Page 3 of Counterfeit Connection

Words I Say - Justin Timberlake

Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

1 2 3 4 5 Sex - Upsahl

I’m with You - Vance Joy

Mean It - Lauv

Woke Up in Love - Calum Scott, Gryffin, and Kygo

Fire for you - The Cannons

Late Night Talking - Harry Styles

No Judgement -Niall Horan

My Greatest Fear - Benson Boone

Power Over Me - Dermot Kennedy

Soulmate - Justin Timberlake

Peace - Taylor Swift

Easier to Run - Linkin Park

Undone - Haley Reinhart

If It Doesn’t Hurt - Nothing More

In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

Chapter 2

Griffin

I’m on my second scotch of the flight by the time we reach cruising altitude, staring down at my phone screen. My father’s most recent email is glaring right back at me. I’ve read the words so many times at this point, they’re starting to blend together.

"I thought it might be best to recap our conversation in writing so you can't place your own words or twists to my stipulations. You’ve caused this family enough grief over the years, and given that fact, I expect you to agree to these terms without issue or negotiation.”

I pull the glasses off my face and toss them to the seat beside me. My hand wraps around the edges of my phone so hard I can hear the frame start to crack. “Fucking hell. What did your phone ever do to you, mate?” My eyes stare at the white knucklesof my hand before it releases. “I haven’t seen you this buggered since we got busted by your father coming out of that club three years ago. So seriously, what crawled up your arse and died?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask far too many questions?” I down the rest of my glass and the ice clinks against the side as I try for every last drop of the bitter, burning liquid.

“That’s what you keep me around for, isn’t it? To be the life of the party and take the piss out of you now and again.”

Tobias has been my best mate for as long as I can remember. He’s been there for the good, the bad, the ugly, and every moment in between, so when I asked him to take a trip with me to America last minute, he agreed without a question asked.

Until this moment, that is. He was apparently saving them for now in rapid fire. “Would you stop if I asked you to leave it be?”

“Where the hell is the fun in that?” I roll my neck from left to right and back again, until the cracks fill the silence around us. “Jesus. That can’t be good for you.”

“It’s better than you taking one to the jaw.”

“Hey, listen, boss, I’m not going to sit here and listen to you moan about something and then not talk about it.”

“I was reading an email from my father. In his words, it was a recap of our meeting from yesterday.”

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