, just as Dad steps to the side. I hate how in sync we are.
Jalen follows my steps, squeezing my hand once again as we pass the foyer. Once we're a few steps away from Dad, Jalen subtly leans down and whispers, "Breathe, baby."
I nod along, but know that I'm going to need more than breathing to get through this. Some liquor might help, though.
"Jalen, I didn't know you were joining us! Damn it, I would've worn a better shirt."
Between his words and the smirk on his face after, it's a goddamn miracle I'm able to stop myself from jumping over the couch separating us and strangling the life out of my twin.
"Oh, don't worry," Jalen calls out, waving his free hand dismissively. "I approve of what you have on."
Noah stands from the couch, feigning relief. "Really? Oh, good. I wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you thinking I'm ugly."
"You stole my face, so..." I say.
Jalen nods in agreement, prompting Noah to ask, "Jalen, you agree? Does that mean you think... I'm attractive?"
Jalen's hold on my hand tightens again, and there is nothing comforting about it this time. I'm worried for a second I'll lose feeling in my fingers. But he maintains his cool, and if he hadn't been currently breaking my fingers, I'd believe he was as unfazed as he's acting.
"Yeah, I guess I do."
Noah's face slightly drops and he sighs before walking toward the hallway, clearly losing interest in us since he's not getting the reaction he wants out of Jalen.
I turn to Jalen with a small smile. "Good boy," I coo quietly, as if talking to a dog.
"I think that's the first time anyone's ever associated those words with me."
"I don't doubt that being true for one second."
"Can that be my new name in your phone?"
"It seems fitting, and is a much better option than what it previously was."
"Good boy is definitely better than dude," Jalen says bitterly.
"Oh, babe," I say, bringing a hand to my chest. "You thought it was still Dude?"
Jalen blinks. "What is it?"
"Well, up until a week ago it wasn't even saved..."
"Damn, you erased my number?"
"With good reason!" I lightly defend.
Jalen shakes his head. "You're cold," he says, acting hurt, but I can tell that he actually is unfazed right now.
He seems to hold the same mindset as me: we're good now, and that's all that matters.
I'm shown that I'm right, and he does agree, when he pulls me closer and presses his lips to my forehead.
"Lyndon," a hard voice calls out. I mentally roll my eyes. "Mind introducing us to your little friend?"
I actually roll my eyes now. I turn around to face my mother, who's standing by the island in the kitchen. "This is my boyfriend, Jalen," I say to her, then to turn to him. "Jalen, this is my impossibly irritating mother, Angelica."
Mom's mouth drops, then closes quickly. "But you can most certainly call me Mrs. Prince."
"Or just call her Angelica," I mumble to Jalen.
Mom hears it, and isn't happy about it. "What did we say about the disrespect, Lyndon?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, you said something and I didn't listen, so..."
"That's the problem right there. You don't listen," Mom says in a hard voice.
"Is it that I don't listen, or that I just don't care enough about what you have to say?"
If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under right about now.
"I am not dealing with this attitude tonight," Mom begins reprimanding.
"I will happily leave," I tell her with a shrug.
Mom shakes her head, then smiles, but there's something sick about the look. "No, Sunshine," she says, practically spitting the word out. "Your father can deal with it. You and your friend are staying."
"Boyfriend," I correct her, adding a lot more anger to my tone than necessary. But hearing her say Sunshine somehow pisses me off a thousand times more than ever hearing Dad saying it can.
At least that was always his nickname for me. It may hurt when he says it now because of how shitty of a father he's been, but it still never sounds as hard, condescending, or hateful as it does when it comes from Mom. Almost as if she can't stand the nickname, can't stand me.
She scoffs, then walks back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, I suppose.
"Jesus," Jalen breathes out under his breath, finally dropping my hand. He brings his hands in front of him, observing them. "I think I'm the one with the sweaty hands now."
I place mine on top of his, quickly realizing he's joking. "Don't mock my perspiration."
"I'm not," he quickly says, flashing me wide eyes. "And just because I'm not actually nervous sweating like you do, does not mean I'm fine right now. Lyndon, what in the fuck just happened?"
I look around, then find his blue eyes again. "We walked into my house?"
He observes me for several seconds before nodding. "Shit. I get it. This is normal for you. You're acting way too casual."
"Jalen, babe, how many times have we sat and talked about how shitty our parents are?" I laugh lightly, but actually mean it.
