We pulled up to the tall gates and for some reason I felt nervous. It's just Alex. Well now I can meet his sister. I tried my best to thinking positively while my dad rolled down the window.
"push the button" he said and I did as told. I was shocked when a slightly deeper voice spoke.
OK not Alex nor Elijah.
"hey furious, it's doughboy" my dad spoke and in reply the voice laughed excitedly. I looked at him confused. "big fan of boys n the hood" he explained and I gave him that same look. "it came out in the 90s" he added and I smiled as if I knew but he knew I did not cause he just shook his head and drove in.
We walked up to the door together and I glanced at my dad. Why is he walking with me? I mean it's not like he's staying for dinner too.
Not that I don't love you dad but it'll be kinda awkward. Since he invited me
"talk" he ordered and and my heart pounced at the sudden sound. My fingers played with the hem of my dress as I refused to look my father in the eyes. "are you staying?" I swollowed
"I know Apollo and I doubt his sons are any different. But no I'm just going to have a word with him." he informed me. That can't be good.
The door swung open and I must say their mother played no role in their genes.
Think of Apollo as Alex's dashing smile and bright mischievous eyes, with Elijah's height and neat longish hair. The build well he was taller than me and he looked about 2 or three inches shorter than the boys.
He gave my father one of those hug - hand-shake things guys do. They smiled and greeted, you know the usual thing you do with friends. His eyes then landed on me. The air around us dropped about 10 degrees and goosebumps counted my skin. His smiled dropped and that joyfilled look in his eyes chipped away slowly before coming back in full force. He gave me a bright smile and extended a hand.
Hesitant but I took it and gave him a nervous smile. "damn bro the only thing you did was change her eye colour" Mr Brooks commented and was gifted with an eye roll from my dad. He seems to be giving those to everyone today.
"thanks I appreciate it with all my heart" my dad said sarcastically placing a hand on his chest.
"don't be like than man we'll be in-laws in future" Apollo said and placed a hand on my dad's shoulder. Delusional, thats where Alex gets it. Although he only had good intentions and seemed like a chill guy my father didn't appreciate that statement.
A glint of emotion appeared in my dad's eyes but it was unrecognizable. It disappeared immediately after he let out a laugh. "you forgot your sons need my permission" my dad smiled and patted Apollo's shoulder "good luck getting that" my dad said forcing a smile. I'm guessing my dad was the Hunter in their group,Apollo was the Alex and Hunter's dad could be the Elijah.
"you say it as if history's going to repeat itself." Apollo laughed. Pain shot across my father's face. Like he was just stabbed through the heart. Remember how the temperature dropped earlier it went into the minus. Tension filled the air like oxygen.
"speaking of history how's it feel having my leftovers" my father said smirking before turning around to descend the stairs. All playfulness and friendly play left along with him. That was no cool dad. How-what kind of fucked up friend are you?
Mr Brooks stiffened in his place, fist clenched and jaw ticking. "and I thought you changed" my father ignored Apollo and just left. OK so what the hell happened between them cause I don't think that was the entire story.
I turned to Apollo and opened my mouth to speak. "no I'm not retelling a story that should be left untold" he said opening the door to let me in. He gave me a warm smile and I just followed in.
"I'd give you a tour but I'm guessing the boys did that already." he said and I just nodded behind him. I remained quite because well this is not my house and I only speak when I'm completely comfortable with the place or person.
Accept for Hunter he's just a dipshit that needs to be annoyed on a daily bases. You know make sure he knows his place.
" your Chris's daughter, you have to be a bit of a chatter box or are you like your dad in that catagory too ?" he asked with a hint of humor. I smiled. I just met him but he seems like a nice and easy going person to talk to . He gives off this homey papa bear vibe. "to be honest I'm shocked they ended up together. They used to bicker so much that they could cut each other's throats with their insults." he said and we finally made it to the dining table.
It was empty. Well as in there aren't people. "daddy!" A girl came running in and straight to Apollo. He picked her up and spun her in the air. "hey princess" he said smiling. She giggled and turned to me with big bright curious eyes. "is this the bunny?" she asked pointing at me. I smiled at her. "I'm Audrey" I gave her my hand and her smile dropped.
