Alex Junior
Olivia
Ieye the wickedbruise Theo magically woke up with this morning on the side of his face. “So are you going to tell me how you got that or am I going to have to guess?” I ask him since he still hasn’t said anything about it.
He pauses at my question, his spoon laden with steaming porridge halfway to his mouth as he flicks his gaze from Alex to me. The three of us are the only people sitting outside in the freezing cold, huddled around a small fire Rhys started. Harlow snuggles up next to me, watching me eat with a keen gaze in case I drop any food. Everyone else grabbed their food and raced back inside, where it’s marginally warmer.
Except for Rhys. I’m not entirely sure where he is. Probably patrolling around the wooded area that surrounds the house we stayed in overnight, scowling at the trees and bushes like they personally offended him.
“I walked into something,” Theo mumbles before shoving the spoon into his mouth and avoiding my gaze.
I cock an eyebrow. “Really?” Has Theo always been this bad a liar?
He nods and shovels more food into his mouth. Alex suspiciously does the same, both of them staring hard at their porridge like it’ll give them the secrets to the universe. At least the thick tension that’s been between them for the past several days is gone, replaced with whatever the hellthisis.
My eyes narrow as I place my half-eaten breakfast on the frozen ground in front of me and study them. Apart from the black and blue bruise on Theo’s face, neither of them look any different than they did yesterday. Maybe a little more well-rested, if the lack of dark circles around their eyes is any indication, and Alex isn’t looking at us with icy blankness. So it doesn’t take a genius to understand thatsomethinghappened between them last night.
Something involving Theo’s face, and Alex’sveryobviously bruised knuckles.
Hmm.
“So how did you walk into Alex’s fist?”
Theo chokes on a mouthful of food, and Alex immediately jumps into action, slapping his friend on the back.
“W-what makes you say that?” Theo says, having recovered from his choking.
Alex moves back to his spot in front of the fire as he trains his gaze on me, his blue eyes wide with shock and alarm.
“Seriously? Half your face is a different colour and Alex’s fist isn’t exactly looking pristine either.”
I’d laugh if I wasn’t so annoyed that they thought they could hide something like this from me. As if I wouldn’t notice the bruises or the change in how they interact with one another when just yesterday, Alex was doing his damnedest to avoid us at all costs while giving us nothing but cold looks.
Idiots.
Theo blows out a breath. “We didn’t want to worry you.”
“So you tried to lie instead?” I flick my gaze to Alex. “Are you at least going to tell mewhyyou punched him?”
Alex shifts, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation as he fidgets with his half-eaten pot of food. “Things got heated, and I… lost control.” He swallows hard, his eyes darting everywhere but at me.
Theo huffs. “What he won’t tell you is that I definitely deserved it. I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have and basically goaded the poor guy into punching me. The fact that I walked away with only this bruise is a miracle.”
Alex grimaces and shakes his head. “I wouldn’t say he deserved it.”
“I would.”
“Theo…”
“Alex.”
The two of them fall silent and glare at each other.
My God, these men… “Have you at least sorted whatever caused the fight?” While I’d rather they didn’t punch one another, if it means they no longer have this weird chasm between them, then they can punch each other as much as they like.
Within reason.
Theo is the first to break their little stare down. “Mostly,” he says with a casual shrug.
