Page 140 of Come Back to Me

“Just unlock the door,” Grayson says.

“Is there a guy in there with you? I heard a deep voice.”

There’s a long period of silence because I don't know how to respond. My heart beats like the sound of a thousand drums and sweat beads on my forehead.

I slowly make my way over to the door, wrapping my hand around the knob. I notice Grayson disappeared, but I don't go searching for where he went because I know Blakereallywill break my door down if I don't open it.

I quickly unlock the door, and it bursts open.

“Why didn’t you answer me when I asked if there’s a guy in here with you?”

“I don’t owe you answers to any of your questions.” My nostrils flare.

He destructively removes the blankets on my bed and crouches down to the ground to get a peek underneath it. When he pops back up, he scans the room, and his eyes land on the closet. He storms over there, gripping his hands on the handles and letting gravity do its thing.

We’re screwed.

The second the doors fly open, Blake’s cheeks turn red with anger. I can also see confusion written all over his face.

“What the hell are you doing in my sister’s room, Grayson?”

“Why are you full-naming me, man?”

“Answer the damn question!”

Getting in between my boyfriend and my brother, I attempt to spread out the space in between them. It doesn’t work since Blake is stronger than me.

He lifts up his hand, forming it into a fist and jabbing it into my face.

I use my hand to cover the hit and back away from him. I want to say something to him, but I find myself utterly terrified of him instead.

Grayson defends my honor by clocking him harder than he did to me. “Touch her again, and the light will go out of your eyes faster than whatever shit you can spew out of your mouth next.”

The color in his eyes fades away as his pupils get bigger. It’s as if the version of Grayson I know disappeared, and another I’ve never met before has taken over.

I’m so used to the way he doesn’t get into confrontation, but this is a side of him I’ve never seen before.

Blake gets knocked down onto the floor, but he’s still conscious.

Grayson grabs my hand and guides me out ofmy bedroom. We rush downstairs, stopping at the front door for a brief moment before sprinting out of the house.

He holds my face with one of his hands. “I want you to know I will always love you. No matter what happens.”

Tears bubble at the rims of my eyes, and a smile spreads across my lips. “And I will always love you.”

Hearing the sound of feet stomping, we make a run for it outside the house, but we don’t make it far before Blake catches up to us. He spins Grayson around, punching him over and over again.

“Blake, stop! You’re hurting him!” I run over to my brother, swatting at him. He pushes me away so hard I end up with scratches all over my legs from the first layer of skin scraping against the rough ground.

There’s so much blood.

“You’ve been dating my sister behind my back, huh?”Slap.“How long has this been going on?”Punch.“How long?!” he shouts, turning to me.

“A-a year,” I manage to spit out.

“Out of all the people in the world, why did you have to pick my friend to date?”

“You won’t understand.”