Claimed By My Best Friend's Brother

Taking my sister’s best friend’s V card wasn’t part of my plan.

An accident almost cost me my life, and I was stuck at my parent’s house to recover.
I miss the lights, the stage, and my Rock n Roll lifestyle.
But being stuck at home has its perks.
Like the girl next door.

Her curvy figure, dark hair, and witty banter drive me wild.
She is all I can think about while I lay cooped up at home.
Fourteen years younger, and my sister's best friend.

Beyond off-limits, but that only makes me want her more.

Okay, the situation isn’t ideal.
But she’s everything I never knew I needed.
I’ll do anything to win her heart.
But that might tear our families apart…

“Drive safe.”

“I will.”

“Take it slow.”

“Mom, I’ll be fine,” I say, running my hand back through my hair. It’s a classic warm late May night here in Houston. I’ll need a shower when I get home to wash off the humidity.

Mom looks at me with her soft blue eyes, the same color as mine. “Chase, it’s late. People drive like maniacs on the highways, so be careful,” she reiterates, squeezing my arm.

Leaning down, I kiss her on the cheek. “I will. Love you.”

She leans into my chest and hugs me. “Text me when you get home.”

As we say our final goodbyes, I head to my car at the end of the driveway. My sweet ride looks out of place behind my mom’s minivan. Making a mental note to get her a new car for her birthday, I get in, turn the key in the ignition, and look up at the house one last time before I pull away. Mom is still outside under the porchlight, and in the front window, Dad is flanked by my little sister and brother, Rachel and Dan, the twins. Not so little anymore at 21. But still. Little to me. They were only 4 when I was getting ready to graduate high school. Now, they’re both in college.

Christ, I’m getting old.

I honk the horn as a goodbye and watch them all wave before pulling out into the night.

The roads are darker here at night. I’m so used to city centers across the country, across the world, that are lit up like Christmas trees everywhere you go. Tour. God, I love it. I already miss it. I can still hear that last cymbal crash in the back of my mind. It gets more distant every day since the tour ended, but sometimes, I remember it just right, and it sends a shiver down my spine.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful. I’m really fucking grateful I get to play music for a living. That’s a dream. But being on the road with the band and playing my drum kit doesn’t compare to the feeling of home. “Home is where the heart is” couldn’t be truer than right now. Man, maybe I really am getting old.

Tonight, I’d stayed way past the time I’d planned to leave; there was just too much to talk about, too much to laugh about. Too much to enjoy. And I have the whole summer to have as much family time as possible before we record our next album.

Turning from the dark residential road into a busier intersection, I roll down the windows and pop on the radio.

“…just finished up a major world tour. I got to see it when they played here in Houston, their home city, and, let me tell you, what a show. This is Soul Sounds with ‘Snake in the Grass’,” the radio host announces.

I can’t help but smile, hearing that opening bassline in lockstep with the kick drum and high hat. Sounds fucking good. And I don’t think I’m cocky to say it. To go from garage band levels to being played on the air? We’ve earned it.

Even though I’m alone in my car, there is a level of embarrassment to hearing my band on the radio. My cheeks are hot by the time the song gets to the chorus, and I reach to turn the station to something else –

The next sound that hits me isn’t music. It’s the screeching of tires, the crunching of metal, an airbag releasing. My body is trying to free itself from my seat, being thrown around and jerked while stuck by the seatbelt, and I can’t make sense of where I am in my body. Everything is dark. Pain shoots up my leg in a way I’ve never felt before.
Blue flashing lights and a siren. Darkness. I know I’m moving, but I’m not in control. Voices. The rumbling of tires. A glimpse of a face above me, someone wearing…an EMT uniform? Darkness. Moving, again, but this time on squeaky wheels, steadier this time. A ceiling runs by in my vision and then –

Darkness. A long, deep darkness.