Nash
My hands didn’t shake when I played at Fenway in Boston to a crowd of forty thousand. Same goes for the audience of sixty-five thousand at Hyde Park in London. But they’re shaking now. There’s a clear blue sky above me with the sun shining down and birds singing as the river lazily drifting past. This should be a soothing scene. I’ve been sitting here trying to process what’s going on, however, and yeah. I’ve got nothing. “What the fuck even was that?”
Charlie and Angus both turn to me. One with sadness on his face and the other in surprise.
I freeze. “What?”
“We thought we broke you or something,” says Angus.
“Those are the first words you’ve said in over an hour,” answers Charlie. “You’ve just been sitting there staring at nothing.”
My eyes are open painfully wide. “My new life just blew up and it’s looking a whole lot like I was the one who threw the grenade.”
“She should have told you the minute Farmer approached her,” says Angus.
“To be fair though, you were having a good night,” counters Charlie. “Running around helping Rose and making up with everyone. You were the damn prom queen and she didn’t want to ruin your party because she cares about you.”
“She accepted the car.” Angus shakes his head. “What does that tell you?”
“That Audrey and I both told her multiple times to keep it because it was the least of what the company owed me. I don’t give a shit about the car.” I frown. “Why didn’t she tell me about Farmer first thing this morning though?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” drawls Charlie. “Because she’s human and fallible and no one really wants to deliver bad or annoying news to someone they love.”
“She hasn’t said she loves me.” I stare at the river in thought. “Do you think she does?”
My brother scoffs. “It’s way too soon for that sort of thing.”
And his words stop me. Because they’re as wrong as can be. “I knew my feelings for her were big days ago. Just wasn’t ready to do anything about them.”
Angus raises his brows. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“But you clearly don’t trust her and are worried about the blank check or what are we doing here?”
I slump back in the chair. “You and your trust issues and my fucked up past got in my head and…fuck!”
“She wouldn’t have been the first to betray you,” says Angus.
“People have used you in the past.” Charlie squints against the light of the sun. “It kind of comes with the rich and famous territory. But June never seemed overly interested in your money, and if anything she was downright wary of your fame.”
I just grunt.
“Has she asked you to buy her anything?” asks Angus.
“No.”
“I know she’s not posting pictures of you together for likes or follows.”
I shake my head. “It’s not her thing.”
Charlie relaxes back in his chair. “Guess the question is…do you really think she would betray you?”
“He offered her a blank check,” growls Angus. “A blankfuckingcheck.”
“And where the fuck is that check, huh?” I snap back at him. “Answer me that, brother. Cause I know she hasn’t got it. What’s she’s got is me promising we’d stick together and then fucking everything up the first chance that comes because I can’t get past the distrust and bullshit left over from other relationships. That’s the truth of it.”
Nothing from Charlie. Not a single word.