We've had many conversations about our parents, and how bad they make us feel. It's what honestly bonded us in the first place. I truly believe the moment we realized we could relate was the first time this thing between us became real.
"I know, but I just assumed our situations were the same... you know, besides the whole engagement thing," he quietly says.
"They are the same," I tell him, purposely ignoring the engagement part. I don't like to think about the predicament he's still in, and what that could possibly mean for us and any future we could one day have together.
"You're so much more free," Jalen says, still speaking in a low voice. "With the things you say. I wish I had that."
I immediately feel my heart melt, and reach up to cup his jaw with both of my hands. I don't know what to sayâI rarely ever do in moments like this where I can see with just one look how hurt Jalen is because of his parents. Instead of speaking, I caress his cheek with one of my thumbs, then drop my other hand and use it to pull him closer to me.
Holding him close is the only solution I can think of, and with the way he easily lets me, I can tell it's a solution he likes.
Resting my forehead against his, I feel the breath of relief he releases. I close my eyes, and just take it in. His arms wrap around me, just as mine move to his shoulders to hold him closer.
For the briefest second, we're somewhere else. I can spend a lifetime in his arms, and if I keep my eyes closed and continue blocking the world out, I can actually feel like I've spent forever here. I know I want too. Right here, nothing's wrong, because it's only us. And a world with just us is a wonderful world to me.
I breathe deeply before pulling away, not wanting my parents or brothers to walk by and ruin the moment themselves. Jalen does the same, keeping one arm around my waist as he opens his eyes and smiles softly at me.
"Lyndon, set the table," my mother demands from the kitchen.
See, I knew she'd do something to interrupt any glimpse of happiness I feel.
"I guess I better not push my luck and keep being disrespectful," I say teasingly to Jalen. "Maybe go walk around and escape before she puts you to work?"
Jalen's brows shoot up. "You want me to walk off on my own?"
"I'm not sending you into the pits of Hell, Jalen," I tell him with a laugh. "But you will feel like you're in Hell if she catches you standing here and asks for your help. She's a control freak. Save yourself and disappear for the next thirty minutes."
He looks hesitant to leave me, going as far as to follow when I step toward the kitchen. "Jalen," I drag out, giggling. "You'll be fine, trust me. I'm handling the beast for us both."
I lean toward him and peck his lips. Well, I intended to just peck, but Jalen has other ideas as he cups my cheek and holds my head in place.
"This is my goodbye kiss," he says as we pull away.
I shake my head at his stupidity. "Just go."
In that moment, Mom screeches for me once more, so I turn and run my ass into the kitchen before she comes out here.
Truthfully, I really am trying to save Jalen from her. He's better off sitting alone somewhere, or running into my brothers. He'd even be safer with Dad. At least he won't bother him too much. Dad's never been a very social or talkative person unless he absolutely has to be.
"Lyndon, set the table!"
I groan before finally entering the kitchen, and telling myself to bite my tongue if I want this dinner to go smoothly. Or, as smooth as possible when the Prince's are involved.
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"Let's play a game."
My stomach churns at the word, and the hand Jalen has resting on my knee slightly tightens its hold.
I set a glare on Noah, just as he smirks and reaches for the conveniently placed stack of board games by his chair.
Dinner had gone smoother than I thought. Of course shit was painfully silent at some points, but no one argued or threw anything. And no one stormed out. That's a win for both the Prince family and Jalen and I's relationship.
But, alas, Noah's bitch ass is finding a way to ruin that.
"I'd rather not," I tell him. "How about we take a vote? Who wants to play and who'd rather keep sitting here in awkward silence?"
Knox slowly raises his hand, just as I knew he wouldâconsidering he's been silent for weeks, his answer comes as no surprise. Neither does Jalen's. Obviously he'd take my side.
"Well, I for one would like to play something," Mom announces, before taking a sip from her glass of red wine.
Please spill it all over that hideous white top.
I shake my head. Figures she'd go against me. She probably doesn't even want to playâno, I know she doesn't. She just wants to anger me.
I look to Dad, whose eyes are observing the way Jalen's holding my knee. He glances up, catching my gaze, and barely one second later he's raising the arm he had behind Mom's head. "I don't want too. Majority rules."
I'm ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but immediately stop once I realize I'm beginning to feel grateful for Dad. Oh hell no.
"I don't want to sit in awkward silence, either, though," Dad quickly says while leaning forward in his seat, completely moving away from Mom. "Jalen, tell us a little about yourself."
