Page 66 of The Drop

I laugh, squeezing her teasingly and pulling her closer; she comes willingly.

"I know you're upset with us about your mom," I hesitantly start, but she cuts me off.

"No, why would you think that?" I can't see her face, but I know she's rolling her eyes.

"We are just looking out for you," I choose to ignore her and carry on. "When we first met you, what your mom and Josh had done messed you up."

She pulls her coat closer around herself as I talk. "None of us wants to see you like that again. "

"I get that, but Adam can't just tell me not to go."

"I know, and he shouldn't, but he has his reasons. He's just trying to protect you."

She stops walking and turns, looking up at me.

"Do you think I shouldn't go?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Brooke."

"Doesn't come under the 'just having fun' rules, huh?"

I step forward, putting my hands on her hips and pulling her towards me, choosing to ignore the sting of being reminded this is just temporary. "I don't want you getting hurt again. "

She places her hands on my shoulders, pouting up at me, giving me her best puppy eyes. "Can we just go home and watch a movie? I don't want to talk about it anymore."

She's running away from the problem, and if it were anyone else, I wouldn't let them, but it's not anyone else, it's Brooke, and she's playing me like a fiddle.

"Sure, but I'm picking", I sigh and give in as we start walking again

"No, you're not," she pokes my side playfully, and I pull her close again.

Brooke

"I just want to get comfy and get into bed." I sigh as I get my keys out of my bag and let us in.

"Sounds good to me," Grant replies with his hand on my back as I let us in.

Someone flicks the light on and I scream.Bear, Cami, Adam, and Gunnar are all sitting in the living room. I put a hand to my chest, my heart pounding.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Grant shouts, letting go of my waist where he grabbed me when I screamed.

"Why are you all sitting in here at all?" I question, taking my coat off and waiting for my heart rate to return to normal.

"I'm not here by choice," Adam huffs, arms crossed, sitting on the sofa next to Gunnar, who elbows him.

"Well, you can leave then." I hold a hand, gesturing towards the door. Grant puts his hands on my shoulders, moving me toward the sofas.

"No one is leaving. We are going to talk this out." He manoeuvres me to sit opposite Adam, and I turn and glare at him. "We are not leaving until then."

"Well, I'll stay as long as I can, but I can't stay all night." Gunnar grimaces. "I told Sasha I was going to check on my parents."

Everyone stops and stares at him, and just as Adam opens his mouth, Bear slaps a hand over his mouth, cutting him off. "No! This isn't Gunnar's intervention." He shakes his head, pointing between Adam and me. "This is about you two."

"Intervention?" Adam and I both burst out, and Gunnar adds, "I don't need an intervention!"

"I am completely against this," Adam says before pointing to Grant and me opposite him. "It took three days of them not talking to think we needed to sit them down, and it took one hour to implement one for us."

"You were going to hold an intervention for Brooke and me." Grant laughs, and I can't help but join him.

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