Page 22 of Brandishing Betrayals

I looked up from her neck to see a sliver of amber eyes watching me from beneath thick eyelashes. Her voice was thick and raspy; she sounded like she had smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for life. It was rough.

“Wanted to see how you were,” I said, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she frowned, her eyes darting between mine, watching me warily. The uneasiness on her face killed me, watching her walls go up before my eyes, tore through my soul.

As her mask slipped into place onto her face, a cool composure that hadn’t just been there, she slowly pulled her feet off my lap and sat up. She looked away from me and grabbed her hair tie off the coffee table where Dagger had tossed it and gathered up her thick curls.

She stood from the couch while she finished tying up her hair, and walked toward the kitchen. I watched her go, knowing I was making her uncomfortable. In the kitchen, she grabbed her extra-large travel mug, the stainless-steel one with the handle on the side and a straw that all the online girlies went crazy over.

She took a sip of whatever she had in there, before she turned and met my stare. Her eyes narrowed in a glare as she stared back at me. “I beat the shit out of Jason,” I said, not really sure why I was telling her.

“Good.” She didn’t seem to care at all.

“Dude,” Dagger sighed and shook his head. “You should probably go.”

I turned to my brother and frowned, but I knew he was right. Maya was clearly uncomfortable with me here; she’d beenresting peacefully before I showed up. Now she looked like she was crawling in her skin.

“Alright,” I agreed and nodded.

Maya watched me warily as I stood from the couch and walked toward her. “I’m sorry about Jason,” I said.

She didn’t respond, just stared at me.

I nodded again and turned toward the stairs. “Dagger, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Yep,” Dagger replied.

I left them and went downstairs and out the garage door. I would give her space for now, but I wasn’t going to leave her alone. Now that I saw how guarded she was around me, I had a feeling she was hiding something, and I would find out what it is, no matter what it took.

Maya

AfterMarcosleft,Isettled back on the couch with Nico and wrapped several ice packs around my neck. We watched another movie while I did twenty minutes on and twenty off with the ice. Nico made me hot coffee to sip and we chilled on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had such a peaceful day. Nico didn’t talk much, other than to ask me if I wanted food or something else to drink. When it was time to go home, I had to fight back the tears.

“Hey Nic,” I said, my voice thick.

“Yeah, babe.” He looked up from his phone to look over at me.

“I’m sorry I left you,” I said softly. I watched as pain flashed in his blue eyes before I continued. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Tears welled in my eyes as his eyes shuttered closed. He turned away from me and ran a hand over his face, rubbing at the scruff covering his jaw. “It would help, if you could tell me why?” His voice was hoarse, like he was choking back his own emotions. When he turned to me again, his blue eyes were red rimmed, the tears slid down his cheeks. “Can you tell me why?”

A sob choked me and curled in on myself, as I shook my head vehemently. “I can’t, I’m so sorry,” I sobbed.

I kept shaking my head as sobs wracked my body.

Nico moved quickly, pulling me against him and onto his lap. I buried my face into the crook of his neck as I cried uncontrollably. “Fuck, baby,” Nico groaned, and held me tight.

I gripped the back of his shirt, as I held onto him for dear life—like he might disappear from me forever. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” I just kept chanting it over and over.

He rocked me body slowly, back and forth. He didn’t say much as he held me, occasionally murmuring that I was okay, even though we both knew I wasn’t. I had fucked up so many times in the last ten years and it all had started when I walked away from them.

Only time would tell if I could redeem myself, to ever have a semblance of a friendship with them again.

Maya

Wednesday had been a relatively slow day in the office. It was our late day, so we wouldn’t get busy until most people got off work. I was sitting in the small lounge of our Clinic, eating my homemade lunch, when there was commotion up front at the desk.

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