Complicated {Fransykes}

14: Don't Murder My Boyfriend

"Hey everyone! Come on in!" Elissa opens the door to Josh's apartment before he can put the key in the lock. She beams at her brother as though it isn't strange that she is in his apartment without his permission

Josh glares at her while Oliver and Karima erupt into giggles behind him. "When I said to meet me at my place, I didn't mean that you should break in." He informs her, "You could have waited five minutes for us to get here." He really wishes she would stop breaking into his place like this, especially since he has offered her a key more than once.

Elissa just shrugs as everyone enters the apartment, "You didn't clarify, so that's on you." She tells her brother, closing the door and locking it.

Elissa and Karima share a quick kiss. "Can I get anyone anything?" Elissa asks everyone, "Beer? Water?" Josh's glare only intensifies at his sister acting like this is her apartment rather than his.

"You do realize that this is my apartment not yours, right?" Josh demands, "I'll get people a drink if they want one, you can save the hospitality for your own apartment."

"Is this what it's like to have siblings?" Karima asks, sounding amused, "Maybe it's a good thing I'm an only child."

"It's his fault." Elissa says at the same time as Josh says, "It's her fault."

"I feel like I should have popcorn." Oliver stage-whispers to Karima.

"There should still be some on the floor from when Elissa threw it at me." Josh says pointedly.

"No way, I picked that up and ate it when you were busy being a little bitch."

"You realize that's disgusting, don't-"

"Guys!" Karima interrupts, "We were gonna talk about how the cop stalking went, so apologize to each other and move the fuck on." She looks at Josh and Elissa as though she is waiting for them to calm down, or rather willing them to calm down. Karima is strong-willed, and Josh can feel himself caving as well as see his sister do the same.

Josh sighs, forcing himself to relax his posture and unclench his fists, taking a deep calming breath. "Sorry, Lis." He says, albeit a little reluctantly. Truthfully, apologizing over this isn't a huge loss. Josh and Elissa have had plenty of more serious arguments, this is hardly Josh's hill to die on, nor is it Elissa's. They can save that for more serious arguments, which will inevitably occur.

"Sorry." Elissa mumbles, suitably chastised, possibly for the first time in her life.

"God, I wish I was half as powerful as you." Oliver informs Karima with a wide smile.

"It's a gift."

"So anyway, the cop has a side piece." Elissa announces triumphantly, "I have pictures of them kissing, and pictures of them going into a motel room together." She holds up her phone, showing a series of photos of a balding white cop close with a suburban looking woman. "They both wear wedding rings, but they're married to other people."

"Should I show him the photos?" Oliver questions, seemingly lost, "Won't he retaliate when he knows it's me?"

"I actually have an idea about that." Karima cuts in, "We can set up an email address from a library computer, and send the photos anonymously. We tell him to stop all of his blackmail schemes, or the photos go to everyone involved in this love square."

"You're brilliant." Elissa tells her dreamily.

"I know."

"Is love square even an expression?" Oliver asks, earning a smack upside the head from Karima.