Six

Six

DESI

"Luke, I am your father," Cannon drones in an exaggeratedly deep voice with his fist over his mouth.

Jace turns in his seat and his fork clatters onto his plate, then he holds his hand out toward Cannon's throat. "Force choke!"

Cannon pretends he can't breathe, clawing at his neck.

"Bro, did you know that's not actually the line?"

Cannon freezes, his jaw dropping like Jace just told him his puppy died. "What? You're lying."

My eyes bounce back and forth between the two of them, wondering who the hell Luke is and why his father is so important.

Jace goes back to stabbing his chicken parmesan, shoveling it into his mouth. "Yeah, it's like, the most misquoted line ever. It's actually, ‘No, I am your father.' Isn't that crazy?"

Cannon shakes his head. "I am shook. I feel like my whole life is a lie."

"I know. I felt the same way when I found out."

"I feel like I need to . . ." Cannon jumps off his stool and grabs the baguette from the basket in the middle of the island. "Challenge you to a duel." He makes a strange noise with his mouth and holds the piece of bread in front of him like a sword.

I scoot away from them with wide eyes. "What the—" I start, but of course, no one is paying attention.

This is my new normal. The men of the house have their own language, their own routine, their own friendship, which doesn't include me. I should be used to it. Growing up with six brothers also made me the odd one out. It wasn't that I'm a girl; they couldn't care less about that. I'm the baby. The one who never understood their inside jokes or wasn't there for many of their favorite moments. It wasn't so bad when I was in Infernis. Over a century of life meant I had friends to run to when I was lonely. I'm getting there with Meredith, but it's not the same. I don't know her as well yet, plus she has kids of her own.

Jace snatches a ladle from the utensil holder by the stove and echoes the noise Cannon made, and they begin some sort of deranged sword fight, bouncing around the kitchen and living room.

Cannon finally stabs Jace in the abdomen with the baguette and Jace falls backward onto the couch, writhing in imaginary pain.

"Star Wars night!" Cannon chants, holding the bread in the air and pumping his fist.

Jace bounds off the couch and mimics his movements with the ladle. "Star Wars night! Star Wars night!"

I lean on the counter and bite my thumbnail, watching them parade back into the kitchen. What in the hell is going on? What has happened to my two grown-ass roommates? They must have gotten some new video game they plan on playing tonight. They're always doing something, whether it's a video game, computer program, or movie premiere . . . and I just go to my room and read or watch chick flicks and reruns. I'm tired of playing third wheel.

I get up from the barstool and rinse my plate, placing it in the dishwasher. Wiping down the countertop where I was sitting, I push my stool underneath the island. "Okay, clearly I'm out of the loop. Again. See you guys in the morning," I mutter, and I'm pretty sure neither of them hear me or even notice as I head up the stairs.

I grab a spicy novel that's the newest craze from my dresser and fall back on my bed. Staring at the cover, I sigh. Stories like the one in my hand had to be inspired by some real-life event. And if that's the case, why is it so easy for the main character to find her perfect match? Neighbors, childhood friends, even enemies can be "the one." But I can't so much as go on two dates with the same person. The women in these pages have everything I want. Hell, I'm even living vicariously through them in order to have a sex life. They have the perfect person, and I have their erotic love scenes and a drawer with three battery-operated friends. Pathetic.

I crack the book open, ready to return to the steamy moment with the characters that led to last night's solo moment of pleasure. Marco is about to get his second wind when a light tap comes from my open door. I look over the top of the book to find Jace leaning against the door frame with his hand in his pocket.

"It's Star Wars night. What are you doing?" he asks.

I lay my book face down on my chest and intertwine my fingers on top of it. "Reading. Why would I want to sit and watch you guys play yet another video game I know nothing about?"

"It's Star Wars."

When I lift my brows and shrug, he opens his mouth, closes it, and looks around my room. His face contorts like he's pondering one of life's biggest questions. I'd jump in and give him some insight, but I'm not sure I would have the answer. Especially if it's regarding Luke, his father, or sword fighting with kitchen utensils.

Jace runs his fingers through his hair, and his gaze returns to me. "How do you not know what Star Wars is? We are talking about one of the greatest movie series ever made, Desideria."

"It's a movie? I—I thought it was a video game." I feel like an idiot. "You guys are always playing those fighting games, and given the bread and spoon battle, I just thought . . ."

He walks to my bed and holds out his hand to me. "Stop talking and get up. I'm second-guessing my choice to let you move into this house more and more by the second. I can't live with someone who doesn't know what Star Wars is."

I stare at his hand for a moment, shocked at the gesture. "You want me to come watch it with you?"

"Yes. I—" He puffs up his cheeks and directs his attention to my window. After taking several deep breaths, he sits next to my hip on the mattress. "I know it can't be easy living with the two of us. Cannon and I have a lot in common, and you're stuck listening to us go on about nerdy shit. I want—we want—you to feel included. So we came up with movie night. Once a week when we're all home we'll just chill together."

I perk up and prop myself on my forearms. "That's a nice idea. Will I ever get to pick the movie?"

"Sure," he says, not even trying to hide the hesitation in his tone.

The man is a control freak. Just the thought of me picking a movie makes him sweat. What does he think I'm going to make him sit through? He's talking about an entire series of movies. Multiple movies. I'm asking for the chance to pick one two-hour film. He takes neurotic to an entirely different level.

"I'm asking for one movie of my choice and for you guys to watch it with me," I say.

"I know, and that's fair, especially after what you did for me at the restaurant the other night." His features sober, and he meets my eyes. "Thank you. I should have told you how much I appreciated it. I just got sidetracked. Matt is still talking about how amazing he thought you were."

I wave my hand in the air. "It was no big deal. I didn't say anything that wasn't true. You're a huge fan of his, and you work your ass off day in and day out. Plus, it sounds like I even get to go to some fancy party."

"You don't really have to go to that. It's going to be a bunch of elitist assholes in suits pretending like they care about a cause, but they just want to one-up each other. I can make up an excuse for you."

"No, I want to go. It sounds like fun." I pause and cock my head to the side. "Well, not the way you just described it, but the way I had dreamed it up in my head. I've never been to an event like that before where I'm not the daughter of the guy in charge. In other words, I've never been with a date. Even if it is a fake one. So let me help you finish sealing this deal."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Jace. I'm sure."

"All right. I'll take you on one condition."

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach. I'm sure this is going to be some stupid stipulation about passing an exam on when to use the proper cutlery. Sarcastic comebacks are already racing through my head, and this fake date is bound to be over before it starts.

"What's the condition?"

"You watch Star Wars with us. I can't have a girlfriend, even a fake one, who doesn't know about Jedi mind tricks. You'll be too susceptible to the dark side."

I laugh and shake my head. "Okay, okay," I say, holding my hand up in surrender. "I'll watch Star Wars with you." We both stand and I leave my book on the mattress, pulling a hoodie over my head.

Before we leave my room, I say, "Jace?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for including me. It means a lot."

He gives a curt nod. "You're welcome, Desideria."

Besides Cannon and Jace's constant back and forth and the references I don't seem to understand, the movie isn't bad. The guys make me a deal that I can choose the next movie once we've finished the series. What I don't learn until later is that I have eight more movies to go. I've already decided that I'm picking the sappiest, most romantic movie I can find, and those two will endure my torture.