Brother After Dark

Chapter Nineteen

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were dating anybody, Ms. Stewart,” he said apologetically.

“No, this is my…” I started saying that Zachary was my brother.

But my brother was quick to cut me off. “Zachary Reed.” I didn’t miss the emphasis he gave on his surname.

“Alrick Thomas.” They shook each other’s hands. Then Alrick backed off and smiled at me politely. “See you around.” Then he left.

I turned to Zachary. “Excuse me. What was that about?”

He stared back at me innocently. “What?”

“Now, he’s probably thinking that we’re dating.”

He raised a brow at me. “So?”

“We’re not. You’re my brother!”

“Yeah, yeah! Like I need another reminder,” he said. Then he took my books from my arms and walked toward the stairs with me lagging behind him.

“He’s not the only one thinking we’re dating,” I said.

“Really? Who else?”

“There was this girl, Stephanie Bell.”

He smirked. “Oh, her.”

“Are you dating her?” I asked, my voice slightly raised.

“Jealous?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“Of course not!” I said. “She just threatened me to stay away from you! She said you were hers!”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” he said. “However, did she get that impression?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you led her on, asked her out, slept with her, and never called her back. That’s what guys do, remember?”

He stared back at me and said, “That’s what dickheads do,” he said. “No. I’ve only been here on a couple of months, and I have never hooked up with anybody.”

“Really?”

“What? You think I hook up with just any girl?”

I shrugged. “You almost slept with a stranger at the concert.” I murmured.

“That was an exception. She wasn’t real. She sprung to life from my favorite manga book,” he said.

When I stared up at him, he was grinning at me, and somehow, I couldn’t help smiling back at him. But at the same time, there was pain behind my smile… and his too. We could have been a great couple. Instead, we had to learn to go back to being brother and sister. It was a struggle in itself.

We reached his car. Again, he opened the car door for me. I wonder how many guys still do this nowadays. My mother raised him well, and obviously, he remembered and practiced it all even when he wasn’t living with my family.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Midfield,” he replied.

Midfield was the new complex in the city. It had recreation areas, movie houses, and a shopping center. It opened to the public less than a year ago. I had heard about it but didn’t have the chance to check it out.

It was six in the evening when we reached Midfield Complex. Zachary walked over to recreation wing. I had no idea what he had in mind, but I honestly didn’t care. I wanted to spend time with him. We had a better chance of rekindling our sibling relationship the more we spend time together.

He led me to a place called Bullseye, a shooting range.

He turned back to me and grinned. “You think you’re up for a second bet? You lost miserably the last time.”

“I did not!” I protested. “I came close.”

“Yeah right!” He smirked. “You didn’t even stand a chance.”

“Conceited much!” I rolled my eyes. “Now, give me another chance, I will surely kick your ass!”

“Careful, though, okay? These guns are real.”

“Like I haven’t fired a real gun before.”

“Oh really?” he asked, his voice full of doubt and challenge. “Show me.”

Five minutes later, we started our game. I put on my earmuffs and shooting glasses.

“Ready?” Zachary asked beside me.

“I was born ready, babe!” I said.

He grinned at me. Then we both started shooting the stationary targets.

We started shooting. The targets moved forward toward us, showing us our scores. I managed to get eight bull’s-eye and four within the eight and seven range, giving me a total of a 111 out of 120. I looked at Zachary’s board. He got a total of 118, which meant he got eleven out of twelve bulls’-eye and one that was almost a bulls’ eye.

“You’re good. But not good enough,” he said.

“Again!” I said in an irritated tone.

We played four more rounds. My best score was 117. Zachary got 120 three times and maintained the 118 for the rest. I had to admit, perfection was hard to beat.

I pouted and Zachary laughed. He put an arm around my shoulder. “That’s all right, baby girl. You are very good.”

“Just not as good as you?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Well, you do have a chance of leveling up to me. Maybe someday.”

I elbowed him on the abdomen. “What a bag of conceit!”

He laughed. “Keep practicing,” he said. “Come, I’m starving.”