What did I do?
"daddy I thought Alex's friend bunny was coming over" she told her father. She narrowed down on him. She bit her lips and inflated her cheeks. She looks more like a bunny than me! "I'm sure thats just a nick name now I'm going to go get the big people soda and you can talk with Audrey" Apollo said, putting her down and gave me a smile before leaving.
She looked up at me with big curious eyes and I bend down to her level. "even if you are not bunny you are pretty" she said. Aaaaaahhhh! I just want to squeeze her. How can they have such a cute sister? "So how old are you? " I asked and she held up seven fingers. Wow Alex is 17 years older than her. Interesting.
"hello honey bun~" Alex sung walking into the living room with a stack of plates. "hi Alex" I said giving him a smile. But that smile soon dropped after the next person came walking in.
"Alex your mom needs help with the potatoe-" he paused when he saw me. He forced a smile and so did I.
A little giggle came from beside me and I glanced over at the little girl. A small blush coated her cheeks and she began to turn from side to side with her hands behind her back as she looked at Hunter. Believe me girl you don't want him.
Hunter smiled and winked at her. I rolled my eyes.
Alex cleared his throat and gave Hunter a look. He scoffed "I'm sorry for what I said. There happy?"he asked Alex and Alex just shook his head.
" so this is bunny" the little girl pointed to me.
"oh yes. Addy this is Audrey." he gestured to me. "and Audrey this is Adele" Alex ended and we shook hands.
"Addy stay away from her she's a mean witch trying to steal your brother. She did that to mine too and now he's gone" Hunter warned and her eyes grew huge as water began to gloss them. She ran to Alex crying. She hugged his side burying her face into his leg. "don't sniffle take sniffle my brother" she cried.
My heart cracked before I glared at Hunter who stood proudly smirking at me. I didn't do shit to his brother. I dont even know his brother "don't worry she won't" Alex spoke softly bending down to hug her. "Audrey won't hurt you or me. Hunter surely, but not us" Alex explained and she looked at me. I gave her a sympathetic smile and she pouted her lip before looking at Hunter.
Smiled at her. " he's already hypnotized by her Addy why do you think he invited her over for game night" this bitch is asking for it.
We all sat at the table his mother and father on opposite sides, Elijah minding his own business beside me and Alex on my other side while Addy sat opposite me glaring. Don't worry about Hunter cause he's enjoying the sight with a smile. I want to rip his heart out stab it and place it gently back in before continuing the process multiple times. Harsh, I know but wouldn't you do the same.
I gave Addy a smile and she crossed her arms. "Addy you shouldn't glare at guests" her mother said but she didn't listen. "it's okay Mrs Brooks." I said looking down at my food. "so Audrey is doing a fashion design course at HU and she seems really good at it." Alex said and his father hummed in approval. " maybe Hunter could hire her when he becomes the CEO of Barret." his dad said giving Hunter a smile. "I'll think about it" Hunter said. He's not going to think about it.
"I thought Isaiah was going to be CEO?" Elijah commented and both Hunter and I froze. Isaiah Barrett why didn't I catch on earlier? Okay now I see why he hates me. But does he know the crap that man has done.
"nope he refused after his so called high school lover left him. So now he's a lawyer" Mrs Brooks mentioned and I sunk in my chair." Wow high school lover. Sounds hectic" I commented and found Hunter looking at me amazed. He knows something.
"Yeah shocking. Her name was... Isabella Harper" he said smirking and my eyes grew. Alex's, Mr Brooks and Hunter's eyes landed on me and well little miss 7 year old's was already on me.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it were one of Adrien kids." the mother commented clueless. I just gulped down the rest of my wine and I really wish I had that amber liquid my dad gave me. It would be strong enough to burn this limp of embarrassment in my chest.
