15. Red Flags Waving

Chapter 15

Red Flags Waving

Leo

T he urge to run after Libby and make her forget whatever was on her mind was strong, but I knew I shouldn’t. After she’d gotten back from lunch and overheard Ethan threatening me, she’d shut herself inside her office for the rest of the day. I hadn’t even had the chance to check in on her with all my scheduled meetings.

She was going for a walk for a reason, and I was probably part of it. The other part… well, I had been trying not to think about him. I didn’t stand a chance against a man like Ethan.

Putting my business face back on, I walked into the condo to find the man in question slumped on the couch, his fingers buried in his hair like he was about to yank it out.

So, he had been the cause of her running off.

I marched into the living room, dropping my bag on the island on the way. “What did you say to her?”

Ethan didn’t respond besides a slight shake of his head. So, I did what any rational businessman would do in this situation and rounded the couch to stand in front of him.

I kicked his foot to get his attention. “I asked you a question.”

The son of a bitch snorted.

I grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking his head back to look at me. “What. Did. You. Say?”

He batted my hand away. “I kissed her.”

“You… what?” I don’t know why I was so shocked; it wasn’t like I wasn’t aware he was in love with her.

“I kissed her, and she ran.” He went back to gripping his hair.

“And you let her?” I started pacing on the other side of the coffee table. It was better to have a barrier between us. “Why didn’t you go after her?”

He threw his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know, Leo. Maybe because I know her well enough to know when to back off?”

My jaw clenched. Part of me was relieved that Ethan had finally made a move—at least now everything was out in the open. But another part of me, a selfish, possessive part, felt like I’d been punched in the gut. My chances with Libby were already slim, and now they had dwindled to practically zero.

But that was right where they should have been. I wasn’t good enough for her, but that didn’t stop me from latching on to the tiny tendril of hope that maybe I was… or could be.

“And you know her so well?” I was unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing. “What would you know about it? Your idea of knowing a woman is memorizing her bra size.”

His words stung more than I cared to admit. “At least I have experience with women,” I shot back. “How exactly do you plan on satisfying her if you’ve never even touched a woman before?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I’d crossed a line. Ethan’s face flushed red, a mix of embarrassment and fury. He rose to his feet, all six-foot-three of him towering over me.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me or what I’m capable of,” he growled. “How many women have you left in tears after your one-night stands? How many hearts have you broken?”

What argument did I have for that? He wasn’t wrong, even if I was trying to turn over a new leaf. “Women are complex creatures. They need more than puppy love and stolen kisses.”

“Stop.” Libby’s soft voice cut through the hostility. What had she done? Gone on an elevator ride and come right back?

I stepped back from Ethan, who was practically standing chest-to-chest with me. “I thought you needed a walk.”

Her eyes, usually warm and inviting, now blazed with an intensity that I swear simultaneously made my dick twitch and my balls hide themselves. She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “What I need is for you two to grow the hell up!”

Ethan and I exchanged a glance, momentarily united in our shared surprise and discomfort.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be caught in the middle of... whatever this is?” Libby gestured between us, her voice rising. “It’s exhausting! Every time I turn around, you’re at each other’s throats. And for what?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off with a sharp look.

“No, I don’t want to hear it. All I see are red flags. Everywhere I look, it’s red flags waving in my face!” She ran a hand through her hair, frustration evident in every movement. “I feel like I’m refereeing a boxing match between two overgrown toddlers.”

I couldn’t deny the truth in her words. We had been acting like idiots, letting our rivalry spiral out of control.

“I’m sorry,” I started, but she held up a hand to silence me.

“Save it, Leo. I’ve heard enough apologies to last a lifetime.” She took a deep breath, and I saw the hurt behind her anger. It made my chest ache in a way I wasn’t used to. “I think you should stay somewhere else.”

For a moment, I was sure I’d misheard her. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, her voice steadier now. “You have the means to stay anywhere you want.”

It felt like she’d ripped my heart out. “Libby, come on. That’s not necessary-”

“It is necessary. I can’t deal with this behavior anymore. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to anyone who has to be around you two.”

Ethan, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke up. “Libby, I-”

“No, Ethan. You’re not off the hook either.” She turned to face him, and I saw him flinch. “You’re both responsible for this.”

She looked between us one last time, disappointment evident in her eyes. “I need some space. From both of you.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off to her room, leaving Ethan and me standing in stunned silence.

The sound of her door slamming echoed through the condo, making me wince. I looked at Ethan, expecting to see triumph in his eyes at my impending departure. Instead, I saw the same shock and regret that I felt.

“Well,” I said, breaking the silence. “I guess that’s that.”

Ethan nodded, running a hand over his face. “Yeah, I guess so.”

We’d both royally fucked up, and I had no idea how to fix it.

Being told to leave hurt more than expected, and I found myself unable to sleep. My hope was that in the morning, Libby would cool off enough to change her mind. It wasn’t like I would be staying that much longer anyway.

But I wanted to.

I’d suddenly found myself wanting to be at home instead of elsewhere, but now I’d fucked that up. I’d never considered myself a lonely person until I started living with Libby and Ethan.

