Brothers In Arms

Chapter 7

I was nervous, and I took the desk chair to leave him the more comfortable bed to sit on. It was quiet, neither of us saying anything at first and Vince boring holes in me with the intensity of his gaze.

I tried to meet his look, but had to look away every now and then so I could breathe. I was starting to worry when he finally spoke up to say something.

"You know Reggie and your friend Micah are together?" He said quietly. I bit my lips together and nodded, not really comfortable talking about it behind their backs. He narrowed his gaze at me and pursed his lips. "How?"

"Micah told me." I said honestly. He nodded and leaned forward, thinking. He rubbed his forehead and looked up again.

"Is that who kicked you out earlier?" He watched me as I gulped and nodded. "Did you see them in the common room?" I was surprised at that question.

"Ah, yeah. I was sitting right next to them after all. I didn't think anyone else noticed." I said. I was starting to get a little confused with the twenty questions.

"You aren't... interested in Micah?" He probed further. I shook my head no, not sure where this was headed.

"No. He is just a friend I can talk to..." I hesitated, not quite saying what exactly I meant. If I said I could talk to him about that, that would be as good as an admission.

"And you aren't interested in Alec?" Vince asked with a strange look. Now I was really confused. Where the hell did Alec come into things? My eyebrows scrunched and I shook my head slowly no.

I realised he was asking if I was interested in my friends, but I was too afraid to read anything more into it. Vince seemed to let out a breath he was holding, seeing I was confused but also acknowledging I was answering his questions as if they were normal ones.

He got up and paced to the door, then changed his mind and paced back. He shifted from one foot to the other in front of me, warring with himself. He sat back down and clasped his hands, boring a hole in me again with the intensity of his gaze.

"Is there anyone you are interested in?" He asked. Neither of us had come out and said we were talking about that, but we both knew we were. He knew, I knew he knew, he knew I knew he knew.

I cracked a smile at my own thoughts despite my heart wanting to burst out of my chest. I couldn't voice it so I just nodded. He scowled and my heart skipped a beat. Maybe he knew it was him and was pissed? His next words negated that thought. "Who?"

His angry tone had me stalled. I didn't want to say it was him. Not to his face anyways, not yet. I had only really just admitted it to myself. I shook my head, kind of terrified to say anything after all I'd been through. His face looked frustrated for a second, he scrubbed it with his hands and then took a deep breath in.

He let it out slowly before calming himself and asking again, this time gentler. "Who? It's alright, I'm not mad. I'm not going to beat you up or anything like that. And I won't tell anyone."

I swallowed thickly. I was still not really ready to tell him anything but I was also feeling coaxed with his gentle words and kinder eyes. I looked down at my hands twisting in my lap. One of his hands dragged the chair closer to the bed with me on it and I looked up, startled.

He placed his hand over mine and was leaned in so close I could smell his shampoo and a hint of mint as he breathed on me. My face went bright red at his nearness. His eyes had me held captive like a mouse.

I don't know how I gave it away, maybe I leaned towards him or he leaned towards me. Maybe it was how I licked my lips, or when my breath hitched when he looked down to watch me do it.