Fuck. I'd rather play taboo.
My eyes glance toward the box, ignoring the urge to chuckle at the fact that Noah has the midnight, 18 and up version. Half of us aren't even eighteen. Technically, only my parents and Jalen could play. Woah, Jalen's eighteen. Sometimes I forget he's older than me...
Jalen clears his throat, cutting my train of thought off. "What do you want to know?"
"Yes, Nick, what do you want to know?" Mom asks, taking another sip from her glass. "We already know plenty about the boy."
"We know about his family," Dad corrects her, before turning to Jalen. "The Uccello's, correct?"
Jalen nods once, looking calmâbut I know he's not. Not with the way his barely existent nails are digging into my knee.
"That's what I meant," Mom says. She places her glass onto the small table in front of the couches. "I don't want to hear about them. Tell us about yourself. No, actually, tell me about your relationship with my daughter."
Yikes. How much time you got, Ma?
Dad quickly shakes his head. Thanks. "Nope. I don't want to hear any details about that. Let's just stick with getting to know the boy, yeah?"
Mom giggles, reaching for her wine again. "I suppose we can do that, but my idea is still so much better."
"Your idea will give me a heart attack," Dad says.
"Me too. And I'm nowhere near as ancient as you," Noah says from the single seater couch he's sprawled out on.
"Same," I announce, leaning back into the couch cushions.
"Ha ha," Dad calls out dryly, rolling his eyes at me and my twin, before looking to the youngest of us all. "I'm not that old, right, Knox?"
Knox looks up slowly, either having not expected someone to speak directly to him or just doesn't want to talk to Dadâcould honestly be either one. It's silent, until he finally says in a firm voice, "Hell yeah, you are."
Noah lets out a loud cackle that I quickly join in on. Dad's laugh soon mixes with ours, and though Knox makes no other sounds, he smirks to himself and directs his attention to his phone again after.
"Oh god, if he's old, what does that make me?" Mom calls out.
"Old as all fuck," Noah answers.
I nod in agreement, laughing once more when Dad adds, "Hell yeah, she is."
"You cougar," I say to Mom.
She simply shrugs and smiles around her glass of wine. "I still got it, though."
"Yes, you do," Dad tells her.
Noah gags, just as I cringe then say pleadingly, "Please, do not do that."
Their obnoxious laughs flood the room. I shake my head and turn toward Jalen. His blue eyes glance around the room, taking in everyone's body language and words, before turning to me and smiling.
I think I'm mastering understanding how Jalen feels with just one look. And right now, he actually looks happy. My heart feels like exploding from the sight.
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Waking up in Jalen's arms is my favorite thing in the world. Especially now, because something about it just feels so right and perfect. Even if we're in his bed, in his parents' house. He told me they were away, and that was honestly all the reassurance I needed to let him convince me to spend the night.
"Good morning, baby," he says, voice still groggy from sleep.
My stomach flutters at the sound, but morning breath and the soreness I still feel between my legs from last night keeps me rooted to my side of the bed. I twist around in his arms, though, to be able to see his beautiful blue eyes this early.
I smile, and so does he, and I feel my heart race. My heart has never felt so full.
"Morning," I tell him sleepily. I snuggle further into his arms and under the blanket. I could honestly knock out again. His bed is just that fluffy and comfortable.
Jalen has other ideas as his hand moves from lounging over my waist to gripping my hip, and then slowly dipping lower and lower, and... oh, fuck it, I'm not tired anymore...
Before any other moves can be made, though, his bedroom door swings open so harshly it bangs loudly into the wall. Not sure if it's the loud sound so early in the morning or the fact that we've been caught, but my heart beats like a jackhammer in my chest.
His parents are out of town, my ass!
I shut my eyes and mentally prepare for his mother's bitching or his father's condescending tone.
"Jay Jay!" a voice screams out from the other side of the room.
It's feminine, so it's not his dad. But it's way too high-pitched and, well, happy to be his mother. It also sounds young, way too young...
My eyes open, but the light is quickly taken from me as a blanket is tossed over my head. "The fuck...?" I try calling out, but voice is muffled when a pillow lands on me.
"Shh," Jalen quickly tells me before I feel the bed shifting from his weight, and then his warmth is gone. I hear more movement, then footsteps. His voice is further when he speaks again. "What are you doing in here?"
