Blaze & Bind (Surrender to Them 10)

Rachel

Shocked didn’t even come close to describing what I felt when I realized I was about to come face-to-face with Gerard again. I definitely wasn’t prepared for that. Prepared or not, it didn’t seem like I had a choice, because I was stuck between him and the door that was opening. The door slammed, and he walked towards the living room. My whole body tensed up. I didn’t know how he would react—what he would say. I didn’t know if he would be as shocked to see me as I was to see him. Liam was my first high school crush, but Gerard was more than a crush—he was the guy who took my virginity—the only guy I had ever been with. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, but those memories came flooding back the instant I heard his name. We weren’t in love—not exactly—but he meant something to me once. One night of passion that I would never forget—and then my phone was silent. He never called me again. I got over it, or so I thought until I heard his name on Liam’s lips.

“Gerard. Come in here, man. We need to talk.” Liam motioned with his hand.

“What’s up man—oh!” Gerard’s eyes got wide as soon as he saw me. “Rachel!?”

“Hey…” I forced out a greeting but immediately looked away when his eyes focused on me.

My stomach twisted into a knot, and I was glad that Liam did most of the talking once Gerard sat down. I would have just stumbled over my words and struggled to make eye contact. Gerard was pissed when he heard what Billy did, and like Liam, he had to go check Billy’s room to make sure that he wasn’t just hiding in there with his girlfriend. Gerard had given his share of the rent money to Billy as well, so it appeared that my brother had stolen from both of them when he skipped town. I started to understand why it was such a rash decision—and why he was so eager to stay in Las Vegas after he eloped. My brother had money in his pocket, and it was apparently enough to throw away his friendship with Liam

and Gerard. If their current attitude was any indication, they weren’t going to be very forgiving if he ever came back. I couldn’t blame them. I had been over my brother’s shit for years, but he had never resulted in outright thievery—not that I was aware of at least.

“Well, fuck.” Gerard stood up and walked to the kitchen. “I’m getting a beer. Anyone else want one?”

“We may not have a fridge tomorrow, so we might as well drink all we have.” Liam exhaled sharply. “You want one, Rachel?”

“Um, I probably shouldn’t…” I started to decline, but Gerard walked back in with three bottles and put one down in front of me.

I guess I’m having a beer—before noon. At least I don’t have to work today.

“I should have known something was up.” Gerard twisted the top off his beer and took a sip. “Billy never has his share of the rent money on time, and the money usually just sits on the table for days after we give it to him.”

And here I am having a normal conversation with Gerard like he’s an old friend, despite having a knot in my stomach that doesn’t want to come untied.

“That’s true.” Liam nodded. “I didn’t even think about that. I was half-asleep.”

I’ve got to regain my focus—I came here to collect rent money. I can’t let the fact that my former crush and the guy who took my virginity are the ones I need to get it from.

“I know this is a crappy situation, but I talked to the landlord.” I took a sip of my beer and put it down. “If you can come up with the money, he’s not going to throw you out. That will buy you another month at least.”

The faster we reach a resolution, the faster I can leave—then I never have to see either of them again.

“He’s gotta give us notice anyway.” Gerard shrugged. “It’s not our name on the fucking lease.”

“It’s not Billy’s name either.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “My dad signed for the lease.”

He better not be suggesting what I think he’s suggesting. My brother made this mess, but my Dad doesn’t deserve to get screwed because of it.

“He should know better,” Gerard grunted and took a sip of his beer. “I should have known better, too. Fucking Billy, I swear to god. I would have never moved in with him if I knew he was going to pull this shit.”

“Can’t deny that this is a nice place, even if I’m sleeping on the couch.” Liam sighed. “It’s too nice for the two of us to afford without a roommate.”

“Yeah.” Gerard nodded. “I tried splitting the rent with Billy for a couple of months, but if Liam hadn’t moved in, I would have been looking for something a hell of a lot cheaper.”

“Some cheaper places won’t kill our bank account to rent.” Liam sighed again. “I’d rather just do that than pay half the rent and utilities to stay here another month.”

Okay, this is falling apart fast.

“Maybe you can find another roommate.” I blurted the words out before I really thought about them. “Just for a month?”

“Well, the rent is due tomorrow.” Gerard raised an eyebrow. “That’s short notice, plus we already paid this month’s rent—not that it got where it was supposed to go, but we still paid it.”

“Honestly, I’m going to be in a bind if I have to shell out another stack of cash.” Liam shook his head back and forth.

“What if I move in? I could pay a little extra to cover some of what Billy stole, and then you’ll have another month to figure things out.” Those words came out before I really thought about them as well.

That’s a terrible solution. Why did I even suggest it? I’m living with my Dad for free until I graduate from college…