Bradley

 

It’s been three weeks since we got back from Vegas, and I’m still floating on cloud nine. I couldn’t be happier. Well, not at this minute. It’s two a.m., and I’m walking around my apartment like a lost puppy.

It’s the first day that Lexi isn’t here. She’s been here every night since, but she went out with Melanie tonight and said it would be easier to just sleep at her place. Of course, I didn’t want to be a pansy ass and tell her she had to come back to my house, so I agreed.

Idiot. You would think we’ve been together since I was born with the way I reach out for her. I tossed and turned since she called me and told me she was home. I even took her pillow to sleep on so I can smell her, and nothing.

So here I am, putting my joggers on to go over and sleep with her at her house. I already called down and asked them to have a cab waiting for me.

Walking up to her apartment, I’m pissed that the front door is still broken. I shake my head as I make my way up the stairs to her door. When I get there, I knock softly twice.

I don’t hear anything, so I knock again and this time I hear her locks open. She is standing there in a large shirt with bare legs. Her one eye is squinting. “What the hell, Lexi?” I say, walking into her apartment. “You didn’t even ask who was there.”

She closes the door and turns to me. “It’s called a peephole for a reason. You peep through the hole and see who’s on the other side,” she says, pushing past me to walk back to her bed. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I, um,” I start to say as I quickly undress myself and slide into bed behind her. “I couldn’t sleep,” I tell her, gathering her in my arms. I stop to yank the shirt off her and then resettle us. I make a mental note to throw out all her pajamas.

“Are you done?” she asks me as I get us covered back up and spooning.

“Almost, give me a kiss goodnight.”

She turns to kiss me on my lips.

“Good night, Fitch,” she says and slowly falls back asleep.

I don’t fall asleep that easily, only because her bed is a twin. Okay, maybe a double. But, Jesus, I think my feet are hanging off the bottom.

“Go to sleep, Fitch.” She knows I’m still up, so I chuckle to myself and then fall into a slumber.

The next day I’m dragging ass. I was so tired that I went home at noon and am now working in my home office when the buzzer sounds. I look at the clock and notice that it is almost seven. I get up to answer the door. I’m shocked when I open it and see who’s standing there. Sterling.

“There’s the wanker,” he says as he charges at me. “It’s been a month, and we keep putting it off, so I decided no more.” I’m still in shock I think because I haven’t moved. “I hope it’s okay?” he says, looking around.

I shake my head. “Yeah, yeah, of course. It’s fine,” I tell him, closing the door and my eyes.

He walks straight to the kitchen, putting down the six pack of beer he was carrying that I didn’t even see. He notices the flowers in the middle of the counter, the ones I brought home two days ago just because. “Holy shit! You’re in love,” he spits out, looking at me. “Flowers and in a vase. Is she here?” He looks over my shoulder.

“Ummm. No, no, she isn’t,” I say, grabbing a beer, opening it, and taking a very long pull.

“You little fucker, you, why didn’t you tell me?” he asks while he sits on a stool at the counter, opening his own beer.

“It’s new. We just started, so I didn’t want to say anything.” I take another sip.

“You like her.” He points to me with his beer bottle. “A lot. I can tell, you’re all nervous and shit. Where did you meet her?”

“I’ve known her for a while, but things just started to come together,” I tell him, and it’s not a lie.

“Cool. Did she transfer here with you?” he continues his questions.

“No, not with me, but she does come from back home, but she was here before me.” Again, not a lie.

“You dirty dog, you. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day that Scratch-the-itch-and-ditch Fitch would be smitten with anyone.”

I laugh at him and that stupid nickname I got. Okay, I dated a lot. I mean, had a lot of sex.

“What does she do? Does she work with you?” The questions just keep coming.

“She’s in interior design,” I say to him and then sit next to him on the stool. “So how are things with you?”

He’s about to answer when we both hear a voice entering the apartment.

“I came to do your dusting!”

