Us + You

• Six •

Am I at the right house?

I Sat there in my car, the engine still softly humming and doors locked tight, as I stared up at the huge house in front of me.

Is was on the outskirts of town, and just the air surrounding me made me feel a little embarrassed of my very humble home. It wasn't that I was doing bad for myself, but to see that Briar and Hayden were doing this well, was a little unnerving.

Well, I actually wasn't sure if they were, because as I glanced at the open yard, and beautiful wooden front deck, I started to second guess my GPS.

There were no other cars in the driveway...

I could check off garage, as the huge doors were left open, revealing a completely empty space that was fit to hold two cars, and then some storage.

So where were they? The pit in my stomach started to swirl around, as my anxiety and I deemed that we were in fact, and the wrong house. How embarrassing, now we'd be late.

But just as I was about to reenter the address I'd been sent, a few honks me let me know someone was driving up behind me. I swiveled my head as far as it'd go to get a good look at the two cars coming up, and stared open mouthed that they swiftly parked in their respective spots in the garage.

I only closed my jaws, and blinked away my surprise at the shiny black and grey vehicles even the drivers side door opened quickly and out popped Hayden who hurriedly pranced around his car to come greet me.

My body slowly stared to kick into gear and I rolled down the window as he approached.

"Hey, I hope you weren't parked here for long, I thought we'd beat you. So sorry, Briar was on his way home and warned me not to go out, but I really thought that if I was quick I could make It to the store and back." I had to blink a few times, rearranging Hayden's ramble in mu head a few ways before it made sense.

"Oh... it's ok. I just got here." I smiled nervously. What the fuck was I doing here. Hayden beamed back at me.

"Oh great, well why don't you come on in, and we can get on with lunch." I took a glance towards the garage, as I started to hear the doors come down, and saw Briar walking in the direction of the front door, a few grocery bags in his hands as he shot Hayden a dirty look.

I bit my lip and nodded, but Hayden was already turned towards the house.

• • •

Being inside Hayden and Briar's home was familiar yet so strange. I didn't know how to act. It was like being in the presence of a stranger that you only knew through a lucid dream.

I stood awkwardly by the door as the two men who haunted and intrigued me all the same kicked off their shoes and bustled around, putting some food away and gathering others out. Someone had at one point flicked on the news channel on the big flat screen TV. I suppose the white noise was a welcomed soothe.

I timidly set my dirty and busted up converse aside, trying to be gentle so none of the little flakes of dried clay would pop on and ruin their perfect floors.

I wasn't quite sure where they wanted me, so I slowly made my way through the open concept living room, and towards the connected kitchen.

I was taking my time at inspecting my surroundings, trying to memorize every corner to every window, all the way down to color of the candles on the wooden coffee table, that was nestled in between the dark green velvety looking couches.

I don't think I had an answer for myself on why I cared so much about... well, everything. I felt like obsessing over every small detail and interaction in a way that only works vomit could sum up. It was like I was being dropped head first off a ten story building and they were the only ones at the bottom to catch Mr.

This wasn't healthy.

Someone finally came over to me, and drug me out of my mind, and towards the kitchen counter where Hayden was there waiting, and easy smile on his face. I looked from him, down to the large warm hand that encompassed my elbow. Why was everything so big?

I felt like I was drowning in the huge house, suffocating in their expensive hands.

"So we were think that we could put together some pasta and salad while we talk, and then sit on the back patio and eat, does that sound fun?" Briar more so told me than asked, and I could only nimbly nod along and hum in agreement.

No this didn't sound fun.... not really. I swatted myself in my head, what are you talking about, you love cooking with Landon? Wait no, bad Vallen, why are we thinking about having fun with Landon when we're literally on a date with two smoking hot dudes.

Wait, did I just think that they're smoking hot!? Oh my god. And why was I thinking about Landon, he's not here to save me now. I should be having fun.

Well, he was the one who thought it would be a good idea to come on this stupid date in the first place. But then again, he didn't know our history.

I probably should have just stayed home and binge watched 'The Hunger Games' with him..

I looked at the head on lettuce that was placed in front of me with panicked eyes, while Briar and Hayden (it was mostly Hayden) tried to rope me into small talk.

This is not going to end well.

• • •

I kept eyeing the deck of Uno cards that sat in a disorganized stack on one of the end tables, that caught my gaze while I was looking for something keep my mind occupied so I didn't either stare at Hayden and Briar like a creep of say something embarrassing.

No matter how much I might have against them, I couldn't help but feel a little tingly inside at knowing they still played the game that we all used to together during Mr. Thompsons history class when he passed out from 'secretly' day drinking on his desk.

Briar followed my gaze to the stack of cards, and his long fingers gathering the stack knocked me out of memory lane. Hayden looked over from his bite of pasta and his eyes lit up in an oh so familiar way, as he nodded enthusiastically.

So that's how I ended up in an intense game of Uno that I was currently in, my hands slightly trembling in anticipation, as I gripped my last three cards for dear life while the color changed yet again across the table.

I let put a sight of relief when all Briar put down was a red nine, that made a perfect gateway to my red four. I just had to pray that it stayed red for just a minute longer.

But my body started to fill with dread when I caught Hayden's eye, and he smirked devilishly. I couldn't hold back the dramatic full body cringe when he set down blue. I had made the mistake of accidentally flashing him my cards ten minutes back while drawing four, and now he's been torturous changing the colors whenever I whittled my hand down to just a few.

Briar wasn't helping at all, for the past hour that we'd been playing he just sat there amused as Hayden and I battled it out. The bastard was enjoying this.

I would never admit it out loud, but I was having fun. I knew what was happening, but I just lived hurting myself so I just let them lull me into a false sense of security before they set fire to my heart again.

Briar was just putting down another card when my phone range out loudly, from where it sat next to the cold and discarded food that we'd only made a small dent in.

I reached over, just barely being able to hook my finger tips onto the case so i could drag it a little closer, just enough to grab it.

It was Landon.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Dun dun duuunnnn.

Ok so I know you all have been saying your team Valldon, but trust me, I have a plan >:)

1415 words.