Grief tugs sharp in my chest.“Thank you.”
She nods, her eyes steady.“I lost my brother in the plane crash.”
My eyes widen.I don’t remember reading that and Atlas never said anything.The original Titans team perished in a crash a little over two years ago, and Brienne has rebuilt the organization from the ground up.“I’m so sorry… I didn’t know that.”
She offers a soft smile, one that still holds pain and is a testament that grief never fully goes away.“So I know what it is to lose family suddenly and the need to keep going anyway.”
I swallow, the shared ache knitting a fragile thread between us.“I have to keep going for Grayce.”
“Yes, you do, and Atlas says you’re doing an amazing job.He couldn’t do this without you.”
I shake my head.“I’m finding that I couldn’t do it without Atlas.”
“You’re both building a new life.And different doesn’t mean lesser.Just… different.”
I nod, throat tight.
Brienne’s voice gentles, warm but steady.“Tell me about Gray.What little I know, he and Atlas were childhood friends, but how did you two meet?”
A sneaking suspicion had been growing on me that I was going to really like Brienne Norcross by the end of this evening, but it’s fully confirmed now.No one, other than Atlas, has asked me that question.Not that I blame anyone.Most people focus on me and Grayce and other important life things.
But it’s been forever since I could talk about Gray with someone who didn’t have anything to do with his death.
I let out a half laugh, unexpected as I remember the first time I met him.“First week of freshman year of college, Gray and I met in the dorm laundry room, of all places.I shoved all my clothes into the only open machine, and of course, it died the second I hit start.He was right behind me with his basket, saw the whole thing, and I think saw I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.Instead of letting me stew in embarrassment, he dumped his laundry on top of mine and declared us ‘co-owners of a broken appliance.’”
Brienne laughs with delight and a smile tugs at me.“We ended up hand-washing socks in the sink that night and splitting a Snickers from the vending machine for dinner.After that, laundry night just… became our thing.Sarcasm, bad folding, junk food.All the things necessary for a good friendship.”I smile in fond memory.“He became my first true friend in this world.”
Brienne’s eyes shimmer with curiosity.“And it never turned romantic?”
I snort, the idea of it preposterous.“Never.Our bond was instantly like siblings.”
“He sounds incredibly special.Were you and Atlas close too?”
I look horrified.“God, no.We really didn’t like each other at all.”
“Really?”she asks, leaning forward.
I nod with a chuckle.“I think we were jealous of each other, but you sort of have to throw that away when you become responsible for a tiny human being.”
Brienne’s lips curve.“That sounds about right.”
“Yeah.Looking back, it’s ridiculous.Turns out we’re both stubborn as hell, both protective of Gray, both convinced we knew what was best.”A softer note slips in before I can stop it.“But when we finally stopped circling each other?I realized… we were more alike than I ever wanted to admit.”
Her eyes sharpen a fraction.“And now?”
I hesitate, because these are such personal questions, but the words come anyway.“Now… he’s been incredible through all of this.Stepped up without being asked.He’s steady and present, and he does everything with this quiet intensity.So many of the same qualities I loved and respected in Gray, I see in him.”My voice wavers, and I bite down on the edge of it.
Brienne studies me for a beat, then says gently, “It sounds like you’ve developed feelings for him.”
The rush of heat to my cheeks is immediate, hot enough I want to fan myself.“No,” I blurt, too sharp.Then, more honest.“Well.Maybe… a little.”
The truth is, I’m falling for him as my walls continue to crumble.This is nowhere more evident than by the fact that he successfully talked me into staying in his bed all night after we had sex.It had been getting harder to leave it, and when he once again asked me to stay last night, I relented.
Brienne’s smile holds no judgment, just patience.“So what’s keeping you from exploring more than a co-parenting arrangement?”
I stare at the ice below, at the blur of players skating lazy arcs during warm-ups.“Trust,” I say finally, because although I’m in his bed all night now, I’m still keeping pieces of myself locked away.
Her brows lift, inviting me to go on.I study her expression, analyze her posture.I look closely for some sort of ulterior motive, and apparently, I’m wearing that suspicion on my face.
