After calling Bennett two times, both times going to voicemail, Tess let me sent him a text. Thank you, universe, for being on my side. And no, I'm still not afraid, I'm just uncomfortable. Driving over three hours south makes quite the difference in temperature and I start taking off my jacket in the car and switching my black jeans for some shorts.

"I warned you, it's gonna be hot."

"Yeah, whatever mom. Are we almost there?"

"Yes, five more minutes." Tess grins from ear to ear.

"You really missed him, don't you?" I ask her.

"Yes, I did. He is my only brother and even though we fight from time to time, he is one of the most important people in my life. He's always there for me, no matter what."

"He sounds like a great brother", I mumble and look out the window while trying not to think about my own sibling.

"He is. And you're going to meet him so cheer up!"

"Yes, mam!" We start laughing and soon, after driving through a cute small town, we are pulling into a private road on the outskirts of it.

"Wow, is your brother rich? I thought he is a mechanic, no offense."

"No, he is not rich. I mean, he can comfortably live and all but him and a friend bought the house together. It was very old and they renovated it, so they bought it for a very cheap price."

"I see."

The private road isn't actually as long as it originally seemed and we can see the house after about 20 meters. The house is beautiful but it is easy to see that it is an old two story house. It has a cute porch and multiple pick up trucks parked in front of it. It looks homey and I can't wait to see the backyard and the lake Tess keeps telling me about.

"The lake is behind the house?" I question.

"Yup, you see the line of trees back there?" Tess points to a small group of trees about 50 meters behind the house. "Behind those is the lake."

"Awesome! Can't wait to get a tan, correction, get a sunburn and cool off afterward in the water."

I really wish I could get as tan as Tess in the summer, but I am pale as hell and my skin is not a friend of the sun. Except for my face. It has so many freckles all over it and they like to come out and play even more when the sun shines. I still get sunburn on my face though. It's great, I know.

Tess parks the car next to a black pick up truck and jumps out. So far, no one is to be seen outside of the house. I put my shoulder length, strawberry blond hair into a messy bun and get out of the car as well. I join Tess at the trunk and help her with carrying her endless amount of bags.

"Did you have to bring your whole closet?" I ask her as a sheen of sweat starts to form on my forehead.

"Duh", is the only reply I get.

"Where is your brother?" Once we step foot inside the house we drop all the bags in the hallway and look around.

"No idea. He never answered my text. Come, I'll give you a tour", she says and grabs my hand.

"Kitchen to the left, as well as the living room right next to it. On the right is the guest bathroom, and a makeshift gym, who in hell needs that, right? And at the end of the hallway, the pathway to heaven."

The backyard is actually just a great field of high grass which stretches until it reaches the trees and the lake. Between the trees, a small split opens up and I catch a glimpse of the lake. It is beautiful and I can't wait to jump into it. All the rooms in the house are pretty clean for which I'm thankful.

"Okay, come on I'll show you our rooms." Tess drags me with her and lets go of my hand when we reach our bags.

"Wait, did you just say 'rooms'? As in, multiple?"

"Yes, this is a five-bedroom house so we each get our own room. We'll just have to share a bathroom since there's only two of those upstairs.

"Can we go to the lake?" I ask excitedly.

"Yeah sure, let me just call my brother again. I know that he sometimes works late but it's almost six and he knew we would be here by five thirty." I snoop around the kitchen while she tries calling Bennett again, sitting on a stool at the counter.

"No luck?"

"Nope. Well, I guess we'll just have to wai-"

The loud slamming of a door and following shouts have her stopping mid-sentence and almost falling off of her stool. I startle too and hit my hip on the kitchen counter. "Ouch", I groan while trying to figure out what all the noise is.

"What the -?" Tess says and goes to storm into the hallway but stops abruptly in the doorway.

"Stop it, calm down!" A stern voice says as I walk towards the hallway as well.

"No, that asshole needs to stop getting on my nerves! I swear to God I will rip him apart if he pulls that shit again!" That's another voice. A very angry and deep voice. I start to get a little worried. What the hell is going on?

"I'd like to see you try that, pussy!" A third, very smug voice yells. I finally reach the doorway as well and look over Tess's shoulder to see what's going on. Three tall and angry looking men are standing in the hallway, making it appear extremely small and crowded. One stands in the middle, both his arms outstretched towards the other two. His hair is a light brown, same color as Tess's hair, blue eyes and a calculating and alert look on his face. That has to be Bennett. He looks a lot like Tess but the photos she showed me of him don't do him justice. He looks way more manly and tall in real life. The one farthest from us is the shortest of the three which doesn't say much since they're all pretty tall. He has this womanizer look about him but the way he smiles smugly and how he carries himself radiances arrogance. His blond hair is sleeked back with gel, his eyes a light blue and his clothes are posh. He kind of looks like a typical but older frat boy. Lastly, my eyes fall onto the man closest to Tess and me. He seems the angriest, his muscular chest heaving up and down with heavy breaths, his jaw locked and his fists balled. He is about the same height as Bennett but his anger and stance make him seem taller. His knuckles are turning white, that's how hard he is clenching his fists. My eyes fall on his jaw once more and roam over the side of his face, which is all I can see from where I'm standing. He has a well-defined nose, a slight stubble covering his jaw and his hair is almost black. Somehow, I catch myself desperately wanting to see his eyes. Get it together Romy, concentrate on the situation at hand.

"Okay, both of you stop it! Enough. It was a mistake, it won't happen again, can we all calm down please, my sister is arriving soon." Bennett says and tries to reason with, what I'm guessing are his friends.

"We're already here." Tess decides to speak up, making all three men turn to us in surprise.

"What? Oh, hey! Why didn't you let me know?" Bennett asks Tess while walking to her and giving her a big hug.

"You know damn well, that it wasn't a mistake." The black haired man growled, and with that, he made his ways outside and soon after, the engine of a truck went off.

"We texted you and called you three times!" Tess exclaims and slaps her brother's arm.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He then turns to me and offers me his hand. "Hi, you must be Romy. Nice to finally meet you. Tess has told me, probably too much, about you." Bennett smiles at me and I smile back, taking his hand in mine. "Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, too and thanks for having me. You have a lovely house."

"Well, Romy, this is our house and I am more than delighted to have you here as well." The frat boy lookalike decides to speak up and grabs my hand, taking it from Bennet's and plants a kiss on it.