𝐕𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐃 ❷

𝟑𝟗. ✭ 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 ✭

  "That was delicious. Just what I needed." Braxton sits back in his seat looking satisfied. I haven't looked him or Torey in the eye all morning, even though I'd cooked breakfast for the three of us. "I should be going. Thanks for the drinks last night, Torey, and thanks for the breakfast, Brooks." I give him a nod of the head, still staring at my barely touched plate. "Alright, I'll be off. See the two of you, uh, later?" He doesn't linger for a moment longer, just leaves the two of us in our mutual silence.

After a minute Torey growls under his breath, "no need to be so fucking rude." I slowly lift my irritated gaze to his. "No one asked you to cook for us. You didn't have to especially if you're going to look so agitated about it." I push my seat back and stand up, grabbing my plate and Braxton's before discarding them in the sink. "Are you just going to ignore me all morning, or what?" When I don't respond he tacks on, "what are you five years old or something? Just going to give me the fucking silent treatment all day?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I just don't want to talk to you? That I don't have the desire to entertain you today?"

"Well, in that case, you'll have your chance to talk to Dani again tonight. So you can stop being so fucking butthurt about not being able to talk to her."

I whirl around on him with, "what? You didn't tell me they were going to be calling in again tonight."

"You didn't really let me tell you anything before you threw your temper tantrum and left yesterday. You fucked up the driveway, royally, I may add." I really did though but only a small part of me feels bad about it.

"You would know temper tantrums, Tor. You are the king of throwing them." He rolls his eyes at me as he stands up and brings his plate to the sink, standing next to me now. "Tristan is calling tonight?"

"Yeah, he's calling around nine. I still have to let my father know." I grimace at him because instead of telling anyone anything he'd just got drunk with Braxton. Instead of calling me, coming after me, he'd chosen to do that. "Where the hell did you go last night?"

"None of your business." Since it's not like he really gives a shit anyway. He didn't last night.

"And what the fuck is this?" Torey grabs ahold of my chin in a nearly painful fashion, cocking my head to the left side as he assesses my neck. "Who the fuck gave you the hickey?"

"It's not a hickey. I scratched myself." He crosses his arms over his chest, looking at me like he doesn't believe me. "It isn't a hickey."

"Why won't you tell me where you went then?" He's starting to look angry— really angry. I don't feel like dealing with this version of Torey right now. "Brooks?"

"I went out for a drive to clear my head. Luke knows this guy who owns a place where you test drive fast luxury cars. I went out and took my car for a spin." Where I could do so legally, that is. Punching those kind of speeds and doing some of the moves I had been on the street would've ended up with me in jail, if they could catch me, that is.

"You went for a drive?" He eyes me in disbelief. "That's it?"

"I don't answer to you, Torey."

He steps into my personal space, "but don't you?"

"No," I push against his chest, "I don't."

"Oh, that's right, you're done with me." Looking over Torey I know that no, I am not done with him but sometimes I really want to be. The man is so goddamn infuriating. "You done?" I grit my jaw and look away from him. "Hmm?" He leans down to the left side of my neck and nips the skin there. The man hardly plays fair.