Love & War | Brad Simpson ✔️

6. "Wow, Brad, you're so articulate"

"I could go to school near you"

"You'd really leave all your friends just to live with me and Tris?" I smile at how cute she is, "I mean, me, I can understand, but Tristan... he still spends three hours doing his hair in the bathroom every morning"

Millie giggles, before changing her original plan, "well, I could go to school here in the day and then get the train to London after school and then every morning"

Bless her sweet little ten-year-old heart.

"That is the most expensive, impractical idea ever" I chuckle, "and anyway, mum wouldn't want you living here, she wants you at home, I think she would be very sad if all three of her children were living away, she needs you at home"

Millie sighs loudly down the other end of the phone because she knows her plan to leave home isn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Will you be okay now if I go?" I ask, not wanting either of us to lose out on too much sleep.

"Yeah," she says. "I love you, Ella"

"I love you too" I smile, "goodnight"

"Night" she chirps before she ends the call. She seems happier than she did when she first called me and the thought calms me. But she seems so eager to see me that I make mental note to talk to my brother about it at breakfast.

Just as I'm placing my phone back on my dressing table, my bedroom door opens making me jump slightly. The landing light has been switched on and I can see Brad's features light dimly by it as he appears in the doorway. I breathe a small sigh of relief that it's not a burglar, though we all know it wouldn't have been the first time I mistook Brad for one. I just wish that he would learn how to knock.

"Are you seriously on the phone at two o'clock in the morning?" He grumbles in a very sleepy voice. I don't mention that yesterday, he was just getting home at this time so a phone call really doesn't seem that big of a deal.

"Erm, yeah" I reply quietly.

"Well, next time you decide to give your boyfriend or whoever a ring at two am, can you keep it down?" He asks moodily.

"Sorry" I reply softly, not bothering to correct him to say I wasn't on the phone to my boyfriend because I don't have one. He stares at me for a moment, though he probably can't see much of me in the dim light, before he gives a small nod.

"'Kay" he mumbles, before turning and sloping back off to his room.

* * * * * * *

As I walk into the kitchen later that morning, I see that Brad is already in there but there's no sign of my brother. I hope that Tristan will be up soon because dealing with Brad on my own never seems to end well. Unlike Tristan did yesterday, he doesn't offer me any breakfast when I sit down, not that I'd expect anything less. In fact, he doesn't even acknowledge that I've entered the room. It's actually amusing how much he doesn't like me.

"Morning Brad" I chirp. He just continues pouring milk into his cereal, "morning Brad" I repeat. He turns, places his bowl on the table across from me and sits down, before starting to eat his cereal, "Brad"

Nothing.

"Brad"

Still nothing.

"Brad" I smirk. He's not having me on but I'm just gonna keep going, "Brad"

I could do this all day.

"Brad"

He breathes a loud sigh through his nostrils, before lifting his head to look at me, an irritated expression on his face.