Three

“What are we doing here?” I ask when Ben brings his motorcycle to a stop in front of a massive mansion. A mansion in an area that, by the looks of it, is probably inhabited by the wealthiest people you can find around.

“I brought us to a proper party,” he says, strapping the helmets to the passenger seat. He nods towards the house. “Let’s go.”

“Who’s throwing this party?” I ask, keeping up with him and giving our surroundings a look. It looks like one of those mansions many lust after but only a few can afford.

“My brother,” he says, leading the way to the front door.

“You have a brother?”

“And two sisters,” he replies. When we get to the door, he punches in a code and pushes it open. The loud thrum of music welcomes us, as so do two girls making out against what looks like a coat closet. Oh well…

“So is this your family home?” I ask.

“Nope. This is my brother’s,” he replies.

His brother’s. I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that, Ben, who I’ve known to constantly stay at his friend’s apartment when he’s between jobs—or so I’ve heard—has a brother who owns a mansion that looks like it could fit twenty of the said apartment in it.

But then again, he also does own a motorcycle whose price is like a quarter of what it would take to buy an ideal bachelor pad of his own…

I’m taking in the crowd of partygoers when a guy, with his head shaven clean on one side and long hair flipped down the other, approaches. “Thought you weren’t coming, bro,” he says, bumping fists with Ben.

“Yeah, got held up somewhere,” Ben replies.

The guy turns to me and cocks his head. “Who is this?”

“A friend of mine,” Ben replies. “Isaac, this is Matt.”

Matt’s eyes crawl up and down my body, and then he turns to Ben. “Never seen this one before. Been fishing around?”

Ben says nothing and grabs me by the hand, steering me away from Matt. “Forget him,” he tells me.

“Come on, Bennie, don’t be like that,” Matt calls after us. Ben flashes him the middle finger over his shoulder.

“Who is that?” I ask Ben as he leads us through dancing bodies.

“Just one of the idiots who hang around my brother,” he replies. “Come on, do you want something to eat? There has got to be lots of food in the kitchen.”

I’m too busy gawking around to reply. This isn’t your average house party—at least not the ones I’m used to. If I woke up in the middle of the action, I’d think I was at some flashy nightclub downtown. One of those that have endless lines outside.

“What were you doing at that lame college party when you could have been here?” I ask Ben, leaning in close to his ear and raising my voice because of all the noise going around.

Ben turns to me, our faces super close. “You weren’t here.”

I can only stare back at him because I have no idea what to say. He is probably kidding. I mean, he was hiding in the bushes—I wasn’t there either.

We walk through an open doorway into the kitchen and my mouth drops. The island is covered with food. Like real food. “Chicken wings?” I ask, peering at one tray. Then my eyes rove the island. Pizza. Sausage rolls. Is that roast lamb?

“If there’s one thing my brother does well, it’s entertain,” Ben says, walking around the counter and opening a drawer. He reappears with a plate. “What can I reheat for you?”

Two girls walk into the kitchen then, carrying a plate. I move aside as they make their way to the pizza and pile a few pieces on their plate. While they do, I notice they are casting glances at Ben, and one of them whispers, “That’s Ben, the brother.”

“Wait omg. For real?” the other asks. “They don’t look alike.”

“Different fathers, I heard.”

“They are still both hot though.”

The girls walk away a few seconds later.

“So?” Ben asks, waving the plate in his hand. Did he hear any of that?

“The lamb,” I tell him. And he was right—this is a proper party. The food is a far cry from what you would find at a college party.

While he loads a few pieces on the plate and puts it in the microwave, I go to the sink and wash my hands. Then I lean against the side of the island, making do with a sausage roll. “So, what does your brother do?”

“He is a musician,” he replies.

“Like you.”

He nods. “Runs in the family.”

“Your sisters too?”

“Just one. Classic pianist. The other, our youngest, broke family tradition. Second-year of law school.”

“Were your parents musicians?”

“Mum. The other side…varied.” He leans against the counter and fixes his gaze on me. “All my siblings are half-siblings.”

I nod slowly. “Oh, okay.”

Maybe he did hear the girls after all. Or maybe he just doesn’t mind telling me that.

“Why did you bring me here?” I ask when he doesn’t remove his gaze from me.

“I wanted to spend time with you, and this party, as you can see, is much better.”

Well, that’s not the reaction I expected after confessing why I was avoiding him. I nod and look away, escaping his penetrating gaze.

“You don’t mind being here with me, do you?” he asks.

I shake my head. “It’s all good.”

“Were you looking for a boyfriend?” he asks.

The unexpected question has me looking back at him. “What?”