"I want to see you, Jay Jay!" the voice from before responds.
"I thought Gloria was going to take you out today?" Jalen asks, but his voice sounds so... different. It's gentle, soft, and way too kind to be coming from my Jalen.
"Gloria said if we couldn't open the door, you were still busy. I opened it!"
A pause, and then Jalen swears under his breath, before quickly covering it with, "I am busy..." Another pause. "Um, I was busy. Why don't you tell Gloria she can leave in fifteen minutes? I'll be down and ready to spend the day with you by then. Sounds good?"
I hear little footsteps jumping up and down. Little footsteps? "Yay!"
The shriek released is somehow louder than the slam of the door right after. My ears feel like they're bleeding.
"Damn Gloria," Jalen mutters his breath.
"Um, what the hell is going on?" I ask while throwing the blanket and pillow off of me.
Jalen's eyes widen as he quickly rushes to the side of the bed. "Oh, shit. Lyndon. I am so sorry about that. I kind of panicked."
"You kind of panicked? You tried suffocating me, motherfucker," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Was that your little sister?"
Jalen nods, dragging a hand down his face. I try not to take note of the fact that he's still very shirtless, putting those perfect abs on display, but it's hard not to. "Yeah, that was her."
"I want to meet her!" I say, sitting on my knees on the bed. "Why didn't you let me?"
Jalen's eyes move from my face to slowly trace over my bodyâmy body that's only covered in his shirt. He brings his gaze back to mine and simply raises a brow as an answer.
"Okay," I nod, getting his point. "But you said you were spending the day with her, right?"
"Lyndon..." Jalen says, voice dropping lower as he looks visibly uncomfortable now. "It's not a good idea."
"Please," I call out. "I really want to meet her." And really want to see how you act around her. And want to keep spending time with you.
He hesitates, biting into his bottom lip as he ponders. "Fine," he finally says with a sigh. "Go get ready. I told her I'd only be fifteen minutes, and you just wasted, like, ten of them."
His blue eyes roll after he says the words. "Can she even tell time?"
"No, but the nanny that was told to go home in fifteen minutes will run out of here whether I'm there or not."
"Okay," I repeat, unable to say more as he's made another point. "So, I'll go get ready."
"Fantastic idea, baby," he tells me, smirking before disappearing into the bathroom.
He doesn't close the door behind him, though, and I take that as an invitation to follow.
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"Thank you for staying a little longer," Jalen tells Gloriaâwho I'm assuming is the nanny.
She smiles politely before running out the front doorâjust as Jalen said she would.
I finish wringing my wet hair out with a towel, ignoring the way Jalen shakes his head at me and walks further into the living room, where his sister should be.
I'm not sure why he's looking at me like I did something wrong. He was the one who couldn't keep his hands to himself.
I scoff and follow him, and completely forget all about our shower the second I spot the cutest little thing sitting on the couch.
Calling her pretty is an understatement. Her black hair is done in two pigtails, and she shares the same blue eyes as her older brotherâas well as his extremely light skin complexion. Her long eyelashes rest on her rosy cheeks, right above her button nose and little pink lips.
In short, she literally looks like a doll.
When she spots Jalen walking closer, her face lights up and the cutest smile appears. "That was fifteen minutes?"
Oop. "Give or take," Jalen tells her, shrugging, though it's clear she doesn't know what he means. "Whatcha' got there?"
She holds up the toy she'd been playing with. "Mommy and Daddy gave it to me before leaving again."
She shakes the doll in front of Jalen's face, and he quickly kneels by her side. "Did they say anything?"
The little girl looks at her brother and shakes her head.
Jalen's jaw clenches, and I frown at the exchange.
He turns his head away from her and must realize I'm there. "Uh, Victoria," he calls out. The little girl looks up at her name. "I want you to meet someone."
Victoria's eyes flitter over Jalen's shoulder to find mine. She holds the doll in front of her face, but continues peeking out over it's head.
"Hi," I call out softly. When she remains in the same spot, shyly hiding behind the doll, I decide to kneel next to her the way Jalen is. "My name is Lyndon."
She blocks her face with the doll and turns away. "Victoria, say hi," Jalen tells her gently. When she doesn't move, he reaches out a hand and tickles her.
Her giggles echo throughout the empty and vast room, and I find myself smiling at the innocent sound.
"Stop!" she yells through her laughs.
"Are you going to say hi?" Jalen asks as he continues tickling her.
