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“Not like this, Cal. Never like this.”
“What did you really think was going to happen, Nico? This thing between you has been futile since it first began. It was obvious to everyone that you were going to hurt her eventually.”
Her words trail off as I lose myself in my own dark thoughts.
Is she right? Was this always how it was going to end?
No.
Brianna was never meant to end up in a hospital bed because of me.
The games we’ve been playing.
They’re just that… games.
We both get off on them as much as each other.
Just because the others don’t understand our dynamic, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for us.
Not that there is an us.
That’s the whole point.
Neither of us wants an us. It’s why it’s so much fun.
Isn’t it?
“What’s wrong with her?” I force out through the lump in my throat.
Calli pauses, and I’m sure it’s just to build the tension to ensure the knot in my stomach tightens to the point of pain.
“Concussion. Mostly cuts and bruises.”
“But her arm?” My eyes drop to the sling and bandage that sneaks out of the ugly hospital gowns we’re both wearing.
“She’s got some bad cuts down her upper arm. She had to have surgery to remove the glass.”
“Shit.”
“Yep. She’s going to be left with a reminder of that night, and you, for the rest of her life. Well done, big bro. I hope you’re fucking proud of yourself.”
“Fuck,” I breathe, dropping my head into one of my hands, refusing to release Brianna to make use of the other.
Pain and regrets drip through my veins as my grip on Brianna’s hand tightens.
I have no idea how long I sit there with thoughts of all the people I’ve let down recently before rustling hits my ear.
“Nic?” a deep, familiar voice says.
Glancing over my shoulder, I discover that half of the lump in the camp bed belongs to my best friend.
Despite the room being in darkness—aside from some emergency lighting and the moon seeping in through the cracks in the blinds—his eyes widen at the sight of me and he sucks in a sharp breath.
“Shit, you’ve looked better.”
“Felt it too,” I mutter, hating the bitter rejection that swamps me at the realisation that he hasn’t visited me to see it before.
It’s the right thing to do. Brianna deserves all their support right now.
