Pillow Talk

21~ You and Me

I slipped into the house as quiet as possible, afraid that I might wake Collin or Steve.

"Where the hell have you been?" Collin was leaning back in the recliner, his eyes on me in front of the door, "Oh, wait. I know exactly where you were." I bowed my head the second the words flew out of his mouth.

He had seen us, River and me, at the party. Had I really expected otherwise?

"So, you've been seeing River behind Caleb's back?" He didn't sound pissed, not even mad, no he sounded way to calm.

"I. . . no. . yes, I don't know! We haven't done anything, Collin." He stood up, his eyes still on me.

"That's not what bothers me right now, Scarlet. I'm pissed that you didn't tell me, that you didn't have enough trust that I wouldn't tell Caleb. That's your business, not mine. But I want to know who you're with, sis. I don't want to see someone hurt you like that prick Issac did." I stared down at the carpet, shaking my head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Collin. I. . . I should have told you." I replied, actually believing my words. I really should have told him, should have trusted him.

"And how long were you planning on keeping the fact that he's been living in the attic a secret." My whole body stiffened, my head snapping up.

Collin was only a few feet away now, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at me with a grimace.

"H. . . how did you find out? Did Steve-"

"Scarlet, do you take me for a complete idiot? I'm not as dense as Caleb or as naive as Steven. I saw you sneaking up there every night, and sometimes you wouldn't come down." He rubbed his temple, as if this whole thing was giving him a headache, "So I went up there a couple nights after you freaked out about hearing something. I found him in there, sis. I've known for a while." I sat down on the couch, feeling like an idiot.

"Does Caleb know?" I whispered.

"I doubt it. He's too busy sneaking around with your little friend." He muttered, glancing up at the clock over my head, "So do you care to explain why you're just now coming home at midnight?" I looked back up at him through my eyelashes.

"Do you really want to know?" I tried to divert the subject, but my brother was set on getting an answer out of me.

"I was with River at the park." I eventually said, blushing. My brother snorted, sitting on the arm of the couch beside me.

"And you expect me to believe you two didn't anything?" A smile had started to creep across his face.

"I'm still a virgin." I mumbled, even more embarrassed, "If that's what you're concerned about." He slapped a hand gently on my shoulder before walking to the front door and throwing it open.

River looked up from where he was leaning against the door frame, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Come on, kid." He gestured for River to come in, yawning.

"Thanks." River slipped into his house, plopping down on the couch beside me.

"Now you don't have to keep it a secret. But if you're going to be staying-"

"I just got my own place, actually." River cut him off, "My Aunt bought it for me, said I'd have to pay her back as soon as I got a job." Collin frowned, rubbing his chin like some old professor in a Sci-fi movie.

"And you plan on leaving my sister the minute you get accepted into college, right? Because that's how it always is. You lead someone on and then fuck them over when they can't get into the same school, right? But I get it, school comes before the person you were with for over five years." My brothers words had River wincing beside me, his hand resting on top of mine kept clenching it.