Page 47 of Vulnerate

“Valentin, drive Dani home. It’s late and I don’t want to send her with one of the freaks outside.”

Her personality makes sense considering who’s she’s marrying, and the authority she carries has Val moving.Taking my phone out so I have a distraction from interacting with him, he swipes his keys up and drags his feet. He hasn’t looked at me or spoken to me while I’ve been sat here. I’m not the asshole who lied, the prick can choke on whatever issue he has. He’s a good dad and Viktor is a credit to him that he doesn’t deserve. It’s the same as when we were kids, at home Valentin is someone who is perfect, and I lose my resolve with my own emotion.

I send Tali random messages as I follow his dickhead brother out of the house to prevent making a fool out of myself and forgiving him.

Me:

Where did you go?

I’m going home

All of my frustration is channeled into my thumbs as Val huffs to himself. “Put your phone down.”

I don’t look up and speak to the screen. “Eat shit.”

Tali’s response comes before I can vent about having to be around Val and snitch on myself.

Tali:

I’ve got a fight tonight, I’ll tell Val to pick you up

There’s no dress code and we’ll go out after. You owe me years so you can’t say no when I’ve just got my girl back

I throw my phone into my bag to avoid the temptation of begging to be left alone. Val’s annoyingly perfect body is too close to me, and I move to the side to avoid touching him as we walk to the car. His jaw clenches and he doesn’t act like a gentleman opening the door for me.That’s good, it will stop me thinking he’s capable of being anything close to kind and I’ll remember he’s an asshole.

There’s no music to cover the awkward silence making my mouth open to disrupt the tension.

“He’s a good kid,” I compliment the prick.

Looking at me like I’ve taken a shit on one of his family members rather than praised his child, his rough voice infuses threat into two words.

“My kid.”

I’m not trying to take Viktor away from the only family he’s ever known, so his claim is pathetic and unnecessary.

He’s been a weird fuck ever since I turned up at their house. He’s been ignoring me but hovering in the vicinity like I can’t be trusted. Without anyone around us it’s harder to push my anger away and I turn to look at him fully.

“What the fuck is your problem? I gave you a compliment that you don’t fucking deserve, say thank you or nothing. You rude prick.”

It’s not my job to be civil with him, I’m not the one in the wrong yet his arrogance has me questioning it.

Gracing me with a cursory glance, a sneer curls his lips. “Shut the fuck up Dani.”

I hate who he has grown up to be, the memories of when we were kids are being tarnished by the man he is. I cross my arms over my chest and mask my hurt with anger.

“Fuck you.”

He proves he’s an even bigger prick than I already thought he was, as his low laugh fills the car with the cruelty. “I’d rather not when you’ve already been stuffed by my brother today.”

I have never and will never fuck Tali. It’s semi-incestuous just thinking about it. We did stupid shit as kids, played spin the bottle when we were at someone’s house party, but the line of our belts has never been crossed. The world focuses on sexual relationships too much that no one has ever understood my friendship, it’s always met with disbelief. Isabella refused to believe that I don’t see Tali as attractive when she caught me stalking his profile for snippets of Val. In my mind, he’s not male or female, ugly or handsome. He’s just Vitali.

His brother doesn’t think the same with his hypocritical disgusting comment. Pointing out his own sins, hurt bleeds between my words.

“Proof of you fucking my sister exists in a little boy that’s too good for you, but you’re what? Jealous over my friendship with your brother that existed before you?”

He ruined everything. I didn’t expect Valentin to be pining after me, but it shouldn’t have to be voiced that you don’t fuck ones sister while telling the other one you want to marry her. It shuts him up and he chokes the steering wheel as he drives.

As soon as we’re outside my building, I get out refusing to entertain whatever bullshit he tries to sell to make himself feel better. I don’t owe him anything and my day gets worse as soon as I walk through the doors to my building. I direct all my anger at the dickhead in front of me rather than the one following for an argument.

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