Page 90 of Reverse Pass

“She didn't take advantage of me, Nora. I pursued her. She fought me the whole way.”

Her eyebrows raise.

“Not like that. She wanted to fuck me. She just objected to it for all the same ethical reasons you’re going to rake her over the coals for.”

“And yet she did it anyway.”

“Yeah,” I say grinning, thinking about the greedy way she’d looked at me, touched me, wanted me. At least I’d have those memories.

“Gross, brother. Just gross. Also see, this is the other reason it’s a problem. I want to hear about her latest hookup. I want the juicy details of the guy she’s dating, and if her latest hookup is my brother? Ruins all of that girl talk.”

“You’ll live. You’ve had her for twenty years. You could afford to share her for a few months.”

“So it’s over?”

“She doesn’t want what I want.” I shrug.

“And let me guess. You want to fuck her and all your jersey chasers, and she wants something more committed than that.”

I laugh, because I’m sure that’s what everyone would assume. I’m the jackass commitment-phobic fuckboy and she’s the sensible committed grad student. But that my own sister can’t even tell what a sad fucking sap I am for her is somehow funny to me.

“I could have warned her, but then I get it. That would have been an awkward conversation.” Nora sighs.

“You should have warnedme. And I shouldn’t have moved into the apartment with her and Joss. Fuck,” I curse, staring up at the sky.

“What?” Nora looks up at me puzzled.

The sun has dipped far behind the mountains now, and it’s getting dark fast.

“I shouldn’t have moved in with them. I knew the second you told me the room was free because Cameron and her called things off that it was going to be way too much of a temptation.”

“Yeah, well, but I knew she would be a safe place for you to land and would help keep you on track and out of trouble. And it sounds like she did a good job of that. You and her both. I don’t want to detract from your hard work, but I do think she played a role.”

“She did. She was pulling for me. And hey, having her at home made me never want to go out so…” I laugh and shrug my shoulders, taking the last swig of whiskey from the glass.

“Again, gross, but I guess good for her if, you know, you weren’t my brother.” She gives a little shudder. “And poor Cameron. Does he know?”

“He knows. He came home last month and figured it out on his own.”

“Oh my god! See! That’s the kind of gossip I thrive off of, and she didn’t tell me because of you!” Nora punches my arm.

“Well, you can talk to her about it now, just don’t tell her I told you.”

“First, I have to yell at her for corrupting my baby brother. And then comfort her because your dick ass broke her heart.”

“I didn’t break her heart.”

“I mean, telling a woman that she’s not enough and you want to also sleep with other women when she has feelings for you is uh… rough. Maybe not heart breaking, but definitely not a feel-good kind of situation.”

“I know.”

She stares at me for a second, and then lets out a little gasp.

“Nooooo.”

“Yes.”

“Who? I mean, she’s over Cameron.”