Tyler
My feelings had gone from confused, to frustrated, bouncing all over sadness and then settling on anger, anger I wished so fervently, I could hold on to, but was quickly slipping away due to the feeling of relief.
"Here you go." My mom handed me a cold bottle of beer. I wasn't a fan, but that was the only drink with alcohol she kept in the house.
I had no idea why.
We had gotten back from the hospital about an hour ago and I still couldn't fathom the fact that it was all a fucking sham. They cooked up the whole scheme because all they wanted was to see me and to obviously distract me from my search for the Parcel.
They obviously weren't thinking about the consequences of their actions.
Using this whole method of 'illness' and a fucking self harm threat, wasn't funny, and it felt like I was the only one actually thinking of how fucked up that is.
Coming to them was at a risk. I pulled Aubrey with me, putting her in danger. Putting my mother and sister and this whole freaking mansion at gun point.
I was here because I cared.
When my enemies get a single whiff of this, I would have a lot of cleaning up to do.
"Do you think you can buy me over with some cheap beer?" I pulled a glare at my mom, standing in the warm kitchen, ignoring the sharp blows of nostalgia, hitting me from every corner of this mansion; the one I grew up in, the one I didn't realize I missed until now.
Her lips pressed into a warm smile, eyes shinning with joy anytime she looked in my direction. "It's not just any cheap beer. It's cheap cold beer, remember that time when you sneaked in here, so young, underaged and you took a bottle and drank from it because you said and I quote 'you love the way the bottle looked so cold and sweaty, and the tastes makes you feel like an adult.' After which I sent you to your room and argued with your distant aunt for leaving that in the open."
I dropped the 'cheap cold beer' on the table. "My tastes in things have changed over the past twelve years, and I don't drink beer."
"Pfft, you really haven't changed, have you?" Jullie's lips kicked up at the corner. She looked normal now, no more pale skin and the other make up that made it seem like she would die in a second, I wondered how she pulled that off.
"I still don't get it, how did you guys manage to make it look so real?" Aubrey asked, she was busy soaking down the beer, apparently falling in love with it.
"Oh, it's nothing a little make up couldn't pull off. I'm an aspiring actress, this was just a way of testing myself, and apparently it worked, considering TyTy's mood." Jullie smiled while I groaned at the nickname she used.
Nostalgia...
"Well congratulations, you might not actually live to remove the 'aspiring' from your dream profession because you just signed yourselves into a death contract. Do you know how many families would be out for your heads?"
"Dial it down, will you? Don't over exaggerate." Aubrey said.
"I'm not, Gray; you of all people know that this is going to be a complete disaster, nothing good is going to come out of this."
Jullie rolled her eyes."Why are you calling her Gray? This is the second time you've done that." Jullie asked, raising a brow and waiting for an answer.
"It's none of your business." I simply said.
Aubrey turned to face me with a frown on her face. "Why don't you just tell her?" She said.
I really needed to avoid this conversation, and the only way to do that was to pick up the beer bottle and drink, avoiding everyone's stare while I was at it.
"Fine, if you won't tell them, I will." Aubrey said.
I wondered what she wanted to tell them? Did she know the real reason why I called her Gray? Did she know that it was because of her alluring gray eyes?
"Well I think it's actually because, sometimes he forgets my name and mistakes it for this, I don't know, Gray lady."
I choked on the beer. "What?" I finally managed to let out. Is that what she had been thinking all this time?
Why does she seem to always think the worst of me?
"Am I wrong?" She asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know,you can think whatever the fuck you want to think." I said.
"If you think she's wrong, then why don't you tell us the real reason?" My mom said.
"It's either we kill this conversation or I kill the thoughts of staying here for an hour more." I said, gaining silence from everyone. "Perfect."
The sound of light footsteps approaching, made our heads turn to look at a boy of about twelve to thirteen years, standing at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at all of us with a frown etched to his brows.
So, I think this is Max. The brother I knew close to nothing about.
We had the same hair color and almost the same color of eyes, but his were more darker than my bright emerald ones.
"Max, come on in. Come meet your brother, this is Tyler—" My mom began to say, but was rudely cut off by Max.
"I know. Enzo just left. I'll be in my room if you need me." Max said, backing away before turning and making his way back through the direction he came.
"I'm really sorry about Max's behavior, he's probably having a bad day, I guess." My mom apologized, trying to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere around.
"He is always having bad days mom, the thing about Max is that, he's never happy." Jullie said in a matter of fact tone.
