Page 36 of Masked Sins
I smile, thinking of the bearded guy my dad’s been best friends with for thirty-five years. They owned a few bars across the Los Angeles area together before they both retired a couple of years ago. Now, they spend their time doing things like fishing and golfing.
“I worry about him sometimes. I can’t really help out with my measly salary.”
“I have it covered, Layla. I’m more than capable of taking care of my family.”
My family.
There’s that warm, tingly feeling again.
“Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
Something shutters behind his eyes before he clears his throat and stands. “I should get back to reading. Will you be around today, or are you heading back home?”
That now-familiar pang of jealousy is back, and I clench my jaw to dispel the tense, anxious feeling inside me.
“I’d planned to hang around.”
“Movie?” he asks, smiling slightly.
The way his lips lift casually… his stance as if he’s waiting for me… it feels so familiar.
Like old times.
“Sure.”
I stand and follow him to the living room, and we take our usual seats—me on the left recliner, him on the right one. He whistles and turns the TV on, and a few seconds later, my dad ambles back into the room.
“The Mummy?” Orion suggests, flicking through options.
“A classic,” I answer, leaning back in my seat.
My dad takes his usual spot on the couch, pulling the ottoman over and placing his bare feet on top.
It feels so normal—almost like the last seven years never happened.
I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to justbearound Orion without wanting to start a fight, and as the beginning credits begin to roll, I think about why I always seem to pick fights with him.
He ruined my audition seven years ago, but it’s more than that—it felt like abetrayal.He was the one who helped me pick the audition song. The one who promised he’d be there for me. The one who watched me practice for hours—hundreds of hours,probably. He would choose to help me through insecurity and doubt about my repertoire rather than go out with his friends.
Growing up, I always wanted siblings, but of course my mom and dad only had me before my mom ran away. Then my dad met Felicity a few years later, and all of a sudden, I had stepbrothers.
It was the best day of my life, and from that point forward, my entire axis tilted slightly.
My worldcompletelyrevolved around Orion.
And then, in one instant, he ruined everything. My future, my trust… it shattered around us that day, and every time I saw him, it felt as though I was opening those wounds all over again.
I sip my soda and watch as Rock O’Connell—a.k.a. Brendan Fraser—meets Evelyn from the comfort of his prison cell. The cast is beautiful, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I once wrote terrible fan fiction based on Rick, Evelyn, and Imhotep.
Pulling my phone out of the pocket of my shorts, I glance down at texts from Zoe and Remy, as well as a new message from Starboy1997. I take it out of Do Not Disturb mode. Looking around discreetly, my dad is already asleep with his head back, and Orion is fixated on his phone, so I swipe the message open.
Starboy1997
This is actually pretty good.
I smile before quickly schooling my face into neutrality, lest Orion see me grinning at my phone like a maniac.
Oh? Well, that’s good.
