Beautiful Broken Mess

time either at the restaurant or with him. Honestly though, I would have chosen anything over being at home. I never had any friends because I didn’t want them asking questions. Jax was pretty self-involved back then, so he never noticed anything.”

“He never asked about your bruises?” she huffs out in frustration. When I shake my head back and forth, she says, “Jerk.”

That makes me laugh. “He was in high school, a teenager going through his own losses.” I start to wonder why I’m defending him. “Clearly he’s changed though.”

“That doesn’t excuse his behavior,” she replies. Is she sticking up for me? In another beat, she smiles and says, “Hey, next Saturday there’s a bonfire on the beach and lots of new people for you to meet. You should go with me.”

My mouth drops open in shock that she’s asking me to hang out with her. When I recover, I say, “I don’t know. Last time I was around your group, it was clear that I wasn’t welcome.”

“Well, since I’m the one inviting you, then you’re welcome in my book. And that reminds me, you still need to tell me about that trip last year. Jaxon and I were dealing with our own drama, so I didn’t really know what was going on.”

“Hey girls,” Mark interrupts us from the front doors, extending his arm to keep his cigarette on the outside. “Let me walk you out. There’s a big dude out here just standing by his car and I don’t like it.”

“Black SUV? Sandy brown hair and way over six feet tall?” I call back.

“Yup. He’s not stalking you or anything, is he?” I can tell Mark’s hackles are up and I’m surprised by his protectiveness, especially considering we just met.

I hop down from the bar stool and Em follows behind. When I reach the door, I stick my head out and holler, “Get over here, Lane, you’re making the bouncer edgy.” I turn back to Mark. “Thanks, but that’s my roommate. You don’t have to worry about him.”

As Lane strides across the parking lot, everyone watches. It’s hard to not stare at Lane, I’ll admit.

“Shut. Up. He’s yours?” Em says through an awed whisper.

“Well, he’s mine in the way a sister claims a brother, even though we aren’t blood-related.”

“No way, girl. If you’re single, you cannot let that go to waste.”

I nudge her with my elbow. “Em, you’re taken, remember?”

“I’m still allowed to appreciate God’s work,” she giggles. “And damn, God was in a good mood the day he made that man.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I laugh as Lane approaches. I introduce him to my new co-workers. Em and I walk back to get our purses and then return to the front.

“If we’re ever working together, I can give you a ride home,” she offers.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I cringe at the drama of it all.

She halts in her steps. “Because, I’m starting to think that there was some kind of huge misunderstanding and I want to know the truth. You and I seem to click well and we’re going to be working together.” She shrugs as if it’s a no-brainer. “So about that party next weekend?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking. We work together a bunch this week. I’ll convince you by then,” she says confidently.

I laugh at her boldness. “Alright. Well, thanks Em. I’ll see you later.”

Lane eyes me curiously as we walk arm-in-arm to his car, and I know he’s about to bombard me with questions.

- Five -

JACE -

With my shirt draped over my shoulder, I walk into the kitchen to grab water from the fridge. “You guys going to that bonfire thing Saturday night?” I ask Jaxon and Em, who are lounging on the couch.

“Yeah, Cole and I are going right after we get out of practice. You gonna take the girls?” Jax asks with his arm tucked under Em.

“If they need me to, I will. Otherwise I’ll see you guys there.” I chug my water and pull my shirt off my shoulder.

“Where you goin’ tonight?” Jax questions. “It’s Thursday.”

“I’m hitting up that country bar with some friends from class. You know, it’s okay to go out on a school night… we’re not twelve anymore,” I chide.

“I bet those Pre-med guys can really let loose,” he laughs.

“Yeah… something like that,” I retort.

Em sits straight up. “Jace, when did you get a bunch of new tattoos?” she asks, sounding surprised.

“He’s been filling up on those all summer, babe,” Jax answers her. I shrug my shoulder while pulling the black t-shirt over my head.

Her bottom lip pouts out and I ask, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re not identical anymore.”

“It’s about damn time,” I exclaim. That was probably a dick thing to say, but I’m so damn tired of getting confused for my brother. This summer I went a little crazy with the ink. It was a blast. Everything about Jax and I is identical. We have the same build, same height, same hair, and the same eye color. We even have the same damn teeth. Our voices differ, but not many notice. Lately, I’ve been having some kind of identity crisis and have been craving to mark myself apart from him.

The jarring tone of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” blares from a cell phone and startles all three of us. Em snatches it up from the coffee table and heads for the door.

“I have to take this. I’ll just be next door.” She points toward her apartment and walks out.

I give Jax a puzzled look and he asks, “So it’s not just me that thinks that was bizarre?”

“It was bizarre, but Em is weird like that sometimes.” I try to shrug it off because, knowing my brother, he’s brooding over who’s on the other end of that call.

“No, she’s been doing that shit all week. Who the hell do you think she’s talking to? You haven’t seen her with any guys, have you?” he begins to ramble.

“No, calm down, crazy,” I sigh. “If you don’t trust her, you should probably talk to her.”

“You’re right, I’m going fucking crazy. I do trust her, but...what if she’s just done with this whole relationship thing?” As he starts to overthink his words, his face changes to a sickly pale color. As per usual, I get a sinking feeling deep in my gut when Jax feels sick. My mom always calls it our twin bond; it’s freaky shit is what it is.

Before I can tell him that people don’t usually up and decide to be done with the person they love, Em walks back in the door. She no longer has her phone, so she must have left it at her place. I see Jaxon staring at her empty hand, and I know this is not lost on him.

With a big grin, she jumps on top of him. Em sure as hell doesn’t look like a chick that’s done to me. When she lands in his lap, her hands automatically graze up his chest. Then she pulls back when she sees his face.

“Are you sick, babe?” she asks, concerned. “I’m really hoping you’re not, because I thought we had plans tonight.” She leans in close to his ear. Now I feel like I’m interrupting.

He stands up with her legs wrapped around his waist and holds onto each side of her face. “You’re mine, right?”

“Considering I got this, I damn well better be.” I watch as she points to the inside of her right palm.

Shortly after returning from her internship in Africa, Emerson had the word “Mine” in Jax’s handwriting tattooed on her palm. He had the same thing tattooed on his chest, except the mirror image. I don’t fully understand it, and it seems really fucking corny, but I can’t say I’m not envious of what they have together.

I leave the room before their show becomes unsuitable for all audiences. They often forget where they are and who else is around. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve had to ask Em to try and not take off my brother’s pants while I’m still in the damn room. Quinn and Cole aren’t any better. Being the fifth wheel really fucking blows.