On our way out, I saw three guys looking curiously at me. They must have seen us playing. I knew. My skill with the gun was impressive for a girl who looked like she couldn’t harm a fly.

I felt Zachary put an arm around my shoulder. “What do you want to eat, baby girl?” he asked as he led me out the door, throwing a warning glance over at the guys.

“Something sizzling. It’s cold outside.”

“Yeah. We’ll be here for a while,” he said.

“Why?”

“Weather forecast doesn’t look positive,” he replied. “Come, there’s a nice steakhouse here. I’ll bet they have sizzling steak.”

He took me to a restaurant called the Sizzling Plate. I ordered a plate of sizzling wagyu steak, medium well, with vegetables.

The serving was huge, but then again, I was starving, not having proper meal during lunch. And no need to put up any pretenses. I was not trying to impress my brother.

After dinner, we watched a horror flick in the movie house. I loved horror films, but then again, I usually slept in a room with two other girls in it. I didn’t have to worry about the boogeyman hiding under the bed. But it was too late. I had already chosen the movie before I realized I now slept in an almost empty estate.

Zachary noticed my grim expression as we were lining up for popcorn.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. Something just crossed my mind.”

He raised a brow at me.

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“I believe you. But I’m really curious.”

I sighed. “Nothing. I just thought I shouldn’t have chosen a horror flick,” I said.

“I wondered about that too. You were a scaredy-cat when we were little. You always hid behind my back during horror flicks.”

“I like horror flicks. Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to forget them afterward. And I actually forgot I sleep alone now. Before, I had roommates.”

“You want to choose another one?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No way. I heard so much about this movie. I’m curious. I’ll deal with the nightmares later.”

But I was wrong. The movie was relentless. It was scarier than those Japanese flicks and more disturbing than The Exorcist. I found myself leaning toward Zachary most of the time. I had my feet up on the chair, hugging my legs to myself. I was shrieking every once in a while, and Zachary was amused by my reactions.

By the time the movie was finished, I wasn’t so sure I could sleep alone anymore. The movie was tormenting, and if the storm lasted all through the night, I didn’t think I’d be able to survive.

Zachary noticed my uneasiness. He took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

“Hey,” he said, “you okay?”

“I hope,” I replied. “That’s some scary shit!”

He laughed. “I told you we should have chosen a different one.”

“Well, it was too late to change my mind then,” I said sarcastically. “I forgot that I sleep in a big, dark mansion that’s usually empty.”

“Empty?”

I shrugged. “Like Dad’s out of town most of the time. Mom likes to live in Europe more than here. And you… well, I know you don’t sleep in the house often too.”

He fell silent. He knew it was true. I noticed that he hadn’t been going home lately.

“Where do you go when you’re not at home?”

He stared at me for a moment. Then he replied, “Somewhere. A mile away from home.”

“You were staying away from me,” I said sadly.

He sighed. He didn’t deny it.

“Why?” I asked.

“You know why,” he replied quietly.

Up until this week, he could barely look at me. At least now, he was trying to be my brother.

We walked in silence for a while. I pulled my hand away from him and crossed my arms across my chest.

“You didn’t answer my question. Where do you go when you’re not at home? Do you crash with friends?”

“No,” he replied. “I don’t have many close friends here yet. Kenzo was my best friend, and he’s in Charleston. I actually stay in a little place close to home.”

“Which place is that?”

“My little fortress. A property I repaired, renovated over these past few months since I came here. It’s small, but I find peace there,” he said. “Do you want to see it?”

I smiled at him. “Yeah, I would like that.”

At least, I would know where to find him in case he went missing someday.

He looked at his watch for the time. “We have time to check it out.” He paused for a moment. “The question is…”

“What?” I turned to him.

He looked at me intensely, like he wanted to drills holes into my soul. My throat dried up and I instantly feel hot under my skin.

“It’s in the middle of nowhere. Four walls around us. No one can hear you even if you scream at the top of your lungs.” He raised a teasing brow and then he leaned towards me, making my pulse hammer like crazy. “Can you handle being alone with me there, baby girl?”