My stomach turns at the thought of Gabrielle having a baby because that means she fucked someone. Someone that isn’t me. My stomach turns again at the fact that I’m thinking about fucking her.

“Gabrielle is nowhere near ready for that. She’s only eighteen,” I correct him.

“Sounds like someone isn’t ready for their baby sister to grow up.” He laughs. “Anyway, when are you getting up out of here for the holiday? Today your last day?” he asks and I’m grateful for the change in subject.

Chapter Four

By the grace of God, I’m able to put the awkward encounter from this morning out of my thoughts long enough to take my statistics final, but as soon as I set my pen down after completing the final test of my first semester of college, the events of the morning began to resurface.

I’m not sure why James is being so weird, but I know that something is off and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Could it all really be about work? Or is it something else? I know what James is like when he’s stressed about work and he has never come off like that. I’m packing the rest of my stuff into my suitcase when my phone rings.

“Can you be ready earlier than one? I got out of work a little earlier,” James says as soon as I answer.

“Hello to you too, and yes, my exam went well, thanks.” Really? This mood is still lingering then.

“Sorry, Gabrielle. Just a lot of shit going on with work.”

I frown, thinking of his use of my full name which he rarely uses. “You never call me Gabrielle.”

He chuckles and a wave of irritation hits me. “It’s your name.” I can hear the overt sarcasm and it annoys the shit out of me. He never talks to me this way.

“You know what I mean, James.”

He’s quiet for a second and then it’s as if my previous comment wasn’t uttered. “Can you be ready sooner or no?”

“Why are you acting like you’re mad at me?” It’s a weird thing when you’re in love with someone in your family. Fights or disagreements with them feel personal in two ways that somehow have to co-exist within you. I’m his sister and the person he may be closest to in life. He’s my best friend and I never wanted to be on weird terms with him. But I’m also in love with him which makes things difficult in their own way.

Luckily for me, we aren’t together, so I can push him without seeming like the whiny emotional girlfriend.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You were weird this morning. Like I did something. I don’t buy that it’s about work. Please talk to me.”