Castle in the City

19

I stared outside my window at the heavy rain that was falling. Where was the good weather? Where was the heat from June stealing the spotlight from May's rainy ass? I wasn't a fan of summer nor heat because I was one that easily sweated, but I would rather a warm afternoon than a rainy one tonight. At least with a warm afternoon, I'd be on the date with Damien. We had planned to wait for the rain to die down, but it was only getting heavier and heavier.

A knock sounded on my room door, so I invited the person in. I didn't know if it would be my brother or Damien because my brother was already home from work. To much of my surprise, both of them came walking in together.

"What's up?" I asked.

Nico answered, "I wanted to talk to the both of you about something."

With a slight frown on his face, Damien asked, "What is it?"

Nico sat in the chair for my computer table and turned to face us. He then informed, "I came by the house earlier to get ready for work since I slept by Natalie's."

"Okay...?" I frowned.

Nico answered, "I stopped by your room, Sa. Imagine my surprise when I saw the both of you cuddling. If I hadn't been running late to work, we would've had this conversation earlier."

I looked at Damon, who looked at me with the same worried face.

"Uh, Damon and I were hanging out in my room for a while and we both got tired and just shared the bed," I lied.

Nico looked at Damien and questioned, "Is that true?"

"Yeah," Damien nodded, confirming my lie.

Nico began chuckling, "I'm not gonna hold you, I thought you two were sneaking around." I fake laughed, and Damien did too, but Nico's laugh ended abruptly as his face straightened. "I can't believe you two would lie to my fucking face. The way you both were sleeping was much more like the way Natalie and I sleep, as opposed to two friends that just got tired and shared the bed." Nico glanced at Damien and then at me before huffing. "I'm not stupid, and I honestly don't know which one of you lying to me is worse."

I stared down at my covers and blushed from embarrassment. I had always been open with my brother. In some ways, he was like my annoying male best friend. We were actually very close, so it made me feel bad that I was keeping such a huge secret from him.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I was so caught up in my own feelings that I forgot to consider yours," I sincerely apologized.

Damien added, "The same goes for me, but I don't regret it." My head snapped over to Damien as I wondered whether he was trying to get his ass kicked by not only my brother but also uncles, dad, and Nathan. They were all very protective of me. "Before you jump down my throat, I want you to know that I actually really like Sagacity. I've liked her for a few years now, and I finally found the balls to tell her. I know you probably feel betrayed...I know how protective you are of her, but I'm not gonna hurt her. I care about her as much as you do."

Nico shook his head, "I'm not mad that you like my sister. I knew for a while now that you liked her. I see how you act around other girls versus how you act with her, and I know you care about her too. You're a good guy, bro. I'm just a little pissed that you not only kept it from me, but also lied about it to my face."

Regret flushed Damien's face as he nodded in response. He then defended, "I honestly thought you'd be pissed. I was afraid our friendship would be over. I'm really sorry, bro. I should've told you."

Nico nodded, "I accept the apologies from both of you. I know I get protective with you, Sa. I just know a bunch of dudes that ain't shit, and I didn't want you getting hurt by one, but I support you and Damien being together. I'm surprised it even took this long."

I smiled eagerly, and Damien and I connected eyes and shared a smile. "Thanks," we said in unison.

Nico nodded, "No problem. Let's just hope the Bulldogs are as accepting and happy about it."

The Bulldogs were what we called Uncle Titan, Uncle Junior, Nathan, and our dad. Uncle Titan was Aria's father, and Nathan was Natalie's father.

Damien and I gulped, and Nico chuckled in response.