Page 23 of My Ex's Roommates
I nodded but it felt jerky and unhinged. “What if I’m not okay?”
He squeezed my leg and looked over my shoulder. “Fake it ‘til you make it, princess, because here they are.”
I spun on my little stool and froze when I spotted my brothers coming towards us. Identical, they were each replicas of each other and our father. We all had the same dark auburn hair that showed a little more red in the sun but they had our father’s blue eyes and giant build. Towering over six feet, they looked like the defensive linemen they’d been. They seemed bigger than ever, with their arms and shoulders looking ready to rip their jumpsuits to shreds.
Danny stopped next to our table first, his eyes intense as they inspected me. “We can’t hug you right now, Little Harpoon. There’s no touching.”
I practically vibrated as they sat across from us, their big bodies putting strain on the table. I knew they couldn’t touch me but it didn’t stop the deep ache from ripping through my chest at finally being close to them but still not being able to hug them.
“You must be Silas.” Matt turned a hard stare on Silas and grunted. “You’re big for a kicker.”
Silas’s lips tipped up. “You’re big for a human.”
Jay laughed and the tension between them vanished. They slipped into football talk while I sat there, silently shaking and wondering what the hell I’d been thinking. I wasn’t sure I could handle the visit after all.
Danny leaned forward in his seat and tapped the table to draw my eyes to his. “Dry those eyes, Harper.”
“I’m not crying.” I blinked and realized that I was. Wiping my face, I sniffed and cleared my throat. I was stronger than that. They’d taught me to be stronger than that. “Y’all look like shit.”
Matt grinned and glanced over my shoulder before reaching over and gripping my hand. “Same, kid.”
“And those are the ugliest jumpsuits I’ve ever seen.” I missed his hand as soon as he took it back but when I shoved my hands into my lap to keep from reaching for them, Silas put his hand over mine, holding both of them. I glanced up at him and took a deep breath before looking back at my brothers. “Are y’all okay?”
Danny glanced at the table towards my lap and then narrowed his eyes at Silas. “You any better than that Jake fucker?”
Silas nodded without any hesitation. “That’s a pretty low bar, though.”
“Okay, this isn’t a case of me bringing my boyfriend home to meet the family. You don’t need to interrogate Silas.” I felt my cheeks turning pink and rushed to change the subject.
22.
***Harper***
“We play USC in less than a month. Will y’all get to watch the game?”
With the conversation directed back towards football and away from any supposed relationship I had with Silas, we settled into something strangely similar to normal. For the two hours we spoke, I was able to forget the guards around us and where we were completely. I desperately wanted to hug them but even that got easier with Silas holding my hands. It was when it was time for our visit to end that reality came crashing back, clogging my throat with emotion.
Danny smiled at me. “If you cry, you can’t come back.”
“That’s not fair.” I sniffed and then groaned. “I’m not going to cry.”
“Not yet.” Matt nodded at the guard who called for them. He looked back at Silas. “She’s going to cry buckets when she gets out of here. Little Harpoon is a crier, no matter how much she tries to act like she’s not.”
Jay stood up with his brothers and winked at me. “Love you.”
“I love y’all more.” My voice shook but I held it together. “Be safe.”
I looked up and saw that Barry had joined us. He looked at us for a moment and then sighed. “One hug. Make it fast.”
I scrambled to my feet and then everything was okay for a few seconds when I got to hug them. Their hugs were the safest place I’d ever felt and being enveloped in them for the first time in two years felt like balm on my ragged soul. It was over too fast, though, and they were led back to their cage, leaving me shaking and doing my best to prove them wrong about my being a crier.
Silas silently led me out of the prison and to his truck. He helped me in and helped me buckle myself in before getting in himself and driving us a few miles away. I was doing my best to hold everything in when he pulled over on the side of the highway and turned the truck off. I watched in confusion as he got out, walked around to my side, and opened my door.
“Come here.” He unbuckled me and tugged me into his arms, holding me tight. “Stop being stubborn and just cry, Harper.”
I buried my face in his chest and clutched as his t-shirt. “No.”
“You’re shaking like a leaf, princess. Just let go.” He stroked my back and rested his chin on top of my head. He felt as big as my brothers when he held me like that.
