The Fight In Us: A Brother's Best Friend College Romance (The Four Book 4) Becca Steele (speld decodable readers .TXT) 📖

to have other ideas. As I reached the bed, he sat up and tugged me so I fell into him, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

Stiffening, I went to pull away, but I was stopped by his voice, cracked and broken.

“I need you.”

My flimsy defences melted away, and I let my body curl into his, tentatively laying my arm across his chest. So many feelings were overwhelming me—need, want, guilt, and underneath it all, the dread that I couldn’t seem to shake, no matter how much I told myself that I could trust Weston. That fear stopped me from getting close.

“Thank you,” he murmured, and I felt a whisper of a kiss on the top of my head as my eyes closed.

The next thing I knew, my eyes were flying open at the sound of my mum’s voice, hissing somewhere close to my ear.

“Lena Damaris Drummond!”

I became aware that I was lying in pretty much the same position I’d fallen asleep in—head buried in Weston’s shoulder, one arm slung across his body, and his arm wrapped around me. We were on top of the covers, fully clothed, but I knew I had some explaining to do.

Weston was somehow still asleep. Lifting my head, I carefully dislodged his arm and slipped away from his body, before turning to face my mum with a finger to my lips.

She frowned at me but remained silent as she followed me out into the hallway, where I closed the door behind us. I walked far enough down the hallway that Weston wouldn’t hear us if he woke up, then stopped.

“Go on, then.” She raised her brows expectantly.

“What?”

“Explain to me what I walked into this morning.” Folding her arms, she leaned against the wall. There was humour in her gaze, and I relaxed slightly. If my dad had been the one to find us…yeah, I would’ve been a lot less relaxed.

“It’s not my story to tell,” I began. “But West has fallen out with the others. Like, properly fallen out with them. He-he was really upset and he wanted to get away and I didn’t know what to do,” I finished in a rush.

My mum’s expression morphed into one of concern. “Oh no. I’ll call Arlo?” She phrased it like a question, and I shook my head.

“No. Um. Arlo’s involved in it, kind of, so I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Right. In that case, let’s get some breakfast ready. I take it Weston had been drinking last night?” She knew about the party. Lucky for me, she was pretty chill about everything. Both my parents were, in general.

“Yes. I didn’t drink, though. Also, nothing happened with…” I trailed off, my cheeks heating, making my mum laugh.

“Oh, Lena. I know. You were both fully clothed on top of the bed.” Strolling off down the hallway, she tossed over her shoulder, “He’d make a wonderful son-in-law, by the way.”

“Mum, please.” I groaned.

“Just saying.” She smiled innocently as I caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs that led to the upper floor, and I rolled my eyes, choosing not to respond. I needed to end this conversation. Now.

“Give me ten mins? I want to have a shower and change.” Without waiting for an answer, I began backing away from her, heading in the direction of my bedroom. She smirked at me, before making her way up the stairs.

“What do you think your boyfriend would like for breakfast?” she asked from the open fridge as I rejoined her in the kitchen after my shower. We normally had staff who prepared food, but at the weekends my parents liked to do their own thing.

“Mum!”

“Okay, okay. I won’t say another word.” She mimed zipping her lips shut, causing me to roll my eyes yet again.

“Let’s do a fry-up,” I decided. “Do we have all the stuff?”

“Avocado on toast? With poached eggs?” she countered.

“If you want to make that, why are you asking me?”

“I’m only teasing you. I know Weston would rather have a fried breakfast.” Pulling a carton of eggs out of the fridge, she smiled at me. “I’ll do the eggs, you do the mushrooms.”

We worked in silence, preparing the food. My dad wandered in when it was almost ready. “Mmm, something smells good.” He placed a kiss on the top of my mum’s head, before heading over to me and doing the same. “Four plates?”

“Yes. West’s here.”

He raised a brow at me. “Without Cassius?”

I nodded. “Yeah. They’ve had a falling-out, so please be nice.”

Tutting, he began setting out the pile of plates around the table. “Me? I’m always nice.”

“Hmmm. Just…be tactful, okay?”

“I am the epitome of discretion, I’ll have you know.” He waltzed off to the coffee machine and turned it on.

“Okay, but please don’t mention Cass to him. Or Zayde. Or Caiden. Oh, Winter, too.”

He laughed, clearly not taking me seriously enough. “Anyone else?”

“His dad. Actually, it might be better if you just don’t talk at all.”

“Sure. Would you like—” His sarcastic words came to an abrupt halt as Weston came in, barefoot and rubbing his eyes. All tousled hair and sleepy, in his faded jeans and grey T-shirt, he looked gorgeous. Then, I took in the sadness in his eyes, and my mouth turned down.

My mum, intuitive as ever, took the initiative. “Morning, West. Take a seat at the table. Breakfast is ready.”

He slid into a seat, and I took the one across from him. We were mostly silent as we all ate, my dad trying to lighten the mood by drawing Weston into a conversation about cars. Weston replied in monosyllables, and I spent the entire time pushing my food around my plate, my appetite gone as the guilt gnawed at my insides.

I thought I’d been doing the right thing. But I hadn’t. I’d hurt the boy I loved irreparably.

And if he found out the part I’d played, he might never forgive me.

ELEVEN

My entire world had gone dark.

Cade, Cass, and my dad were blowing up my phone, but I