couch, and gently lay down beside me, never breaking the contact of our lips. I felt his fingers run through my hair, holding my head as he gently plundered my mouth with his. One of his hands slowly made its way across my cheek and down my throat, to the buttons of my shirt. I felt him undo three of them and stop. His lips soon followed the same trail his hand just made, planting small warm, wet kisses across my chest.
I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him to keep going.
There was a loud knock on the front door. “Hello?”
We both let out a sigh of frustration at the sound of Malcolm’s voice.
With a growl, Brand lifted his weight off me and practically stomped to the door. I couldn’t help but giggle at him. He was like a bear that had been woken before the end of winter. He yanked the door open.
“What do you want, Malcolm?” Brand asked tersely.
“I did what you asked,” Malcolm said, stepping across the threshold, ignoring Brand’s openly-hostile glare. “You can’t imagine what a pain it is to have to knock when I know you’re both in here.”
I quickly stood from the couch, and kept my back to Malcolm as I hastily re-buttoned my shirt. When I turned back around, Malcolm was taking in my disheveled appearance with a critical, unpleased look on his face.
“Did I interrupt something?” he asked innocently, knowing full well what we had been doing.
“What do you want, Malcolm?” Brand asked again, trying his best to contain his irritation with my friend.
I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved Brand even more in that moment. I knew Malcolm got on his nerves, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but he suffered through it all for me. He knew how much I cared for Malcolm, and how much I wanted us all to get along. The effort he was making for me was never plainer.
“I just came by to tell you they removed everything from the clearing today. I thought you might want to know.”
“It could have waited,” Brand grumbled.
“Well, I’m not going to lie. I wanted to see Lilly, too,” Malcolm said, leaving Brand’s side and walking over to me. I guess I had a few stray hairs sticking out from my head, because Malcolm gently smoothed them down for me. His hand traveled down my left arm and took my hand. The smile on his face soon vanished as he felt what was on my ring finger. He looked down at it.
“What’s this?” he asked confused.
“Brand asked me to marry him last night, and I said yes,” I explained, hoping my news wouldn’t hurt him too much.
“When are you supposed to be married?”
It was the first time I had ever seen Malcolm look worried.
“Not until I’m finished with school.”
“Thank God,” he said under his breath. I was sure Brand hadn’t been able to hear it. He was still standing by the open door, eagerly awaiting his chance to throw Malcolm out of his home.
Malcolm let go of my hand, not wanting to look at the ring any longer. “Will said you were supposed to take Lilly to see your friend to do the genetic profile today. Who was it?”
“Allan Westwood,” Brand answered.
“Allan?” Malcolm asked, surprised. “Does he still refuse to leave his house?”
“Yes.”
“Did you at least take Lilly to the London Eye while you were there? I would hate to know that Allan’s house was the only place she went to on her first visit to London.”
“That’s where I proposed.” I could tell Brand felt a small bit of satisfaction telling Malcolm this, and it seemed to have the desired effect.
Malcolm kissed me on one cheek and walked back to the door. “Let me know what Allan finds out,” Malcolm said to Brand. I heard Malcolm say something low to Brand, but it was too soft for me to make out what it was exactly. The only words I heard were ‘four years’. The look of irritation on Brand’s face quickly turned to the expression he used to hide his true feelings, completely unreadable.
“See you tomorrow, dearest,” Malcolm
I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him to keep going.
There was a loud knock on the front door. “Hello?”
We both let out a sigh of frustration at the sound of Malcolm’s voice.
With a growl, Brand lifted his weight off me and practically stomped to the door. I couldn’t help but giggle at him. He was like a bear that had been woken before the end of winter. He yanked the door open.
“What do you want, Malcolm?” Brand asked tersely.
“I did what you asked,” Malcolm said, stepping across the threshold, ignoring Brand’s openly-hostile glare. “You can’t imagine what a pain it is to have to knock when I know you’re both in here.”
I quickly stood from the couch, and kept my back to Malcolm as I hastily re-buttoned my shirt. When I turned back around, Malcolm was taking in my disheveled appearance with a critical, unpleased look on his face.
“Did I interrupt something?” he asked innocently, knowing full well what we had been doing.
“What do you want, Malcolm?” Brand asked again, trying his best to contain his irritation with my friend.
I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved Brand even more in that moment. I knew Malcolm got on his nerves, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but he suffered through it all for me. He knew how much I cared for Malcolm, and how much I wanted us all to get along. The effort he was making for me was never plainer.
“I just came by to tell you they removed everything from the clearing today. I thought you might want to know.”
“It could have waited,” Brand grumbled.
“Well, I’m not going to lie. I wanted to see Lilly, too,” Malcolm said, leaving Brand’s side and walking over to me. I guess I had a few stray hairs sticking out from my head, because Malcolm gently smoothed them down for me. His hand traveled down my left arm and took my hand. The smile on his face soon vanished as he felt what was on my ring finger. He looked down at it.
“What’s this?” he asked confused.
“Brand asked me to marry him last night, and I said yes,” I explained, hoping my news wouldn’t hurt him too much.
“When are you supposed to be married?”
It was the first time I had ever seen Malcolm look worried.
“Not until I’m finished with school.”
“Thank God,” he said under his breath. I was sure Brand hadn’t been able to hear it. He was still standing by the open door, eagerly awaiting his chance to throw Malcolm out of his home.
Malcolm let go of my hand, not wanting to look at the ring any longer. “Will said you were supposed to take Lilly to see your friend to do the genetic profile today. Who was it?”
“Allan Westwood,” Brand answered.
“Allan?” Malcolm asked, surprised. “Does he still refuse to leave his house?”
“Yes.”
“Did you at least take Lilly to the London Eye while you were there? I would hate to know that Allan’s house was the only place she went to on her first visit to London.”
“That’s where I proposed.” I could tell Brand felt a small bit of satisfaction telling Malcolm this, and it seemed to have the desired effect.
Malcolm kissed me on one cheek and walked back to the door. “Let me know what Allan finds out,” Malcolm said to Brand. I heard Malcolm say something low to Brand, but it was too soft for me to make out what it was exactly. The only words I heard were ‘four years’. The look of irritation on Brand’s face quickly turned to the expression he used to hide his true feelings, completely unreadable.
“See you tomorrow, dearest,” Malcolm
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