Fate (Steel Brothers Saga 13)

“What are you here to study?” he asked.

“I don’t really know yet. You?”

“Literature, I think. It’s my first love. I’d like to write and to teach.”

“Cool.”

Cool. Great, Daphne. Now what?

“I seem to be empty again.” Ennis pointed to his cup. “You want another?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” He stood.

I impulsively handed him my cup. “Yeah. Another, please.”

“Will do.”

I waited on my bed for Ennis to return. My mind was a little muddled, but I was okay. I actually liked the feeling. It made me forget…things. I stood to make sure I wasn’t drinking too much. I walked across the room to my desk in a straight line without stumbling, though it took some work.

“Knock knock,” Ennis said, entering. “Here you go.”

I took the red cup from him and swallowed a mouthful. Yeah, definitely getting sweeter.

“So why did you come to Colorado?” I asked.

The words sounded like they came from somewhere other than my mouth.

“Always wanted to see mountains. I’ve been to the US several times, but always the East Coast. Your country is so huge. I’m not sure I could see all of it in a lifetime.”

“I’m not sure anyone who actually lives here could,” I replied. “It’s so vig and bast.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s so big and vast.”

“Right. You first said vig and bast.”

A huge laugh erupted from my throat. “I did not.”

“You did, love.” He took my cup. “I think maybe that’s enough for you.”

“Give that back!” I grabbed it from him, spilling a few precious drops onto the floor. I was almost tempted to suck them out of the carpet. Instead, I brought the cup to my lips and poured the rest of the contents down my throat.

Then I hiccupped. “Oops,” I laughed.

Ennis took my cup and tossed it into the wastebasket by Patty’s desk. “Sozzled, Miss Daphne. I’m cutting you off.”

I stood…and the room moved. Sort of. “The hell you are.” I dug through the trash and grabbed my cup. “I’m going to get more.”

“You’re not.”

“Just watch me.” I pushed Ennis out of the way and stumbled down the hallway to the lounge.

Almost there. Almost there.

Until I fell in the hallway.

“I’ve got you, love.” Ennis pulled me into his arms.

Nausea. God, I’m going to—

I threw up on his chest.

“Fuck!” he said.

“I’m so sorr—”

Again. More pink puke that would surely stain his white cotton shirt.

“Come on. Bathroom for you.” He hauled me to the nearest bathroom door and got me into a stall.

“That’s it,” he said. “Get it all out.”

I heaved a few more times before I was done. I wasn’t crying, but tears rolled down my cheeks.

I turned to Ennis, who was still holding my head. “I’m okay now. I think.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given you that last cup.”

“I’m eighteen years old, Ennis. I should know what I’m doing. I’m really sorry about…” I looked at his shirt.

“This old thing? Not a worry. I was going to throw it out tomorrow.”

“Bull. It looks brand-new.”

“It’s trash.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It is now, anyway.”

He smiled at me then. A friendly smile.

I’d ruined his shirt, but I’d found something amazing.

A friend.

Chapter Eight

Brad

“Let’s go, baby,” Wendy said, feigning a struggle against the bindings. “I’m so ready.”

I walked to the head of the bed and detached the binding on her right hand. “This isn’t going to happen.”

“Bullshit,” she said. “This always happens.”

“Not tonight.” I walked around the bed and released her other wrist. “And not ever again.”

“You’ve said that before, Brad.”

She was right. I had. More than once, for sure. This time was different, though.

“I mean it this time.”

“You’ve said that before too.”

“So have you.”

We’d had knock-down-drag-outs about never seeing each other again, about ending it once and for all, but neither of us ever held up that bargain.

“You know I never mean it, baby,” she said. “I love you. It will always be you. There will never be anyone else for me.”

Again, words I’d heard many times before. Words I’d stopped saying in return about a year ago. Had she noticed I didn’t say “I love you” anymore? She certainly didn’t act like she had.

“I need you to leave,” I said.

“My clothes are in the living room.”

Fuck. Murph and Patty had walked right into—

Fuck it all. Patty had seen women’s clothes. Women’s clothes that were not her roommate’s.

“Damn it all to hell.” I raced out of my bedroom to the living room.

“Hey, Steel.” Murph held up Wendy’s push-up bra. “Looks like you’re having a good time in there.”

“Not what it looks like.” I gathered up the rest of Wendy’s clothes and yanked the bra from Murph’s hand.

“You’ve got a naked woman in your room, bro.”

“Yeah, and you’ll notice I’m still fully clothed.”

“Hey, you don’t owe me any explanations.”

He was right. I didn’t. I didn’t owe him or Patty anything. Or even Daphne Wade.

I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want Patty running home and telling Daphne I’d been with another woman. Even though I hadn’t actually been with her.