How fucking dare they.
They flew all the way to New York to go spend time with her. After we discussed the reasons why we shouldn’t.
She’s already starting to tear us apart.
I should have fucking known when I couldn’t find Liam or Drake earlier. I figured they had gone for dinner or something like they sometimes do. I didn’t think they would have gone to see her.
This has Liam’s name all over it and I know Drake just went along with it. He always does whatever makes Liam happy.
Grinding my teeth, I breathe deeply as I clench my phone, leaving the bathroom. I head straight downstairs where I know I’ll find Santi.
Sure enough, the sounds of loud metal music and grunting fill the basement. I walk right over to the sound system and shut it off before turning toward Santi.
“Who pissed in your Cheerios?” he asks, keeping his eye on me through the mirror.
“They went to see her,” I grit out.
He sets the weights down and turns to face me, hands resting on his hips.
Santi’s brows furrow as he breathes hard. “Who did what now?”
“Drake and Liam went to see her.” I glare at him.
I hate her. I hate that she has influenced my friends this way. They would have never fought this hard against me before her. They have never cared about anyone enough to fight for her.
You’ve never liked anyone like her either.
That stupid voice inside of my head only makes me want to hate her more.
“I’m not a fucking mind reader, E, who is her?” Santi snaps.
“Aurora.” Her name on my lips tastes bitter.
I watch as a myriad of emotions flies across his face. Shock, and is that jealousy?
He opens his mouth and nothing comes out for a minute. “Well, that explains a lot.”
“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” I frown.
Santi raises a brow. “Are you really surprised? This is Liam we’re talking about. The more you tell him he can’t do something, the harder he pushes it. He has wanted this woman for years. We all have. He was bound to say fuck it and go for it eventually.”
“They skipped out on their obligations here. We have things we have to do before we head to Australia.” I try to keep my anger, but it’s slowly souring into something else.
Something I’m not comfortable with.
Am I really mad at them for leaving or because they met her and got to touch her and I didn’t? Even more concerning is the fact that I actually liked seeing her smile, only I wanted it aimed at me.
“You and I both know everything is under control. Anything that pops up, they can do anywhere. We’ve been doing this so long it runs like a well-oiled machine at this point. Be honest with yourself. You are scared of change and that’s why you’ve fought against her so hard.”
I turn my head, trying to get myself under control.
“This has nothing to do with her and everything to do with the fact that our friends skipped out on us.”
Santi shakes his head. “The problem is your jealousy. For fuck’s sake, I’m pissed right the fuck off that they didn’t invite me.” He slaps his palm against his chest. “All of us have made our interest in Aurora known. We all talk to her daily, even you. You might be an asshole, but you go out of your way to comment on her shit and strike up a conversation with her. Fuck, the other night you were ready to rip some guy's head off for talking to her.” He points at me accusingly. “You can’t deny it. You want her just as bad as the rest of us. Yet every time we bring her up, you clam up. Yeah, the guys snuck off, but they’re twenty-fucking-four. They are grown men and can do whatever the hell they want. You aren’t their keeper, nor are you mine.”
“Drake is twenty-five,” I say, latching on to the only thing I can.
Santi rolls his eyes. “How did you find out anyway?”
