"I didn't know that it was a party." Lucy replied, "I bet Dan had something to do with it."
"Who's Dan?" Brody asked.
"Dan the dickhead" Lucy muttered.
I laughed, "What she said."
"Want me to have a quiet word with him?" he asked.
Now it was Lucy's turn to laugh, "Sounds good to me. April?"
"Stop trying to get my brother into trouble."
"I like trouble" Brody replied as we made our way into the kitchen to get some drinks. I recognised a few people from my classes but couldn't see Lukas anywhere. I groaned when I spotted Dan walking towards us.
He slapped Lucy on the ass, making her cheeks turn fire red. "Woop woop, my bitches have arrived!"
I saw anger flash across Brody's eyes as he took a step forward, "You must be Dan."
"Who's asking?"
"Well let's just say that I don't take nicely to people calling my sister a bitch."
"Chill out, I was only joking."
"I don't care what you were doing, you still don't get to call her a bitch. Or Lucy for that matter."
"What's your problem?"
"You are."
"Well that's funny because you're in my flat, so why don't you just go ahead and leave?"
Lukas suddenly appeared at our side, "It's also my flat and I want him to stay, stop being a dick to our guests."
"Whose side are you on?" Dan asked.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Fuck this" Dan announced as he turned to face me and Lucy, "You know I was only joking, he needs to chill out."
"And you need to learn to show some respect" Brody replied.
Dan took a step backwards before gesturing to some other guys, "Come on, let's get out of here."
I watched them leave, thankful that Brody wasn't about to get into a fight.
"I thought he said a quiet word?" Lucy whispered.
"Trust me, that was quiet for him."
"Closet alpha" she muttered.
"There's no closet about it" I replied.
Brody turned to Lukas, "Are his parents cops? Or lawyers?"
Lukas laughed, "Nah, I think they own a cake shop."
He winked at me, "Just checking, I like to know what I'm getting myself into beforehand."
"No, stop it now. No more arguments, no fighting. I mean it, we're guests here."
He held his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay."
Lukas extended his hand, "I'm Lukas, nice to meet you."
Brody cocked his head to the side, "The Lukas?" I rolled my eyes at how dramatic he was.
Lukas laughed, "It depends what you've heard."
"I've heard how you tried to save my sister's life. Seriously, I can't thank you enough."
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Good man, that's what I like to hear. I feel better knowing that there are people looking out for her when I'm not around."
"I'll always be here for her, she knows that."
I smiled as we made our way over to the sofa.
Brody and Lukas got on like a house on fire.
Excuse the pun.
After twenty minutes of football talk, I stood up, "I'm going to get some fresh air."
"Want me to come with you?" Lucy asked.
"No, stay here, make sure Brody behaves." I needed a few minutes on my own. Last week, Lukas was lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life and now he was talking football with my brother. The whole situation was a little overwhelming. Everything had moved so fast since the fire and I needed time to get my head around it all.
I sat on the brick wall outside and looked up at the stars. It always reminded me that there were much bigger things going on in the world. I was still gazing up at the sky when Brody sat next to me. "You okay?" he asked, draping his arm around my shoulders.
"Yeah, I just needed some air."
"Are you mad at me for what happened with Dan?"
"No, I just don't want you causing any trouble."
"I won't." We were silent for a little while before he turned to face me, "Lukas is a nice guy."
"He is."
"I can see how much he cares for you." I nodded. "But you're in love with someone else..."
"What?"
"I can read you like a book, how long have you been in love with your tutor?"
I looked around us, paranoid in case anybody was eavesdropping on our conversation. Brody stood up, "Walk with me." We began to walk down the street. "So? What's happening with you and Isaac?"
I took a deep breath, "I will never speak to you again if you lay a finger on him, I mean it."
"Calm down, what do you take me for? I like Isaac."
"You do?"
"Yeah, he's a nice guy. It's obvious that he has feelings for you too."