Page 2 of Fall of Us
Without hesitation, Brandon left before I could intervene. My lips still tingled from his kiss, leaving me breathless from the encounter.
The room went so silent that I jumped when my door slammed closed. It took everything in me to close my eyes and try to calm myself down.
What happened from here? Where did Brandon and I stand with our friendship? Would anything change between us? Because that kiss was everything.
Chapter 2
Brandon
Present Day
“Can I get you another one?”
I raised my head and blinked at Chase standing before me behind the bar, then I looked at my empty glass. While I was taking up space from a paying customer, he wouldn’t complain. It was one of the perks of being friends with the bartender.
“I think I’m good with switching to water.”
When someone sat next to me, I was surrounded by the familiar fragrant mix of cinnamon and spice. Andrew. His scent was unmistakable. In moments like these, when I needed comforting the most, he would consistently show up. “Water sounds like a great idea. So, what happened this time, Brandon?”
Chase stood across from us, shaking his blond head, and pulled two glasses from beneath the countertop, filling them with ice and then water from the spray tap. “I’d like to know as well. That other guy wasn’t here forvery long.”
I wanted to laugh. What always happened with my dates? “He said he couldn’t handle it.”
Andrew sighed, drumming his fingers on the counter, facing me. “Couldn’t handle what?”
We’d played this game in the past. He knew exactly what the men I dated couldn’t handle, which was him. They always thought that something more was going on with my best friend. At one point, I’d toyed with the idea of just letting it happen, but then reality slapped me in the face. I couldn’t do it. The risk of losing my one constant was too great if things went sideways.
Andrew sighed and faced Chase when I said nothing. “Can we get two tequila shots, please?”
Chase’s eyebrows rose to his hairline, but he didn’t question it as he turned to get what Andrew ordered.
I took the opportunity to take Andrew in. His dark brown waves were windswept, and he had a loose jacket pulled over a t-shirt that he paired with jeans. He had an effortless style, which meant he always looked good no matter what he wore. I was jealous of how easy he had it, sometimes.
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is.”
I wanted to pout. To throw a tantrum. To tell my best friend that he didn’t need to baby my feelings every time one of my relationships didn’t work out, but he was always good at pulling it out of me.
“Andrew, I’m going to be okay.”
Two shot glasses and a small bowl with lime wedges landed on the bar between us. Except it wasn’t Chase who brought them over. Since Chase and his friend Daniel had started working at the downtown Seattle bar, we’d become familiar with most of the staff. Shawn was flirty and had gotten along well with Chase. The same couldn’t be said for his friend Daniel. He was tall, had short buzzed hair, and the most intense hazel eyes I’d ever seen.
“What’s going on now? Is there someone’s ass we need to kick?”
I had to laugh; it was nice that I had so many people in my corner. “I’m fine. Really.”
I really wasn’t. I’ve had too many failed relationships. It stung after a while. But I was a package deal. You didn’t get me without Andrew. And if they couldn’t accept that nothing more was between us than friendship, then fuck them. I didn’t need them.
Shawn picked up a bottle of top-shelf tequila and displayed it for us. I paled at the label. I didn’t mind the cheap stuff when I was in ‘break-up mode,’ but this stuff was spendy.
“Is that really wise?” I asked.
“My treat today, boys.” Shawn shrugged before filling the glasses and then moving to help the other patrons.
I reached for my glass and turned it in my fingers, hesitant. Andrew, meanwhile, picked up a lime wedge, rubbed it on his hand, shook salt over it, and licked it. Without a second thought, he threw the shot back down his throat and sucked on his salty hand.
That was one of my favorite things about him. Andrew lived his life without fear or regret. He embraced each day as if it were his last, while I tiptoed around everything. Perhaps that’s why we connected so easily. We balanced each other out. He was loud and adventurous. I was quiet and reserved. The yin to my yang.