I nodded. "I like him already," I found myself saying. "The air he carries, it's familiar to Father's. I think he'd do well in future."
My mom frowned. "Oh, no. I'm not letting Max get involved with the family. He's a good kid. Nothing like your Father. That life will not be for him."
"I don't think he has much of a choice. It's how it works. He's already family. He has my blood and father's blood. I will not keep him out of it. I'll draw him closer."
"We'll see." Was all my mom said, not doing anything to hide her disapproving gaze.
Yeah...we'll see.
Aubrey
I can honestly say that I enjoyed my short visit to the Bresfort mansion, Tyler's family were— were so normal. More normal than I could have expected.
I also got myself invited to the function that Alice was planning, and I was definitely going to go. With, or without Tyler's approval. I promised I would go.
Getting into Tyler's home, uncertain and nervous as hell, I couldn't quite seem to quiet down my thoughts.
He would have had a normal life if he had stayed. If he never went with his father.
I'd spent enough time with Tyler to know that he wasn't completely a monster, that he didn't just go about hurting people for no reason. I knew his work, I knew what he had to do to get most things done, and I knew how many people he had spared from a violent end.
But... there was also the fact that he left me. That he somehow, found Lucas, and then killed him.
No doubt, just for the purpose of keeping me away for a long time.
Why?
He apologized but, somehow, that wasn't really enough, somehow I wanted to tame him, make him beg.
But then again, there's a really foolish part inside of me, telling me to just let it go and try to make this work, return his parcel and keep my head up.
Looking up, I found that he was already taking off his jacket.
"I have to go." My voice rang into the silence, staring at him as he turned slowly to stare back at me.
"You do understand that you're kidnapped, right?"
I gave him a blank look. "Oh, I almost forgot."
Now he looked quite uncomfortable. No... that wasn't even the baffling part. He was 'showing' me that he was uncomfortable. His weight shifting from one foot to another, idle hand going to run fingers through already disheveled hair. "So...you still want to go? After everything that happened today?" His voice faltered a bit.
I scoffed and folded my arms to my chest. "What were you thinking? That I would forgive you just because you took me to the Bresfort mansion? Don't think because I was there for you today, means I've forgiven you, or that I'm going to let you continue to toy with my intelligence. You can't fool me any more Tyler."
Tyler sighed, his hands going to rub his eyes in tiredness and exhaustion. "Why would you think I was fooling you? Damn, you're so difficult to handle."
"And you aren't?" I said.
"You seriously can't be really that upset with me."
"Oh Ty, you have no idea how much I am." I said.
"But I apologized to you."
"It didn't cut it."
"But it was all part of the plan! I didn't mean anything I said, I told you this already." Tyler said.
"Then you must be insane to think I would believe you. You can stand here and lie to yourself, I'm leaving." I said, making my way to the door.
I would be lying to myself if I said a big part of me didn't want to stay. I shouldn't be thinking this, I shouldn't even entertain the thought but— fuck it—I wanted to stay, to be with him tonight, to feel his hands all over me. I could make it happen. I should. You know, implement my plan to break him emotionally, but I knew I'd be enjoying it more than I should, I knew I would never go through with it. I knew I'd lean in, instead of leaning away when the time was right.
"You're gonna leave without your purse? Or your phone?" He called out, stopping me.
I turned to look at him. "Where are they?"
He walked closer to me, and I swallowed, feeling a twist in my stomach as my heart picked up.
"Upstairs," he said, stopping right in front of me... I wish I could say he was too close for comfort, but I was reveling in his closeness. "Don't go, Gray. Stay with me tonight, let me show you," his finger went to caress my cheek, causing a flush to them. "how sorry I am."
"I don't trust you."
"Then let me earn it." He gulped down, gaze falling to my lips. "I honestly don't know what this is, but I know I don't want to let it go. I made a mistake by sending you. I shouldn't have put you through that, and I'm sorry."
"Ty—"
"One more chance," he cupped the side of my face tenderly, looking me right in the eye as he said. "Please, Bree."
There was a thud in my heart, but I refused to acknowledge it.
I was too far gone with my revenge. I needed to stop thinking with this thing in my chest. It was what got me in trouble in the first place.
I might as well move on to phase two.
Heart be damned.
"Fine. You get one more chance."
He breath out a sigh of relief, pulling me for an— an embrace?
"Up?" He whispered the question to me.
"Up." I responded.