Sunshine || Jai Brooks

chapter twelve; intimidatingly calm

"Oh, hey. Luke, brother. I'm sorry we've woken you up by our argument."

Luke shook his head as a reply to what his twin brother was saying. "No, it's fine. I was awake anyway. James was snoring so fucking loud it was impossible to sleep anyway."

"Sounds like him," Jai failed a forced chuckle, afraid that if he didn't act along something worse would happen than that. Only the corners of Luke's mouth turned up for a second, then he glanced at the girl. Her hands were shaking in fear, eyes staring at the floor with tears blurring her vision. She wanted nothing else than to run away and hide.

"Babe, could you give me an explanation?"

"Hey, bro. I don't-..."

He cut him off, lifting his hand up at him as a sign for him shut the hell up. "Are you suddenly my babe?" Jai shook his head, sighing deeply. "No, didn't think so either." He then turned back her, asking her the question once again. Still sounding as calm as before which she found so intimidating.

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time," she started. "It's just-... I didn't want to hurt you or make you upset. Luke," she glanced up. "I thought I liked you in the beginning. There were butterflies and I was blushing. I was-... you were amazing. You still are-..."

"And then? What happened then?" he frowned at the sound of her voice cracking and how a tear rolled down her cheek. "How did my brother suddenly come into this situation?"

She looked over at Jai for a moment, who still standing there. He was only listening. "That night I stayed over for the first time, I wasn't able to sleep. Neither was he. So, we came to talking and I helped him with the Ariana thing and he helped me with you."

"And?"

"I came over to surprise you one day, he had broken up with her and he was sad-..."

"I looked like shit."

Luke nodded his head up and down, agreeing with his brother.

"Anyway," Aileen didn't see the humor in it. "I decided to stay and comfort him, instead of calling you. Which I should've done, because the next week was terrible. He hadn't contacted me for a freaking week and I was worried, and top of that I didn't see you." She added more to it. "Then he called me, suddenly out of nothing, and he slept over at my place."

"Which sounds wrong, but nothing happened. I only gave her a present – candy to be specific – and I slapped her butt in the morning. I also saw her panties, since she was wearing this shirt thing."

"Sleeping shirt."

"Yeah, that," Jai nodded his head, sending the still oh so calm boy an innocent smile. Luke only rolled his eyes. "And then, I brought her to school and since then I haven't talked to her-..."

"Oh, no, you're leaving something out." Thinking back of this afternoon with the tension and all, how she had left the living room and practically followed Jai to his room. That moment he told her not to tempt him into doing something he would regret. Did she had to leave that out?  Maybe.

"What did we miss?"

Luke interrupted their moment, the explanation she was asked to give him which they ended up giving him together. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Enough details. It all comes down to one thing anyway, and that is that..." he pointed at the girl, then at himself. "You and I are going to stop this whole thing what we're doing – that thing, yeah –, so you both can figure out what the fuck you two are going to do."

"Oh, okay. But... you're not upset?"

"You're speaking my mind," commented Jai, making his twin brother glare at him in his greatest passion. It looked hilarious, but Jai could've only gone further and he would start yelling.