She nods her head rapidly, trying to push his hand away with her two tiny ones. He finally stops, and she breathes deeply before turning to me.
"Hi, London!"
My smile drops. I get war flashbacks. And then I laugh at the irony.
"It's Lyndon," he gently corrects her, and then he smiles when she looks extremely confused.
"London?" she asks, holding her doll she had tossed while being tickled closer to her again.
Jalen shakes his head slowly. "No, Vick, it's Lyndon," he tells her once more in another gentle tone.
She tries pronouncing it again, and fucking fails, so I lightly touch Jalen's shoulder just as he tries correcting her once more. "She can call me whatever she wants. It's fine."
"I like London," Victoria says with a large smile.
I'm not sure if she means she likes me or just the name, but either way, I flash her a warm smile. This is Jalen's baby sisterâshe can say or do no wrong in my eyes.
Victoria hops off the couch, barely missing kicking both Jalen and I in the face from her fast movements. "Follow me!"
I jump up quickly, just as Jalen did, and we follow her to wherever the hell she's going. She's a fast little thing, but even though she's running, Jalen and I have long enough legs to keep up pretty easily without having to sprint.
We end up in an entirely pink room. I mean, not one thing in this place is not pink. My eyes almost hurt from the vast amount of the single color here.
"She loves pink," Jalen tells me with a shrug. "I'm hoping she outgrows it."
"Scared she'll end up painting your bike pink?" I ask him jokingly.
"Jay Jay, help me!"
Jalen springs into action, quickly crossing the room once he realizes that little Victoria is attempting to move a bin more than half her size.
Once it's off the shelf, Victoria tears it open, tossing toy after toy onto the carpet. I watch, becoming very grateful my job around here isn't to clean.
My job is to be happy with Jalen, and in turn, his sister. I happily accept it.
"London!" Victoria calls out without removing her eyes from the bin of toys.
I walk toward where they are on the floor. Jalen's seated cross legged across from Victoria, as she stands over the bin, her head practically lodged into it as she desperately tries finding whatever it is she wants.
With her attention on the bin, Jalen turns to me and frowns. "I don't want her calling you by the wrong name all the time."
"All the time?" I question teasingly.
Jalen smiles, then tries hiding it by biting into his bottom lip. "I mean, she can do it sometimes, but not all day."
"Right, day," I repeat before I nudge his shoulder with mine, smiling. "Come on. Admit you want me around your sister all the time."
Shaking his head, he says, "Nah. No way. I don't need your attitude influencing her."
I bring a hand to my chest, pretending to be offended. "It's called having some kind of backbone. Every little girl can benefit from that influence."
Jalen releases his bottom lip, letting his smile and that dimple shine. "True. I happen to love your backbone."
"Yeah? Just my backbone or..."
"All your bones," he says, leaning closer to me.
Just as I'm ready to kiss himâto keep from focusing on the l word being usedâhis sister's voice interrupts. Damn, I forgot she was even here.
"Oh em gee!" she excitedly calls out, eyes darting between her brother and I. "You two are married?!"
My eyes go wide, and Jalen mirrors my expression, both shocked and a little worried because of her words. Well, at least I'm worried. What if she's heard shit about Jalen's arrangement with Cortney?
"Um, no," Jalen gently answers her. "We're not married."
"Oh," Victoria responds, shoulders slumping forward as she looks and sounds extremely disappointed.
"What's wrong, Vick? Why'd you think that?" Jalen asks while moving a little closer to her.
Victoria looks at her brother, frowning. "I thought you were gonna kiss. Married people kiss."
I refrain from chuckling. If kissing meant marriage than Jalen needs to move to another country that allows polygamy.
"People who are dating kiss, too," Jalen tells her while placing a hand softly onto her shoulder.
"You and London are dating?" Victoria asks, lowering her voice as if trying to make sure I don't hear her talking about me.
Amusement comes to Jalen's face. "Yeah, we are."
"So you... kiss?"
Jalen smirks, and I feel my cheeks reddening from the quick glance he spares me. "Yes, we do."
"Oh," Victoria repeats, walking closer to us, forgetting about the bin and whatever she had been searching for.
"How do you feel about that?" Jalen asks her.
Victoria shrugs, before her little blue eyes look to me. I can feel her analyzing, and my stomach churns at the judging look in her eyes. Damn, it's like staring at their mother. I refrain from letting myself get anymore nervous. She's four years old, for fuck's sake. Why am I letting her and her disapproval intimidate me?
