Say You Swear

His mouth crashes down on mine and I gasp around him.

He presses closer, holds tighter, and when my mouth opens, allowing his inside, he groans.

And then he pulls away, his retreat is as quick as his kiss, and I’m left frozen, my hand in the air.

“Bitch!” is hissed, and my head jerks right.

Cameron peeks from the shadows, stepping out of the joining bathroom, her jaw dropped in awe.

I face her and we both quietly squeal, jumping onto my bed top.

My smile couldn’t be wider because I finally got a sign I’d hoped to find.

One that can’t be denied.

Chase Harper isn’t as immune to me as he would like me to believe… or had liked me to believe.

This was all him.

Where this man came from, I don’t know, and I don’t care.

His eyes are open and that’s more than I could have expected.

I smirk, burying myself under the covers.

Cam sighs. “Maybe we’ll both have a hottie to hump this summer.”

We look to each other and laugh.

May-freaking-be.

Today is one of those summer days in Southern California where the warm sun decides to pop out after lunch and disappears before you’ve even gotten the chance to eat. So Cam and I put our towels away and met Lolli and Payton downtown for tacos, while the boys stayed behind watching football highlights on YouTube.

As soon as we got home, Cameron went upstairs to paint her nails and I dropped onto the couch.

I’m just ending my phone call when Mason steps into the living room.

“Mom?” Mason wonders.

“Yeah. She talked to Aunt Sarah about Kenra and tried to check on Payton, but she didn’t answer. I told her she’s probably taking a nap.”

He scoffs a laugh. “Mexican food will do that to you.”

“And growing a human might add to that.” His lips twitch. “Dad said they’re about ready for their trip.”

“Good, they need to take a vacation now that we’ll be out of the house. Scoot over.” He taps my knee, so he can fit into the spot beside me, and throws his arm over the back of the couch.

“Did you just get out of the shower?” I take in his wet hair.

He nods, snatching the remote from my hand with a smirk. “Yeah. We got that new weight set Brady’s dad sent him all put together. It’s legit. Once we have a chance to haul his bench press out here, we’ll have everything we need, and won’t have to pay to use the gym downtown anymore.”

“I’ll have to check it out.”

We look at each other and laugh.

“Hey, you would have been proud of me at the bootcamp me and Cam went to. I only took like… five unapproved breaks.” I smile.

He chuckles. “Just stick to the treadmill, sister, and you’ll be fine.”

I grin, snuggling up again and pulling the fleece blanket up to my chin.

After a few quiet minutes of relaxing in front of the TV, the smile on my face begins to fall.

It’s the small stuff like this I’ll miss most, and it’s a little too heartbreaking to think these times might fade away.

“Hey, Mase?” I ask quietly, my eyes on the TV. “You think we’ll still come here every summer after this?”

He nods absentmindedly, scrolling down to SportsCenter. “Yeah, for sure.”

“Do you really? Like seriously, really?”

He chuckles, his eyes flicking my way. “Like, seriously, really. Why?”

“A lot can change in college.” I shrug against the cushion. “We might be on the same campus, but that’s nothing like all of us living in the same court at home.”

Small creases now frame his eyes. “I’m sure we’ll get busy with life at some point, yeah, but we’ll always make time for each other and this place. I mean, that’s why they gave it to us, right? Keep us linked?”

I nod. “Yeah, but will it really be that simple?”

“I don’t know, Ari. Shit.” He runs his hand over the back of his head, his eyes moving to the TV. He scowls. “It should be.”

I stare at Mason a moment.

The possibility—or likelihood—of change is a topic my brother hates. Plain and simple, it scares him, and when Mason is afraid or sad or anything the like, anger and frustration is what you get. Period. He’s been that way all his life.

I don’t know if all twins feel the same, but me and Mase? We’re a bit codependent. The thought of being alone doesn’t sit well with either of us. It could be because we’ve never really been alone. It could be because we have a large, loving family, one that Cam and Brady have been a part of since birth, and Chase joined when he was twelve.

Mason looks at me, accusation in his eyes. “You think I don’t see, or know, but you’re wrong.” He doesn’t have to say the words, we both know what, or more who, he’s referring to. “I am the way I am for reasons you don’t understand yet. I’m just trying to save you from—”