Page 41 of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
“What the fuck is this?” he asks, stalking forward. He’s close enough to touch, but I keep my hands firmly in my lap.
“I—”
“Ev—”
“It’s—”
Finn, Milo, and I all talk at once but fall silent and awkwardly wait for one of the others to take over.
Clearing my throat, I try again. “It’s nothing. Just a mistletoe k—”
“It didn’t fucking look like nothing,princess.” The nickname had finally grown on me, but I hate the way he hurls it in my direction now.
But he isn’t finished.
“What? One member of JOY not enough for you? You need to fuck around with Milo too? Or was it Milo and Finn together? Does the thought of fucking two guys at once do it for you?” he sneers.
Oh no, he fucking didn’t.
“Excuse me?” I rise from the chair, refusing to let him look down at me. It doesn’t fix the situation since he’s still taller than I am, but at least now he doesn’t tower over me.
His nostrils flare.
“My dick not enough for you, Lilah? You want Milo too?”
“Evan. It’s not like that, bro. Look up.” Finn points to the ceiling, but Evan doesn’t spare the innocent-looking plant a glance.
“How long has this shit been going on?” he fumes.
“Nothing is going on.” I’m surprised by how calm I sound, given how pissed I am at him and his asshole assumptions.
“Kissing my bandmate isn’t fucking nothing.”
“Dude, chill out—” Milo’s message is cut off by Evan’s punch to the face. “What the fuck?” Milo covers his bleeding nose while Chris rushes forward and steps between them.
“Enough.” He glares at Evan and then at Milo. “Milo, go clean up. Finn, help Milo.”
Once the two of them leave, Evan’s energy flags, and he drops into the chair Milo was sitting in earlier.
“What the fuck?” Chris asks.
“Again. He did it again. He promised he wouldn’t. He swore the first time was an accident…” Evan’s words trail off and leave me more confused than before.
What the fuck is he talking about?
“Ev, you don’t—”
“Fuck this. I never should have done this. I’m out of here.” As quickly as he sat, he surges up, brushing past me and slamming out of the room before I can stop him.
Chris sighs and stands. “Lilah.”
Why is he surprised I’m still here?
“What the hell was all that about?”
“Noth—”
“And don’t you dare give me that bullshit.” I cross my arms and stare at the bassist. “Friends don’t punch friends for nothing.”
