Chapter Nine
"Can I go to bed now?" I whined.
"No," Bill replied and reached for the deck of cards. "But you can fold, if you don't like your hand." All day, Win, Bill and Aaron had been keeping an extremely close eye on me. And, to make matters worse, the hickey hadn't completely gone away, even though I had iced it. Now, it was just a small bruise that I could hide if I wore a T-shirt, which I did. But my brothers and Aaron still knew that it was there and they were determined that it wouldn't happen again.
"This is pointless," I sighed. "I just want to go to bed."
"Are you folding or calling?"
I groaned and threw in two white chips to call Win's bet. We weren't playing with real money; we were just playing with poker chips. "Call. But seriously, I need to go to bed after this hand. I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow."
"That's a great idea," Win replied. "I'll come, too."
"Me too," Bill said and Aaron nodded his agreement before saying, "I fold. Can't hit my straight."
"Just us three," Bill said. "Should be fun." He flipped over another card and I saw the subtle wince. But, he bluffed. "Ten."
Win shook his head and threw down his cards. "I fold."
"I'll call," I said and threw in a blue chip.
Bill nodded tersely and tossed out another card. "So, who taught you to play poker?"
"Technically," I said, "I can't play poker – I only know one game – Texas Hold 'Em. And it's your bet."
He decided to stall so that he could figure out whether or not to bluff. "So, how's school going?"
"Great. Your bet."
"It can't be that great," he said. "It's school."
"It's also your bet."
"Okay, that was the worst comeback in the history of-"
"I would love to have a battle of wits with you, Bill," I said. "But I don't fight unarmed people."
Aaron and Win laughed and Bill mumbled, "Fold."
"Good," I said and tossed my cards down onto the table. "Good night everyone. I plan to leave for the gym at nine tomorrow morning."
"Night," Win called.
"Good night," Bill said as he stood. "I think I'll hit the sack too."
Aaron mumbled an agreement and I knew that Win wouldn't be all that far behind. We had played until midnight.
In my room, I changed into pajamas and laid down in bed, feeling myself relax. I had been tense all day, scared that I would somehow let out the secret. I know that it sounds wrong, but I actually couldn't wait for them to leave because then, they would have a harder time finding out. But, really, I didn't want them to leave. I liked having them around.
Gosh, I really couldn't sleep. But, I could hear Aaron snoring downstairs and I knew that Bill was probably already snoring, too, in his room. Win as well. I seemed to be the only sleepless one in the house.
Tap.
And, I was hearing things.
Tap.
Nope, that was a real sound. I sat up in bed, looking around for the source.
Tap.
I got up and walked over to the window, trying not to hope. But there he was, on the other side of the window, hanging onto the house and smiling like an idiot. Quickly, I unlocked the window and pulled it up, moving aside so that he could come in. "How did you get up here?" I asked.
"Your house is old and surprisingly easy to scale," he said. "It's like whoever built it meant for someone to sneak into your room."
I smiled and let him kiss me. When he pulled away, I shivered and he smiled as he pulled me over to the bed. "It is a chilly night, isn't it?"
We crawled under the covers and I rested my head on his chest, listening to the heartbeat. "So, what brings you over here tonight?"
He kissed my hair. "Well, you told me that your brothers were suspicious and you didn't know how you were going to get away now. So, I thought I'd help you out."
"Good for you," I said. "But it would have been a whole lot easier if you had just not given me a hickey."
He moved some hair away and smiled. "I didn't even know I did, honestly."
"Yeah, well, me either."
He chuckled softly. "Are you angry?"
I sighed, unable to stop the smile. "No. I don't think that's possible."
He kissed me. "So, I thought maybe I could just sneak over here every night. Mom and Dad said that they're going to stay next week, too. I think they're trying to work things out instead of split right after I leave."
"That's great."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah; I wish they could be here for the scrimmage, though."
"I'll be there."
He chuckled. "But sitting on the wrong side and cheering for the wrong team."
"True," I sighed and pulled him down to kiss me. Finally, we just relaxed and he held me there in his arms. We talked about anything and everything – practice, the cows, the weather – and then we began to make out. It was kind of inevitable with us, I suppose. But I had absolutely no problem with that. Kissing Brian was my new favorite activity.
His hands slowly slipped under my shirt and I shivered, not only at the sudden cold of his hands but at the surprise. He froze and pulled away from me. "Sorry; too fast?"
I shook my head. "You just surprised me."
"Sorry," he smiled. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "It's okay."
He began to kiss me again and I tried not to think about what Win and Bill would do if they burst through the door and found Brian in my room with his hands under my shirt. Someone would get murdered. Maybe two people.
But I didn't care because I liked it.
