“This could get interesting,” I joke, turning the truck off and climbing out, holding my hand out to Ivy as she slides out behind me.
“What the heck is she doing here?”
She’s caught off guard when I grab her hand, slipping my fingers through hers, pulling her with me.
“Probably the same thing we do when we’re alone.” Flashing her a wink, she presses her lips together to smother her grin.
I don’t bother waiting for Tysin to answer the door, knowing damn well he’s expecting me. Pounding my fist on the solid oak, I reach for the handle, stepping back to let Ivy lead the way.
“Ivy?” Kyla asks incredulously, pushing away from Tysin who’s leaning against the kitchen counter. His hands are braced against the marble countertop, not bothering to disguise the fact something was clearly going on between them.
It’s as if he’s dangling the fact he’s been messing around with Kyla right in front of Madden, waiting for the moment he catches them. She’s an adult and capable of making decisions for herself, but we both know with Tysin’s history with women, Madden won’t be happy about it.
For a second, I contemplate calling him out on it, and judging by the way his eyes bounce between Ivy and me, he knows the easier rebuttal. Clenching my jaw, narrowing my eyes on him, warning him not to say a word.
I still haven’t figured out how to talk to her about the bet. I hate even calling it that.
Every time I think about it, the fear of her walking away the way my dad did my mom creeps in. She has every right to know the truth, every right to walk away, but like the bastard I am, I want to hold onto her for a little while longer.
I can’t hear what Ivy and Kyla are talking about, but judging by their whispered words, it has to do with the two of us. Kyla’s eyes bounce from Tysin, over to me, then back to Ivy as she shuffles from side to side.
None of us know what to say, how to explain or justify our relationships, so instead, I change the subject entirely.
“You talk to Madden yet? I don’t want to sit around here all fucking day. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Tysin leads the way through the kitchen, down the hall heading to his basement where our equipment is set up. For a second, I expect Kyla to take off, not wanting to be here when her brother shows up, but she doesn’t.
As soon as Tysin bought his house, we immediately went to work on soundproofing it, giving us a space to practice. He still wants to make a booth where we can record our music, but we need to save up more before we do.
Our priority is to cut our demo. Something we can send out to the major record labels. The only other hope we have of getting seen is if we get lucky and someone finds us on social media. Kyla’s been helping us out, capturing videos at our shows, and uploading them on social media.
I hear Kyla whisper to Ivy, asking her what’s going on between us. Bending down, I plug the microphone into the speaker as Tysin picks up his guitar doing the same.
My eyes find Ivy’s across the room as she and Kyla take a seat on the couch directly across from where our makeshift stage is set up. I focus my ear to her, waiting to hear her answer.
“Things are good,” she says, not breaking eye contact. “We’re friendly…” Her voice trails off.
The steps creak, and I see Kyla’s eyes widen, darting over to Tysin before looking up at where her brother jogs down the stairs.
“Yo,” he says, tossing his keys onto the table, pausing to look over at Kyla sitting on the couch. “What are you doing here?”
He stops, looking at her and around to the two of us. I hold my hands up, signaling for him to not bother asking me. I’m staying out of this. Turning back toward the speaker, I busy myself with plugging in the rest of our equipment.
Having Ivy here, it’s like my body is on hyperalert. Every time she moves, I sense her near me. Whenever I glance her way, I always find her looking back at me.
“I met Ivy here. She mentioned how Brix had helped her with her car. I wanted to have him look at mine.” Kyla’s eyes dart to mine as I stand, looking over at Madden. He’s in the middle of adjusting the height on his drum throne.
“Ahh, yeah,” I mutter, not sure what to say. “She mentioned she thought her oil was leaking. I told her I’d take a look before she took it into the shop.”
Madden’s holding his drumsticks in front of him, pausing before he takes a seat.
“Why didn’t you just ask me? I could’ve come over to look at it for you.”
“I just didn’t want to bother you.” Kyla’s tongue darts out, wetting her lips as she rubs them together. She knows she’s caught in a lie, but she keeps on adding to it until she ends up spiraling out of control.
“So, you thought it wouldn’t bother Brix, but asking your brother was too much?”
“Brix owed me one,” she spits out like her mouth is on fire if she doesn’t get it out.