Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 10

Lia

The next day or so had the guys moving into the extra rooms we had. There were two so Colby and Rain paired up while Jesse and Matt shared the other. I tried to make myself scarce but with it being a Friday, I had no choice but to accept that this was my life now.

At least at school, I could pretend.

But I focused on the fact that my brother would be there.

Or so I thought.

“What do you mean you’re not going to be here this weekend?!”

“I’m visiting my mate. We haven’t seen each other in a while because she has been busy with exams and I’ve been busy with rugby.”

“That means I’ll be alone with them.”

“Them?” Michael asked with a laugh. “You mean your mates.”

I shivered. “Stop saying that. I don’t like to hear those words, you know that.”

“Denial is not a good thing, Lia.”

“Denial is the only thing getting me through this!”

No matter what I said, my brother refused to listen to me. He told me that I was going to be fine and the weekend would be a good bonding experience for me along with my mates.

When I came down to eat, I realized the four had prepared dinner. Yes, they had prepared dinner and set the table.

“It smells good,” I forced myself to say.

It wasn’t like it didn’t smell good but I didn’t want to give compliments. I wanted to resist this bonding experience with every fiber of my being.

“I made it,” Rain said proudly, preening under my compliment. “Jesse helped. Colby set the table and Matt just kept brooding.”

Matt grumbled something under his breath I couldn’t understand.

Before I could decide whether to stay or go, my stomach growled. It decided for me, spurring me to sit down and dig in. The food was delicious. Rain and Jesse had outdone themselves. But, as great as the food was, the conversation was sparse. This tension was so great you could cut it with a knife. Throw in a pinch of awkwardness and it made for an experience I wanted to forget.

“Let me wash the dishes,” I offered.

Rain grinned. “Since Jesse and I cooked, Matt should be the one to do the dishes.”

“What about Colby?” Matt growled.

“He set the table and you brooded.”

“I can help,” I repeated.

Matt grumbled. “No, I have it.”

Without a word, he gathered all the dirty dishes. The other three stood around, watching me until I sighed.

“Go do what you have to do. We… can meet up in the living room in an hour.”

This was all it took for them to stop standing and staring at me, much to my relief.

I was going to go upstairs and have a rest but I saw that Matt had forgotten a couple of dishes in his haste to get away from her. Sighing, I gathered them all up. Matt tensed, likely smelling me before he heard or saw me.

“You forgot a few dishes.”

Matt whirled around. “Oh, thanks.”

He grabbed them out of my hands so fast that one of them fell off the pile. It fell to the floor, causing me to gasp. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter.

The two of us crouched down, reaching for the plate at the same time. Our hands brushed against each other, my body reacting almost instantly. My cheeks became flushed, lips parting to suck in a large gulp of air. Matt was staring at me, pupils blown wide and lips pulling back into a possessive snarl.

If he came a bit closer I could feel his body heat radiating off him. I-

“Guys, what fell?” Rain called out.

The two of us sprung apart. Matt grabbed the plate and walked back towards the sink.

“I got it. Just go… do whatever.”

“We’re meeting in the living room later,” I whispered.

Matt stiffened. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

I reached out, hand hovering mere inches from his bare, muscular arms. Two parts of me were wrestling, trying to pull me in two different directions. A part of me wanted to reach out to him, and comfort Matt. He was still hurting, but Matt turned around, causing me to wrench my hand backward.

Staying was not an option. I ran up the stairs and back to my room which was becoming the place I spent most of my time lately. When I came down the next morning, I nearly ran into Colby. He smiled at me. 1

“Morning, Lia.”

“Morning…”

“Okay, but aren’t they supposed to be bonding with you? Like, that’s the whole point, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s not that simple. They’re trying. I can see that. They’re being kind, thoughtful even. But I can’t forget what they used to be like.”

“The bullying.”

“Exactly. They made my life hell. And now… everything is different.”

“That’s a lot to process. Do you think they’ve changed?”

“That’s what I can’t figure out. They seem genuine, but then a part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop like it’s some elaborate act.”

“Could it be that they regret how they treated you?”

“Maybe. They’ve apologized-each of them, in their way–but it’s hard to just… let go of all that pain, you know?”

“Fair. And that scares you.”

“Yeah. Because I don’t want to feel that way. Not about them.”

“Maybe you’re scared because it’s easier to hold on to the anger than to risk trusting them.”

“Probably. But if I let go, if I start to care about them, what happens if they hurt me again?”

“You’ve got to ask yourself if they’re worth the risk. Have they done enough to earn a second chance?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like they have, and other times, I just hear the echoes of how they used to laugh at me.”

“It’s okay to feel conflicted. This isn’t something you can figure out overnight.”

“No kidding. I just wish I knew what’s real and what’s… residual from the bond.”

“Then maybe take it slow. Let them prove themselves. And remember, it’s okay to protect yourself, too.”

“Yeah. I just hope I can figure it out before it all gets even more complicated.”

The two of us spoke a bit more when I heard one of Simone’s mates on the other end. I could smell one of mine nearby. It was Matt who was outside my room trying to decide whether or not he wanted to come in.

A part of me wanted him to come in so the two of us could just talk everything out all at once. Neither of us was going to survive living together at this rate.