I shake my head, my heart sinking for his daily reality. It always bothers me when he speaks that way about himself. An ex-girlfriend cutting all your shirts with scissors or a fan running you over, that’s crazy. A mental disorder has nothing to do with crazy.
“Dan, you’re not but my sister is...” I try to lighten up the conversation. Even if Anna had her reasons—her ex was a scumbag—she went a little nuts and shredded his shirts one by one. It’s my duty as a brother to make fun of her for life.
Dan laughs, “she sure is… and that’s why she needs you at our apartment right now. Something about your parents, nothing bad, but enough to make her go in one of those long monologues on the phone that I don’t know how to deal with but you’re an expert at. So let’s go.”
I dread anything to do with my parents. They are cold-hearted bastards who are into weird shit and would have preferred not to have kids.
“What have they done now?” I ask, getting my keys from my desk to close my office door. Waiting for Dan’s answer I do it once and then unlock the door to do it again, and once more. I’m on my fourth ritual when Dan takes the keys from my hands and locks it once and for all.
“They’re coming. Seems they want to meet their grandchild.”
I choke on my own saliva hearing the news. “My parents are coming? They didn’t come to your wedding, haven’t set foot anywhere outside France in years but they are coming? Here?”
Dan nods while handing me back my keys. “I can’t wait to finally meet them,” he says sarcastically. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“What are we talking about?” Lars asks.
“Anna is in a crisis at home so I need to drag Ol over there to help his sister get through the fact that their parents are coming to meet my godson, and certainly stay with us.”
We start to walk to the front door of the bar. The guys are not even trying to disguise themselves anymore and I already know it would take forever to reach Dan’s building if they don’t at least wear a cap to be somewhat incognito. I grab two baseball caps with the logo of the bar on it and give them each one.
“It’s only a couple of blocks,” Dan says rolling his eyes. He doesn’t want his perfect hair to be ruined.
“Anna is in a crisis, do you really want to take more time than necessary to reach your place?”
“True. True,” he says glancing at Lars who looks amused by the situation. As they are the only set of grandparents Aito has, he’s big on keeping in touch with my parents. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one reaching out to them and inviting them over.
We start walking in the streets of New York. Their apartment is only a good ten minute walk but it’s still ten minutes of tourists who could stop them for a picture or an autograph and ten minutes of hell if they attract a crowd.
Quickly, with their heads down, the two Darling Devils walk as if they were escorting me. Dan is holding me by the elbow. He’s on a mission to bring me to Anna. But something doesn’t add up. Anna generally calls me directly when it’s about our parents. She refuses to discuss anything about them with anyone but me, and Dan has never pressured her to do so.
I glance at Dan from the corner of my eyes. The smirk of pride on his lips tells me something is up. Looking to my left, I see Lars with the same demeanor. I say nothing until we reach Dan’s building.
“Okay fuckers, what’s up? You almost got me Dan but Anna would call me directly if it was about our parents.”
“Would she?” he asks, removing the cap off his head and fixing his hair.
“And you?” I point at Lars. “Why are you so silent? You love telling me I should patch things up with my parents for the sake of Aito and all of a sudden you say nothing when you learn they’re coming? I know something is up.”
“Nothing is up, Ol. Just go upstairs and talk to your sister.” Lars says. But I still don’t buy it.
“I should just go home,” I say turning around.
Dan stops me with his hand on my chest. “You behave like a little bitch most of the time, I keep forgetting you used to be a badass SEAL and can read people very well. Get in that lift and stop asking questions. I’ve packed on some muscle since last time I beat your face and I can do it again.”
“I’m never going to live that down,” I grumble stepping in the elevator.
“Nope,” Lars laughs, not following me, “never,” and he lets the door close.
I open the door again. “You’re not coming up?” I ask.
“Believe us, Spencer, you don’t want us in there with you.” Dan says. They let the door close and wave at me while I try to think of why I should go up by myself.
I don’t have to ponder it for too long. The elevator stops on the second floor. I’m looking down, but something tells me to look up. To look at the stranger in sneakers stepping in. My eyes go up some legs I know too well. Not believing she would be there, my heart somersaults into my chest. Appreciating her breasts and falling into the strands of blue-hair I craved, I could almost have a heart-attack.
Tessa.
“What the fuck?” I say, jumping her and framing her face with my hands so I can tilt her head back and look deeply into her eyes.
“Hey, Green-eyes,” she murmurs, “glad you could make it into this elevator.”
“How are you here?” I caress her with my thumb.
“I drove up.”
“When did you
