Chapter 27

27

TRISTAN

I step out of the bathroom, anxiety lodged deep in my throat. My heart feels like it’s going to beat its way out of my chest as I peek at my best friend. Dylan stands there, leaning against the wall, fists clenched, eyes ablaze with fury.

“What the hell, man?” Dylan growls at me. “What do you think you’re doing with my sister?”

Nina jumps between us, jabbing a finger at Dylan’s chest. “Back off, Dylan. This is none of your business. Stay out of my life.”

“The hell it isn’t! He’s my best friend and you’re my little sister. How long has this been going on behind my back?”

I gape, wanting to speak, but no words come out. I’m petrified at the idea of having pushed away the only person who always showed up for me.

When I don’t reply, Nina takes it upon herself. “It’s only been a few days, not that it’s any of your concern. I’m an adult; I can date whoever I want!”

Dylan scoffs. “Not my best friend, you can’t! I absolutely forbid this. It’s not happening.”

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Nina yells, her features contorted in anger. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away. But you have no right to butt in.”

“I have every right. How did this even happen? You went from hating each other to… to what?” Dylan lets out a frustrated groan, pressing the heels of his palms over his eyes. “I don’t even want to know. And it ends now, anyway.”

“It’s not your call.”

“Yes, it’s my fucking call, as I seem to be the only person left around with a few brain cells that connect.”

“You will not mess with my life.”

“Watch me.” Dylan makes to side-step her, but Nina blocks him.

“Dylan,” Nina continues. “You can’t just boss me around. I can handle my own relationships.”

“Oh? Ooooooh. So, this is a relationship now?” Dylan’s laugh is almost hysterical. He points a finger at me. “He doesn’t do relationships.”

“You didn’t know he was fucking me,” Nina snarls, and I cringe inwardly. Wrong approach, Princess. Now Dylan is really going to kill me. But she continues, “So maybe you don’t know everything.”

“Nina,” Dylan threatens. “Get out of my face before I?—”

“Before you what?” she shouts, squaring off to him.

“Before I lose my fucking mind. This insanity is over.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Why the hell not? Seriously, what do you think this is gonna do for you? Why him?”

“Because I’m in love with him, alright?”

Silence crashes down like an anvil. We all freeze, staring at each other wide-eyed, chests heaving. Nina claps a hand over her mouth, startled by her own outburst. I gape at her, my mind reeling. She loves me?

Before I can react, pain explodes in my jaw as Dylan’s fist collides with my face. I stagger backward, stars bursting behind my eyes as the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.

The punch rocks me back on my heels, but I don’t even try to react. I just steady myself against the wall. I meet Dylan’s furious green eyes, so much like Nina’s and yet icier than I’ve ever seen them. When he speaks, his voice is terrifyingly calm.

“Choose. It’s me or her. Either way, I want you out of the house in one hour.”

An ultimatum. My best friend or the woman who stole my heart, who apparently loves me back. Every muscle in my body tenses, torn between my loyalties and desires. But I know what I must do. Slowly, deliberately, I incline my head to Dylan in a curt nod.

Without another word, I stride into my room, grab my suitcase, and throw clothes haphazardly inside. Nina storms in after me.

“So, you’re going to leave, just like that?” she accuses.

I shrug, feigning a nonchalance I don’t feel. “This was a mistake.”

“You’re seriously picking my dickhead brother over me? After everything that happened between us?”

“He’s my family,” I reply gruffly, continuing to pack.

“And what am I?” Her voice breaks.

I pause, shoulders stiffening. “A mistake. I already told you.”

The words taste like acid on my tongue. I hate myself for saying them, for the choked noise she tries to muffle that lances straight through my heart.

I go back to shoving clothes randomly into my trolley, trying to ignore the way my hands are shaking. But Nina doesn’t let up.

“Did you mean any of it? The things you said to me the other night, about us?” Her voice cracks on the last word.

I clench my jaw, fingers tightening around a wadded-up T-shirt. I can’t bring myself to respond.

“Tristan, please. Talk to me.” She takes a tentative step closer. I can feel the warmth radiating off her body and smell the familiar scent of her shampoo that I was massaging into her scalp not ten minutes ago. “We have something special. You can’t just pretend it doesn’t exist.”

Still, I remain silent, roughly zipping up the suitcase.

“I love you,” she whispers, so softly I almost miss it.

Three words. Three syllables. They hang in the air, threatening to undo me completely. I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting the sudden sting of tears.

No. I can’t let her in again, can’t betray Dylan a second time. He’s been the one constant in my life, the brother I never had. I already fucked up by falling for his sister. I won’t compound that mistake.

Steeling myself, I force out the words that will make her hate me. Make her let go for good.

“Take a hint, Gremlin, will you? This is over.”

Nina sucks in a sharp breath like I’ve punched her in the gut. I’m a monster. She was right about me. What the hell am I doing?

Slowly, I start to turn, an apology on the tip of my tongue. But before I can get the words out, Nina’s voice cracks like a whip.

“I can’t believe I fell for your act. You never cared about me at all, did you? It was just another of your sick games.”

“Nina…” I finally turn and reach for her, but she jerks away.

“Don’t touch me! You know, for a minute there, I really thought…” She shakes her head. “Forget it. Just go. I never want to see you again, Tristan,” she adds in a deadly whisper. “You’re dead to me.”

I ache to tell her the truth. That she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. That I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her, too. But I can’t. Not if I want to salvage my friendship with Dylan. Already, I know this will be my last Christmas here after the clusterfuck I made. I can’t lose him too.

The silence between us stretches for a long, aching moment. In her eyes, I see a storm of hurt and defiance, but beneath it, the unbearable glint of tears.

“I’m sorry.” It’s all I manage to say. I’m a coward.

“No wonder no one ever fucking loved you,” she hisses, hitting where it hurts the most. “You’re a bastard, and I hate you!”

Nina storms away, the furious slam of her door following suit. I flinch at the hard bang as if she’d slapped me.

My shoulders sag, a bone-deep weariness seeping into my limbs. I try to pull air into my lungs, but it’s like trying to breathe underwater. Loving Nina was never like drowning—losing her is.

Without her, I’m lost. Floundering.

I’m nothing.

What have I done?

With leaden feet, I trudge down the stairs, each step a struggle. Dylan waits at the bottom, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He doesn’t say a word as I approach, just jerks his head toward the front door.

I pause beside him, searching for the right words. “Dylan, I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

His icy gaze bores into mine. “But it did happen. You crossed a line, man. I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “I understand. I’ll get out of your hair.”

As I reach for the doorknob, Dylan’s voice stops me. “Tristan.” I glance back and for a moment, I see a flicker of the old Dylan, my best friend. But then he just shakes his head and leaves.

A bitter loneliness clogs my throat. Then I’m out the door, the crisp morning air stinging my eyes. Or maybe those are tears. I hike to the end of the driveway where a car will pick me up.

I’ve lost everything in the span of an hour. My best friend, my found family, my… whatever Nina and I were.