“When we slept together. Is that why you ghosted me? Because you were looking for something serious and didn’t think I was a good candidate?”

“I…” I shrug. “I guess.”

“You should have given me a chance to prove myself.”

“I didn’t want you to prove yourself.”

“Why not?”

He more than proved himself too, but at the end of the day, it ended the same way I had foolishly convinced myself it wouldn’t.

I shrug again and look away. “Nothing.”

“No, that’s not fair, Isaac,” he says, coming from behind the counter. “I don’t know if you realise it, but you’re doing to me the exact thing you were so afraid I’d do to you.”

“What?”

“You’re breaking my fucking heart.” He’s now standing in front of me, his eyebrows pulled together as his dark eyes hold mine. “I’ve been hurt too, you know. And for a long time, I didn’t think I could open my heart to someone else. And then you came along—”

“Ben—”

“No,” he says, pressing a finger to my lips. “Don’t interrupt. I liked you from that first night we met. And now that I think of it, maybe fucking you was the one mistake I made. Because if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have ghosted me, and you would have gotten to know me better. And maybe at some point, you would have realised I’m not the kind of person who would hurt you for kicks and giggles.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. What else can I say? I’m already thinking ghosting him was a bad idea. Maybe in my hurry to protect myself, I pushed away someone I didn’t need to.

But fuck… Does it even matter now? After tonight, we’ll go our separate ways.

The microwave beeps, but he doesn’t move right away. “You said you didn’t want to stay away. Does that mean you liked me too?”

“The lamb—”

“Isaac.”

“Yes.”

He nods. Then he turns and goes to get the lamb.

What the fuck is going on with this night? Where are all these confessions gonna take us?

“Feed them and then bed them? Seriously, Ben? Do you ever change your M.O.? Save yourself the trouble and just get them drunk.”

I turn to the guy walking into the kitchen and blink. Is that…

No.

It can’t be Ashton Lockwood, who is the current heartthrob of possibly every teenager countrywide and then some more.

Lockwood…

Fuck.

No fucking way.

There’s no way Ben’s brother is some hotshot popstar and I never knew it.

“Fuck off, Ash,” Ben replies, now loading a plate of green beans into the microwave.

“Ah,” Ashton says, nodding. “I get it. Feed them. Get them drunk. Then the bed. At least you’re on the right track, bro.”

“You know what? Here I am, trying to convince someone that I’m not some heartless fuck boy, then you walk in and ruin my progress.”

Ashton presses his palm to his mouth and then he turns to me. “You were not buying it, were you?”

Before any of us can say anything else, a girl in blue denim shorts and a black crop top appears at the door. Her eyes zero in on Ben, her eyes go wide, and before I know it, she’s jumping in his arms like an excited rabbit.

I watch as she wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist in a very tight hug. “Bennie! I missed you!”

For some reason, no matter how painful the entire scene is, I can’t seem to draw my eyes from them. Fortunately, nothing drastic like a kiss happens.

When she gets to her feet and finally lets go of him—thank God—he says, “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Yeah, uh,” she replies, throwing a smile over her shoulder at Ashton. “We are back together.”

Oh. So she is his brother’s girlfriend. I release a breath I wasn’t aware of holding.

“You are?” Ben asks, throwing his brother what I can only term a dirty look.

Ashton steps forward and reaches for the girl. Grasping her arm, he pulls her to him. “We are,” he replies on her behalf. “Why, got something to say?”

Ben shakes his head at the same time the microwave beeps again. “Nope,” he says, turning to the microwave. “None of my business.”

Ashton grunts. “Yeah, remember that the next time you—”

“Can you guys stop?” the girl demands, raising her palms in a placating manner. “It’s been a while since we hang out together. Let’s forget the drama.” Then suddenly, she turns to me, smiling. “Hello there. Ben? Care to introduce your friend?”

“My friend’s name is Isaac, and no, we don’t want to hang out with you two.”

“Ouch,” she says, placing a hand on her chest and turning back to Ben. “Why are you being nasty to me? I’m not your brother.”

“Forget them,” Ashton tells her and tugs her towards the door. “I suddenly need a drink. Can’t be sober around some people.”

“You do that,” Ben tells him.

“Nice to meet you, Isaac,” the girl calls as Ashton takes her with him.

“Yep, you too,” I mumble. “So that’s your brother,” I say to Ben.

He nods. “Don’t tell me you’re a fan.”

Should I lie or not?

“You can say yes. I don’t bite.”

I laugh. “But you do bite, Ben.”

It isn’t until the words leave my lips that I realise I just flirted with him. Damn, I really should watch my mouth around this guy.