Chapter 4 I told you so
1227 Words
The drive back was painfully quiet.
Rain drizzled against the windshield, the rhythmic swish of the wipers the only sound inside the car...until Sierra sniffled again.
William tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the passenger seat.
She had curled herself against the door, hugging her purse to her chest like it was the only thing keeping her together. Mascara streaked her cheeks. Her carefully styled hair was a mess, and now and then another shaky breath escaped her lips.
"...He kissed him."
William looked back at the road.
"I saw it..." Her voice cracked. "Right in front of me."
She let out a humorless laugh before another sob escaped.
"I spent years liking him..." The words hit William harder than he expected.
He knew.
He had known since they were children.
Long before Sierra herself realized it. She used to invent excuses to visit his house after school. She always volunteered to deliver things to his brother.
She remembered Brian's birthday better than her own.
And every single year...
William had watched.
Silent.
Because that was what best friends did.
They supported each other.
Even when it hurt.
"...I'm such an idiot."
"No." His voice came quietly. "You aren't."
Sierra turned slowly.
Her eyes were unfocused from the alcohol.
"Then why does it hurt so much?"
William didn't answer.
Because he knew the answer.
Loving someone who never looked back always hurt.
He knew that better than anyone.
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
...
By the time William pulled into the gates of Brian's mansion.
The security guards recognized him immediately and opened the gates without question.
He parked near the side entrance instead of the front.
The less attention, the better.
Walking around the car, he opened Sierra's door.
"Come on."
She blinked at him, "My heart hurts." She sniffled. "It feels like I might die."
A tiny smile tugged at William's lips despite everything. "No, you won't."
She pouted before stretching both arms toward him like a stubborn child. "I can't walk."
William sighed.
Carefully, he slid one arm beneath her knees and another around her back before lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
Sierra rested her head against his shoulder almost immediately.
"...You're warm."
William pretended he hadn't heard her.
He carried her through the silent mansion and deliberately walked past the hallway leading to Brian's bedroom.
Instead, he headed toward one of the guest suites on the opposite wing.
He nudged the door open with his shoulder.
The room was dark except for the moonlight spilling through the curtains.
He lowered Sierra onto the bed as gently as though she were made of glass.
She bounced lightly against the mattress...
...then giggled.
William shook his head.
Even drunk, she somehow managed to be impossible.
"You stay here."
He walked into the bathroom and returned a minute later with a damp towel and a glass of water.
"Drink."
She obediently took the glass with both hands.
Half of it ended up on her dress.
William pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable."
He then crouched in front of her and gently removed her heels one at a time.
Deep red marks circled her ankles.
He frowned.
"You've been wearing these all day?"
"They made my legs look pretty," Sierra answered without looking down.
"They also nearly killed your feet."
She smiled. "Worth it..." Her smile disappeared almost immediately. "...He didn't even notice."
Silence settled over the room.
William placed her shoes neatly beside the bed.
When he looked back at her...
She was crying again. This time it was less dramatic. Quiet tears rolling endlessly down her cheeks.
"I know he's always surrounded by girls..."
She laughed bitterly. "And I kept telling myself I could change him."
Her voice trembled.
"But..." Another tear slipped free. "...a guy?"
William's jaw tightened.
"He kissed a guy." She covered her face with both hands.
"I wasn't even worth pretending for."
William stood.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
Enough.
He hated seeing her like this.
More than that...
He hated knowing exactly whose fault it was.
He sat beside her.
"Sia."
She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"I spent most of my life loving someone who was never going to love me back."
She laughed through her tears. "Aren't I pathetic?"
"No."
"I broke Rule Ten." William blinked.
A small smile escaped him despite himself.
Rule Ten.
Seventeen-year-old William had written ten friendship rules on the last page of his mathematics notebook.
Sierra had laughed so hard she'd nearly fallen off her chair.
The tenth rule had simply read...
Never date each other's siblings.
She had argued with him for almost an hour.
Mostly because she already had a crush on Brian.
"You made that rule after I started liking him."
"I did." He nodded.
For the first time that night...
Sierra laughed.
A tiny laugh. One that disappeared almost as quickly as it came. "I should've listened."
William looked down at his hands.
"You warned me." Sierra looked away from him. "You told me not to go tonight. You told me I'd get hurt."
She waited for s fee second for William to speak, but he didn't. "So...say it."
William frowned. "'I told you so.'"
She forced a smile.
"I deserve it."
He stared at her for a long moment.
Then suddenly.
"That bastard."
Sierra blinked.
"What?"
William stood so abruptly that the chair scraped against the floor.
"I said..."
His voice was shaking with restrained anger.
"...that bastard."
Sierra stared at him in confusion.
"How could he let you stand there and watch that?"
"He..."
"How could he ignore you all night?"
Sierra blinked. Surprised at William's sudden outburst. She found herself defending Brian.
"He didn't.."
"How could he let you drink yourself into this state without even checking on you?" His breathing became uneven.
"I don't care who he kisses." He gritted his teeth.
"I care that he made you believe you mattered... when he was never going to choose you."
The room fell silent.
Sierra's lips slowly parted.
Nobody...
Nobody had ever defended her like that.
Not once.
Her eyes blurred again.
This time...
Not because she was heartbroken.
Because someone was finally hurting with her.
She looked at William.
Really looked at him.
He was angry.
Not at her.
For her.
Something inside her chest shifted.
Before she realized what she was doing...
She reached for him.
William looked down as her fingers wrapped around his wrist."Sia..."
Sierra leaned forward, ignoring William's words. Her lips softly brushed his.
William froze. "Sia..." He tried to pull away. "You're drunk."
"I know." She wasn't listening.
"You don't know what you're doing."
Sierra's grip on his face became stronger. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
She kissed him again.
This time... She didn't let go.
William closed his eyes.
Years of buried feelings crashed through every wall he had ever built around his heart.
He should stop.
He knew he should.
Every part of him screamed to walk away.
Instead...
His hand slowly rose...
...resting against her waist.
And for the first time in forever... William let his guard down, allowing his feelings for her to show.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
Inside...
Neither of them realized that by morning...
Everything between them would be different.
- Writer
