Chapter 10 I woke up to the sharp ache of a full bladder and the faint pressure of Dash's arm slung heavy over my waist. His breathing was slow and deep, his chest rising against my back. His body was warm, but it didn't bother me. Even in this summer night heat. I wanted to sink more into him, but I had to pee. Carefully, I lifted his arm and slid out from under it, getting out of bed without waking him. He stirred once, murmured something I didn't catch, but didn't open his eyes. I stood and tiptoed out into the hallway on bare feet, the wood creaking under my soles. The house was dark except for the blue glow leaking out from under Tripp's bedroom door. It was the middle of the night, and I wasn't sure if he was still awake. But I didn't go check. Not yet. After I finished in the bathroom, I paused outside his room. His bedroom door was cracked, and the TV was on playing softly in the background. Then I heard his voice calling my name, as if he had sensed it was me. "Lissy?" My fingers wrapped around the doorknob impulsively, and I stepped closer to peek into the room. Tripp was propped up in bed shirtless, with one arm bent behind his head, and his other draped over his abdomen. His hair was messy, and his cheeks slightly flushed from the warmth in the room. His eyes found me fast, and he smiled. "Wanna come in?" he asked, voice low. "I can't sleep." I hesitated. "I'm not trying to be weird," he added, and my thoughts immediately went there. Why would he say that? Did he really not know about the things I did with the others? Why else would he say something like that? It was normal for us to cuddle and sleep in the same bed. We were close, but I had gotten closer with Dash, Rhys, and Ashby. "Bliss." He looked at me with a confused and slightly annoyed gaze. "You coming in or not?" I was worrying too much. If he knew, he wouldn't be like this. He'd be way more distant. Angry, even. He wouldn't be okay with what we did, and he would put a stop to it immediately. Tripp wasn't like the other guys. He was way too protective over me to want to cross such an extreme line. "Okay." He scooted over to make room, and I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. His bed was warm, sheets tangled and kicked mostly to the floor. I climbed in next to him and sat cross-legged, leaning my back against the headboard. He passed me the remote without looking. "What are we watching?" "No clue. Wasn't actually watching." I clicked through a few options, not really caring either, and left it on some random movie. We sat in silence, and I turned more toward him, needing to know why he was really up this late. "Can't sleep because of the heat?" He nodded and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He let out a sigh, then looked at me. "You?" I shrugged. "I was sleeping okay until I needed to pee." "Whose bed were you in?" That question would've sounded strange in other people's ears. But in ours, it didn't. "Dash's." He gave another nod before turning his head toward the TV again. I kept my eyes on him, letting them fall to his bare chest. The TV cast shadows across his throat and collarbone, and the lines of his muscles made my body tingle. I tried not to stare but failed. "You went out earlier," he said after a while. "Yeah. I went to the gas station to grab a snack." He didn't question it. Just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. "I saw Emily." His lips twitched. "Bet that was fun. Did you talk to her?" I nodded. "She invited me to Tyler's party." His brow lifted. "Yeah? And are you coming?" "I wasn't going to. But then I found out that all of you are going." Tripp chuckled and reached over with his hand, patting my knee before resting it on my thigh. "We were going to tell you." "I'm not sure you were." "Come on, Lissy. It's not like you enjoy those kind of parties with those type of people." "If you're there, I always want to go," I stated, crossing my arms loosely across my chest. "I'm coming tomorrow." "That's fine." I tensed my jaw and waited a moment before adding something more. "Emily said she wants you guys there because you're hot." He laughed. "Well. Lucky for us, that's a given." I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself. "She basically said I was only invited because of you." "She's still a bitch, huh?" "Maybe a little worse now," I said. "Like she doubled down on it." "Some people never grow up. They just get louder." I picked at the edge of the blanket, letting his words linger between us. "She's always made me feel this way. Like I only belong places when you guys are around. Or others who laughed at whatever she said when making fun of me." "Don't let her get to you. You know people like Emily have nothing but shit to say, and all for a little attention. One day, everyone around her will push her away because they realize how empty her words are. She's drama and noise, and it will someday