𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 || 𝘫𝘫 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬

𝐄 𝐋 𝐄 𝐕 𝐄 𝐍

Aleena's POV:

Finally, I'm "home" after this dreadful morning. As I make my way towards Tannyhill, I decide that staying here and giving my brother some space and time is the best approach. It won't work if I keep pushing him. I should have done this from the very beginning.

God, I can only imagine how irritating I must have been.

I step inside and call out into the house, "Sarah? Are you home?"

A figure with blonde hair descends the stairs, but it's not Sarah. It's Rafe.

I smile at him, feeling a bit flustered. "Uh, I'm sorry. I thought Sarah would be here."

"No problem," he replies with a smile while he descends the stairs. He walks past me wearing a polo, bike keys in hand.

I turn to face him and grab his arm gently. "Do you know where she is?"

"I think she's with Topper. They had a fight this morning," he sighs, glancing around the room until he spots his car keys and replaces them with the bike keys. "He wanted to sort things out, if I heard correctly."

He jingles his keys in front of me. "I can take you there. I'm heading there anyway."

Why is he acting so differently, so... friendly? Yesterday, he called me a dirty pogue, and now he's offering me a ride. I have my doubts, but what harm can he do? He's Sarah's brother; he can't be a criminal.

I look to the side and nod. "Yeah, thanks." I follow him outside to the car, and he unlocks it. Opening my door, he gestures for me to get in. I put on a friendly face and sink into the seat. He joins me, sliding the keys into the ignition.

"So, you're 19 now?" I start a conversation as he pulls out of the gates.

He turns the steering wheel and grins. "Yep, three years older than Sarah."

"And are you in college or university?"

"Nah, neither. I'm not wasting my time in school. It's all bullshit. I prefer to spend more time here," he says, glancing sideways at me, his gaze lingering a bit too long.

Is he really checking me out right now?

He drives towards the left side of the island, passing by a row of grand houses on our way to Topper's place. "So, you lived somewhere else, I heard from Sarah."

I let out a sigh at the subject. "I lived in Colorado, right in the middle."

"Colorado? And you came back for... your brother? That stupid pogue."

I turn my head towards him, frowning. "Look, I know you don't like the other side of this island, and you and John B have some childish feud. But my brother isn't stupid. He lost his father."

"That's your father too."

"No, unfortunately not. I'm from our mother's side," I reply curtly, irritated by his comments, crossing my arms and staring straight ahead.

He pulls up in front of a large house and brings the car to a stop. "Whatever," he mutters as he gets out. I open my door, step out of the luxurious car, and let out a sigh.

I follow Rafe to the backyard, where there's a quaint wooden house. He knocks on the door, calling out, "Sarah? Someone was looking for you."

After a minute, Sarah opens the door. Her hair is a mess, and her cheeks are flushed. It looks like she ran a marathon.

Rafe's eyes widen as he looks at Sarah, then he turns his head to Topper, who steps outside. "Did you just fuck my sister?!" he exclaims, his voice dripping with disgust.