Page 28 of The Perfect Spiral
They both grumbled out a “Nothing.”
I sat there, shocked at their behavior. They were best friends, but they were acting like two teenage girls fighting over a boy.
“Look, I only called to tell you both I’ve landed, I didn’t want Knox and Wes to throw the kitchen sink at each other and you to lose your much-needed beauty sleep. So will you please kiss and make up with each other?”
I batted my eyelashes at Wes, who let out a small chuckle and huffed out “Fine, sorry!” I beamed at him as I waited for Knox to respond.
Still waiting. I was getting annoyed now, “Knox!” I screamed into the phone.
“Fine! Sorry, but I only did that for you baby doll!”
“Of course you did. Prick,” Wes mumbled under his breath. I hit him in the arm and glared at him.
“What did you call me asshole?” “Ugh just stop! You two need to get your shit together! I don’t know what your problem is with each other but frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck! But if this is over a girl or something, I swear to god! Sort it out now!”
I stared out the window of the car, the speed we were driving at made it hard to see what was on the other side of the glass.
“Well on that note, I’m going back to sleep. I’ll talk to you at a reasonable hour sis! Be good! And Wes take good care of her!” Kyle said, ignoring the bickering boys.
“Yeah Saint Wes,” Knox mumbled. I turned to see Wes gripping the wheel so hard his knuckles were white.
“Stop! Will the both of you cut it out!” I screamed at them. “Fucking hell! Bye, I’ll talk to you later!”
I ended the call and disconnected the Bluetooth, crossing my arms over my chest in a huff. Wes let out a long breath, trying to calm himself down. Seriously, what the hell was with these two?
The silence between Wes and me stretched on for a few minutes before he finally broke it. His voice echoed in the stillness that surrounded us, a stark contrast to the rhythmic thumping of the car wheels against the metal bridge we were crossing. I found the predictability of the sound soothing, the anticipation of the next thump giving me a sense of control.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he sighed, reaching over to lightly squeeze my hand. We were stopped at a set of traffic lights, and I turned to face him.
“Why are you guys fighting? You never fight,” I asked, my curiosity piqued. I had a feeling he wouldn’t tell me, though.
“It’s... he’s... look, I don’t want you to worry about it. It’s between me and him. Alright?” His words were hesitant, and I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he knew his evasion wasn’t sitting well with me.
He sighed again, letting his head fall back against the headrest and releasing a long, heavy breath. “Can we just forget about the phone call?”
Truth be told, all I wanted was to crawl into bed and fall asleep. So, I nodded. We continued our drive in silence, not out of awkwardness, but because I was simply too tired to talk.
When we pulled up to my apartment, Wes got out of the car and walked around to my side, opening the door to help me down. I gave him a tired smile and moved to help with my bags, but he gently pulled me into his chest.
“You head upstairs to bed. I’ll bring these up,” he whispered intomy hair. I looked up at him, catching the small smile playing on his lips. Before I could say anything, he kissed me softly on the cheek. I nodded and headed up to my apartment, eager to climb into bed.
I fumbled for my keys as I approached my door, swinging it open and heading straight for my room. I dropped my bag and keys on my study desk and flopped face-first onto my sheets, spreading my arms wide to feel the coolness of the fabric against my hands. I loved this feeling.
A soft laugh from behind me signaled Wes’s arrival. I patted the bed beside me, inviting him to sit. As he settled down next to me, his hand began to stroke my back in a soothing motion. I turned my head to look at him, struggling to keep my eyes open. I was so comfortable.
He smiled down at me, then lay back, placing his hands behind his head. “I’m going to change, do you mind?” I asked. He shook his head, and I took that as a no. I stripped off my leggings but kept my jumper on, then crawled back onto the bed.
As I fluffed my pillows, I heard him clear his throat. I turned to see him staring at my legs and butt... again. I giggled, and he met my eyes.
“You going to stay here?” I asked, breaking the silence. His eyes held a silent debate, and I couldn’t help but grin. I let my hair down, letting it fall past my shoulders.
He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. “You like doing this to me, don’t you?”
I gave him a confused look and tilted my head, asking him to explain.
“This,” he said, pointing to the noticeable bulge in his pants.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I quickly turned my gaze back tomy pillows.
