Chapter 15
Tanner
Last night I had to go straight home after my training session with Lindsey. I knew she was expecting me to go to her house again, but Brian was waiting for me. The guy had been playing hooky again and had stayed in town. Normally, that would be great. I loved having him around, but with the things heating up between Lindsey and me, it was a huge inconvenience.
I had told her Brian had stayed, and at first, she was a little pissed he hadn’t showed up to the meeting on Monday. I explained he felt it would be overkill. Plus, he was her brother and had no real information to offer. I was her trainer and could vouch for her dedication. Brittany was at the party and could attest to what Lindsey did and didn’t do.
With Lindsey’s schedule opened up, we did an early training session, freeing up my evening. Brian and I were going to hang out before he headed back tomorrow—assuming he didn’t change his mind and stay another day.
“Hey, I brought tequila,” I said, walking through the door of my apartment.
“Awesome,” Brian said, getting up from the couch where he had been watching some basketball game.
“I got lemons and Corona as well.” I put the bag down and started unpacking. I didn’t have any clients tomorrow and was ready for a night of partying. Even if it was in my own apartment.
“Line them up!” Brian said, grabbing the lemons and a knife. He was slicing wedges while I grabbed shot glasses out of the cupboard.
“Four?” I asked.
“For now.” He grinned.
I laughed, four shots would definitely get us on the road to getting shitfaced. I lined four for him and four for me and began pouring the tequila.
He brought over the plate of lemons. I grabbed my bottle opener and opened us each a beer before putting the rest in the fridge.
“Ready?” I asked.
He grinned. “Go!”
We picked up the shot glasses and slammed them, one after the other. My eyes were burning by the fourth. I quickly grabbed a lemon wedge and sucked on it before taking a long drag from my beer.
“I kicked your ass,” I said, laughing as he started to drink his beer.
“That last one wanted to fight back,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Lightweight.” I was already feeling the effects of the stout alcohol.
We went back to the couch with our beers, chatting about nothing in particular.
“Ready for another round?” I asked after about thirty minutes.
“Hell, yeah. This time, I’m going to kick your ass.” He jumped up and grabbed two fresh beers out of the fridge while I refilled the shot glasses.
“Want me to give you a head start?” I joked.
“Whatever. Go!”
Once again, we slammed the shots of liquid, one after another. By the last one, I could feel the burn in my chest and low in my belly. I was going to be drunk at the end of this run, but I wasn’t a quitter. I had to take a breather, which gave Brian the advantage he needed.
“Shit,” I said, popping a lemon wedge in my mouth, sucking the juice out.
He laughed, slammed his nearly empty beer bottle on the counter and almost knocked over the empty shot glasses.
“I think we’re going to have some serious hangovers in the morning,” I mumbled.
I could feel the buzz fading and the drunkenness taking hold.
“Holy shit,” Brian said. “I haven’t slammed tequila in a while. I think you just got me drunk.”
I laughed. “No kidding. I—” I stopped talking, completely forgetting what I was going to say.
“You what?” he asked, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter.
I stood up straight. My legs felt a little unsteady, so I back up until my butt hit the wall. I leaned against it.
“I think we should eat something. Want pizza?” I asked.
He was nodding. “And a beer. You’re right there. Gimme one,” he mumbled.
My head was being held up by the wall, I turned to the left to judge the distance to the fridge. I could do it in about three steps. I gathered my energy and stepped forward, only it ended up getting a little wonky and I went straight.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
“The other way,” Brian instructed.
I rolled my eyes. “No shit.”
I got my bearings and made it to the fridge, grabbed a beer and somehow got my legs to work properly again and delivered it to him.
“When’s the pizza coming?” he asked.
“What?”
“You asked if I wanted pizza.”
“Oh yeah. I have to order it, dumbass. It doesn’t just appear.”
I looked around the apartment, trying to find my phone. I managed to make my way over and grabbed it. I pulled up the app, quickly ordered the pizza and set my phone down.
“What’s that?” Brian asked, looking at my phone.
I looked down, it was a message from Lindsey. Shit.
“Why’s Lindsey texting you?”
I grabbed my phone, not wanting him to open the message, just in case it was something that would give away our secret.
“I don’t know,” I said, not meeting his eyes.
Brian stood up straight, leveled his gaze at me. “What the fuck, man?”
He knew. I had a feeling he suspected something was up, but now he knew.
Fuck it.
“We’ve messed around a couple times,” I said, trying to play it off.
“You fucking did what?” he yelled, coming around the counter.
“Relax, man. It’s not like that. She’s different.”
“No shit, she’s different. She’s my little sister, Tanner!” His face was red.
I took a deep breath. “I know. I think I’m falling for her,” I said in a quiet voice, surprising myself with the words as well.
He was shaking his head, and before I could move out of the way, he swung. His fist landed against my jaw, causing me to stumble backward. I didn’t get the chance to swing back before he was headed out the door. I blinked, trying to clear my head.
“Don’t you dare drive, Brian!” I called after him, heading out after him. I spotted his keys sitting on the small table by the door. There was one crisis averted.
“Oh shit.” The realization hit me: he was headed to Lindsey’s. I raced down the stairs, waving my arms like an idiot trying to hail a taxi. I forgot my phone upstairs, but I couldn’t risk going back to get it to warn Lindsey.
I jumped in the cab and gave the driver Lindsey’s address. I prayed Brian’s taxi would get stopped at every light.
I threw a couple of twenties at the driver and jumped out of the cab before it came to a full stop. I could hear yelling, and knew I was too late. Brian and Lindsey were in a screaming match. I didn’t bother knocking and burst through the door.
She was standing in the center of her living room, hands on her hips and facing off against Brian. When she saw me, she spun around. “Why would you tell him?”
My head was swimming in tequila. I tried to say I hadn’t meant to, but it wasn’t coming out right. I sounded like a drunken fool. I was a drunken fool.
“Shut up!” Brian yelled. “I can’t believe you two.”
“Brian, settle down,” Lindsey said, putting a hand on his arm. “We’re all adults. I’m not a little girl.”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said, unable to come up with a better argument.
Brian shrugged off Lindsey’s arms. “Don’t. I can’t believe you, Linds. You know him. You know how he is. Do you think your special? Like he is going to change for you?”
“Hey,” I said, trying to defend myself but coming up short. He was right. I had been a player since I hit puberty.
“I’m leaving. Don’t call me,” he said, looking at her. He walked by me, looking at me with disgust. He raised his arm, and I thought he was going to hit me again.
“Don’t you dare,” Lindsey warned.
Brian looked back at her. “I already did. He won’t forget it anytime soon.”
I scoffed. “Whatever, dude. I’ve been hit harder by a girl.”
Brian stomped out the door, slamming it hard as he left. My parting shot hadn’t exactly been my finest moment, but the tequila was making it difficult to think straight.
I turned to look at Lindsey.
She shook her head at me. “I can’t believe you did that. Go,” she said, pointing to the door. “I don’t want to look at you right now.”
“Lindsey,” I started, hoping to explain what happened.
Her hand went up. “No. Get out. And put some ice on your face, you idiot.”
My hand went to my jaw. I had almost forgotten about it. It was going to be sore in the morning. The tequila dulled the pain, but tomorrow would be a very different story.
“I’m sorry,” I said before turning and leaving.