PROMISE

Coldest

"Can I help you?" The man slurped.

Bradley stood up with a tight, betrayed smile. Wow. She played him. She really got him good. "Gaga, is she home?" Right on cue, Gaga pushed the man out of the way. 

"Nate, will you put a shirt on, please."

"Sorry." The half naked man turned and ran up the glass staircase. 

"Hey. Hi babies! Come in." Gaga grabbed their diaper bag and moved so a fuming Bradley could walk in. "How was yesterday?"

Bradley worked to remove the kids from their stroller. "Fine." He wanted to leave but the heat radiating off his body refused to let him go. "You would know that but you were too busy to check in. Too busy, ha, doing Nate was it?"

"Excuse me?" Gaga turned on her heel to confront Bradley.

"He's a little small, even for you. I know you're a screamer, so try and keep it down around the kids, please."

"How dare you-"

"-in fact, on second thought, I don't want him near them." Bradley went to put Ava back in the stroller. Dada. "Yes, baby, we're leaving because mama can't keep it in her pants." 

Gaga had the urge to rip that adorable hat off him and beat him over the head with it. "B, stop it, right now! That's enough! Nate is-"

Bradley looks at his his watch. "Fff-I'm going to be late. I want them back. You clearly have other plans. I'll be back at noon." He looked at her tight leggings and his baggy Eagles shirt, which caused his body to betray him. "And for God sake's, put some clothes on." Bradley slammed the door, reminding Gaga of all the times he's slammed it before. She looked down at Nate who randomly appeared and was making funny faces at the twins. 

Natali walks in with a bowl of cereal. "Babe, will you please put your shirt on. I find it annoying, I have to ask twice." Nate gets up and kisses Natali's cheek before running back upstairs, she bends down to greet the twins. "I see Coop still has a huge vendetta against doors. I thought you said you two were in a really good place?" She cooed at the twins and fed them cereal. "Wait, is that why you came home yesterday?" Gaga stayed with her eyes closed, willing her anger to subside. "Nate is actually really good with kids. Up stairs, come on, let's talk."

Thirty minutes later, Natali was pretty much up to speed. "...and are you even listening to me?" Gaga rolled over to see her sister on her phone. 

"Wait, I just needed to google her." Gaga hit her with a pillow. "What I do better with visuals! She's cute. You're cuter. You and Bradley did have a no strings thing going, no regrets and all that...unless..." Gaga's eyes gave her away. "Oh sweetie, you're into him." Gaga buried her head into the mattress. "How? Since when? Does he know?"

"I don't know, it just happened. I think the more I saw him as human, as a man, as a provider, I started to see him as someone other than the guy who used to wipe the makeup off my face just for fun. It just happened. The sex didn't help." Natali gave her a devilish grin. "It was great. He's very generous, his stamina is... and he's well endowed so... ugh and God I never cam-"

"Focus."

"...and I don't know if he knows. We almost kissed a few times. Kind of once. He calls me beautiful and remembers what kind of wine I like and it's like he knows what I'm feeling just by looking into my eyes. That might not mean anything but it means something to me. It's the way he holds me and the way he cares for Jackson and Ava."

"Ok, so do you think he feels the same way?"

"There are a few times that I think maybe, but I don't think so. I think it's just sex for him. He's definitely nicer to me after his speech with mom and dad. But he basically just always has his hands on me and it gives me mixed signals. I just needed space from him to shake these feelings."

Natali spooned her sister and squeezed her tight. "I hate to break it to you, but this is something you might not be able to shake." 

"Well, I'm going to have to. Ava and Jack are going to be two in a few months and I have the rest of their lives to try and not fuck up. I can't do something that will jeopardize their growth. They've already been through enough." 

"And what about you?"

"I have to protect my heart. You know how I get. I need to be strong for them." 

Nate knocks and opens the door. "Sorry, they kept calling for their mom and dad and then this one bit me." 

"Aw, babe, but you like to be bitten."

"Only by you."

Gaga moved to grab the twins, looking from Nate to Nat. "I hate you both."  

Gaga had shrugged it off when Bradley didn't show up to pick the kids up like he stated in his salty mood. But to her surprise she received a call at midnight that sent her in a panic, giving her flashbacks from the night Lilly passed away. "Hello??" When she received no answer she looked to see Bradley's name. "Bradley?"

"Hey..." His voice was deep, drawn out. "I-I just got in... and I just realized I hate to fucking be alone...I don't know what I did to you-"

"Bradley, you're drunk. Sleep it off and I promise we'll talk tomorrow." 

"You said you'd talk today but low and behold you were with a fuck buddy, ha, another fuck buddy, I guess." 

"He's not- where are you, home?" 

"Home, it's funny, I feel like I'm never comfortable or really at home anywhere. That's a funny word. Home, ome. ooohme." 

Gaga wiped at the tears she didn't realize had fallen. She woke Natali up to keep an eye on the twins. She drove through the quiet streets of New York, pulling into Bradley's brownstone. She let herself in and found him facedown no the couch. Gaga shook him awake. "Hey, B, Bradley, come on. Get up." Bradley groggily woke up to sit up. He pulled her down to straddle his lap. "Hey, no, come on, let go. Let's get you to bed." 

"I missed you. You were gone a day, I guess two including today and I fucking missed you. How fucking lame is that?" Gaga tried to get up. "And it's not just your body... though... fuck, it's perfect, too." He gripped her hips and drove them into his bulge. Her back arched as she worked to remove his hands and distant herself from his growing need. Bradley's eyes lulled closed. "It's your heart." She stopped moving. "You have a pure heart, kind, beautiful." Bradley's head fell into her chest. She hesitated then held him close, just softly stroking his hair. "I like you... like a lot." Gaga's heart raced at his confession. "Is there any chance, any fucking chance at all that maybe you feel the same?" His body became heavier as she held up his head, she pushed him back against the couch. 

His eyes were glossy as he waited for her answer. "Yes. There is a big chance that I could maybe feel the same. But first you need to get sober for me, then we'll talk. Can you do that for me?" Bradley smiled and closed his eyes. "Hey, stay with me. You need sleep and water. Ok?" Bradley nodded. 

Gaga was able to get off of him and pull him up with her. She led him up the stairs and into bed, removing his sneakers. She ran and grabbed water and aspirin. After Bradley took the pills, he pulled her back down. "I want to tell you about Irina. She means nothing to me."

"Tomorrow, baby."

"Fuck, I love when you say that." Bradley reached for her again but she rolled him onto his stomach and his eyes got heavy. "Don't leave me." He whispered as he fell into a drunken sleep. She kissed the side of his head. Gaga made a little bed for herself on the couch, thinking it might be better to sleep downstairs. She smiled at herself, replaying his drunken confession, until sleep became her as well.