When Red Roses Die

Chapter 23

Oakley

Aspen gripped the wheel tightly as he drove. I could hear his jaw grinding against his upper teeth. His fist was white around the steering wheel. Annoyance and anger coursed through him.

"Look I'm sorry," I said, though he refused to acknowledge me. "I just couldn't."

Aspen scoffed and his purple eyes met mine. "You think that's why I'm pissed?"

I scrunched my eyebrows and nodded.

"Nah, I'm fucking pissed because I couldn't either. No matter how hard I tried. My other side fought me the whole time. I'm honestly glad you dismissed her." Aspen finally relaxed his death grip on the wheel.

"Oh," I said. "Did my emotions rub off on you?" I asked. There's no way he couldn't perform for the same reasons I couldn't.

"Sadly my brother, we both know the answer to that. Never have we ever been influenced by each other. It was purely my own thoughts and emotions that kept me from fucking and sinking my teeth into that blonde."

Leave it to Aspen to be brash.

"Maybe when Scarlett asks us what we did today, you don't phrase it like that," I said as I rolled my eyes.

I watched as Aspens grip tightened around the wheel again at the mention of her name

"This is about Scarlett?" I finally realized.

Aspen snarled at me. "Fuck off. We both know that's why you couldn't go through with it."

"And you?" I asked carefully watching his expression.

"I don't know. I just felt.." Aspen sighed. "Like I was betraying her or something. Which is ridiculous because she doesn't even like me."

"That not true."

"Oh yeah?" Aspen spoke. "She can't fucking stand to be around me. The whole time we were shopping she was thinking about how weird I was being, because for once I was enjoying myself. She likes you, not me. I burned that bridge the second we met and I opened my mouth." A shuttered look crossed my brothers face.

"You know you could just talk to her."

"Talkings overrated."

"Stubborn old ass." I teased my twin.

We chuckled and sat in silence for a bit as he drove.

Scarlett's old house was in the middle of the city. Whereas our new place was a good thirty-minute drive out of the city. Which was actually nice because it was so peaceful around the place.

Pine trees sped by the window as Aspen cleared city limits and finally sped up.

Due to our superior reflexes and experience, supernaturals tend to like driving faster. Plus it's exciting to feel the rumble of the car and see the world speed by you.

"Do you remember what mom said before she died?" Aspen suddenly broke the silence.

"Of course. 'Don't kill your brother'." I quoted with my fingers.

We both chuckled and Aspen shook his head. "Well yes that. But also the other thing."

"She told you to not shut everyone out and that one day you will find the girl that is your rose to your thorn." I pulled up the memory of our mom laying on her death bed. Her pale and bruised skin strikingly bright against the pale walls of our old hut.

"You remember when Scarlett's dad told us to find his 'little red rose'?" Aspen said. Making me freeze as the irony of his words set in.

"Yeah.." I said hesitantly.

"As soon as he said that, I knew what was going to happen. I may not be a seer, but I didn't need one to fucking see me future. " Aspen sighed. I couldn't believe it took him this long to admit this to me. "That's why I wanted to push her away. Because I was scared. This was the girl that our mom knew we were going to be with, and I was so scared that she wouldn't like me because she knew the real me. So I stuck with the same old 'asshole Aspen'," he quoted. "Then she could hate me for something I'm not. And I found that easier than anything else."

"Why didn't you tell me all this?" I asked.

Aspen glared at me. "Shut the fuck up, I'm not done talking." He sighed dramatically. "When you killed me, I saw all of you guys. I saw how much more comfortable she was with you guys when I was gone. So I stuck with that asshole front. But despite me hoping to dissuade her, I couldn't seem to dissuade myself." Aspen looked away from the road, his eyes shone with unshed tears. "I fucking think about her all the time. At night, when two of you are warming her bed, I feel so angry." His voice hitched slightly as he spoke.

"One night, it was you and Erik in her room. And one of you must've said something funny and she laughed. Genuinely laughed. I was so angry that I killed three people that night."

I gaped at his admission.

"I lost control and drained three people in one night." Aspen chuckled darkly.

"She's constantly in my head. And her thoughts...." Aspen groaned.

I laughed.

"Her fucking thoughts drive me nuts. The things shes imagines when she gets worked up." Aspen shook his head and joined me in laughing.

"She sure is creative," I said.

"Anyways." Aspen slumped in his seat a bit. "I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for being an ass. You don't deserve it and neither does the others. But thank you for sticking by my side. You're a good brother, despite your ugly ass face."

I rolled my eyes. "We literally have the exact same face."

"Yeah, but you always have this grin. It makes you look ridiculous." He teased.

"Well brother, those are very nice words. But I don't think you should be telling me them, I think you should tell Scarlett all that. You'd be surprised by how good of a listener she is when you aren't being a complete dick."

"I know. I just need to get all these feelings," his lips curled at that word, "before I tell her."

"Sounds good to me. I'm always here if you need it." The tension in the car faded and everything felt right.

"Oaks?"

"Yes, Asp?"

"Is she a good cuddler?"

"She's the best fucking cuddler." I grinned as Aspen smiled.

Finally, Aspen has turned around. I finally got through his thick skull. I have my best friend back.

~~~~~~
Thank you for reading Chapter 23. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'm hoping over thanksgiving break to put out a couple more chapters, but we'll see. I hoped you liked this chapter, lemme know who your favorite character is so far. I love feedback!
~Until Next Chapter