AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And with that, he picked up his shirt from the floor and pulled it back on, leaving me standing there alone, wondering why this man was having such an extreme effect on my body.
Chapter 2
Grayson
“Whatthehellareyou doing, Tanner? We go on in a couple of hours and you’re wasted,” Mav yelled as he pointed to the nearly empty bottle of whiskey our brother held in his hands.
“You know I play better with a drink or two inside me,” he slurred back, his glazed eyes staring at us.
“No, you fucking don’t. And that’s not a drink or two, that’s a bottle. And I bet that’s not the only thing you’ve put in your body. You’re turning in a prize dick, Tan.” Maverick’s jaw clenched as he stepped closer to Tanner.
I felt the anger bouncing between them both. I didn’t like getting involved, but I couldn’t let this carry on.
“Enough, both of you. Don’t you think this has gone on long enough, Tanner? Frankie can’t even look at you. We’re losing all our patience with you and Addi is about to have a breakdown with the shit you keep causing for her. Put the booze down and let me make you a coffee.”
“Fuck off, Gray.” Tanner shoved past me, smashing his shoulder against mine, storming to his suite. “None of you would be anything without me. Maybe it’s time to remember that,” he screamed as slammed his door, shutting us out.
“He wouldn’t be anywhere without us. He’d do well to remember that sometimes. Mum and Dad literally saved him. You think he’d be a bit more grateful,” Mav muttered.
I raised my eyebrow at my twin and shook my head. “Not on, brother. Not on at all. No matter what a prick he’s being, he’s family and you know none of us would change him coming to live with us when his mum left. Don’t do that. Don’t throw that at him, because I’m not sure he'd ever forgive you.”
“Fine. I’m just so fucking sick of him thinking he’s the god around here. He couldn’t do this without us… without Frankie.”
“He’s just having a diva moment,” I offered, not believing a word of it.
“It’s more than a moment, Gray, and you know it. What he did to Frankie. He’s not even explained or apologized. And now he’s off his face all the time. It’s too much. He’s going to fuck it all up for all of us.”
I sighed because Mav was right. Tanner had been in a downward spiral for months, if not years, and none of us seemed to be able to drag him out of it. Drinking, drugs, the parties, and the women—it was constant and becoming a problem I wasn’t sure we could fix.
“Go find Addi. Get her to talk to him. Try to sober him up.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to take a step outside and breathe for a few minutes before we leave for the venue. Therapist’s orders.”
“How’s it going?”
“The therapy or my OCD?”
“Both? Sorry, I’ve not asked you sooner, but I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about it.”
I swallowed down my shame at having to have this conversation. “I don’t. But I guess it’s getting better. My compulsions aren’t as bad, and I do feel like I’m more in control.”
“And the showering?”
“Twice a day, like any sane person. My skin’s loads better and I’m not overthinking everything, sending myself crazy. I’m getting better, brother. I promise.”
Mav wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning his head on my shoulder in a moment of brotherly love we didn’t get to share too often these days. “I still can’t believe I didn’t know. I should have been able to feel your pain, Gray. I’m sorry. All that time. Dealing with it on your own. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
Elbowing him away from me, trying to lighten the mood, I smiled. “Mav, you don’t have to apologize. It’s not your job to look after me. I’m a grown-ass man and I should have been able to ask for help. It was just a lot. I didn’t even realize it was a problem until it was all out of control.”
“I’m proud of you, little bro. I hope you know that. Getting help and sorting your shit out, unlike that dick in there.”
“Little bro? You’re eleven minutes older than me, you cheeky fuck.”
“Yeap and I lived a lot of life in those eleven minutes.” We both laughed as he wrapped his arm around me again as if he was trying to reignite our twin bond, not that he ever needed to. He was my ride or die. The fact I couldn’t tell him when my OCD was at its worst showed me just how lost I was.
“Don’t be afraid to talk to me, Gray. Please. I know it’s hard, but I want to understand. I want to help.”