backfire." I just nodded. As much as I liked listening to Tripp say all these wise things, I didn't want to spend this moment talking about a person I disliked. Therefore, I changed the subject. "Do you have any plans for the next six weeks?" He traced his fingertips along my thigh and knee, doing it so absentmindedly that he couldn't be thinking anything sexual by doing so. This was normal. This was us. "No. Other than celebrating Rhys and Ashby's birthday, not really," he said, his fingers still drifting lightly against my skin. "Why?" "I don't know," I said quietly. "Just wondering if you're gonna be around a lot. You've been a bit more distant than the others lately." He glanced at me. "You think so? You want me around more?" I didn't answer at first. I just looked at his hand, at the way his fingertips had started brushing the inside of my knee. He hadn't noticed how sensitive that spot was. Or maybe he did. But if he noticed the goosebumps crawling up my thigh, he didn't say anything. "I like when you're around," I admitted. "When all of you are." He smiled a little, then leaned his head back against the wall behind the bed. "Then I'll be around." That simple. Like it didn't cost him anything to give me that. I tucked my legs under me and shifted closer until my shoulder brushed his arm. The movie kept playing in the background, but neither of us was watching it. The room was quiet, and I was starting to get tired. "You can stay here tonight, if you want," Tripp said suddenly. I looked up at him. "In my bed, I mean. Instead of going back to Dash's." He didn't say it weird. There wasn't any heavy implication behind it, not in his tone. But my stomach flipped anyway. God, I was the sick one here. "You sure?" I asked. His eyes met mine. "Yeah. Unless you'd rather be in Dash's bed." I swallowed. He didn't mean it like a challenge. But my mind made it sound like one. "I don't know," I said honestly. "It's...comfortable with him." "And it's not with me?" "No, it is. Just...different." Tripp let out a quiet breath. His hand moved again, just once, up and down my thigh, slower this time. "It doesn't have to be weird," he said. "You've always slept in my bed before." Yeah. Before. Before all of this started to change. Before I let myself do things with Rhys, Dash, and Ashby. Before I knew how deep this could all go. I didn't answer right away. Instead, I reached for the remote and turned off the TV. The screen went black, leaving us in a thick kind of darkness. "Okay," I said. He moved over and pulled back the sheet. I slid down beside him slowly, feeling his warmth radiate against my side. I settled on my back, and he turned on his side to face me. I looked at him for a while before letting a heavy yawn take over, and my eyes closed automatically, my body telling me that I needed to get some sleep. There was silence, and I was letting my mind drift off. But the second I was about to fall asleep, he said, "When is it my turn to kiss you?" I froze, and my breath caught in my throat. I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right. Maybe I was already half-asleep and dreaming. Maybe my brain twisted his words into something they weren't. But when I opened my eyes and looked at him, he was watching me. His expression dark. "What?" I whispered. Tripp didn't repeat the words. He just stared at me, not taking it back, and awaiting a response. He knew? How long had he known? And if he knows, why has he not said anything until now? So many questions rushed through me as I kept my eyes on him, unable to think straight. "I know, Bliss," he said quietly. "About the blowjobs. The makeouts. So, tell me. When is it going to be my turn? Or do you not feel the same about me?" My body tensed under the sheet. Every hair on my skin stood up. I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry, but my heart was racing, pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it. I didn't move. I couldn't. Tripp was still watching me. Calm and composed, and terrifyingly serious. His face wasn't angry. It wasn't smut. It was something in between, something unreadable and sharp with meaning. "How long have you known?" I asked, my voice a whisper. "Long enough." I turned my face away, unable to hold his gaze. Shame burned hot in my cheeks, but it wasn't just shame. It was fear. Guilt. A strange, sinking excitement. I felt exposed under his stare, and I didn't know why I felt that way with him, when I didn't feel the same with the others. Maybe it was the fact that he was my oldest brother. The one I looked up to the most. The one I had most respect for and never wanted to disappoint. But here he was, asking when it would be his turn. And for the first time, I didn't want to step over the line. It felt wrong, when it hadn't felt wrong with Dash, Ashby, or Rhys. Only with Tripp, it just didn't feel right. Not now. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!