Always & Forever (Nick & Bailey #2)

10. Bailey

Nick has to leave for work, so I decide to wait for Ian in the kitchen. And if some chocolate chip muffins make their way into my mouth? So be it.

I hear Ian and Mom come down the stairs two minutes before it's time to leave. I wanted to calmly talk to him during the drive and make some headway into his accepting Nick and I. But given the fact that he's making us late, I'm just annoyed.

"Wow, Ian, thank you for gracing me with your presence," I say as sarcastically as I possibly can.

He doesn't even look at me. "Whatever. Let's go."

I roll my eyes and turn to the door.

"Wait!" My mom stops me. "I need a picture."

We both groan, but I'm not surprised. Ian and I stand next to each other awkwardly and force our smiles before we silently walk to our car.

This tension between us is foreign to me. We have fought countless times during our lives, but this seems to be the most intense. Maybe it's because we're getting older? Or that we've barely seen each other for the last ten months? Or maybe this isn't even a 'fight'? Maybe this is just a betrayal in his eyes?

I have to fix this. He's my twin brother. We're stuck with each other.

"Ian, you have to talk to me. There's no escaping this, and I don't just mean the car."

He grunts as he begins backing out of the driveway. "Bailey, what is there to say? You and Nick went behind my back, bumped uglies, and what? Are desperately in love now? Give me a break. You're together until you're not anymore. And then I'm fucked."

"First of all, did you just say 'bumped uglies'? And second, we may not break up. I know we're young, but you never know. And even if we did? I'm pretty sure your life will go on basically undisturbed. You barely even talk to either of us anymore."

"Us? So now you are an 'us'? This is part of what I'm talking about. It's two against one all of a sudden."

"You mean like it's always been for me? You and Nick against me?" I'm working very hard to keep my voice level, but this conversation is not going the direction I want it to. "Listen, Ian, be mad at me. Forgive Nick. You are the reason he stopped us from being together a long time ago. Because he was worried about hurting your precious feelings."

"So is that his excuse for lying to me? You two have had something going on since Christmas, and he didn't tell me."

Uncontrollably, my anger is rising. I need to defend Nick above all else. "Yes! Ian, I would have been with him a year and half ago, but he didn't want to hurt you! He's a really good fucking friend to you, and you need to realize that!"

Ian's eyes go wide. I must have said something I shouldn't have.

"A year and a fucking half?!?" We've reached the parking lot of the high school, but it's already packed so we have to park in the last lane. "You two have been together the whole time he's lived with us?!?"

"Not really," I answer. "I think we both just sort of knew that we liked each other...kind of. It was complicated."

We both open our doors and start walking up to the school. Ian doesn't miss a beat. "You know he's been with other girls since then, right?"

"Yes, Ian, I know. Nick hasn't kept anything from me."

"How cute," Ian says sarcastically. We've reached the school, and Ian holds the door open for me, out of habit only. We greet some of our old teachers—pulling out the ole Rogers' charm—even though our minds are anything but pleasant at the moment.