↳ 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐑 ー 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘

𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈 ー 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞

◉

Arms slipping into the sleeves of her jacket, Sierra grabs her keys on the way past the couch. Hope earns a loving kiss to the top of her head while she colours in one of her drawings.

"Going to the store. You guys want anything?"

Kaden squints, phone pressed to his ear.

"It's dark," Grayson teases.

"It's a ten minute walk, I can manage."

A look is shared between the men, the older snapping his fingers and jabbing his thumb through the air. Grayson huffs and follows her through the door, unfazed by the cool breeze rolling over his bare arms. 

Sierra nods to herselfー she expected at least one of them to follow like a bodyguard. With Kaden spending most of his evening on the phone, she figured he'd make his brother watch over her.

They exit through the smaller gate that leads them to the sidewalk. Sierra slipping her hands into her pockets while breathing in the fresh air.

Since the kiss, which they pushed to the back of their minds the second they made up, they haven't been alone. Kaden or Hope have always been present, which automatically squashed any form of tension between them. But now that it's just the two of them, it seems to creep back into their lives with a vengeance.

She glances over her shoulder. "You don't have to walk behind me you know?"

"I think it's best I keep my distance."

"Nothing's gonna happen. I'm trusting you enough to believe that." His tongue swipes across his lips. "I know you hate talking but maybe we should talk about what happened. This..." She gestures to the gap between them. "Isn't gonna work."

"It's been working so far."

"I just wanna know what I did or said to make you..." They stop under a street lamp with him still avoiding her gaze. "You don't feel. Why me? What makes me so special?"

"I told you I buried whatever I felt." He's already losing his patience.

"Did you?"

She searches his eyes and he briefly looks away. "It doesn't matter. You're right, nothing's gonna happen. I have a choice, you or my brother. I'm always gonna choose him."

"Listen I just wanted toー"

A gunshot snaps through the night. Sierra flinches and instinctively turns into him. A small grunt passes his lips when he checks the blood trickling from his bicep.

A second shot snipes the lamppost above his head. Sierra ducks and moves closer to Grayson when he pulls her into him, using his body as a shield. The silhouette across the street lowers the gun when he does so, disappearing into the shadows.

"Oh my god." She breathes. "Go." They dip into the alleyway. While busy examining the wound, Sierra removes her jacket and ties it around his bicep despite him pushing her hands away. The cold instantly nips at her skin without the extra layer.

"We can either go back home since Kaden will know what to do or we can go to Diego's place since Eiza is no stranger to gunshot wounds. It's your choice."