And Elle...
We’ve decided to back off until everything with Brayden blows over. My feelings are as strong as they’ve always been, but how can we have a relationship when the one person I’ve always considered my best friend doesn’t want anything to do with me?
After everything that’s happened in their lives, they’ve always had each other, and I’m loathe to destroy that relationship.
The situation sucks all the way around.
When I reluctantly rise to my feet, he grunts, “Good choice.”
I shoot him a sour look and exit the room without another word. As I walk into the kitchen, I find Brayden leaning against the counter with a bottle of orange Gatorade in his hand. His gaze flickers to mine before he straightens, attempting to stalk past as if he doesn’t want to even breathe the same air as me.
Before he can disappear into the dining room, I reach out and grab hold of his arm.
He stops, scowling before dropping his gaze to the place where my fingers are locked around his bicep. “You’re gonna want to remove your hand before you lose it. I can guarantee you won’t get far in the NFL without it.”
It’s not the snapped-out threat that has me setting him free. I release him because this conversation has already become contentious, and I haven’t even opened my mouth. We’ve been friends for way too long for our relationship to end like this.
“Come on, Bray. Can’t we talk this out?”
He jerks his shoulders. “What’s there to discuss? I think we said everything that needed to be said at the cabin.”
At a loss, I drag a hand through my hair. Any hope that had been flickering inside me dies a quick death. I’d really thought we could work past this issue. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this is how it ends between us. If that’s the case, it’s fucking sad. “So that’s it? We’re just...done? At the end of next semester, we go our separate ways?”
Regret flashes in his eyes before being stomped out. “I don’t know.”
Desperation bubbles up inside me until it’s thick enough to choke on. “You gotta realize that I never meant to hurt you.”
He shifts his stance as if the conversation makes him uncomfortable. “Yeah, that’s the thing...there are a shit ton of chicks at this school who would have been more than happy to spread their legs for you. There was no damn reason to go sniffing around my sister.”
He’s right. And for years, that’s exactly what I did. I steered clear and stayed away. I banged groupies I didn’t want in an attempt to fuck her out of my system.
It’s only when I finally gave in to the need coursing through me that I realized it was never going to work. As much as I tried to convince myself that they were all interchangeable and one pussy was just as good as the next, it’s not true. Not when feelings are involved. Not when it’s more than just sex hanging in the balance.
Brayden of all people should realize that.
“None of them were Elle. I’ve wanted her for years, bro. There was no way I could stand the thought of her with anyone else.”
Anger flashes across his face and I tense when he takes a step toward me, pushing into my space. “Then you should have fucking come to me like a man before anything happened.”
“You’re right. In hindsight, that’s exactly what I should have done. I can’t go back and change the past.” I pause, thinking carefully about the next words that come out of my mouth. “But you also need to realize my relationship with Elle is between the two of us and doesn’t involve you.”
His nostrils flare as his eyes darken. “The fuck it does. That’s my little sister you’re talking about.” He rams his finger into my chest. “Doing shit with. You don’t think her wellbeing is my concern?”
I stiffen beneath the contact. Even though it’s tempting to knock him back a step, I blow out a steady breath and keep a tight rein on my temper. Getting into a physical altercation with Brayden isn’t going to solve matters. If anything, it’ll only make them worse. And none of us need that.
“No, I don’t. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, and you need to accept that.”
There doesn’t seem to be anything I can say to change his mind or make a difference, and that fucking sucks.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the hell away from her,” he growls.
Does he have any idea how painful that would be?
Especially now.
I shift my weight, attempting to reason with him one last time. “What if someone told you to stay away from Sydney? Would you be able to do it? Or would you do anything to be with her?”
Fury erupts across his face as he straightens like someone just shoved a two-by-four up his ass. When his hands bunch at his sides, I realize I’ve probably pushed him too far.