Dearest Bad Boy

See Ya Later

See Ya Later

Their apartment is on the 4th floor of a modern-looking building. It sits on a quiet side road, just a few blocks from the centre of town. Walking distance to the nightlife of Ozara city. This fact wasn’t odd for the bad boy duo but the modern well-furnished apartment is not what I had pictured. In my mind, I had built up an image of a ratty apartment still trashed from the last party, some random mix-matched furniture that came from yard sales and a rug stained with who knows what.

Instead, I walked into a clean brightly lit room with a leather U-shaped couch surrounding an elegant glass coffee table facing a flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. The other end of the room had a dark wooden dining table that could seat six people and had all six matching chairs neatly packed around it. There was a large white marble island separating the kitchen from the rest of the room that was sparkling in the sunlight coming from the windows. The appliances were neatly stored against the wall, the sink was empty and there was a large double-door fridge with one of those water and ice dispensers on the front. Three closed doors lined the walls, Two on the lounge side of the main room and the third on the opposite wall behind the dining table.

“Not what you were expecting?”

I realise I’ve stopped in the middle of the door and blocked my brother behind me.

Rushing forward and out of the way I stammer out a meek “not really.” Kyle snorts in laughter and he flops down onto the couch, his rough exterior alien against the elegance of the room.

“Did you think I lived in a pig-sty Ice?” My brother asks as he makes his way across the room towards the door behind the dining room table. That must be his room then.

“Not a pig-sty…” I trail off the sentence, looking around the room again. “Just a larger version of your room...” I declare more confidently, turning back towards my brother. “You know the mix-matched furniture and the rug with the weird stain on it ...”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Jared chuckles and disappears into his room.

I hover in the space between the kitchen and the lounge with my bags. My attention focuses on Kyle. He has lifted his legs to rest his boots on the glass table and his eyes are closed like he’s taking a nap. I let myself take in the sight of him as he lounges.

“Well, this impresses ladies far more than a rough bachelor's pad or cheap ass school boy flat,” Kyle lazily comments up from the couch. His eyes were still closed.

I continue to stare at him. My gut clenches. I did not expect him to so casually bring up all the ladies he has had in this apartment. Anger flares in me as I think about it.

Probably not ladies if they were here with Kyle. Probably stupid blondes with perfect bodies and tiny little outfits.

Yeah, stupid blondes… And stupid me… Stupid me for wishing I could have been one of them. The disappointment sweeps through me as I realise I will never be one of those girls. The silence drags on and his eyes open. I started to move to the kitchen so it didn’t seem like I was just standing in the middle of the room staring at him like a freak.

Turning around so that he’s kneeling on the couch Kyle looks at me. “We got some class little Ice, impressed?”

Trying to hide the feelings that are bouncing around me like a pinball I start opening the cupboards looking for a glass. “Sure, I wouldn't be embarrassed to bring someone back here.”

“And who do you think you'll be bringing over while you stay here?” Jared grinds out as he enters the kitchen having changed into a pair of jeans and a fresh band t-shirt. He leans against the counter, his expression a mirror of our mother as he stares down at me.

Closing the cupboard door, I cross my arms and return his stare with a defiance I would never have shown our mother. “So, you're allowed to impress girls with this fancy apartment but I can’t bring someone over for a hookup?”

“NO HOOKUPS,” they say simultaneously, my spine stiffening as it echoed through the kitchen. “And don't get any ideas, the first-year dorms are same-s*x only past ground level so no hookups then either,” Jared states so casually just like mom would have. He imitates her lawyer stand so perfectly it makes me snap.

“Whoever said my hookups wouldn’t be of the same s*x, mom” I throw back at my brother.

A snort comes from the lounge and we both whip our gazes to where Kyle watches from the couch. His eyes are on me and there’s an amused glint in them. I give him a wink and Jared scowls. Raising his hands in surrender Kyle turns back around and closes his eyes again. Jared looks back at me and his tone softens to a taunt.

“Just focus on your books Ice and you'll be just as happy as you were through high school.”

Clenching my jaw as anger rages through me I soften my tone to match him. “Yeah sure, I'll behave just like I did in high school.” I head out of the kitchen towards my bags still piled in the middle of the room.

“Little Ice” Jared calls as he tries to grab my arm. His eyes widen when I pull away easily, surprised at the strength. “Too bad you weren't around to see what that was like.”

“Come on Jess” Jared pleas as I grab my messenger bag from the pile. It’s made from dark denim and is faded from years of being used as a handbag. I head to the front door.

“Where are you going, Jess?”

Opening the door, I turn to face him. “Well, I should probably get started on that whole book thing so see ya later.” Once the door has slammed shut behind me, I run for the stairs, needing to get away before my brother comes after me. The anger pushed me down the stairs and out into the streets of Ozara within minutes. Thoughts thundered through my head and my pulse raged along with my anger and embarrassment. I walk toward the city centre and remind myself that I am almost there. Almost free.