004.

~~Indigo~~

Bianca, Brax’s fiancee, shows up a few minutes after breakfast with her family and while the families mix up to share laughs, I excuse myself to get busy with the decorations for the dinner party.

Emily is of no help right now. Not when Brax’s twin cousins are following her around the house like lost puppies. I’m pretty sure my ears will be filled with profanities by the time she returns.

The ladder is wobbly on my way down and I take a peek at my phone. “I missed lunch and soon dinner. Great!”

My first thought is to head back into the house. On a second thought, I don’t want to go through the heartache of bumping into Brax and his inseparable ‘wife-to-be’.

I take a detour to the back of the house where the lake is.

I know for a fact that it’s the most quiet place in this small paradise. However, my hope for some peace and quiet is dashed when I spot the back of Bianca’s dark head gripped by Brax’s fingers as they share a deep kiss.

My fingers ball into fists by my side as my feet refuse to lead me away from the spot. When I snatch back the willpower to move, I turn and walk right into a muscled wall.

“Look who we have here.” Slade echoes loud. “Spying on the soon-to-be couple in their private moment. You don’t have a single thought in that head about boundaries, do you?”

I place a hand over his mouth, hissing in warning. “Shush it, goofball!”

But it’s too late. “Indie? Slade? come on over. Is Emily on her way as well? We should get to know each other well before the wedding. A little bit of bonding.” Bianca gives me a good-natured grin, one I find very deceptive.

“I’ll pass,” I reply very sarcastically despite myself. My sass is lost on her as she presses, “It’s just for a few minutes. You don’t even have to dip in the water.”

“No, baby,” Brax protests, massaging her neck and peppering small kisses on the side of her face. “You heard the lady.”

My fingernails dig deeper into my palm, hard enough to break skin any moment. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

“I think we’re okay. Indigo and I were just getting to know each other better. You both can get on with what you were busy with,” Slade fills in for us, even though I hate the hand he’s just draped over my shoulders.

I shrug it off instantly. What I hate most is the fact that Brax doesn’t stop blatantly rubbing his love for her all over my face, kissing her neck while she makes small giggling noises in the back of her throat.

Bloody PDA!

“Surely, you can grant a bride one request. Can’t you, Indie?” She asks gently again, pinning her eyes on me. Only me. Like she wants something only I can give.

Brax has his eyes on me as well, studying my expression and waiting for my answer. There’s only one way out of this embarrassment and I’m going to regret it but, even though the words feels like bile in my throat…

“We don’t wanna intrude on your private moments. Slade and I will just scoot out of your hair now. Won’t we, Slade?”

I look up at the man behind me to find him with a very smug smile. “Yes, we would. Lots of things to talk about and try. We’ll try not to disrupt the silence of your sanctuary with our voices.” Horrified at the direction of his words and the images planted in my mind, I slap his arm so hard. Brax narrows his eyes over Bianca’s head, first at his brother, then at me.

He looks so…disappointed. To be honest, my heart breaks a little more. This weekend getaway has been the worst decision of my whole life as I keep selling myself short before Brax.

His lips brush the tip of my ear for a moment, throwing me off balance for a second. He’s so close I can feel his breath on my bare shoulder, in warm gushes.

“Still as selfish as always. He won’t ever change.” Slade whispers so only I can hear him.

Brax shakes his head at me in disapproval before growing the balls to say, “I thought you were busy doing something productive instead of hanging around bad company?”

What the–

“On second thought,” the craziest idea springs up in my mind, “Maybe I need to unwind.” I take measured steps towards the planks leading up to the lake.

If his darkened look is anything to go by, it means Slade is right behind me. Instead of listening to common sense, I throw all of that to the wind as I undress, thanking my stars for the matching underwear I chose this morning.

Slade draws a sharp breath. Brax’s face turns redder than beetroot and Bianca–simply happy that I chose to accept her invite. She hasn’t the faintest idea what I intend to do.

“I take back my words this morning. I think it’s actually in my favour that my brother stays married to Bianca.” Slade licks his lips, ogling my body with such a brazen attitude.

I tear away my gaze from his hypnotizing stare, grounding myself in the truth that he’s not Brax and this whole rebellious move is to grab his attention.

Not Slade’s.

But that look in his eyes is the exact one I’d imagined Brax would reward me with someday. I wade into the water slowly approaching the couple and keeping my gaze fixed on Brax. Perhaps if I tried harder, he’ll realize how wrong it is for him to be with Bianca who barely knows him like I do. Yes, that’s it.

An arm wraps around my mid-section right before my back is pulled flush against hard chest. I know without looking that it’s one of Slade’s audacious moves.

“That’s pretty condescending that you touch a woman without her consent, dear brother.” Brax’s face sharpens with contempt as he eyes the hand on my waist, then looks at me with the same.

“I don’t see her complaining about it, dear brother.” Slade’s words carry the same bite of sarcasm. “Why are you so worked up? Don’t tell me that’s jealousy I see there. Sad for you, you should’ve had her before I came for her.”

“I’m looking out for her like the older brother I’ve always been in her life. Because I do not want you playing chess with her heart knowing you have quite a reputation. She doesn’t enjoy it and you should keep your hands by your side when you’re around her.”

Anger fills me at his assumptions, despite how right he might sound but what he does sound like right now, is a selfish prick.

“Who are you to make guesses about me? How would you know what I do like if you’ve never checked?”

“But–”

“Focus on Bianca, Braxton. She’s beginning to feel left out.” My voice wavers and emotions wound tight in my throat as I say those words. Hurt and fear. Fear that I may have pushed it too far.

Slade’s hands leave my waist, gliding over to my shoulders which he starts to massage gently, undoing the balls of tension knotted there. My worries chip away, little by little.

“Didn’t know you had it in you to call out your best friend. All you ever seemed to do was bend back over for him, it was disgusting to watch,” He whispers in my ear. “Good little girl.”

His truth stings but why does his last words undo my loathe for this man. Why am I suddenly aware of his finger sliding up and down my spine? Why those tiny nerve endings singing out at his touch?

What am I even doing?

“You should let it go.” Bianca shocks me by saying. “You’re meddling too much into her privacy. She makes no complaint about Slade’s company, yet you’re the one who has an issue with it. You need to stop.”

And yes, she doesn’t look a tiny bit impressed with him.

In that quiet moment, Brax opens his mouth like he’s about to say something but thinking against it, he apologizes softly to Bianca and dares to slant his mouth over hers which she greedily accepts.

“I don’t understand how you can keep loving this pri–” Slade starts to say but freezes when I turn to him with tears in my eyes. Tears I never wanted him to see. “Are you sure you want to remain here?” His tone is the softest I’ve ever heard him use.

Instead of giving him a reply, I wade out of the water, grab my discarded clothes on the plank and storm out of there.

I shouldn’t have agreed to Brax’s dumb idea of planning his wedding. Who am I kidding? He’s very much in love with his bride and it’ll take a typhoon to wreck them apart.

And I’m not strong enough for that.