She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”
“Mattie, I overreacted, and I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I’m just worried about you.”
“You said it, yourself, Brian. I can handle myself,” she quoted. “You don’t need to be worrying about me. I’m a big girl.”
“Life isn’t that easy, Madeleine. If it were, I wouldn’t care, but you’re my little sister,” he stated. “I have to protect you. I don’t think that dating Nick would be the best idea.”
“And why not?”
“He isn’t the most exclusive dater,” Brian said gently. “He cheated on Manduh at least a dozen times in a two year relationship.”
“Yeah, but Manduh was a bitch,” Madeleine pointed out.
“Language, please.”
“Whatever. She was.”
Brian shrugged off her apathy and got back to the point. “He didn’t think so until the very end of their relationship. He thought he loved her.”
“He probably wasn’t getting love from her, so he went to other girls.”
“Nevertheless, he thought he loved her, just like he thinks he loves you and you think you love him.”
“What makes you so sure that he doesn’t love me, Brian? What makes you so sure that I don’t love him?” She suddenly remembered something Brian had told her. “You told me that when you fall in love, you know. I know I’m in love with Nick. There’s no question. I don’t see why you can’t just let me be happy.”
“I can’t let you be happy because a relationship between you and Nick wouldn’t work! Besides for the fact that he cheated on Manduh, he’s twenty years old, and you were about to have sex with him. That’s illegal. If the media got hold of it, our reputation would be shattered!” he exclaimed. He was losing his patience. “And what if you two broke up? I would be stuck in the middle.”
“That’s not selfish at all, Brian,” Madeleine muttered sarcastically. “Who gives a fuck about your reputation?” Brian shuddered at her language, but didn’t mention it this time. “And who cares if you’d be stuck in the middle? Anyway, it’s not like we’d break up.”
“Whatever. I’ll let it slide this time, but if I ever catch you doing anything with Nick again, I’m sending you home, Madeleine.” He stood up and stormed back into his room.