Page 92 of My Brother's Teammates

“Harrison—”

“That’s not love. That’s some sort of perverted game you’re playing. I hope you had fun. Hope it was worth it.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he holds up a hand to stop me. His eyes fall closed for a moment before he fixes me with a stare filled with disappointment and resentment. “Don’t. Not right now.”

And for the second time today, he turns and walks away.

Only this time, I let him.

THIRTY-FOUR

Charlotte

My chest burns with the effort of breathing between my heavy sobs. My mouth is parched, and my eyes are swollen from all the tears I’ve cried. It’s only been a few minutes since Harrison stormed out of the room like the building was on fire with Jace hot on his heels, but my muscles are so heavy it feels like I’ve been crying for days.

Part of me wonders if it’s the weight of all the secrets being out in the open that’s got my body feeling like it’s been hit by a bus.

Mateo bursts back into the apartment. “I couldn’t find them. I don’t know where they’ve gone.” He takes one look at me, and all the anger and resentment drains from his face. He crosses the room, kneeling at my feet as I sit on the couch, waiting for Roman to come back with a drink and Kleenex.

“Fuck them. They can handle each other. Are you okay?”

I shake my head, fresh tears streaming down my face. “Teo, what if they really hurt each other? Or worse! They can’t…” I can’t even finish my thought out loud. Harrison and Jace are like peanut butter and jelly. They’re ‘finish-each-other’s sentences’ level of bromance.

They’ve been best friends since middle school and I… They…

My hands tremble as Roman offers me a glass. “He’s right, Charlotte.” He strokes my cheek. “They’re grown men, they can figure this out between themselves. And while they’re kissing and making up, we can figure out what’s next for the rest of us. It’ll all work out.”

In theory, sure, but we saw how those same grown men handled themselves just moments ago. They’ve both got bloodied faces and bruised knuckles, and as a group, we’re still nowhere. What does all this mean for all of us?

Mateo and Roman stare at me like they’re waiting for me to say something, like I might have the answers, a secret code that’ll solve this problem between Jace and Harrison. Hell, between all of us, but I don’t.

This might be what ends their friendship. And they’ll be broken because of me.

My heart stutters. And what about me and Harrison? Where does this leave us? Or Harrison and Roman and Mateo?

Where does this leave any of us?

I don’t know what I was thinking when I asked to move in here. This is just another thing that proves what a screwup I am. I could’ve spent what little money I had on a hotel room. I could have gone back home. I could have asked Harrison for help. But no. I had to do it on my own. Now look where we are.

My own brother may never speak to me again.

This isn’t like making the soccer team when we were little. Harry was so fucking excited that I got picked for the team… but mostly I picked flowers and scored my own goals. The disappointment in his eyes when I came off the pitch was barely masked by his “Good job, Peanut.”

But this… this is so much worse.

Fuck.

My chest tightens.

If it’s a choice between my brother and the guys, my brother wins, right? Harry wins. He has to win. He’s my brother, and I love him. He’ll be my brother forever.

Bros before man-hos, right?

The pain in my body might rip me apart from the inside as I look into Teo and Roman’s sad eyes. I don’t want to give them up. I don’t want to walk away. I want to see where this relationship between us all might go. But I don’t know if what I want is worth the risk. Not anymore.

“What can we do, Red? Just tell us.”

Shaking my head, I can’t speak. The weight of the situation is pressing me down so hard I can barely breathe. There’s no fix for this. There’s no way for everyone to come out on the other side of this unscathed.

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