Page 66 of Discord
After the semester away at Yale, Brandon and I spent a lazy summer together. Throughout it all, he tried to manipulate me into marrying him. I couldn’t consider any sort of engagement to be real until my family knew about it. So instead, I proposed living together for the upcoming semester. Luckily, Brandon had the option of working remotely and visiting the New York office on select days.
Brandon snorted. “It’s New Haven. All of it is a terrible neighborhood.”
I shrugged as he continued to sort through the online listings.
“By the way,” he said abruptly and without taking his eyes off the laptop screen. “They are coming back.” I sensed the strain in Brandon’s voice. The one he reserved for his references to Milo and Raven.
“Oh?”
The hostility was still at an all-time high between Brandon and Raven. He flew out to visit Milo a few times over business matters. Each time he did, any encounter with Raven left Brandon with bitter feelings.
I hated it.
“Mia,” he started cautiously. “We are not doing long-distance again.” Brandon’s voice was firm in its resolve yet vulnerable, too. As if I might suggest otherwise.
My heart squeezed in my chest. The last semester had been incredibly tough, but Brandon put aside his intrinsically manipulative streak for my sake. He also put aside his animosity for Chris and our friendship, though he still wasn’t convinced of Chris’ intentions.
I caught the drift behind the words and silently nodded in understanding. It’d be virtually impossible to keep something as substantial as living together under wraps. Enough people had already spotted us together. There were only so many times we could explain our outings as innocent get-togethers. Word about us was bound to spread. Once Milo and Raven returned to New York, it was only a matter of time before a brave soul approached Milo with the topic. It’d be so much worse if they found out some other way.
We had to do the right thing. We had to come clean.
Mia
Milo and Ravenreturned to New York City before the start of my sophomore year at Yale. Despite rejoining New York society, they had stayed cocooned and purposefully distanced themselves from the rest of the family. I was the only person to see them in their element, as they often invited me over.
Their happiness was infectious. I didn’t want to burst their bubble, but Brandon and I could no longer suspend reality. Hiding a relationship was entirely different from living together. We had to tell them before moving in together and today was the day.
I sat at my usual spot in Milo’s living room, pretending to read when in reality my ears were perked for Brandon’s arrival. Milo and Raven had turned one of their rooms into a bedroom for me. I intentionally slept over last night, not wanting to give them the illusion that Brandon and I were coming here together after a night of debauchery.
Brandon was due any moment. Initially, I had protested his presence and planned to tell Milo alone. I was worried it might get physical, but Brandon wouldn’t hear of it.
My eyes darted to Milo. He sat on the sofa opposite me, perusing the internet. Raven hummed and sang in the other room, working on a custom piece draped over a mannequin. I loved her, but dear God, she had a terrible voice. I cringed when she hit a high note.
“Love can only make you blind. Not deaf, unfortunately,” Milo said with amusement, noticing the distaste on my face.
“I heard that.” Raven’s high octave voice floated through as she sang louder, purely for our benefit.
Despite my nerves, I giggled. It was heartwarming to see love and harmony in the Sinclair universe. One we hadn’t witnessed in years. A part of me felt a pang of regret because I was about to pull the rug out from under them.
I stiffened upon hearing footsteps from the other side of the front door. The thudding in my heart was as loud as the knock on the door. My eyes swept back to Milo, who was too distracted by his laptop to notice.
“Coming,” Raven sang, practically floating to the foyer.
Trapping my bottom lip between my lips, I stared straight ahead and listened for the turn of the lock.
“Brandon?” Even from here, I heard the irritation in Raven’s voice, though she was otherwise polite. Milo’s gaze flitted to the front door, and he frowned.
This was going great.
My back straightened. I nervously crossed my right leg over my left, smoothing down my simple flared dress. It was Raven’s favorite. Outfit, makeup, jewelry, all my choices today reflected things they both found soothing in hopes of softening the blow.
My hands shook as Brandon said something to Raven, and she let him in, guiding him to the living room.
Pushing his laptop to the side, Milo stood from the sofa. “Hey, man.”
“Hey.”
Raven trailed behind Brandon suspiciously. I gave her a reassuring smile before turning to Brandon.
