Page 10 of The Deception You Weave

Why the hell is my room on the second floor?

Kyle hesitates behind me, I can sense his need to help but thankfully, he hangs back and lets me do my thing.

By the time I push through to my bedroom, I feel like I've run a marathon. I fall down onto my bed and will the pain surging through my body to subside.

The bed dips by my feet and I prop myself up on my pillows to look at him.

"You need to talk to her."

"Are we really going there again?"

"Yes. Harley is worried."

"Not my problem, bro. Sorry."

"It fucking well is and you know it. She sat there all fucking night waiting for you to wake up. You didn't see how terrified she was."

"I don't care. She has no right to be concerned about me."

He groans, pushing from the bed and paces across my room.

"You're fucking unbelievable," he mutters.

"Our paths weren't supposed to cross again."

"So that makes everything okay?"

"We're done talking about this."

"You know, I really fucking hate you sometimes."

"You’re just worried about Harley holding out on you because she's pissed at me."

Kyle's face turns beet red with frustration.

"This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. You're hurting Letty. You're hurting my girl. All because you're too fucking pigheaded to talk to her, to put the past behind you."

"It's not in the past though, is it?" I slam my lips shut the moment the words fall from my lips.

"I wouldn't fucking know. You shut me down every time I even mention her name."

"I hate her. There's nothing more to talk about."

"Right. Of course." He shakes his head at me before a soft knock sounds on the door and Harley joins us.

The second she steps inside the room her eyes jump between the two of us.

"What happened?" she asks, clearly feeling the tension as much as we are.

"Nothing. He's just being his usual stubborn self."

"Pfft, takes one to know one," Harley snarks, earning herself a spank on the ass from my brother.

"You can both leave," I say, staring up at the ceiling.

"Wow, you really are an asshole, you know that?"

"I do. I'd hate to ruin my rep."