Love & War | Brad Simpson ✔️

37. "Back to reality"

"You just happened to wander into Ella's room and stay the night?"

"No, I told you, it's not like that" Brad stresses, "I meant us" he gestures between me and himself, "I don't know how us happened"

Connor is quiet for a few very long moments as his eyes flit between and Brad.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" Connor says, still a little unconvinced. I think the looks on our faces tell him otherwise.

"Look, we haven't really told anyone yet" Brad begins, "so please don't say anything, especially to Tris"

"I can't keep this from him!" Connor exclaims, "you shouldn't be keeping this from him-"

"We will tell him" Brad argues, "when we're ready"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Couple of weeks, I guess" Brad mumbles, "but stuff happened before that..."

"So you've been keeping it from Tris, from everyone, for weeks?" He exclaims, though focuses his attention on Brad, a disappointed look on his face, "we're your best mates"

"Look, I liked her for a while but I obviously never expected anything to happen between us" Brad begins and I move from my spot near the bedroom door to Brad's side, ready to back him up if need be, "and then stuff did happen and we were seeing each other but nothing was official..."

Until last night.

"We just didn't want to tell everybody before we'd made anything official" I add, "there was no point risking arguments with Tris and starting drama if we then realised a few weeks down the line that it wasn't going to work out or that Ella actually did just hate me"

"I don't get why you can't just tell him" Connor frowns.

"Because it's Tris" I groan, "he's so overprotective and I promised him that nothing would happen between me and any his mates, and I know that he made all of you promise the same thing. I don't wanna hurt him"

"If you didn't want to hurt him then you shouldn't have let this happen" Connor argues, "either of you"

"Well, you know what, I'm fucking sick of Tris trying to stop me from being happy" I counter, raising my voice a little

"You know he's just trying to protect you"

"I don't need him to"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell him" he proposes.

"Because it's better if he hears it from us" I retort.

"He's my mate"

"Yeah, and so is Brad, and me" I argue, "and at the end of the day, mine and Brad's relationship is none of your business, it's no one else's business except mine and Brad's"

He sighs but he knows I'm right.

"I won't tell him for now," he says, "but you better tell him soon, it's not fair to keep it from him"

Now, it's our turn to acknowledge that Connor's right. It isn't fair to my brother and we should tell him. But the thought of telling him also gives me major anxiety so I don't even want to think about it.

"We will" Brad assures him and he nods.

"Okay, well, you better get down to the lobby, Joe is getting pissed" Connor says to Brad as he turns to the door.

"Yeah, tell him I'll be down in a minute" Brad replies and Connor nods before he leaves my room, shutting the door behind us.

Brad lets out a loud sigh and leans his back against the wall behind him, rubbing his hands over his face.