𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 | 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗

fifteen

chapter fifteen:
like it says...chapter fifteen

"brandon stop texting and drive!" austin complained. the younger of the two waved him off, continuing to press his thumbs down on the keyboard. austin requested brandon to drive him to work, but when seeing they weren't getting very far, it would have been a lot quicker if he just walked. "i'm going to be late because of you. and so are the many people behind us. you're holding up traffic!"

multiple car horns blasted in the background, a few shouts being thrown in the mix as well. brandon obviously didn't care, focusing his view on the screen of his phone rather than the road. austin let out a frustrated groan, snatching the device from his hands. the younger of course protested, trying to reach for it but couldn't. and when seeing he wasn't getting anywhere, brandon slammed his foot on the gas. the both of them jerked in their seats, the speed of the car going rather fast. austin swears all he did was blink and suddenly he was in the parking lot of his job. brandon parked his car inbetween two other vehicles, turning it off to almost instantly look at austin with his hand out.

"you're so lucky there wasn't a cop around to pull your ass over" austin blurts while giving brandon his phone. the smile that grew on his face made austin interested. "who were texting anyway?"

"uh billie" brandon shoved his phone into his pocket. "don't you have a job to get to?" the two stared at one another for a moment before austin shook his head and started to exit the vehicle. brandon copied his movements, jogging to catch up with the other. and right before he was able to enter the doors, someone stood beside him.

brandon trailed his eyes up the lanky figure to see it was zion.

they stood awkwardly beside one another.

"you didn't tell him about last night, right?" zion asked lowly. brandon quickly shook his head. even if the two had no real secret to hide, austin would be crushed if he found out zion truly never liked him; and it would be even worse considering he has a crush on his fake boyfriend. with a confirmed head nod, the two walked in as if they never had a conversation.

brandon strolled over towards a seat near a window, while zion made his way towards the back where all employees go. looking out the window, brandon sighed. thinking over the previous days and how such little time played a major chaotic part in his life was different. he was known for playing with people's hearts. he didn't care if while messing around with new females each night broke others. brandon just wanted to have fun. and then austin came along. maybe it's the fact that he's actually getting to know the older? or maybe it's because the two of them have to put up an act as a loving couple? all brandon knows is that he doesn't want to hurt him. brandon doesn't want the two of them to end on bad terms once the whole scandal is over. he actually wants the two of them to continue being friends. but when seeing how different the two are, friends wasn't an option. if the two of them never seen each other before, then it's only a matter of time before the two forget about each other after. besides brandon would be too busy with maggie. by the end of their pretend relationship, brandon would win over who he's been trying to get all along and not have time to be with anyone else.

brandon furrowed his eyebrows at the thought.

him being too caught up in maggie is why he doesn't have any friends to begin with. with their on and off fling, brandon was always too busy focusing on trying to keep maggie happy that he forgot to communicate with other people. but with austin it was different. once the two of them had gotten together, making friends came so easily. and even if none of them intended to have a connection with one another, it was there. and now he had other people to talk to and not just his parents or younger siblings.

"what's got you so deep in thought?" a voice had asked causing brandon to jump in his seat. he whipped his head around to see who had startled him, relaxing when noticing it was only billie. she chuckled at his scare, taking a seat across from him.

"i thought you said you'd be a few minutes late?" brandon replied completely dodging her question. she shrugged.

"mom didn't lecture me today" she leaned forward in her seat. "again, why did it look like you were from a scene of some cheesy rom-com?"

brandon didn't know what to say. if he said his thoughts then he would expose austin and him. and even if billie is the closest friend he has ever had, he couldn't. especially if austin didn't betray him when he had the chance to tell zion.

"have you ever felt as though everything you're doing is wrong?"

billie looked at him in concern.

"brandon what's wrong?"

brandon can't tell her. he can't tell her he wished austin and him never dated. he can't tell her the entire thing is a scam, and he's only hurting himself. and he definitely couldn't tell her he felt happy whenever he was in austin's arms. he couldn't tell anyone that actually. it would only complicate things. especially when the two of them only met a few days ago.

and right before he was able to give an answer, approaching their table was austin. he held an ice cream sundae in his hands. brandon smiled at his appearance, billie taking notice and smiling herself. austin slid the sundae in front of brandon before taking a seat beside him. the three of them sat in a booth, austin being able to throw an arm across his shoulders and pull him close.

there went that feeling for brandon again.

it made him slightly pull away and focus on the ice cream before him.

"if i knew you were here i would have brought one out for you too billie, sorry" austin apologized.

"if i knew you worked here i would have ordered you to make me one" she replied, getting laughs from the couple.

"zion and i can leave early today. anything you guys want to do after?" austin wondered. he stuck his finger in the ice cream, scooping whatever he could and sticking it in his mouth. brandon glared at him, bringing the dessert closer to him.

"i suggest swimming" the new voice of zion spoke. he threw a rag over his shoulder before crossing his arms with grin. "they just reopened the building. it might be crowded today though."

"fine by me. but the second some dumb ass kid splashes me, i won't hesitate to drown them" billie answers. everyone laughed at her words, not catching the hint that she was serious.

"don't worry shrimp, no one is going to splash you" zion teased. billie flipped him off.

"alright, then it's settled. we could meet at my place, go from there?" austin suggested. receiving nods from the others, austin stood from his spot. but before he left, he leant down to be eye level with brandon. the younger felt his breathing hitch from the closeness. "are you okay? you're quiet?"

brandon gave a grin before shaking his head. austin shrugged with a grin of his own, then leaving a quick kiss on brandon's cheek. zion bit his lower lip as he looked from the couple and towards billie. he smirked when leaning so they were too close for comfort. billie raised a brow.

"do i get a kiss?" zion wondered innocently. billie scoffed, pushing his face away. she actually turned her head in the opposite direction, crossing her arms and acting as if he was never there.

"go ask edwin" she then blurts.

"ouch."

but with a small smile and a quick later, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. her face tinted pink, which only shifted to red when seeing brandon give her a questioning look.