Brothers At War [completed; unedited]

Brothers At War: Chapter One

“So…” Jake grinned like an idiot at me as we both stood outside my apartment, “...do I get a coffee, or at least a goodnight kiss?”

He must have thought I was an idiot if I was going to let him inside my apartment, just because he put on his best smile and a tone of voice which I could only assume most females fell for at this time of night; but it wasn't going to work on me and he was going home alone tonight. I wasn't the type of girl who slept with a man on the first date, they had to show me they were worth my time; and that I wasn't making the worst mistake of my life.

“You know, coffee is the worst thing to have at this time of night, you’ll never be able to sleep and, as for a kiss? Well, we both know what that leads to.” I stated callously with an eyebrow raised in his direction.

Sure, tonight had been fun and I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime, but I couldn’t have been happier that it was finally over.

My apartment had never appeared to be more inviting than it was right now.

If it wasn’t so dark, then I would have been able to see the look of horror on his face as I was rejecting him and I didn’t want anything to do with him; the thought of him in my bed actually made me want to be sick.

“What about tea? Hot chocolate? Water?” he spoke quickly and, from the way in which he was trying to take my keys from my hand showed the sheer desperation which he was feeling; showing that he was only here for one thing and I wasn’t prepared to give it out just like that.

“Look, Jake, you’re a nice guy and everything but I don’t want to have sex with you.” I spoke bluntly. “I’m not looking for something like that right now. Thanks for a great evening and, who knows, you might even see me again.” I finished, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as I forced my key into the lock and walked into the house, about to close the door when I heard him cry out in pain.

The idiot had put his foot in the door to stop me from closing it.

I’m sure some men just didn’t know how to take no as an answer. They always had to get what they wanted from a woman.

“Sophie, please?” he practically begged me.

“Unless you want to end up as a mute who has to be fed by a tube every single day, I suggest you leave me alone. My ex doesn’t take too kindly to me seeing other guys, especially when they’re as desperate as you are.” I stated, not really sure where that lie even came from, but it made him leave me alone; I don’t genuinely think I had seen a man run faster than he did right then.

Apparently my imaginary and, somewhat, fake ex had been enough to scare him away; something which relieved me a great deal because it meant that I would never have to see him again - shame really because he did actually seem like a decent guy until that happened.

I hadn’t even had time to take my coat off before my phone rung, removing it from my bag, I saw the name flashing up on the screen was that which belonged to my best friend.

Evva.

“What?” was all I said because I didn’t actually happen to be in a mood where I wanted to talk.

“Well, good evening to you too.” she replied.

“Sorry. Bad night.” I muttered.

“Guessing Jake wasn’t all you thought he was cracked up to be?” she questioned and, in my head, I wanted to reply with something sarcastic and then end the call but I decided against that as I knew what she could be like when I went off on one with her.

“Not someone I would ever want the fortune of crossing again. He had the looks and the attitude, but he wasn’t anything more than a desperate twat who would clearly sleep with anything right now.” I chuckled lightly.

“If you do insist on meeting men from the internet, then something like that is bound to happen, but he does remind me of someone.” Evva laughed back.

I felt a flash of anger wash over me, but I managed to subdue it before I said something which I would only end up regretting.

Evva Merone was, not only, my most trusted friend, but she was also my best friend, something which I rarely said about people in the same sentence. We had known each other since we were five and, now, we were both coming up to the ripe-old age of twenty-five.

I often wished I had her life because she had all the things which I didn’t.

She was married to her high-school sweetheart, Jacob Matthews, and they were expecting their first baby together. She had the perfect job at a school, while Jacob owned his own business. They had an amazing house, right by the beach and you got some of the most amazing views when the sun was setting in the evening - she had the life which I could only dream of.

“Why do I always go for the wrong type Ev?” I replied solemnly. “Why is it so damn hard to fall in love?”

“It’s not that hard Soph, you’re just looking in all the wrong places.” Evva replied and I could imagine her rolling her eyes right now because that’s what she did, every single time I asked her that question, and she always gave me the same answer.

“Of course you’re going to say it’s not that hard, you’ve been with the same person since you were sixteen.” I protested as I shuffled through the post which I had picked up before going to work this morning. I never left enough time to be able to check through it all before I left for work, so it was always there for me when I finished.

“I’m sure you’ll find the right person soon enough Soph. It’s all about patience.” Evva chuckled and I was just about to reply when my eyes were drawn to the back of one of the envelopes.

Matt Barnes.

The name I had spent the last three years forgetting, pretending that he was nothing more than a bad dream which continued to haunt me each and every time I closed my eyes to the world; a name I never wanted to see again.

I didn’t even want to see the person it belonged too again.

I made that clear that night I walked out on him.

The night that I told him I couldn’t be second best any more and, if he really wanted me, then he would tell his wife it was over right in front of me; right then when I asked him to do it.

Of course he couldn’t do it though and, as much as I needed him, I couldn’t have him.

I couldn’t stand the thought of always being second best.

But something else happened that night too.

He made it impossible for me to be with any other man because, every single time I was with another man, he was the one that I was thinking of; he was the one that I was imaging.

The thing which made it even worse was that I actually wanted him.

I craved him.

It’s like he was my drug and I wasn’t going to get over my addiction, until I’d had my fill of him. I still needed him and it was impossible for me to get him out of my head, which is why I could never be intimate with another man.

What the hell could he want with me now though?

That’s the only thought which was running around my head as I twisted the envelope around my fingers, thinking of all the things it could possibly be. I wanted to open it and reveal what was in there, but it might not have even been from him.

It might have been from his wife.

Hell, it might even have been from that arrogant twat he called his brother.

“Soph? Are you still there?” Evva’s voice rang down the phone, reminding me that she was still there and I had simply not bothered replying to her while I was trapped in my own world; wondering why Matt was sending anything to me three years down the line when he hadn’t bothered with me before.

“Can I call you back?” I replied, but I didn’t even give her a chance to reply before I had ended the call and thrown my phone down on to the table beside the door, slipping my finger under the flap and carefully pulling the piece of paper out.

I tried not to look too disappointed, but it was no use. I felt like my heart had just been ripped out and there was nothing I could do to ever get it back.

Matt was renewing his wedding vows.