" yeah and when you thought they hated each other they were secretly sneaking out, makinhg out. " Apollo mentions. Why would you say something like that? Adele is still here! "but I'm guessing Melody probably told you about your dad's... History with girls in High school-" Apollo was cut off by his wife choking on her wine. "mom are you okay" the boys rushed to her aid and worry washed over Addys face. Adel then looked at me. Her lip began to quiver when Hunter leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
If Hunter goes missing or his body is found on the road somewhere, dont ask me. I dont know anything.
Mrs Brooks shooed the boys away saying that she was fine. She then glanced over at me. "I wanted to say you looked like her. So im guessing they had twins" she said and i shook my head. " i have two names." i informed and the tension in the room grew around us like weeds in a garden.
"I'm guessing nobody likes my dad" I said looking down. "no-no honey we do it's just he and Chris have well... an... interesting story. And what he did for her was... romantic in his eye's . It's just we haven't seen him since the funeral and he refuses to socialize. At work according to Antoine, his boss, he's just strict business nothing else. Doesn't hang out much with people, not the approachable type. "she explained and I was shocked. My dad's always smiling well until Mr and Mrs I need money decided to visit.
I though he was the cool guy at work.
" define my fathers version of romantic " I said
" you wnat to know what he sees as 'romantic'? " Mr Brooks asked witha scoff. Alex, Elijah and Hunter sat quietly listening and Addy just sat there pretending to know what's going on. Her head in the palm of her hands as her eues darted between her parents.
Before Apollo could speak he looked at Adele and so did her mother. "Addy bed" they commanded and she pushed her chair away with a huff."no fair I wanna be part of the big people conversation." she said stomping up the stairs. She's so cute but she hates me. Why!?
"so what happened was your dad pushed everyone away after he started dating Christina. He never spoke to me who was supposedly his girlfriend, sorry hun" she gave her husband and apology smile and he just rolled his eyes. " he stopped talking to Antoine and Apollo and Marie. Marie your mother's sister was like you in their friend group. The only girl but she was'one of the guys'. Because the rest of us were bitches but nobody talks about that. He stayed at her place often, never went to party's well until before we found out you were conceived. But yeah he never hung out and all he spoke of was Christina, Christina and she was the exact same. She was actually my best friend. So when I found out that he broke up with me for her I just stayed away and then I became close with Apollo. " she said giving her husband a smile and he smiled back this time.
" we just lived a separate life and when we all just apologized and became friends Marie felt odd about it. She was on her way home one day from a party, drunk, and that's when the crash happened" okay now that makes sense.
"yeah now your dad doesn't talk to any of us thinking it was our fault for giving a 17 year old alcohol" Apollo ended off.
I love that I've been living with my dad for 21 years and I'm only learning about this now. Looks like those hundreds and thousands of rules are regrets, fears or lessons learned.
***
I'm now sitting with Alex in the back yard by the pool. His mom advised me to cool down a bit after the info but I know what happened to my mother I found out last night. But here I am sitting with my feet in the water watching the stars. His pool is lined with lights inside giving the water a glow. "are you sure you're okay?" he asked placing his feet in too.
I nodded in response. The news is old so I don't feel a tad bit hurt or anything. I mean it was shocking to hear how she died but I never knew her. If she was with me as we grew together it would've been different but I just feel... Nothing.
What would've happened if she had her seat belt on that day. Iris wouldn't be here. Alex and I would've met earlier and Hunter wouldn't be such an ass... Nah that wouldn't have changed. But Isaiah and I would've never dated but been friends. I would've had grandparents growing up and another aunt. Well there are positives but the only negative is Iris.
I sighed looking up at the stars. "do you ever wonder how life would be if that accident never happened?" I asked Alex. He was silent for a moment before moving closer. He rested his head against mine. "well honey bunny, we would've been besties much earlier and my sister wouldn't hate you as much" he said and I felt a small punch to the gut. "it's your fault she hates me" I retorted and he shook his head with a laugh.
His warm precious laugh.
We sat in silence just sitting there while my heart demanded to be freed from my rib cage. "you know if I couldn't swim I wouldn't be at the pool" he said after a while, his voice vibrated against my shoulder sending another wave of heat over my body.
