Night On Set ❁ COLIFER

Chapter 85 ❁ We need McDreamy

Jen's POV

The reasoning behind my current block-the-doorway-and-don't-break-eye-contact pose was that it was going to be the fastest way to skip the bullshit and get straight to the point, meaning Colin's previous engagement, but I realize in a matter of a second that this is only turning out to be the fastest way to piss Julia off.

The look in her eyes turns flat, the corners of her mouth go down, and she locks her jaw in a way that screams I should back. The hell. Up.

Which makes for two people who are pissed at me in a matter of a few days. Way to go.

"Hi," she says, one of her eyebrows questioningly jumping up as she pushes past me and into the cool hallway. "Nice to see you too. What the hell are you doing in LA? I thought you were in Van—"

"Yeah, I was in Vancouver." I clench my teeth when she turns around at the base of the stairs. "And then you called me to casually tell me a certain someone ran off from his own wedding. Remember that too?"

The frown on her forehead disappears for a moment out of surprise, and I release my breath. My sister and I have always balanced each other out, even as kids; most of the time, one of us manages to stay calm when the other loses it. That's the reason why I expect her to calm me down, like I would if she were the one interrogating me in the hallway, but she doesn't.

She laughs. A dry, humorless laugh that does anything but calm me down. "Are you for real? This" —she waves her hand at me, from my flaming eyes to my hands on my hips— "is all about that?"

"The fact that he almost got married to someone hours before we met is a big deal, Jules."

"I think the bigger deal here is the fact that you didn't talk to Colin yourself. And even if you weren't brave enough to do that, you could've picked up the phone and called me again instead of hibernating in your pajamas and boiling in your own anger for six days before confronting me."

I know she's right, but I also know we're getting dangerously close to our parents' earshot, if they haven't already heard us bitching to each other. She catches me tensely glancing over her shoulder and takes a step closer.

"Did you care to tell mom and dad about your boyfriend in the meantime? Or are you waiting for them to read about it in the paper?"

"Don't," I whisper. For some reason the lowest volume seems to be the most effective way to let her know how serious this is, because she backs off instantly. "I want you to tell me exactly what Colin told you. You owe me at least that."

"Maybe I would, if you even cared to ask me how my trip was. It was fine, by the way, until you opened the damn door."

"Hey, hey, hey, watch your language." Dad rounds the corner of the hallway, using a napkin to wipe his mouth. "What's going on here? Julie, honey, how was San Diego?"

"Hot and humid," Julia says with a sigh, kissing him on the cheek. "I missed you guys. How's the lawn holding up in this heat?"

My dad's eyes light up immediately and another sting of guilt jabs my abdomen. The lawn is one of my dad's most precious treasures, simply for the fact that he's the only one in the neighborhood who manages to keep it green throughout the summer. I've been so absorbed by myself that I haven't even cared to ask him about it.

I force every cell in my body to shut up and not ruin the next few minutes as we move to the kitchen table, where mom is already loading up a plate of pancakes for Julia. I feel like a five-year-old when I sit down in front of my untouched piece of toast and watch my parents talking to Julia. I have absolutely nothing to contribute to their conversation about San Diego and lawns, apart from some humming noises whenever dad tries to get me involved.