MY SISTERS BOYFRIEND

18. Don't

                             Ren
The wedding grows closer everyday and that scares the hell out of me. Paige has been on a rampage with last minute wedding plans. We made invitations yesterday and apparently, I was doing it wrong. She told me to leave the kitchen and honestly, I wasn't sad about it.

I haven't spoken to Denver in three days and I'm okay with that. She leaves before I'm even up and comes home when I'm not around. I know she's avoiding me and it's for the best. She's with Xavier and I'm with Paige. I need to get my head straight.

"Babe!" Paige calls from the kitchen.

I walk to the kitchen from my spot on the couch and find her with a bridal magazine and a can of Diet Coke.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I have a dress fitting today. I'll be gone most of the day. These things take forever." She says with an eye roll.

"That's fine." I say as I lean down to give her a kiss.

Our mouths meet and she presses forcefully against my lips. It doesn't feel natural and now I doubt if it ever did. I shake the thought out of my head and give her a playful smile.

I walk back into the living room to find Denver and her mother Ruth, talking by the front door. I hang back and listen.

"You're always gone. You need to support your sister. She has a dress fitting. I would like you to go with us." Ruth says.

"I'm not going. I already told you that I wasn't involved in this wedding." Denver says with her hand on her hip.

"And why is that? You never gave me a reason." Ruth says.

"Ask Paige." Denver says before taking a seat on the couch.

"I don't like this attitude. You're going to that fitting." Ruth says.

"I'm really not." Denver says with her eyes on the tv.

"Denver!" Ruth exclaims.

"Mom!" Denver mocks.

"You are going. That's final." Ruth says.

"No. I'm not. I am eighteen, Mom. You can't make me do anything." Denver says in a calm tone.

"If you live under my roof, then you follow my rules." Ruth hisses.

"Then, I'll leave." Denver says.

"Don't bother. The guilt of not supporting your sister should be enough." Ruth says.

"I won't have any but sure." Denver says under her breath.

I step forward in order to not get caught spying. Ruth stomps past me and into the kitchen. I take a seat next to Denver and she doesn't meet my eye.

"Hey,champ." I greet her.

She ignores my presence and we sit in silence for a few minutes.

"You should go." Denver says.

"I don't want to." I admit.

"That's an issue." She says quietly.

The silence says a lot of things. Things that I don't want to admit. Like, I know without kissing Denver that it would be better than kissing Paige. We both know that what we really feel is forbidden and it makes us bitter. We can't admit it.

"I know." I say.

"Don't marry her." Denver whispers.

My heart stops and then skips a beat. She crossed the line. She's talking about the forbidden.

"I have to." I say.

"You don't." Denver says.

"You don't understand." I say.

"I do. It's fine but now we both know what this is. Leave me alone." She says before getting up and leaving the room.

I want to tell her to stay. I want to say that I won't marry Paige but I can't. I have to marry Paige. I want to marry Paige. If I tell myself enough, maybe I'll believe it.