Beneath The Lies | BWS

Chapter 21

I turned to look at Zach and my eyes must have shown all the anger boiling up in my veins because he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Please, just listen to what he has to say. I did, and I wouldn't have brought you here if I wouldn't have thought what he told me wasn't sincere" he explained slowly as he lowered his left hand to fix the glasses that were sliding off the bridge of his nose.

I clenched my jaw as I turned to stare out through the car window, my gaze landing upon Brad's figure where he stood a few feet away from the car. His brown locks were pushed up off his forehead, and his white shirt blew in the wind. He shifted from one foot to the other and suddenly lifted his head up to look right at me as if he could feel my stare burning into his skin from inside the car.

It felt as if the air supply to my lungs had been caught off when his brown eyes locked with mine, his eyebrows bunching up and worry lines coating his forehead as if he was surprised I didn't look away when he caught me staring. My heart started to beat more rapidly the longer I looked at him, and after what seemed like an eternity I managed to tear my gaze away from his.

I turned to look at Zach with my heart still beating widely within my rib cage.

"Promise me we'll leave if I come running back to the car in tears" I said as we locked eyes.

Zach gave me a reassuring nod as a smile graced his full lips. "I'll even buy you more ice cream"

I let out a small laugh at his comment before my hand reached out to open the passenger door. I took a deep breath before I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the grass. I closed the door behind me before I changed my mind and got back in.

I stared down at my worn out sneakers as I allowed my feet to carry me up the hill to where Brad was standing. I came to a halt when his black boots came into my field of vision. I slowly raised my head up from off the ground to look up at him and bit back the wave of emotions that hit me when I saw him up close again after what had felt like forever.

"You wanted to talk" I croaked out, my voice coming out much more weak than I had intended it to.

Brad flashed me a hesitant smile and handed me the roses he held in his hands, his fingertips brushing against mine and making the dormant butterflies residing in my stomach come to life again as he retracted his hand.

I stared at the roses in disbelief and let them fall from my grasp as I allowed my hands to fall limp to my sides. We both stared down at the bouquet as it landed on the grass between us.

"I don't want your roses, Brad" I spoke up, breaking the silence as I glanced up to look at his hurt features. "I came to hear you talk, nothing else. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Zach" I stated with more confidence than I thought I had in me as my E/C eyes locked with his brown ones.

"I- eh, right. Could we?" He asked as he swallowed harshly and gestured towards the beach with his hand.

I nodded and we slowly began to make our way down the small hill, the harsh wind whipping my hair into my eyes as I turned to look at Brad when he cleared his throat.

"I know you must hate me right now, and believe me, I don't blame you for doing so. I, I just you to know my side of the story" Brad began to say but cut himself off to give me a sideways glance, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip when he noticed me already looking at him.

He raised a hand to push his windswept hair off of his forehead as he turned to look out over the water all the while we continued to walk. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm fine with whatever you choose to do after I've told you my side of the story. I can't force you to be with me if you don't want too. But I just want you to know the whole truth"

"If what I heard was in the hallway was just part of the whole story I'm not sure I want to hear the rest of it, Brad. What I heard broke my heart" I said as we reached the shoreline.

I looked over at him as he looked off into the distance, an unreadable expression coating his features.

"I love you, Y/N" he said before he turned around to look at me, his hair falling onto his forehead at the movement. His brown eyes flickered between mine as he poked his tongue out to wet his lips.

"It was never just a game to me. I mean, it might have been in the beginning when I hadn't even talked to you but that changed as soon as we came here after the party. I actually began to like you. Hell, I fell for you that night! After that night I noticed how I smiled when I saw you smile, and I laughed when I heard you laugh" Brad exclaimed as his eyes danced over my surprised features. "I loved the feeling of being loved back. I loved the feeling of being loved by you Y/N-"

"Stop, just stop!" I shouted, cutting him off. "This isn't what you should be saying. I want to know why you chose to sleep with me just to win a bet and earn 200 pounds. I want to know why you went through with it even though you keep saying you love me" I said as I pushed strand of hair behind my ear with a shaky hand. "That's what I don't understand Brad. How someone who claims they love you can break your heart just like that, for something as superficial as money" I tore my gaze away from his as I turned my face to look at the waves crashing up against the sand.

"I won't try and deny the fact that I was an asshole before I met you, because I was. I never really cared about what people actually felt, but as soon as Tris suggested the bet I hesitated for the first time in a long time. I had seen you pass by in the halls and I had never spoken to you, yet I felt like I didn't want to hurt you. But like I said, I wasn't a nice person so I obviously took the bet because 200 pounds was a very tempting offer" I huffed as the last sentence left his lips, my arms folding over my chest as I continued to stare at the waves.

"I thought that it would be like any other hook up, but that was before I knew you. That was before I had said a single word to you, before I had looked you in the eyes and had gotten completely mesmerised by them. I fell for you quicker than I thought was remotely possible. I fell in love with you Y/N, and I am still in love with you"

I turned my head to look at him and my lips parted slightly in surprise when I saw tears glistening in his brown orbs.

A/N
Omg, thank you all so much for 1K reads! That's crazy!