Page 100 of My Brother’s Best Friends Entanglement

I've been sitting in this exact position for two hours, arms crossed so tight my shoulders ache, staring at the same blank patch of wall I'll probably be seeing in my dreams.

If I ever sleep again. If I can ever get the image of Alexia all dressed up, ready to go out with another fucking guy.

The ache in my chest is making it hard to breathe let alone sleep. And it’s taking everything in me to stay rooted to this spot and not drive to Highwater to make it clear to her, to Craig and everyone within earshot that Alexia belongs to me, and only me.

But I don’t even need to go to Highwater to be fighting with another man for her. I barely have to look a foot to my left.

I’m not alone here.

Marcus is on his phone, mindlessly scrolling. Rhys has paperwork spread across the coffee table, but he's been staring at the same page for as long as I've been staring at the wall, pen gripped in his hand, not moving.

None of us has said a word since she left.

Until now.

"I want to talk about Alexia," I say, looking directly at Marcus. "Specifically you and Alexia."

He doesn't stop scrolling. "And I want to talk about you and Alexia."

"Fine." I sit forward, elbows on my knees. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"We kissed," I say simply. "You?"

"I'm not done," he snaps. "When did you kiss?" He's still not looking at me, but at least his thumb has stopped.

"Monday night," I tell him. "We'd been having late-night chats when I came home from the bar."

"Nothing before that?"

I hesitate then decide I want to tell them. If we're doing this, might as well do it properly. "We almost kissed once. At Leon's birthday, before she moved to Sydney. He interrupted before anything happened. That's it. That's everything. Your turn."

He sighs, puts his phone down, slides to the edge of the couch. "We slept together. The night of my demo house reveal. But I guess you know that."

I did but that doesn’t stop the way that my heart now feels like it’s been split apart into its four chambers and will never get put back together. I should’ve come home that night after we kissed. How could I have been so stupid? Maybe she’d be with me now, instead of having slept with my best friend and now doing who fucking knows what with that douchebag.

Marcus takes a deep breath and keeps going, "What you don't know is, we kissed at a party before she went to Sydney."

I wait for more, but he stops there. There's something else he doesn't want to share. I don't push.

"Okay. And now? What do you want? Now that you've slept with her." The words come out harsher than I mean them to.

His eyes narrow. "What's that supposed to mean? I want to be with her! You think now that we've had sex I'm done?"

I don't say anything, but I don't deny it either. Or maybe I’m just hoping for that. That now he’s gotten her out of his system, I can have her, wholly and fully. But who am I kidding, who would ever give her up if they could have her?

"That's bullshit, if that's what you think. I wouldn't do that!" he says, his voice thick with offense.

I scoff, letting my own frustration at myself seep into my anger at him. "That's rich, coming from you. Forgive me if I'm having trouble believing you suddenly want a relationship. It's a little out of character."

"Is it? You mean out of character like you coming home straight from the bar every night?" Marcus challenges. "Or should I say, you were doing that, until you kissed her. Then you started disappearing for days on end. You're asking what I want, but I don't hear you saying what you want. At least I’m willing to fight for her!”

"I want her!" I shout. “I will fight for her.”

It's his turn to scoff. "You've had six years to say something and you haven't. Now that you know she and I have something, suddenly you're all about sharing your feelings?"

"You should know all about not saying anything. I didn't see you declaring your feelings for her." Something ugly niggles in my chest. "Maybe you're the one who came forward because it was obvious something was happening with her and me.”