Because, Brett... [BxB]

Chapter 19: He's The Creep

I wake the next morning when the sun is just starting to peek through the curtains with a pounding head and a body that feels like it's gone twenty rounds with Mike Tyson. Groaning, I squeeze my eyes closed again. I don't want to get up, I'm too tired and too lazy and I'm worried that even if I try to stand up, the world might have very different ideas about where I should be.

It's only when I hear my phone ringing from the nightstand that I find it within myself to prop a pillow up behind me and lever myself into a sitting position. Clumsily, I reach for the device, noting the caller ID: Seth, before answering.

"Hey."

He chuckles, "Hey. So I was thinking since I'm back, we could go out for lunch or something?"

I draw my phone away from my ear to check the time. 9 AM. I have time to get ready. "Okay."

"I'll swing by to pick you up about eleven?" He asks.

My eyes scan the room and know that I can't lie to Seth. There's nothing to lie about anyway considering that nothing happened between Elijah and me, we're just close friends. "I'm not at home, I stayed with a friend last night."

"Oh, okay," He doesn't sound angry. . . "I could come and pick you up from there?"

"Yeah, I'll text you the address," I tell him.

"See you soon."

When the line goes dead I open my messages and quickly type out Elijah's address. Moments later, the door to Elijah's ensuite opens and he comes strolling out, towel around his waist and droplets of water dripping from his hair.

"I'll get some breakfast on as soon as I'm dressed," He says, walking over to his chest of drawers and beginning to throw clothes on.

"Sounds great. Can I shower? Seth's going to pick me up about eleven."

He shoots me a glance over his shoulder as he tugs his jeans up over his thighs. I'm not great at reading him but I'm good enough to tell that he has something against Seth and has for as long as I can remember. "Okay," He concedes.

I take my time in the shower, using all Elijah's fancy soaps to attempt to wash the stench of alcohol and puke from my skin and hair. The scolding water helps to burn it from my skin, nevertheless, when I emerge and wrap a fluffy towel around myself, I'm sure I can still smell the faintest of hints remaining.

The breakfast Elijah prepared whilst I was in the shower looks delicious as I join him in the kitchen. Two plates of eggs on toast sit on the dining table and Elijah has already begun to dig into his. The chair screeches in protest against the flooring as I draw it out, and even more as I  shuffle my way back in.

We eat in a comfortable silence and before I know it, we're both finished. I offer to do the washing up like a good guest would after they'd spilt their guts over the host the night before and Elijah allows me to do so without protest. After I'm finished and Elijah has spent a sufficient amount of time with his face glued to the morning paper, I check the time and note that Seth'll be here soon.

I'll have to ask him if we can stop by my place on the way to wherever it is we're going because Christ knows I'm not going to be going to a fancy restaurant in yesterday's jeans and a tee I stole out of Elijah's wardrobe.

When the doorbell rings, Elijah is the first up to go and answer it. I follow behind him, scurrying around to collect all my soiled clothes and praying that I will be able to get through the day with all the pounding in my head still going at full volume.

With fabric slung over my arm, I emerge into the foyer, joining Seth and Elijah who are glaring at each other with eyes screaming bloody murder.

"You didn't tell me you were staying with him." Seth grumbles through gritted teeth.

"What does it matter, we're just friends." I go to move past Elijah and towards Seth, although halt when Seth steps inside and closes the door behind him.

"I don't want you to talk to him anymore." Seth crosses his arms over his chest and the fire in his hazel orbs is unmistakable.

"You're my boyfriend, not my mother."

"He's his own man, Seth, not yours to control." Elijah pitches in, causing Seth to send another spiteful glare his way. "You should tell him how you've been creeping on him. How you've been coming to the club to watch and then leaving without a word."

My eyes flit between the two. Seth looks ready to retaliate but bites his tongue.

"Is this true?" I ask, suddenly feeling my stomach drop.

"I was only looking out for you." He tells me. "You told me about the stalker and the letter, I was just keeping an eye out."

My brain starts running a million miles an hour, trying to recall the figure I'd seen all those times. Could it have been Seth all along? But that didn't explain the eyes. Seth's are hazel, R's are azure like the Caribbean sea. It couldn't have been Seth.

Burying my face in my hands, I think back to our first meeting. It was normal, perfectly normal. He liked me so he bought me some cake and when he saw me again he asked for my number. Nothing about that is sketchy, even if it was on the day I was supposed to meet Mr Blue-Eyes.

"Okay." I finally say because I have no reason to doubt his word.

"Brett, really? Who's to say he's not your stalker?" Elijah queries. "You shouldn't go with him."

"It's fine, Eli, Seth's fine and I'm a big boy, I can look after myself."

I brush past them both, opening the door. Seth tries to gain my attention, but I ignore him as I climb into the passenger seat of his car and turn the radio on. When Seth joins me, he first turns the volume down before contorting to clip his seatbelt in.

"You know I was serious about not talking to him anymore. He's bad news." Seth says.

He shoots me a glance and I do my seatbelt up too. "He's a friend and he's been there for me."

"He's manipulating you."

We pull out of Elijah's drive.

I shake my head because I really don't want to hear this right now, "He isn't."

"The letter, the one you showed me. He wrote it. He was trying to scare you."

A.N. Does this seem as rushed as it is?