Share
22. Bryanna
Related chapters
Always 23. Bryanna
What do I have to tell my brother? It seems unlikely to confess to Adrian that I forgot our family tradition because of a man. A special one to me, but still … a man. “Ng … I …,” I stutter, “I … I had … something that day,” I stupidly and weakly lie to him.Silence.He knows I’m lying. Of course he knows.“I … I … I forgot.”Another few beats of silence.Another exhale. Shit. He probably has an idea of what—or who—was the thing I had that day. No, he absolutely knows. What the heck am I gonna do? Anxiety courses through my vein. What will he do? Adrian exhales one more time. Maybe he’s trying to calm himself. “Fine,” he says at last. “I’ll be back in the city on Friday. You’d better be home on Sunday, you hear me?” He uses his big brother voice, commanding and terrifying as fuck. It’s making me more nervous. He rarely used it. I quickly promise, “I will.”“Call mom anytime soon. You didn’t hear the sadness in her voice, Bug.”Adrian’s weakness is the women in his life, his family.
Always 24. Bryanna
I’m surprised by the buzz on my hand.Yeah, good girlfriends don’t cling to their boyfriends, they clings to their phones. How about that? My heart deflates after seeing Adrian’s name on the screen for the millionth time since Thursday. He called, he texted, constantly, just to remind me of our family Sunday dinner that I missed once. Once! For God’s sake, just once!Ugh! This is NOT the perks of having a perfectionist and bordering control freak sibling. And this is sooo freaking exasperating. I’m not stupid. And I am not planning on repeating my mistake again. He just have to trust me, that asshole brother of mine.Adrian : *I’m on my way home. You need a ride?* Do I want to sacrifice myself and jump into a pool full of hungry man eating piranhas? Was my first time sex experience satisfying? Am I gonna trap myself in a car with him? The answer to all those questions is no, no and hard freaking NO! Screw him. I don’t want to ride with him right now. Bryanna : *Nope.*Adrian : *O
Always 25. Bryanna
I try to hold the tremble in my voice. “Mama—” “Yeah, OUR mother is so fucking devastated her baby girl couldn’t keep her fucking promise, again. And make that double because so is dad now,” he cuts my words, and my feeling. I bite my trembling lips.“And for what, huh?” Adrian continues. “For some popstar wanna be who left after he got what he wanted?”Ouch. That stings, because everything is, right now. “Wh-what are y-you talking a-about?” In the middle of this … devastation, I still have to protect my boyfriend’s virtue in front of him. Or, at least, trying to. He chuckles bitterly. “Don’t play dumb, Bryanna. I have my suspicion. And what I just saw confirmed it.” I can’t help but feeling a little hurt when he keeps calling me with my name. I feel like I no longer his bugging little sister he loved so much. Ad takes a step closer to me and leans down. “I saw he left the building, Bryanna. He was lucky we didn’t cross path or I will fucking strangle that piece of shit!” He sp
Always 26. Lincoln
"Well, look what the cat had dragged in," I say to my best friend as he plops down his body on the stool across from me. "Something wet and smell." Raising my brows, I add, "Like a bad lay."Adrian just huffs and finger combs his hair. Okay, then. I turn to grab a top shelf brand of liquor and pour him a glass. Usually, all he need to wind down or wash the "taste" after not so stellar rolling in the sack was whiskey neat.He lets out another huff and tugs at the end of his hair. My brows are raising even higher. They're almost on the line of my hair now. Is he seriously ignoring the drink? Well .... "I fucked up." This wasn't what I was expecting. My best friend huffs again. Okay, this seems pretty bad. Leaning down, I put my arms on the table, fingers intertwines with each other. I look at him—really look—for the first time since he arrived. The blue t-shirt, black leather jacket, denim jeans he wears is impeccable as ever. No suit, because today is Sunday. And Sunday means f
Always 27. Bryanna
I spent the night tossing and turning. All of the negative emotions kept my eyes wide open. Sadness, anger, hurt, and guilt. So much guilt. Then, with the over bearing guilt came shame. I am ashamed of what I did to mom. I am ashamed of what I said to Adrian.I slept like shit. It's no rocket science to figure out my mood is wrecked in the morning.Fuck, I don't want to come to work like this.Actually, I don't want to do anything today. I want to .... I text Remi to inform her I won't be coming in to the office and ask her to forward any important emails to my personal account. I also text another person but he didn't reply. Maybe he's busy at the studio already. Okay, then. Surprise visit it is. So, on the hunt of some distraction, in the search of a good way to forget, I head to the only place I could get it. After putting on a plausible amount of make up to hide the shame and its tracks—as known as the purple bag under my eyes, I walk out of my apartment a little after twelve.
Always 28. Lincoln
I wake up, and suddenly someone begins to play drum in my ears. My head is pounding. My face is sore. My body feels like I've been hitted by a Mack truck.What the hell? I try to open my eyes but it's a real hard job to do. From the slightly opened eyes, I see my surrounding. This is when I realize I'm on the hard floor of Adrian's condo. What the heck? Then, bits and pieces of last night are coming back to me.Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Do not want to upset my already queasy stomach, I sit up slowly. Shit. I shouldn't drink. The damn hangover makes everything even worse. I vow to never touch a drink ever again.Yeah, right, my inner self rolls his eyes at the total bullshit I just spouted. Even more sluggishly, I pad to the guest bathroom. Thank God Adrian didn't change anything in the mean time since last night. Or, I won't find the Tylenol at the usual place in the cabinet under the sink.I wash three of them down my throat with a glass of water from the tap. The mirror in front of me s
Always 29. Lincoln
I've been sitting on my ass for the past hour in front of Bry's apartemen door before the elevator opens and out she walks. So gracefully. So enchanting. So beautiful.My girl. The love of my life. The only girl I give my heart to.Damn, she's a sight to sore eyes. With only denim short shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers, she could turn all the heads her way. She easily holds my eyes for these past years.And, honestly, it's not always about the look, the body, or the money with her. She got this ... aura that drawn people closer. I like to chalk it out on her inner beauty.Yeah, my girl is a rare gem in this fucked up world and I even more fucked up to let her slipped through my fingers.And for the first time since I saw her, I realize she wasn't wearing her power suit; the outfit she wore to the office. Why is she not wearing them? Didn't she go to the office today? If not, what did she do?Then another thing clicked.It's Sunday, you idiot.The blinding smile that was on her face when s
Always 30. Bryanna
"What the fuck do you mean?" I ask him. The nagging feeling at the back of my head tells me I maybe have an idea of what he meant, but my heart refuses to acknowledge it. No, he can't be talking about that ....That ....He can't.No, no, no. Not now, not ever.No! He can't be talking about that ... night.My heart constricts. Fuck. Yes, I adored him once, when I was a young, naive teenager.There, I said it. I adored him when all I saw was the nerdy and kind guy, who silently stole my heart with his dark glances, secret smiles, and attentions he gave me behind my brother's back. I adored him enough to make him the one I lost my virginity to. I adored him enough to give him a thing so precious on the night of my eighteenth birthday.That night, he whispered me sweet nothings, he promised me anything.And, yes, he then left me, diappeared into the thin night air, never to be heard, or seen again. He left me alone, used, with a bleeding sheet and—not so surprisingly—a bleeding heart.
Latest chapter
