The Design

She liked to play devil’s advocate when it came to Grayson, but I knew better. He actually was the devil, with no advocate to say otherwise. He might have been her friend for the last ten years, but he was not a nice guy.

I reached for the receiver and crossed my fingers beneath my desk. Please don’t be Grayson’s mom. Please don’t be Grayson’s mom. I liked her, but the only update I actually had for her was that I was currently doing the horizontal tango with her son.

Life moves fast these days, but I haven’t felt that itch to pack up and leave in years—not like I used to—but why would I? Everything I could ever want is under one roof, waiting for me at the end of each day.

Brooklyn: Your birthday is tomorrow. Your birthday is tomorrow. You are the best little sister ever because your birthday is tomorrow. Faalllalalala.
Cammie: Wow. Was that supposed to be a song? I thought you were a Grammy award winning singer-songwriter?
Brooklyn: I’ll admit, it’s not my best work. BUT I’M SO EXCITED. What do you want to do? Spa day? Dinner? A little party? It’s a shame you have to work.
Cammie: Most people have to work on Tuesdays, Brook.

My feet hurt and my brain hurt. I just wanted to sit on a couch and listen to good music.

He wanted to be close to Cammie any way that he could, but taking advantage of a young, vulnerable girl wasn’t something his morality would let him get away with. To keep temptation at bay, he made a pact with himself to help Cammie from afar and keep his distance whenever possible.

I knew he’d felt something during the kiss. Why else would he have been so angry afterward? No one storms out after a mediocre kiss, I knew that much.

“Y’know, my rib still hurts from yesterday,” he said with a cheeky smile.
“Good. I hope you think of me every time you take a breath.”

“My night was fine too,” I volunteered. “Thanks for asking. I went to a strip club and then I robbed a bank with a bunch of strippers. We didn’t take much, since y’know strippers don’t tend to have many pockets.”

“Grab me a donut first,” I insisted with a smile that said “I’m your little sister, please give me donuts.”