A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

TWENTY-SEVEN

                   "Come just as you are to me."

                                   GRACE

That darn phone. That house phone that no one desired to pick up, even if it meant pacifying its ring.

"¿Nadie quiere contestar ese teléfono?," I yelled from my room. No answer. What was I expecting anyways? My little brother, Marco, couldn't even reach the phone; my older brother, Diego, was occupied with a girl in his bedroom; and my parents were out at the bakery.

The ringing was almost unbearable. I hopped off my chair and made my way to the kitchen where the high-pitched ringing was at its peak. I was about to simply decline the number, but I could've sworn I recognized the sequence.

"Cervantes residence," I answered. Was it Miles playing a prank on me? No, he knew I'd choke him.

"Well isn't that the most gorgeous voice I've ever heard," a male voice purred through the phone. Rough, old. Unfamiliar.

I gulped as my veins ran cold, as my face swarmed with heat. "Who is this?," I asked, eyes darting around my kitchen.

"Ah, sweetheart, don't be frightened. Just accept my compliment, will you?," he said, voice dripping with danger.

Come on, Grace. You're not a little girl, not anymore.

"How did you get this number?," I asked, trying to master the voice Miles always wore to talk to my brother.

"Such an inquisitive girl," the man rasped through the phone, "equally as pretty, I would assume."

Never mind, never mind. Maybe I was still a little girl, a very, very scared little girl.

My voice froze, my throat closed in. Who was this man?

I leaped back in surprise as the telephone was ripped out of my quivering hand. It was Diego, his black hair looked like countless fingers had ran through it, and his shirt was no where to be found. All he wore were jeans and a scowl.

There was definitely a girl in his room. Yuck.

"Who the fuck is this?," Diego growled into the phone, casting a glare my way. I knew what that look said. It better not be that Hector guy.

He hadn't met him yet, but he didn't like the sound of him.

I couldn't hear what the man responded back into the phone.

Diego's face contorted further into anger. "You fucking call this number again, I'm going to tear you apart," he said, before slamming the phone back into its little slot.

I didn't hide the fear on my face all too well, because my brother cocked his head to the side. "Who was that?"

"What did he say?" I asked, voice small.

"Who was that?," Diego repeated, loud and angry.

God. He could never keep his anger in check.

"Don't. Cry," he growled. "Is someone bothering you? Who was that?"

"No. I don't know!," I said, taking a deep breath. "It was...some—some man."

Diego crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "Do you know him? Why is he calling our house, Grace?"

There was a lump in my throat, and a faint stinging in my eyes. "Diego," I whispered, "I don't know. I didn't recognize his voice, maybe he was just a prank caller."

"Is something wrong?," my big brother asked, eyes softening slightly. There was a purple bruise on his left cheekbone from where Miles had hurt him. It almost made me smile.

Diego was a jerk; Once in a while, he deserved a beating.

"It's fine, okay? Estoy bien. Go back to...that girl," I said, dismissing him with a wave of my hand.

He gave me one last look of inquiry, but shrugged, stalking back up the stairs.

   ••••••••••••••••••••

Hector was a freshman at Portland University. I made sure not to disclose that detail to Miles, or my brother. Despite their differences, I knew they'd both be angry if they knew.

I could take care of myself.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist and I yelped. Hector chuckled. "It's me, gorgeous."

I turned around and sighed, tucking my phone away. "Hi," I breathed, melting into his touch.

"Who were you on the phone with?," he asked, eyeing the phone in my front pocket peculiarly.

I shrugged, biting my bottom lip. "Just Miles. He's not answering my calls."

Hector rubbed my arms, comforting me. "So, when am I going to meet this infamous Miles Medley you talk so much about?"

I chuckled. "I'm not sure we should do that."

"And why not?," Hector pressed. "He's not your other boyfriend is he?" His smile was crooked.

I shoved him lightly. "It's not like that. Miles is my best friend."

It could've just been me imagining things, but I could've sworn the tenseness in Hector was real. But then he smiled: and even my worries of Miles vanished.
   ••••••••••••••••••••

                                    M I L E S

Damn me.

Damn me, hard.

"Miles, what are you doing?," Maddie hollered from the bottom of our wooden staircase. "We're late! You know I have an anatomy meeting this morning!"

"Hold on!," I hollered back, running a frustrated hand through my hair.

I slipped my hand in between the cushions of couches, scavenged under my bed, and even checked in cabinets for my phone. It was like it completely vanished, disintegrated into tiny particles of air.

Could it be at the club? Maybe I...Maybe I left it there last night in the heat of my gamble.

Crap.

"I'm coming," I begrudgingly muttered.