Bad Seed

“What is it?” Andrea asked. She pushed herself off the couch to stand next to me. “Is it Michael?”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s Joshua. He wants to see me.”

“He what?” Andrea grabbed my phone and read the message herself. I could see her growing angrier by the second.

“I guess he wants to talk,” I said. “I mean, it makes sense.”

r /> “No,” Andrea said firmly. “It doesn’t. He’s only doing this because you’re with Michael now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even think about reaching out to you. You know that.”

“I know.” I nodded. “But that doesn’t change anything. I’m seeing Michael.”

“So?” Andrea asked. “What does that have to do with Joshua?”

“They’re brothers,” I said. “I can’t ignore that fact.”

“But—” Andrea began, but I cut her off with a look.

I knew Andrea didn’t want me to get involved with Joshua again. I couldn’t blame her. After everything Joshua put me through, I never wanted to see him again. And yet, I couldn’t deny the fact that I was dating his brother.

Andrea handed my phone back to me, and I walked over to the couch. Sitting down, I reread Joshua’s text message. It was simple. To the point. Just like Joshua.

“I’d like to talk to you,” it read. “In person. Is that something you’d be willing to do?”

I didn’t know how to answer him. Part of me thought it would be best to ignore him, to pretend like I never saw the text message. Another part of me wondered if I should call Michael and tell him about his brother’s invitation. Neither option seemed like the right one.

“What do you think I should do?” I asked, looking up at Andrea.

She was staring down at me with worried eyes. Concern was etched in every line on her face. When I asked her, she just shook her head and sighed deeply. As she moved over to sit beside me, her head kept moving from side to side.

“I don’t know,” Andrea said. “On the one hand, I don’t ever want you to see Joshua again. He was such a dick to you, Jules.”

“I remember,” I said darkly.

“But,” Andrea said. “It might be a good idea to talk to him. Get some closure.”

“I got my closure a long time ago,” I said firmly.

Andrea shrugged. “Then, ignore him.”

“But,” I said slowly. “Is that really fair? Like I said, I am dating his brother now.”

“Are you sure you still want to?” Andrea asked bluntly.

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I know you like Michael,” Andrea said. “Okay? I know that. But is this thing between you two really worth all the drama that’s bound to come with it?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly let it fall shut again. My initial reaction was anger. Why would Andrea even ask something like that? Michael made me happy, happier than I’d been in years. Why would she want me to give all that up?

“I’m not telling you what to do,” Andrea said quickly. “I’m just worried.”

“I know.” I sighed. “And honestly, so am I.”

“Maybe it’s not worth it,” Andrea said. “There are other guys out there. Guys that are in no way related to Joshua.”

“None of them are Michael,” I said simply.

Andrea sighed, and slowly, a smile crept onto her face. She nodded, accepting my choice even before I fully understood it myself.