Knowing I wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon, I reached over to turn on the lamp to find it out. With a sigh, I grabbed my phone, turning on the flashlight so I didn’t run into anything on the way to turn on the main light.

I flipped the switch, and nothing happened. “Well, shit.”

Were Friday night power outages going to be a new amenity for the building? I looked at my messages, and sure enough, there was one from the building saying power would be restored as soon as possible.

I stepped out of my room and into the hallway, the light from my phone guiding me through the darkness. The condo was eerily quiet, save for the soft padding of my bare feet against the hardwood floor. As I made my way toward the kitchen, a distressed cry cut through the silence.

“Ryker? Ryker!”

My heart skipped a beat. It was Libby, and she sounded terrified. Without hesitation, I changed course and headed toward her room.

As I reached her door, Ethan emerged from his room, looking disheveled and worried. “I’ve got this.”

I frowned, confused by his certainty. “What’s going on?”

Ethan shook his head, trying to reach around me for the doorknob. “It’s complicated. I’ll handle it.”

But I couldn’t walk away. Not when Libby sounded so distraught. I gently knocked on the door before pushing it open, ignoring Ethan’s frustrated sigh.

The beam from my phone’s flashlight cut through the darkness, revealing a sight that made my chest tighten. Libby was curled up in a ball on her bed, her body shaking with sobs. Her hair was a mess, sticking to her tear-stained face, and she looked so small and vulnerable that it physically hurt to see her like that.

“Libby?” I called out softly, taking a step into the room.

Before I could get far, Ethan shoved past me, making a beeline for the bed. Without hesitation, he climbed in next to Libby, pulling her into his arms. She immediately latched onto him, burying her face in his chest.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Ethan murmured, his voice taking on a gentleness I’d never heard from him before. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

Libby’s words came out in a jumbled mess between sobs. “The lights... they’re out... I can’t... Ryker... please...”

I stood there, frozen, feeling like an intruder in this intimate moment. It was clear that Ethan knew exactly what to do and how to comfort her. It was equally clear that I had no place here.

As I watched Ethan stroke Libby’s hair, whispering soothing words into her ear, a mix of emotions swirled inside me. Confusion, concern, and a twinge of jealousy. I wanted to be the one comforting her, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t even know what was wrong.

“It’s just a power outage,” Ethan said softly, his eyes meeting mine over Libby’s head. There was a clear message in his gaze: I told you I’d handle this.

I nodded, feeling useless and out of place. “Do you... do you need anything?” I wanted to help in some way.

Ethan shook his head slightly, still cradling Libby against him. “We’re good. Thanks, Leo.”

I couldn’t bring myself to leave, so I stood there, watching as Libby’s sobs gradually subsided into hiccups. It was obvious that this was far more than a fear of the dark.

Ethan scooted down in the bed until they were both lying there entwined in each other’s arms. They settled into the mattress, their bodies intertwined in a way that told me this wasn’t his first time holding her like that.

Before I could second-guess myself, I made a decision. I wasn’t going to give up so easily.

Taking a deep breath, I approached the bed. Ethan’s eyes widened as he realized what I was about to do, but I ignored his warning glare.

I set my phone on the nightstand, the flashlight casting a soft glow across the room.

“Leo, what are you-” Ethan started, but his protest died on his lips as I climbed onto the bed behind Libby.

Her body stiffened as I positioned myself behind her, and for a moment, I worried I’d made a huge mistake. But I was there now, and I had to see this through. “Is this okay?”

“No,” Ethan said firmly, at the exact same moment Libby whispered, “Yes.”

I was unsure of how to proceed. Libby’s body was still rigid against mine, but she hadn’t pushed me away. Ethan, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to throttle me.

The silence that followed was possibly the most awkward I’d ever experienced in my life. I swallowed hard, wondering if I should say something, do something, or get up and leave.

“We didn’t have electricity sometimes when I was younger… and I’d wake up to noises in the middle of the night and it would be so dark…” Libby’s body relaxed, and the movement wedged Ethan’s hand between her back and my bare chest. “Ryker would tell me stories until I fell back asleep.”

I ran a comforting hand down her arm. “Where were your parents?”

“Never knew my dad, and my mom…” She sighed and leaned back into me, uncaring that she was causing Ethan’s arm to rub right against one of my nipples. I could have moved away but didn’t.

“You don’t have to tell me more if it makes you uncomfortable.” I honestly hadn’t expected her to say anything about what had caused her to yell for her brother.

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable as much as it makes me sad for that little girl and boy… my mom was usually either high or out securing her next fix.” Libby rolled onto her back so she could see me. “I haven’t had a nightmare in a long time, and waking up to my nightlight being out… I thought I was right back in that place.”

I moved some stray strands of hair behind her ear. “The stress from two idiots probably didn’t help.”

“No… it didn’t.” She took my hand, held it to her cheek, and reached for Ethan’s hand. “Thank you.”

I moved my thumb across her bottom lip. Fuck. I wanted to kiss her so bad and take any thoughts of her nightmare away, but that would cause more problems, right?

Screw it.

I leaned in and brushed my lips over hers.