Because this four year old is Jalen's sister. And it's clear as day how much she matters to him.
Fuck.
"I have a lot of toys in my attic I could give you," I quickly say.
Her mouth drops in shock, then a wide grin appears. "I love London!"
She throws her tiny arms around my neck, sending her body crashing into mine. I almost tip over from not expecting the hug. Good thing she's so tiny.
"You need to get her name right, though," Jalen tells Victoria once she pulls away. "Otherwise she's not gonna want to hang out with you."
I widen my eyes just as Victoria's bottom lip sticks out and her eyes begin to water. She glances at me, looking hurt. Jalen, what the actual fuck?!
"Noâ" I say while rapidly shaking my head.
"Her name is not London," Jalen tries correcting again. "It's Lyndon. Lyn-don."
"Lyn," Victoria says, then ruins it by adding, "Dumb."
"Yup, that's it," Jalen says with a laugh.
"Jalen!" I scold, smacking him in the shoulder.
Victoria's eyes widen. "Hey!" she shouts at me.
"What?" I question, then realize why she's getting hysterical. "Oh, that. No, no. I wasn't hurting him or trying too. That was just, like, um... a joke?"
I turn to Jalen with pleading eyes, hoping he'll explain since he obviously knows her better and can find the right words.
But, instead, the jackass smirks and says, "I don't know. That kind of hurt."
"Hi-ya!" Victoria screeches before lunging for me.
I roll out of the way, quickly realizing she's starting to look a little too much like her mother. Because I know Aurora Uccello would've loved to hi-ya my ass the first time she caught me here... and every other time she's seen me since then.
"Vick!" Jalen calls out, before wrapping an arm around his sister and easily pulling her back. "Don't do that. We were playing around."
"Oh, okay," she answers her brother, before sitting next to him on the floor and going back to looking like a little doll. What in the... "Lyn, do you want to play?"
Not sure if it's the word play or being called Lyn, but I'm suddenly feeling very uneasy. "Sure, what game?"
Yup, very uneasy now that I've said that word.
"Princesses!" she calls out excitedly. "I'll be Ariel, and you can be Cinderella!"
So I'm the slave. Great.
"Who's Jalen going to be?"
I quietly chuckle at the thought of Jalen playing princesses with us.
"Oh, Jay Jay's always Sleeping Beauty," Victoria says matter of factly.
I swirl around to face Jalen, who's already lying down on the floor with a pink, heart-shaped pillow under his head and a fake rose in his hands. "Wake me in an hour, Lyn."
Cringing, I quickly say, "Yeah, let's not call me that, okay?"
"But she clearly can't pronounce Lyndon," Jalen tells me, keeping his eyes shut as he makes himself comfortable on the fluffy carpet. "Pass me that blanket?"
I roll my eyes and grab the only one by me. I toss it at him, and he somehow catches it even though his eyes are still closed.
"I can feel how unimpressed you are, Lyn," Jalen says jokingly, eyes still closed.
"Come on, Lyn. I have a broom for you!" Victoria calls out excitedly from the other side of the pink playroom.
Fuck. I'm gonna regret this... "How about you call me Lynnie?"
Jalen cracks an eye open. "Lynnie?"
"Lynnie!" Victoria practically sings. "I love it!"
I smile at her, then turn to Jalen. "Noah couldn't say my name either. It won't kill me to have one other person calling me that stupid nickname."
"Lynnie," Jalen repeats again, and suddenly, the name doesn't sound too stupid anymore. "I like it."
"I like you," I say cheesily.
He smiles, wrapping his hand around my wrist and tugging me down for a quick kiss.
"No!" Victoria whines, the sound dragging out and growing louder as she runs toward us. "I'm the one who wakes Jay Jay! Not you!"
The little girl is fuming right now, and it's all because of the green eyed monster. Yikes, she's possessive.
"Don't worry," I quickly say, "that kiss was to put him under the spell. You'll be the one to free him."
That gets her to smile. "Don't worry, Jay Jay," she whispers to him. "I'll save you!"
She looks to me after and I swear I see her glare, before it's wiped away and the whole thing is forgotten as she tosses me the broom and starts telling me the whole plot of our fairytale game.
Thank goodness the jealousy passed. Jalen's breathing is already deeper, which means he's knocked the fuck out. I'm worried that I'll do something else to annoy her.
