First Love, Worst Love

Chapter 21 - Senses

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey hey guys! Got a big dramatic chapter for you today...! It's been interesting to read your predictions of what will happen. Let me know what you think :D Bet Taylor is a bit quieter than you expected right? But everyone knows not to get in between brothers and sisters when they fight... it can be deadly. As you will now discover. Dun dun dun....!

Hope you're all enjoying the story, big hugs to everyone reading <3

Becky xx

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Chapter 21

Senses

My initial reaction is to assume I've made a mistake. It simply can't be Benjamin and Taylor in the corner of the pub. It's probably just a weird lookalike couple and I'm getting paranoid.

But there is definitely no mistaking the tall outline of my brother. Of his eyes, that look just like mine, boring into me as Jaxon puts his hands all over my body.

I suddenly slap my new boyfriend's touch away from me. "Stop, stop, stop. My brother's over there."

Jaxon pauses, letting his hands rest on my sides. "Your... brother? What the fuck?"

Annabelle overhears my protests and swivels round like a lemming to survey the room. "Benjamin's here? Where?"

"Oh yeah, I see him!" Sarah says brightly, peering into the corner of the room. "And Taylor!" She turns to Raj. "That's mine and Annabelle's classmate."

"Cool," Raj replies, looking over too. "Should we invite them over? We'd love to meet them."

"NO!" I cry in horror. "No way are we inviting them over! I don't even know why they're here in the first place!"

Crowds of people are blocking my view now so I can't see Benjamin anymore. Is he expecting me to go over there? I thought he was supposed to be working tonight so I have no idea what's going on. Why the hell would he and Taylor be out in Northcastle on the same night as me? It cannot be a coincidence.

Jaxon is glaring toward the back of the room, his eyes narrowed in steely anger. "Ash, would you care to explain to me why your family is spying on us?"

My stomach drops at his reaction. He is mad. He is really mad. And in all honesty, I can't say I really blame him.

"I have no idea!" I cry. "Honestly. I never told them we were out tonight."

"So how come they're here?" Jaxon shoots back. "I don't like the look they were giving me just now. This is totally out of order."

At this, Chunk stands up from his end of the table and comes toward us. "Hey, Jaxon calm down! I've known the Apples for years and they are lovely people. You're blowing this up out of all proportion. They're probably just here for a drink like us, chill out."

"Taylor is our friend, Jaxon," Annabelle adds. "It's really not a big deal. We should just ask them to join us."

"It's not a big deal that Ash's brother has to come and secretly vet me?" Jaxon spits out sarcastically. "I'm sorry but this is total bullshit. What me and Ash get up to is none of their fucking business."

My friends are gaping in shock at Jaxon's temper. And I know I should be shocked too. Maybe I should even be defending Benjamin. But the truth is that I'm just as angry. This is such an invasion of our privacy. What the hell is he even thinking of?!

"Look, stay here," I command, far more authoritatively than I think anyone was expecting. "I'm going to go talk to them."

I break away from the group, weaving my way across one end of the pub to the other until I finally reach the table at the back containing my stupid, horrible brother and his apparent partner-in-crime. For a long few moments, we both just look at each other. Both of us fizzed up. Both of us stunned at the other one's actions.