Chapter Eighteen

Olive

I’d made myself a cup of coffee and a ham-and-cheese sandwich. Now I was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, still in my pajamas. While Pierce was at work, this was the only way I could distract myself from thinking about Cormac—by being a lazy slob and a couch potato. Not that the endlessly mind-numbing music videos were doing me any good. I could still hear his voice in my head; I could feel him wedged in between my legs, see his eyes when he told me to never stop singing. Cormac had left his mark on my heart, even though I knew that there was no hope for us now.

I heard the front door open just as I finished chewing the last bite of my sandwich. I hadn’t expected Pierce to return this soon, but then I figured that he might have come home for lunch.

I smiled at him when he entered the living room. Things had been relatively back to normal since the previous night when we’d spent it watching old home videos and reminiscing about our childhood. He didn’t look that happy anymore, and I furrowed my brows at him.

He went directly to the TV, and instead of using the remote, he simply unplugged it from the wall, and that was when I knew that there was something seriously wrong.

“Pierce?” I said, and he came to a stop in front of the couch, glaring down at my stretched-out body.

“Sit up straight, Olive. We need to talk,” Pierce said. I did as I was told, feeling like the ten-year-old kid again who listened to her brother’s every command.

Pierce was standing in front of me with his hands on his hips, and he didn’t look happy. I couldn’t think of what could have possibly gone wrong since our time together the previous night and now.

“What’s gotten into you?” I asked him, dusting the sandwich crumbs off my lap. Pierce’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a guy with imaginary fumes coming out of his ears.

“Cormac told me what happened,” he blurted out, challenging me with his eyes.

My mouth fell open. That was the last thing I was expecting to hear from my brother. And it was the last thing I had expected Cormac to do. Who willingly waltzed into the slaughterhouse?

“What did he say?” I asked, and Pierce let out a sarcastic, scary laugh and shook his head.

“You can stop pretending now, little sis. He told me that you slept with him. Not once—no, no, no—you slept with him twice,” Pierce said and held up two fingers to demonstrate his point.

I could see that he was raging mad, but I was surprised that he hadn’t broken a vase or something yet.

I gulped, embarrassed and afraid and angry, all at the same time.

“So what?” I asked, jutting my chin up at him, and Pierce arched his eyebrows.

“I specifically asked you, like a million times, to stay away from him,” he thundered, and I shrugged.

“And I told you, specifically, that I’m my own person and I get to make my own decisions. Cormac didn’t trick me or force me into sleeping with him, Pierce. I slept with him, twice, because I wanted to sleep with him, twice,” I said, in as calm a voice as possible.

Pierce’s lips trembled as he tried to keep his rage under check. I could see that he was boiling, and very soon he was going to spill over.

“He’s taken you for a ride. He’s fucked you and now he’s going to forget you, and Cormac has a knack for breaking hearts,” Pierce said with sourness in his voice, and even though his words stung me, I tried to keep my chin up.

“You’ve told me this over and over again, and still I chose to sleep with him. Doesn’t that tell you something?” I said. Pierce shook his head.

“That you’re being very stupid,” he snapped. I stood up from the couch with a jerk, to draw my face closer to him. But Pierce was much taller than me and he knew it.

“I don’t care what you think of me! I don’t care how stupid you think I am. I did what I wanted to do, and I’d appreciate it if you stopped poking your nose into my life!” I raged at him. Pierce’s face had turned even redder. His eyes bulged with anguish and rage, and I was expecting him to growl or pick up my mug of coffee and smash it against the wall. But instead, he sat down on the couch with a thump and ran his hand through his hair.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m meddling again. I’m sorry,” he said, in a sudden low voice, confusing me with his behavior.

I stared at him openmouthed, because I couldn’t believe that it was my same brother who was now apologizing to me in the middle of a fight. I crossed my arms over my breasts and waited for him to say something more.

“Look, Olive—I’m working on my temper. Cut me some slack, please?” he said with pleading eyes, and I drew in a deep breath and nodded. I didn’t want to fight with him. No matter how outrageous his claims were, I didn’t want to lose my relationship with my brother.

“Olive, you need to go back to Venice, okay?” he added quickly, and our eyes met.

“You want me to leave? But I just got here. I was planning to stay for at least two weeks,” I said. It was unlike Pierce to want me gone. If he could have his way, he would have me living with him under the same roof at all times so that he could keep an eye on me.

“I know, and I want you to stay, but I think it would be for the best if you left town,” he explained, and I gulped.

“Is this because of Cormac?” I asked. Pierce sighed and nodded.

“You being here, especially after you’ve slept with each other, causes complications between all of us. Once you’re gone, I can start repairing my relationship with him, and maybe I can visit you in Venice soon too,” he suggested. I didn’t want to admit that he was making a lot of sense.

“Look, Olive, let me help you, sis,” Pierce said and stood up from the couch and held me by my arms. “I have money now, more money than I need. I want to help you pursue your dreams. Let me pay for rent for a nicer place in Venice for you, that way you can concentrate on your music and not worry about a livelihood. At least for a few years, till you make your break and then I don’t have to worry about you so much,” he continued, and he gently stroked my arms.

I wasn’t expecting this from him, and what he was saying sounded tempting. If Pierce took care of rent for a better apartment, I could do the gigs I wanted to do. I could save money to travel and maybe even have enough to record a few songs. This could really kick-start my career. But I also couldn’t help but feel like my brother was giving me a bribe. He was doing his very best to get me out of Brunswick and away from his friend.

“You’re going to do all this just to get me to stay away from Cormac?” I asked him in a soft voice. Pierce gulped as he stared down at me.

“I’m going to do all this because I care about you, and because I know that you spending any more time in Brunswick is going to destroy you. Cormac is going to destroy you,” he explained. I wriggled free of his grasp. I could feel those hot tears pricking the backs of my eyelids again.

“I told him you’re gone already,” Pierce said in a quiet, deep voice. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“I told him you’re gone, and I can guarantee that he’s going to be out there tonight, looking to find his next lay. It’s what Cormac does. He sleeps around and he forgets the next morning. You were just a novelty to him, Olive. He’s forgotten about you already,” Pierce said, and I turned away from him.

I didn’t want to believe anything he was saying. I wanted to shut myself away from him so I wouldn’t have to hear his words. At the same time, however, I couldn’t help but know that there was a high chance that it was true. That Cormac was going to be out at a bar tonight, looking for the next girl’s heart to break.