Damn, Jalen! I can't take a whole hour of Victoria being mad at me without Jalen there as a buffer.
I take a deep breath and try remembering she's only four. What's the worst that could happen? Her hating me? Ha.
ââââââââââ²âââââââââ
"I think your sister hates me," I tell Jalen sadly, pouting after.
Rather than taking what I'm saying seriously, Jalen leans down and kisses my bottom lip that's sticking out from my pout.
"Jalen," I try scolding, but end up laughing at how weird he is. "Come on. I'm being serious."
"She's four, Lyndon," he tells me. "She can't hate anyone. She doesn't know what hate is."
"Well, I must've taught her, because I swear she hates me."
Jalen shakes his head and leans against his locker, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me against him. "You've been saying that for four days now, yet she hasn't said one bad thing about you."
"She hasn't?"
We hung out during our entire spring break, with Victoria there for some moments. I'm surprised she hasn't said anything bad about me since then.
"No," Jalen says, shaking his head. "And why would she? You followed every ridiculous rule of her games, wore every ugly outfit she threw at you, and never once corrected her when she said happy fending."
"Yeah, I was confused about that," I confess. "Why hasn't anyone corrected her? She knows the saying is happy ending, right?"
Jalen laughs. "No, she thinks it's fending. And I don't correct it because it's funny as fuck."
"It sounds morbid. Have a happy fending? That's some Hunger Games, death is coming shit."
Jalen's laugh gets louder. "That's why it's fucking funny."
I shake my head and move out of his hold, opting to lean next to him on the lockers instead. "It is kind of funny," I admit. Then I sigh. "Through it all, though, I have to tell you: she's so cute. A little crazy, but so cute."
"A lot crazy," Jalen agrees.
"I was trying to be nice," I say lowly, smiling when his blue eyes find mine. "But yeah, she's a lot crazy. There's definitely a screw loose up there. I'm not judging, though! I mean, looking at who her parents and brother are? She could've been a lot worse."
Jalen sends me a dry look. "Shut the fuck up."
I raise a hand to motion toward him. "See, that. That right there. I'm thankful she's so much nicer."
Jalen rolls his eyes, then leans off the locker. He opens his up and starts digging through it. "I'm glad you two got along, though. I was worried."
"Me too," I agree, with both things he says. "Being with her kind of makes me wish I had a younger sibling."
Brows furrowing in confusion, Jalen's head whips to the side to look at me. "Um, are you forgetting about Knox? Your younger sibling?"
I wave a hand dismissively at him. "That doesn't count. I meant, like, way younger. And to be honest, I'd take Victoria over Knox any day. At least she talks."
Jalen brings his full attention to me, forgetting about whatever he was doing in his locker. "Knox doesn't talk?"
I shake my head. When I realize Jalen sounds a little too confused, I say, "No, he doesn't. Not to me, at least. Why, he talks to you?"
The last part of my sentence was meant to be joking, but Jalen takes it serious and nods. "I mean, we've only spoken twice, but he was really talkative those two times."
"When? Why? About what?"
"First, when you forced me to survive on my own at your house," Jalen says bitterly, "I found Knox sitting in his room, the door was wide open, and I popped in to say hi. You know, be polite and shit. He just started talking after that. Second time was when you left to argue with Noah for twenty minutes that other time we were hanging at your house."
"And you talked about...?" I repeat, not getting what those two could ever have in common.
"Life," Jalen says with a cheeky grin.
"You talked about life," I repeat dryly. "What kind of life things?"
"Things you wouldn't understand, young grasshopper."
I shove him lightly. "You're annoying."
"And you're abusive," he replies. "Don't make me get my sister on you."
I shove him once more, just as the bell rings. "Ugh, I wanted to use the bathroom before class. Damn it."
"Just go now," Jalen suggests, eyes going back into his locker. "I'll wait here for you."
"Okay, I might be a couple minutes," I tell him, starting to walk off.
He nods, then tries hiding a smile as he asks, "What're you planning on doing in there?"
"Changing my pad," I tell him loudly.
He cringes, then motions with his hand for me to go, turning back to his locker.
After rushing to the bathroom and finishing what I told Jalen I'd do, I quickly exit the stall and wash my hands. I'm really not trying to be late to class. Things at home have been okay since Jalen's first visit to the house. I want to keep it that way until the next shitshow happens.
The door swings open, and I'm ready to call out Jalen's name, thinking he's rushing me.
