Hashtag 01-08 by Cambria Hebert

Author:Cambria Hebert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, New Adult, Hashtag

Chapter Seven

Ivy

I heard her laughter from all the way upstairs.

It was a distinct laughter, not because it had a notable sound quality, but because the only time Rimmel laughed that way was when she was with Braeden.

B and Rimmel were close, a lot closer than I realized at first. I’d always known B had a soft spot for his “little sis,” and she was always more inclined to defend him when I would say rude things about him when we lived at the dorm. Still, I hadn’t really seen just how protective and even thoughtful he was with her.

I wasn’t jealous, but perhaps I was tinged with a bit of envy.

There was nothing between Rimmel and Braeden but the kind of feelings family had for each other. It’s not like I suspected or even worried something might happen between them when they were alone.

It wouldn’t.

Braeden loved me. I saw it in his eyes. I felt it in his touch. I loved him. I loved him so much sometimes it made me ache. Sometimes I walked around with a pit in my belly, this hollow place that gnawed at my insides, because just the idea—the threat—of not having him in my life was too much to fathom.

And I didn’t know why, but the sound of Rimmel’s laughter this morning brought that feeling out in me. When I stepped into the kitchen, I saw them sitting together at the island, breakfast and mugs laid out before them. They weren’t eating. He was hugging her. His arms were wrapped around her, making her look small against his chest.

Well, okay. Her hair didn’t look small. I seriously needed to help her with that today. I hoped she hadn’t scared anyone when she went to get donuts.

She didn’t seem anxious to pull away. She appeared comforted by him and he by her. There was no barrier between them. It was as if I walked in on a moment when they were both completely open…

And that’s where the envy came in.

There was a barrier between Braeden and me. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know why it was there. But I felt it.

It wasn’t always present. Sometimes I could fool myself into thinking it had vanished.

But then it would reappear and bring with it that hollow ache.

I knew I was responsible. It amazed me how one night, one mistake could cast a cloud over everything. I sort of felt like I was in a constant state of anxiety, like I could never fully relax.

Sure, there were those moments when everything inside me eased. Most of those moments came when I was in bed with Braeden and his body was covering mine.

It wasn’t enough.

I longed for what I saw between them. I wanted the kind of vulnerability that scared the shit out of me.

I just didn’t know how to get there. Why was it so hard?

When Braeden asked to talk to me, I worried maybe he saw what I was feeling. Or maybe I’d done something to make him get out of bed so early this morning.

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