𝔸 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 ➁

35. Finding Friendship Again

Rhys had come up and apologized to both Rae and I after our altercation at the beach. You can tell he wasn't really a big fan of apologizing but I'm sure my little dragon had something to do with the fact he actually did. Things aren't completely better between Rhys and I but we are going to the gallery together tonight like Rae had suggested.

"So," I look over to Rhys as the two of us walk down the busy city streets, "when did you know there was something going on between Rae and I?"

He laughs, "honestly, I wasn't one-hundred percent sure there was until the night of the Halloween bash."

I cock an eyebrow at him. "How'd you know that? I was with Sarah."

"Yeah, until she back handed you in the face." I don't say anything, I just look forward. "Why do you let her treat you like that?"

"I said something pretty fucked up." I shrug. "You know how she gets."

"Right, but that doesn't mean she has the right to act like a fucking head case all the time."

"I know." But that's all I say because I'm not about to get into our fucked up relationship. He already knows about it. It's not something that I'm willing to get into at all with him right now, especially after how he tried to use it against me the other day. He definitely doesn't need to know all the fucked up shit that went on between us. He already knows enough.

He lets out a long sigh when I don't continue. "Well, anyway, when you didn't throw her over your shoulder and take her upstairs to fuck her brains out, like you'd usually do, I thought that was odd because Rae and I had basically caught you two in the act just a few days before." He runs a hand through his sandy hair saying, "you didn't come over and try to dance with Eva and she's fucking gorgeous. You didn't even pay attention to her. Which, is completely unlike you, if I may add."

"She's not really my type."

He looks over at me and gives me a hearty eye roll. "Yeah, Seth, I've gathered that." I give him a nod before looking away from him. "You went upstairs and I figured you needed some brooding time. The re-"

I cut him off saying, "I don't brood." I think about my father, the king of brooding, and there's no way I do that.

"You brood, Seth." He deadpans. "You're a big time brooder."

"No fucking way." I shake my head. "I do not."

"Yes," he laughs "you do."

"Nope."

"Okay, so then what were you doing up there that night?"

I think back on it, trying to remember. I'd gone upstairs, grabbed a picture of my mother off of my father's desk and went to sit on the couch with it. I thought about her, missing her and felt pretty god damn hollow. The person that usually made that feeling go away had smacked me right in the face. So, I'd grabbed the whiskey and sat there.... brooding.

Fuck. He's right.

"Okay," I admit honestly, "maybe I do brood a bit."

"I know. I've known you just about my whole life. Anyway," he shoves his hands in his jean pockets, "I saw Rae go upstairs later on and then she never came back down, neither did you. Liam asked me where she was and I just knew she was with you but I told him she wasn't feeling so hot and left."

"Why'd you lie?"

"Because when Sarah smacked you Rae looked like she wanted to fucking kill her. I had to hold her back and everything."

"Really?" He nods. "Why didn't you come up and get her when you saw her come upstairs?"

He blows out a long breath. "Because it was clear that she cared about you a lot and I didn't know exactly what you guys were doing up there but I know she was trying to help."