I pause when I hear heels clicking. I know it's not Malia, and that even if it was, she wouldn't say anything to me. She hasn't spoken to me since that day in the library. She's still mad about it, I think. Or she was just happy to have an excuse to ignore me again.
"Lyndon, how are you?"
I remove my eyes from the water running over my hands long enough to spot Cortney through the mirror. "I was doing great till you walked in."
"Oh, Lyndon, do I affect you that much?"
Shit, that was a good response. "Hey, even the best of us can get taken down by one of those damn stomach bugs."
"Are you trying to say I give you the runs? Sure it's not your nerves acting up whenever I come around?"
"No, Cortney," I grind out, shutting off the water and turning around. "I'm calling you a bug. A tiny, pesky little thing I'd love to squish under the bottom of my shoe."
"I wouldn't be caught dead under those trashy things," she says snidely.
"Ugh," I groan out. "What do you want?"
I'm tired of thinking of comebacks and letting myself get angry because of her. I'm done letting her affect me, as she so kindly pointed out.
"I honestly just wanted to see how you are," she says innocently.
"I'll believe that bullshit the day pigs fly."
Cortney smiles at me, small features contorting into a very pretty image. Damn her. "How're things with Jalen?"
"Great," I say. "Any other stupid questions?"
"How're things with Malia?"
Huh? "Why do you care about my relationship with Malia?"
Asking about Jalen makes sense, because, well, duh. But Malia? That's fucking random.
That smile on her face remains intact. "I don't necessarily care, I'm just curious. I know it needs to be great in order for any relationship with Jalen to be."
"Cortney, what are you babbling about?"
Her smile slowly morphs into a smirk, and she takes a step forward. I remain rooted to the same spot. There's no fucking way I'm stepping back. And if she gets any closer, we're fighting.
No, no. I am not risking anything I have going for me over this bitch.
"You have to know by now just how much Malia matters to him," she tells me, voice soft and sweet. It's gentle, just as her appearance. But I know better than to believe that's what she is, or that that's what her words are. "Any hope of being with Jalen is easily crushed if the Queen doesn't like you."
"And by Queen, you mean Malia?"
"Queen of the school and certainly a queen in Jalen's eyes."
I laugh in her face. "Yeah, I don't know about that..."
"Well, I do. I've been around for a very long timeâ"
"That I know," I cut her off. "Jalen's told me all about it. How hard you are to shake... kind of like herpes."
Cortney pauses, but that misleading smile never drops from her face once. "Make all the jokes you want, Lyndon. If that helps you deflect and ignore how painfully true my words are, go ahead. That doesn't make them or Jalen's strong connection with Malia disappear, though."
"Cortney, just stop," I tell her, waving my hands around. "Haven't you done enough? Are you not tired of trying to ruin my life? I know all the little antics you've pulled, and I am done caring or letting it get to me. You do not matter. Not to me and certainly not to Jalen."
"I never claimed I did," she says evenly, still smiling. "I know my place in Jalen's life..."
Her light brown eyes find mine, holding me captive as she takes one more step forward.
"I'm just trying to help you learn yours. Because you will never be his number one, not with Malia around. That spot is hers and hers only."
I shake my head and back away. I told myself I wouldn't step back, but I need too. She's not worth it.
"If you had been here three years ago, or even just last year especially, you'd understand. You'd know that what I'm saying is nothing but the truth."
"Goodbye, Cortney," I call out as I quickly dry my hands with a paper towel.
I catch the same, sweet smile she's maintained. "You'll see it eventually, Lyndon. No girl will ever top Malia in Jalen's eyes."
I throw up the deuces and turn away, clenching my jaw hard as I exit the bathroom.
Every doubt about Jalen and Malia's relationship that I stored away threatens to come back, almost flooding me with the anxiety and worry I had over it.
But I push against it. It doesn't matter. None of them do.
Only Jalen and I.
I am done letting other people interfere in our relationship.
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A / N:
This one took a little longer, but at least it's only been 4 days and not a whole month, right?
Jyndon shippers, this one's for you! I'll even admit, I started shipping them during this chapterâand I had promised myself from the beginning that I wouldn't personally ship Lyndon with anyone so that I could properly tell the story.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one's gonna be great! A moment I think a lot of people have been waiting forâmyself, includedâwill finally happen. I'm excited to write it and even more excited to share it with you all.
See you then!