My eyes almost pop out of my head when I turn and see Lexi walking in wearing a French maid’s uniform. Her tits are exposed, just the black underwire running beneath them, propping them up. She is wearing a little apron, and when I say little, I mean miniscule. It hides nothing because her pussy is also on display. The only thing that is covered are her legs—with black garters and thigh high boots. A feather duster is in one hand.

She sees Sterling sitting next to me and yells at the top of her lungs, throwing the duster in the air, while she throws one hand over her tits and another over her pussy.

“What the fuck?” Sterling roars from next to me, but I’m already jumping out of my seat to go and cover Lexi with my body. I stand in front of her while she grabs onto my T-shirt and tries to hide behind me.

I stick out my hand at Sterling. “This isn’t what it looks like!” Lexi moans from behind me. “Okay, so maybe it is, but it’s not as bad as you’re thinking. I can explain.”

The stool flies back and he gets up. “You can explain?” he yells at me. “How can you explain the fact that my baby sister is standing behind you naked? That she came here to dust for you?”

“I wasn’t really here to dust, Sterling,” Lexi says from behind me, and I look over my shoulder at her.

“I think I get what you were here to do, Lexi. What I don’t understand is why the fuck you are here to do that with Bradley?”

“We’re dating.” There, I said it. Just like a Band-Aid they always say, you just have to rip it off real quick.

“Dating.” He shakes his head. “You aren’t dating my sister.”

I stand up straight now. “You’re right, I’m not dating your sister,” I say out loud, “We are more than dating.”

“Seriously, now is not a good time for you to be all Mr. Hulk,” she says to me.

“What the fuck is going on? Can someone please just explain this to me?” Sterling throws his hands up.

“Okay, fine,” she says from behind me. “I’ll tell you.” She then asks me, “How much has he had to drink?”

“Oh, for crying out loud. We met at the airport three weeks ago when I went to Vegas. Then when we got there she lost her luggage, and her reservations were somehow cancelled. So we shared a room. And then…”

“And then you fucked her just to fuck her.”

“No!” we both yell at him.

“I’m leaving. Lexi, let’s go,” he says, grabbing his stuff.

“She’s not going anywhere,” I say the same time Lexi says she isn’t going anywhere.

“This isn’t a thing,” I tell him. “I love her.” I hear her gasp out behind me.

“No. I’m not standing here while you do this shit. We all know that next week you’ll have a new flavor of the week,” he says, pushing past me and slamming the door on his way out.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think to tell you I was coming over,” she says behind me while she starts to cry.

“Love, look at me.” I prop her chin up with my fingers for her eyes to meet mine. “He’s just mad. I’m going to go over and talk to him now.”

“What if he punches you?” she asks while wiping the tears from her face.

“He isn’t going to punch me in the face, and if he does, he does. I have to let him have one.”

“What? Why?” she shrieks.

“I’m sleeping with his sister. He gets to have one punch. Guy code.”

She wraps her arms around my neck. “Okay. It’s stupid, but just one and not in the face.”

I kiss her and then start toward the door. “Oh, and, Lexi? Don’t you dare fucking change out of that.” I wink at her as I walk out.

I make it to Sterling and Camryn’s apartment, knocking on their door. She answers and opens the door for me.

“He’s really mad,” she says to me. “He said he’s changing his will.” She winks at me, letting me in.

“Where is he?” I ask, kissing her on the cheek.

“Pouring two glasses of scotch. Somehow he knew you would be coming.”

I walk past her to their living room and stop when I see my best friend, the only family I have. Well, besides Lexi now.

“She’s like a sister to you.” He glares at me as he says the first thing on his mind.

“Trust me when I tell you, I have no sisterly feelings for Lexi whatsoever, and I never did.” I sit across from him on the other couch.

“You’re going to break her heart.” He swills his glass of scotch, brings it to his lips, and then drains it all before pouring himself another.

