Page 75 of Built to Fall
“I did ask. You just grumbled, rolled over, and ended up closer. I was worried I’d spontaneously combust.”
Now she barely opens her eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Maybe,” I admit, smirking. “But you slept.”
She hesitates, like acknowledging it will make it vanish. Then, softly, “Yeah. I guess I did.”
It’s quiet for a beat. Not awkward. Just that soft, early morning quiet that feels like it’s holding its breath.
“You know,” I say, voice low, “if you need to keep doing this—coming over to sleep—I don’t mind. Could make it official. In a super friendly way, of course.”
Her mouth twitches as she tries not to smile. “You’re trying to convince me to repeatedly crash at your place like a stray cat?”
“Would you stop calling yourself a stray cat?” I reply. “You’re way grumpier, and I haven’t even had to feed you yet.”
Lina gives me a half-hearted scoff but doesn’t say no. I let that be the win that it is.
After a moment, she shifts and mutters, “We’ll see.”
Not a no.“I’ll take it.”
I watch her close her eyes again, trying to pretend she’s not the tiniest bit relieved. I know this isn’t a solution—not a real one. But for now, I’m hoping it’s enough.
The sudden sound of the front door swinging open seconds later startles us both. Braxton and Cam are out of town this weekend, so I know it’s not them.
“What the hell—?” I bolt upright, and Lina follows with a confused groan, tangled in the sheets.
Voices flood in from the hallway.
“I TOLD YOU he still sleeps like the dead,” one chirps, too chipper for this hour.
“Oh my God,” I groan, already bracing myself. “No. No. No!”
Lina raises an eyebrow. “Who the hell is that?”
“My worst nightmare.” I drag a hand down my face as I scramble out of bed.
Before I can fully process what’s happening, the bedroom door bursts open and three people spill in: my dad and my older sisters, Abby and Claire. They’re all grinning like they won the lottery.
“Grant!” Abby yells, as though I’ve been away at war. “Surprise!”
“Jesus Christ,” I hiss, stepping in front of the bed like I can physically block their view of Lina, who’s still half-wrapped in the covers and glaring daggers at me.
Claire, of course, notices immediately. “Oh. My. God. You didn’t tell us you hadcompany.”
“Kind of hard to tell you that when you don’t tell me you’re coming over,” I counter.
Lina looks like she might pass out when Abby makes eye contact with her. I watch her shrink further down into my mattress, her collarbones jutting out from how tense she is.
My dad clears his throat, clearly trying to be polite while also failing miserably. “Well. This is… unexpected.”
I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole. “What are you doing here?”
“To visit our favorite baby brother, of course! Dad wanted to check on you, Claire’s off school for the week, and I had PTO. We figured you’d love the surprise.”
“This is not loving.”
“I swear to God,” Lina says flatly, staring at the ceiling like she’s mentally projecting herself out of this moment. “I’m never sleeping here again, and we are no longer friends, by the way.”
