A Little Complicated by Kelsie Rae

Author:Kelsie Rae [Rae, Kelsie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisty Pines Publishing, LLC
Published: 2023-11-13T18:30:00+00:00

30

MAVERICK

“Hey, man,” Archer greets me as he pushes my bedroom door open.

I’m lying on my mattress, staring up at the ceiling. After sending Coach a shitty excuse as to why I was missing practice, I took a long nap in hopes of resetting my body. My limbs still feel heavy, and my thoughts are foggy, proving the extra sleep didn’t do shit, which is the last thing I need. I still can’t believe I passed out in front of Opie. If she knew what was going on, she’d kill me herself. Lying to her didn’t exactly make me feel better, either. The lies, in general, are becoming so copious I’m not sure how much more I can take.

“Why weren’t you at practice?” my brother asks.

“Migraine,” I lie. Really, I feel like shit all over, and my run kicked my ass, but explaining everything to Archer is more effort than it’s worth.

He nods. “That sucks. Are you feeling better?”

“Sure,” I mutter.

I can tell he wants to call me out on my lie, but he stops himself. With his arms crossed, he leans against the doorjamb, his brows pulled low like he’s deep in thought.

“You need something?” I prod.

“Did you see Lia talking to anyone yesterday?”

Sitting up, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and rub at my tired eyes. “I don't know, why?”

“I think she ran into her ex.”

My stomach tightens. “What makes you think so?”

“We broke up last night,” he mutters.

The room spins, but I shove my dizziness aside, convinced I’m hallucinating. “What?”

“We broke up,” he repeats.

“Shit.” I wait for the relief, but it doesn’t come.

“Yeah.” A low, humorless chuckle reverberates in Archer’s chest as if he doesn’t believe it. “It fuckin’ sucks. Don’t get me wrong. We’re fine,” he adds. I’m not sure who he’s trying to convince. “But she needs a break. Some space, I guess. Don’t say anything to anyone. We agreed not making an announcement or some shit would, I dunno, make things easier.”

“You’re not telling anyone?” I confirm.

He shakes his head. “Nah. Maybe later, but neither of us wants to hear I told you so from the family, so we’re taking a breather until shit settles a bit. Have you talked to her?”

I shake my head. “Not really. I bumped into her on my run before my migraine hit, but she didn’t mention the breakup.”

His head bobs. “If you see her talking to anyone, will you let me know? I want to make sure she’s all right and her asshole Mystery Man doesn’t fuck with her head any more than he already has.”

My teeth grind, but I force my jaw to relax and pick my phone up, pretending like I give a shit about the outside world when this conversation holds more weight than my brother could ever know.

“She’s a big girl,” I remind him.

“I know,” he mutters. “But I’m not gonna give up on her. This isn’t it for us. It can’t be.”

I know this side of Archer. When he’s determined. Stubborn.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.