The Other Me

21. Mother Bear

We almost made is. The engine is running already and the wheels have rolled the first meter when Bran throws himself in front of the car. His chest lands on the cover with a metallic thud and he spreads his arms as if that would stop Leo from driving over him. Leo just so happens to not be in the mood to commit murder, much to my demise.

Instead, he throws his head back, barking out a laugh, before shaking it in disbelief. He turns toward me, raising his eyebrows.

"More boy drama, seriously?" he scoffs.

"Obviously," I grunt and narrow my eyes at Bran who just so happens to raise his head at the same time. He is, very apparently, very furious. At least according to his tense jaw muscles and the deep frown. His lips are pressed into a thin line, and he just glares at me, refusing to let go of the car.

"I'll give you five minutes, then I'm out," Leo sighs and turns the key, shutting off the engine. Great. Thanks, Bran. Just fucking thanks. And here I thought my day might finally take a turn for the better.

"This will be over in a minute," I growl, already removing the seatbelt. Leo shrugs, probably not believing me. Bran's never been his favourite person, or even close to that, and they tend to get into arguments.

"Whatever you say," he whistles, leaning back in his seat. Yes, what I'm fucking saying. I'm serious, and if Bran thinks he's the only one who can get mad, then he's in for a surprise. I throw the car's door shut behind me.

"What the fuck, Bran?" I snarl accusingly as he finally moves away from the car. Oh, boy, don't give me that look. "And get your fucking face straight!"

"Woah, now I'm so afraid. You can cuss," Bran mocks, though there's no trace of humour in his voice. He walks over to me, so very slowly that his movements remind me of a prowling predator. Yeah, he's ready to devour me.

"Don't make fun of me now, Bran," I state dead serious. My fists are shaking at my sides.

"You're doing that all by yourself. Does Julian even know what you're doing?"

Because everything always has to be about him.

"That's none of your fucking business. I can do whatever the hell I want," I snarl, and Bran seriously has the audacity to laugh at me. He glances toward the sky in wonder, then raises his arms.

"Oh! Dear, dear god, how could I forget that?" he laments so dramatically before returning his attention to me. "Because you've never been doing that before. Whatever the hell you want."

"Shut up!" I snap. I fucking don't want to listen to him anymore.

"Oh no, I will not," he states firmly. "I will not let you ruin your life."

"You mean Julian's life," I hiss acidly. Thanks for reminding me who your priority is.

"Your life!" Bran exclaims exasperated. "How about you start thinking again? You love Ginny. Are you really telling me this is a good idea?"

I'm not. I know there's nothing to be accomplished in the long run, but fucking shit, I need to be held. Otherwise, I think I'll go insane because I don't have the strength left to keep going. I just need for eveyone to shut up for a second.

"No, Bran," I admit quietly, then sigh heavily. Defeated. "It's not. But I need this. Right now, I need this."

That seems to have taken the air from his lungs, because he's just gasping, lips moving without a sound crawling past them. I shake my head slowly, staring at his feet.

"Please, Bran. Just let me go. We'll talk tomorrow, as much as you want. Tell Ginny, if you have to, but really, I have to get away from here. Just for a night."