Fate by AJ Alexander & Andi Jaxon

Author:AJ Alexander & Andi Jaxon [Alexander, AJ & Jaxon, Andi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

13

EMMA

Justin got home a few days ago, everything has gone back to normal. After a few days of adjusting to living together again, it's just like old times, as if we were never separated. He gives me crap about school, asks about boys, and rags on the shows I watch. I’m so glad he’s home.

I haven’t told him about Javier. Frankly, I’m too scared. I’m sure he knows something went down while he was gone, but he hasn’t asked. I hate the disappointed look on his face when I have to tell him I screwed up yet again. More than even my parents, all I have ever wanted to do was make him proud, he’s my hero.

“Hey, Emma,” Justin hollers from the kitchen.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you ever write to me while I was gone?” He’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

Heat flashes up my neck, I wanted to write to him and have that connection to my big brother. I tried once, and Javier gave me the beating of a lifetime, ended up breaking a few fingers so I wasn’t able to hold a pen but I don’t want Justin to know that.

“Uh, because it's the 21st century? No one hand writes letters anymore.” I snark, trying to hide my embarrassment.

“Really? Charlie and Logan got handwritten letters from home all the time.”

“Seriously? Logan and Charlie also had girls waiting for their dicks when they got home. What's the deal, it's a letter,” I snap back.

“We didn’t usually have internet access, so mail was the only communication in and out. Knowing that you’re going to come back from a mission to letters from home helps keep morale up.” He recites to me like he’s memorized from a textbook.

“If you’re that lonely, sign up for a pen pal before you leave next time. There are websites that will hook up deployed soldiers with lonely women stateside.” Why won’t he just drop this? Javier made it clear that I was not to send letters to my brother, deployed or not.

He’s staring at me, obviously seeing through my attitude. He always could.

“What kind of trouble did you get into this time?” He makes it seem like I go looking to screw up my life.

“It doesn’t matter, it's over now.” My voice is quiet, defeated.

Walking toward the living room and taking a seat on the couch, he slings an arm around me and pulls me into his side.

“Talk to me, Em. Tell me what happened.” I hate that tone, the ‘tell me all your secrets and I’ll fix them’ tone. It breaks me every time.

“I met a guy.” My eyes fill with tears, but I don’t look up at him.

“Go on.”

“He was nice, charming, cute. He made me feel special, beautiful. We met at school, he told me he was working while taking classes to support his family. Neither of his parents spoke English so they couldn’t find work.”

I stand up and begin pacing the room. I can’t look at him as I recount what happened while he was gone.

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