Chapter 2 : Knox

Knox

I watched Lexie's eyes narrow at me, and I couldn't hide the smirk tugging at my lips. It had been five years.

Five fucking years of her leaving without a call, explanation, or text. Now, here she was, older and fucking beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was no less than six feet tall, I assumed, and her yellow gown hugged her figure, tracing every curve and highlighting her thick thighs.

I swallowed, suddenly struggling to breathe. Nope, not doing this, Knox. You will not fantasize about your best friend's little sister while he's in the room.

This was Lexie, the baby. But she wasn't the same Lexie I remembered. This was a full-grown woman with big titties, and did I mention she was fucking gorgeous? Her rosy cheeks matched the red on her lips, and her dirty-blonde hair reached her neck, looking a little scattered, but it worked. Her glasses were still perched on the bridge of her nose.

“You haven't changed one bit,” Christian said, and she just shrugged.

One by one, they each grabbed a chair and pulled it out to sit down. I followed, my eyes fixed on her, and I knew she could tell.

“So, what brought you back to Willow Springs?” Christian asked.

“Come on, you don't have to interrogate her. She just got here,” Rhett said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Actually, I just wanted to see my family. Is that so hard to believe?”

“It is,” he said. “With you, there's always a reason.”

I hummed in agreement. There was just so much to ask. Why had she returned after so long? What had made her leave Hastings? Surely, it wasn't because she missed her family. After her mother passed away, Lexie had decided to leave Willow Springs and never return. I knew that because I'd kept an eye on her and read her letters.

Letters I was too chicken to respond to.

How the hell was I supposed to explain that I cared for her more than a brother should?

“You know what?” Rhett started. “We should definitely throw a party for her! A welcome party, right, guys?”

“I agree,” Dom finally spoke up, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. Dom was a quiet guy. Any questions he had would usually be answered without him having to ask them.

“A party? Isn't that... too much?”

“Of course not! I mean, my sister has finally returned. Surely, there should be a party. Don't worry, I'll tell Father you're with me.”

She looked uneasy, as though she didn't want this but found it too difficult to refuse.

Her phone suddenly lit up with a notification, and I found myself itching to see what it was.

“Excuse me,” she said, looking down at the notification.

Her expression turned sour, but there was something exhausted about it, too. It was the look of someone who wasn't ready to deal with any more bullshit, and that got me intrigued.

Then a call came through, and she held her phone, staring at the caller ID like she'd just seen a ghost.

“You've got to be fucking kidding me,” she whispered.

“What's wrong?” Rhett asked.

“It's nothing,” she lied through her teeth. She stood up and walked out of the room.

“You know what? I think I should start preparing for the birthday. I'll ask the group to arrange something,” Rhett said the minute she left. He got to his feet and walked away like we weren't even there.

Typical Rhett. Always on his toes.

She returned with her phone in her hand, a frightened expression on her face.

I was the first to speak up. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing,” she lied through her teeth. She looked tired, like, really exhausted, yet she had been crying all day. Her eyes looked sore, reddish, and puffed up.

Somehow, that gave me an unsettling feeling in my chest. Her phone lit up again with another call, and she walked past us. This time, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I stood up, and so did the boys, as we followed her downstairs.

She had gone downstairs, and this time, she was at the entrance, shouting at a blonde dude who wore a yellow shirt and some khaki shorts. Who the fuck wears yellow?

“I've been calling you, but you've been blocking my calls.”

“I don't want to see you,” she whispered. “Look, you shouldn't be here. My brother will be back any minute.”

We got closer to them, but they didn't notice. We stood there, eavesdropping.

“I want us to talk about this. I know I said some things, but you're the only friend I have, Lexie.”

“Steve, just leave, okay? I understood what you meant. There's nothing between us.”

She was about to turn away when he grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against him.

“Please, Lex.”

“Let me go, Steve.”

There was no one outside except us. The guys had left, or else this guy, STEVE, wouldn't have been able to come in.

“No, let's talk about this like reasonable adults,” he pressed, holding her still.

“Is there a problem here?” I asked, walking out to where they could see me.

“Who is this, Lex?”

“Let go of her, man,” Christian said, but Steve, wearing fucking yellow, laughed it off as though we were nothing but a bunch of clowns.

“It isn't a request. It's a warning.”

“What is this, Lex? We break up, and then you end up fucking some biker guys?”

The next thing we heard was a loud slap across Yellow Steve's face. Lexie had slapped him so hard that he held his face with both hands, screaming in pain.

“Don't you ever talk to me like that.”

Atta girl.

We got close, so close that Steve looked at us with fear in his eyes. From up here, we could see how frightened he was, like a wet dog that would whimper in the rain.

“I will count from one to three. If you're still here, then be rest assured you'll lose some teeth tonight. One—” I started.

“Two—”

Steve looked left and right, unsure of what to do, before his gaze landed on Lexie.

“You know what? I'm not ready for a fight, but trust me, Lex… I'll be back.”

“Fuck you, Steve,” she said, her voice cracking again. I looked at her and noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks.

I clenched my fists and glared at Steve. He gulped, the sound reverberating in the silence before he turned and walked towards the tiny car he'd driven in.

When he was out of sight, Lexie turned to the three of us, her hands dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

“Care to explain?” I asked.

“No… and I don't want this getting back to Rhett.”

“No can do, Lex. Whatever we see goes to Rhet

t.”

She swallowed, looking up at us with newfound confidence. “Then tell me what I have to do to keep your mouths shut.”