“I can’t promise you that I won’t.” I lean forward, laying my arms over my knees and steepling my fingers as I talk to him. “But I can promise you that if I do break it, I’ll make damn sure to mend it again.”

“We said we would torture her husband, do you remember that?” He reminds me of the long ago pact we made when she started dating. “We even had the spot picked out where we would bury the body.”

“I love her,” I tell him. “With everything I have. She weaved her way into my heart and she’s staying there.” He looks at me while I continue, “I want to make her smile every single day, and if there is a day when she isn’t smiling, I want to be the one who holds her.” I sit back on the couch, crossing one leg over to rest my ankle on my knee. “She makes me smile, she makes me happy, she makes me want more, and most importantly, she makes me a better person just by being in my life.”

“She’s amazing,” he tells me. “She works her ass off and refuses to take any of my money. Did you know that?”

“I did,” I tell him, nodding. “She’s already turning my apartment into a home, and I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it.” I shake my head, and then I look him square in the eyes and tell him the truth. “I can’t breathe when she’s not there, mate.”

“I will kill you,” he says, draining the last of his scotch. “Make no mistake about it.”

“I know you will, and I’ll let you,” I say. “Just so you know, I never wanted to keep us a secret from you.” I take a deep breath. “We were just waiting for the right time.”

“I figure her naked, in I don’t even want to guess what kind of costume that was, wasn’t the way you intended to tell me then?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“I need to bleach my eyes. Jesus. That was my little sister.”

“She doesn’t always dress like that.” I try to change his image that is floating around in his head. I get to my feet. “I’d love to stay and discuss how your sister dresses, but she’s probably freaking out right about now,” I tell him, offering my hand to shake his, but he pulls me in for a hug instead.

“Make her happy, Bradley.” He claps me on the back.

I look him in the eye and promise, “Every day.” I turn to leave, calling out a goodbye to Camryn.

When I finally get back home, I unlock the door and walk in, throwing my keys on the table near the door.

Lexi gets up from the couch, coming right to me. “You changed, love. I thought I told you not to change.” I look at her. The maid’s outfit is gone, and she’s now in one of my T-shirts.

She laughs, a bit forced and nervously, as she looks me up and down, presumably for injuries. “You’re in one piece?”

“Did you have any doubts?” I reach for her hand, bringing her back to the couch where I throw myself down and rub my hands over my face.

“I’m so, so sorry. I had no idea he was even here,” she says as she sits down next to me, tucking her legs underneath her.

“It’s fine.” I put my hand on her leg. “Well, not the fact that he saw you naked.”

She rolls her eyes to the ceiling.

“But that he knows. It was time.”

“Maybe.” She puts her hand over mine.

“So, are we going to talk about the fact I told your brother that I’m in love with you?”

“Oh, that.” She waves a hand and tries to brush it off. My hand is stills in hers, forcing her to look at me. “You don’t have to explain. It was said in the moment so he wouldn’t freak out. I get it.”

I look at her incredulously, my eyes glaring into hers as she quickly averts them. “In the moment. Yes, I felt a lot of things at that moment. Confusion wasn’t one of them, though. I love you, Lexi.”

She stills as her eyes dart back to mine and her breath hitches.

“I told your brother tonight that I love you, and I fucking bloody well meant it. I do. I told him I want to be the one who makes you smile, and I want to be the one who helps you up when you fall. I told him you make me smile, you make me happy, and you make me a better man. Because you do, love. I can’t breathe when you aren’t here, and I told him that, too.”

“Bradley,” she whispers as a tear runs down her cheek.

“I promise to wipe your tears and to make you smile when you’re frowning.”

She puts a finger on my lips to stop me from talking.

“I love you,” she whispers. “Since I was eight years old. Through all the anger and hurt I felt toward you, my heart still loved you.” She laughs. “Every time I saw you, my heart would beat faster. My heart always knew since I was a young girl, my heart knew. It’s you, Bradley, it’s always been you,” she says, and I pull her onto my lap so I can hold her and kiss her.