Erik released a nervous laugh. He is trying to convince himself that Kyle was only joking with him and that Kyle has no idea at all.

"Joke? Why do people around me think that I know how to joke around?" Kyle asked in an irritated tone. Whenever he smiles or smirk, some people do think that he is joking, and he is tired of that kind of speculation.

Is it wrong for him to show such face to other people? And when he does no such thing, they would think that he is angry. 'What is wrong with their brain?' Kyle inwardly asked.

Zedrick laughed when he heard that, then he teasingly said to Erik, "Hah! You're dead. You are so dead. I can't with this. This is too much for me." After knowing that Kyle is secretly protecting his little sister from guys like him and Erik, he guesses that once Kyle knows about Erik's little secret, Erik won't be able to get near Lannie ever again.

However, it is only a guess. From Zedrick's point of view, there is still a chance for Erik. 'Fate can be a tricky thing, after all.'

"If you are not joking around, then you must have been talking about something else." Although it is sad for him to hope now, he is truly hoping that Kyle is talking about another girl, not the girl he has his eyes sets on

"It's about Lannie, is it not?" Erik received another stab from Kyle, and he felt like the years in his life is slowly draining out of him.

"No. It's not about your sister." Erik firmly said to Kyle, and Zedrick is still enjoying how defensive Erik is at this moment.

Erik initially thought that he has been hiding this secret so well, and he did extreme ways not to make it too obvious. But looking at the situation that he is in now, Erik can't help but scold himself for being way too obvious.

He should have been careful around Kyle because Kyle is good at observing people. How can he even forget that aspect of Kyle? For the years that he has been together with Kyle, he can't believe that he made it way too obvious for Kyle.

"Say whatever you want to say, Erik. It does not change the fact that I already know." Kyle has no idea why Erik is being way too defensive about this matter. He thought that Erik would finally open to him about Lannie, but it seems like he is wrong.

From Erik's point of view, it seems like Kyle is not feeling any awkwardness, and he envies that. Kyle is his best friend and the girl that his eyes set for is Kyle's little sister. If he were in Kyle's position he would feel awkward. 

"Kyle, do you even feel the slightest awkwardness, anger, or something like that? How is it that you're so calm?" Zedrick asked. While it is fun to tease Erik's predicament, it is not fun to see that Kyle still has this nonchalant expression on his face from the very beginning.

"What is the point of me feeling any of those feelings, hmm?" If they had asked him what did he thought about it when he found out, he would say that he was surprised and that is about it. Those negative feelings did not cross him because there is no point in having it.

"I mean, Erik is a playboy, and I'm sure you don't want any playboys getting near your only sister."

Erik heard Zedrick's comment, and could not help but imagining himself choking Zedrick to death. At the very beginning, he has no intention of getting close to Lannie in that kind of approach. He just wanted to be like a good big brother to Lannie, but after spending some time and listening to Zedrick the other day, his mind was a mess.

He was contemplating whether he should do it or not. He even once thought of coming in clean with Kyle and tell Kyle that he is going to pursue what he wants. But the thought of Kyle rejecting such an idea is making him feel less confident and afraid that their friends.h.i.+p might be ruined.

"That is true." That few words painfully stabbed Erik, he did not want to listen further, but the next words that Kyle spouted really made him somewhat happy. "However, the only reason that Erik is like this is because of the fact that his parents are forcing to meet a woman and his way of escaping it to have as many girls on his side. Quite a stupid idea, if you ask me. Overall, Erik is not a bad guy."

Since Kyle rarely say such words, it truly made Erik happy. He even had the thought of hugging Kyle tightly and kiss him on the cheeks. But if he does that, Kyle would not like it and might take back what he said to him, so he held himself back.

"As for you, Zedrick..." Kyle continued. "You are way different from Erik. Even though it's stupid, Erik still has an excuse for acting like a playboy. But you, you did it because you like doing it." 

Zedrick is not even sure if she should be happy from that comment of not. This is the first time that Kyle said something like that to him.

"I like doing it because girls are just so entertaining sometimes," Zedrick spoke with a straight face, and Kyle and Erik gave him a disgusted look.

"Which is the more reason why I don't want you to get near my sister or Anna." Kyle still has not yet forgotten that Zedrick threw himself at Anna, and whenever he remembers that he has this urge to choke Zedrick to death.

"So between me and Erik, Erik is the only one who is allowed to get near your sister and Anna? Is that it?" Thinking that is what Kyle is saying to him, Zedrick somehow felt that it is a bit way too unfair. He has so little time left before goes back to abroad, and during that little time, he wants to at least get to know Anna.

"Yes, but Anna is not included." The reason why Kyle would rather let Erik get close to his sister is not that Erik likes his sister, it's because Erik is a gentleman to his sister. And he never teases her. Erik is much more trustworthy than Zedrick.

"What... I am so sad. This is not fair." Zedrick said while he acted like a seven-year-old child.

Erik stared at Zedrick weirdly, then he asked. "Why do you act too differently when you face your family? When you are with them you act like this mature guy, and when you're with us, you act like this." Erik knows that his question is way off of their original topic, but he's been curious and couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I need to act like that in front of my family because I needed to or else, my Aunt will kill me for being childish." It's not like his aunt Andrea restricts him from behaving like a child from time to time, but she will remind him that he should act like his age.

"Well, will you get into trouble if she knows that you've become a playboy?" 

Hearing that question, Zedrick suddenly felt chills down to his very spine. He felt that Erik must be planning something bad to him, and whatever it is he wants to stop it right away.

"Yeah. Of course, she will. She is the one who raised me, and she didn't raise me to be a playboy." Being a playboy is not what Andrea thought him, and if Andrea were to find out that Zedrick has become like that, he thinks that he will get himself in a lot of trouble.

The only thing that his aunt Andrea knows about him is that he is good with his words when it comes to girls.

"That's good to know," Erik said with a big smirk plastered on his face.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

With a smirk on his face, Erik raised his phone up and showed Zedrick a recording of what Zerdrick just said earlier. The part where Zedrick said that girls are entertaining.

With his shaky nervous voice, Zedrick spoke, "No. You would not."

"Oh, yes, I would." Blackmailing someone is actually not Erik's forte, but if it is Zedrick, Erik would not mind doing it. "If you don't shut your mouth about what I feel about Lannie, I WILL send this to your Aunt."

Erik can barely breathe when Kyle told him that he already knows about what he feels towards Lannie, and since Kyle is being mature about this, Erik not worried about Kyle anymore. But Erik would still rather keep his feelings as a secret, and in order to do that blackmailing Zedrick is the best way to shut Zedrick up. As for Kyle, Erik not worried because Kyle would not even dare to talk about such things to someone else.

"Wow. I'm starting to hate you now." Zedrick commented.