"I can swim! My leg just went stiff okay" I stuttered and I know damn well he's smirking. His presence feels warm. Like when you take a bite of a cookie fresh out of the oven and it mentls away on your tongue . Fresh, warm, cozy. I love it. Love?
"you know what I think?" he asked before pushing me into the pool. I acted fast and pulling his arm with me causing us both to fall in.
The water boiled against my heated skin.
I swam to the surface and looked around but Alex didn't swim up. This cause my heart to go into a panic and jump even more, so much that the air in my lungs turned to carbon, my lungs desperately inhaling and exhaling. "Alex!" I shouted turning in the water. I called his name again and my eyes began to sting. So I closed them. Don't be dead don't be dead.
Suddenly a warm body pressed against mine, holding me tight. "don't panic I'm fine" he whispered. "I usually sit at the bottom, it's peaceful down there" he added and my heart calmed. My breathes normal, almost. His arms enclosed around me and pulled me into his chest. His body was warm against the cold water. I could feel the heat through his drenched clothes.
"it's not peacfull for the person looking for you" I said below a whisper.
"have you ever tried it?"
"what drowning? Yeah Elijah threw me into the pool." I reminded him and he laughed. "no"
He pulled away and looked down at me.
Our eyes met. Something flashed across his eyes and if I were not staring at them I would've missed it.
His arms around me.
My hands on his chest.
Our bodies sharing the same heat.
He hiked me up to his waist wrapping my legs around him. I was in a slight shock so I grabbed his shoulders. He winced and I loosed my grib a bit. A sigh escaped his lips before he rested his head on my shoulder and I could hear him take a deep breath. "even the pool can't wash away your sweet scent" he said. His complement sending a pool of heat down to my lower stomach.
We were like that for a while, enjoying the sounds of our heartbeats while the world around us stilled.
He pulled away from me and looked up. My eyes met his. My heart slowly melting away as those grey eyes turn black. A hint of lust growing like a virus. The air around us is cold as ice but the heat between us made it feel like a warm summers day.
My eyes fell to his lips. I wonder if they're as soft, smooth and juicy as they look. I was like iron to a magnet. They pulled me closer calling my name. Begging for me to touch them.
We were centimeters away when I asked. "can I kiss you"
"sure but you might not want to stop"
"I'll take as much as I can get"
Alex
She leaned in placing her lips on mine but I didn't allow her to pull away. I held her lip between my teeth and pulled her face back down. "I'm not done" I groaned against her lips. I need her, her scent, her taste, her body, her mind, her happiness, her sorrow, her heart, I need it all. I kissed her harder, furious at the delay. I licked her bottom lip for entrance and when I wasn't allowed I bit down. A moan left her mouth and I paused in a moment of surprise before continuing.
She didn't allow access.
The impatience inside me grew along with my heat down under.
I dropped her and caught her again not breaking the kiss. She gasped at the sudden movement and I took full advantage. My tongue shot into her mouth exploring the new place. Fuck she tasted better than Clare.
Fuck Clare.
An image of Audrey bellow me popped up in my head. Pounding into her as her moans filled the empty crevises of the room. Or her soft lips and hands wrapped tightly around my - fuck
My hand went to her neck and I tipped her head back pulling her away before I do something I'll regret.
She sat before me breathless. Her chest rising and falling with every beat.
I can't take her innocence away.
Not yet at least.
The sound of metal hitting and bouncing on the ground caught our attention. Our heads snapped to the walkway.
There stood Addy mouth ajar and Hunter beside her, his skin pale as if he saw a ghost. His shocked expressing soon molded into anger as his narrowed his eyes on me.
Jealous bitch.
Addy shook her head and turned to Hunter with her hands held high. "you owe me fifty bucks" she said smiling. He groaned and reached into his pocket to grab a fifty.
I laughed and felt a weight on my chest. "your hear beat us like a lullaby" Audrey whispered.
"let's get you changed into something dry." I said and she nodded.
_________________________________________
Hi weirdo here. I know this us a long chapter and all but I hope you enjoy cause in the next chapter things get tence. Two lovers meet after 6 years.
How will it end?