𝓉𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒶

she really, truly did love her brother, but sometimes she wanted to hit him right upside the head. at least he’d finally realized that he wanted a life with bridge, was finally able to admit it to himself. she was just glad she didn’t have to watch him get pissed off about her anymore - not in the same way, at least. “ you’re not gonna live that down, are you? even if i make you wear a dress? ” she asked, raising her brows, curious to know how committed he was to this whole maid of honor schtick. “ that does make me feel better - bridget does have fantastic fashion sense, ” she replied, stepping into the store. she watched as her siblings fought, her eyes darting from one arguing brunette to another. “ hey! ” she said, grabbing their attention. “ first and foremost - you’re all wrong. vanilla, kenz, honestly? and mack, are you not an adult? you’ve really gotta get over this whole bubblegum ice cream phase. ” she shook her head. “ second of all, we’re here for m e. so pause the argument and tell me how awesome these dresses look, unless our biggest brother failed and picked out a bad one. then yell at him. ”

tavia held her hands up in surrender - for once she wasn’t there to argue with the girl. as much as she would’ve reveled in the moment a few weeks ago, right now she just didn’t have the energy. and it wasn’t like lyss was going to be a fan of tavia kicking one of her closest friends while she was already down. “ don’t make this harder for me than it already is, ” she replied, rolling her eyes at the girl. “ i’m not here to make whatever’s wrong worse. i was actually gonna suggest -, ” she swallowed, not really believing the words that were coming from her mouth, “ - i was going to suggest that we go get wasted and try and forget about our problems for the night? drinking a bottle of whisky on your own just makes things more depressing than they already are and well... you look like you need a drink as much as i do. ”

truthfully, she hadn’t been aware that nora had enough feelings to get hurt, let alone enough to cry. she bounced on the balls of her feet, unsure of whether to approach the girl or not. it was nora, after all - but it would also be a welcome distraction. plus, she had to admit she was a little curious as to find out what was causing such a public display of emotion from the girl. and a drink or two with a companion wasn’t such a bad idea either - she’d spent much too many nights drinking alone recently. she was a little afraid she was following in her father’s alcoholic footsteps, not that it would stop her from dulling the pain with yet another shot. “ hey, ” she said softly as she approached the girl, hands sliding in her back pockets.

octavia raised her brows at her brother before shaking her head at him. “ you’re an outright idiot, ollie, ” she stated. “ not sure if it’s because you actually might run away or you think that you could. between bridge and i, we can definitely get you back. plus, you leaving new york? that’s less likely than me joining a convent. ” she huffed as she was pushed into the direction of the shop before walking on her own, lips pursed. “ really though. what does this dress look like? should i be prepared to fake that i love it or am i actually going to fall in love with it? ”

" i may have a few tricks up my sleeve, ” she replied. she attempted to force back her smile but it only slightly disappeared before it came back more pronounced than before. she clasped her hands together and looked away from her brother, all but jumping up and down in excitement. she knew just how much her brother cared for the girl, the fact that she’d stuck around for more than a few months was enough proof of that alone, but now he was taking a step tavia never thought she’d see. “ it is bridget, which is why those little ‘constraints’ you’re psyching yourself out over are absolutely ludicrous, ” she rolled her eyes at him. “ what’s she gonna do that she hasn’t already? hate to say it, big bro, but you’re kinda whipped. ”

tavia’s hands immediately went up to deflect her brothers, a pout forming on her lips as she fixed her hair. there was an ache in her chest and she diverted her gaze from him, unable to deny his words. it was as close as she could really get to the girl. it wasn’t like she could just crawl into the hospital bed. “ if you change your mind, just let me know, ” she said softly. as much as she didn’t want to admit it, her brother’s presence would’ve been a welcome comfort in her home. she nodded at him and brought the bottle to her lips. “ okay. see you. ” she gave him a half-hearted wave before following in his footsteps, downing her own bottle as he walked away.

she pressed her lips together and shook her head lightly at him. she knew this was hard for him to take in but he had to know. if she’d been betrayed the way he was, she would want him to tell her. she knew exactly how much that kind of betrayal could hurt. “ i’m sorry, ” she mumbled. “ i thought you deserved to know. who knows if they ever would’ve told you. ” she glanced down at the bottle she had and picked it up, noting she’d barely taken any drinks since the start of this. maybe she should’ve drank before dragging him out here. “ yeah. you can come stay at my place tonight if you want. lyss is still in the hospital so i can crash in her bed, ” she offered, like she hadn’t been secretly sneaking into the girl’s room at night already. at least this way she’d have an excuse. “ remember you promised - nothing over two hundred, ” she added, unsure if the promise held any weight anymore.

tavia held her breath as she waited for her brother to take in the information, only to let out an exasperated sigh to escape at his reaction. part of her wanted to hit him for not believing her. why would she joke about such a thing? they’d joked about stupid things in the past but she would never even hint at something like this had it not been true. and even though she hadn’t seen the two hooking up, events following the incident had made her absolutely positive that the source she had was telling the truth. was she going to have to tell him how she knew for him to believe her? no. even thinking about it made her nauseous in ways she’d never been before. it was one thing for her to know - an entirely different thing to vocalize it to her brother. “ that IS the real news, ollie! do you honestly think i would take you away from your home, where HE lives, steal his beer, and take you to a practically deserted park if it weren’t the truth?! what possible reason would i have to lie to you? ” she looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for an answer she knew he didn’t have. “ if you don’t believe me ask reid. or bridge. or nor-- eleanor. ”

“ riiight, class, ” she replied, unsure if he would be going to class at all after the news she had to spill. maybe it would’ve been better to wait until after, but she knew she couldn’t drop it now. she’d led into it too well, ollie wouldn’t let her drop it even if she tried. a long sigh escaped her lips as she crossed her legs, turning her body to face him. she took a sip of her own beer before nodding at her brother. “ yes. and in my humble opinion he owes you much more than two measly bottles of beer, ” she replied. she leaned down to set her bottle on the ground and looked at her brother. “ look - i don’t know how to say this other than to just tell you. and please don’t ask how i found out this information, because i am not ready to go down that road with you - or anyone, for that matter. bridge -- reid and bridge -- ” she took a deep breath. “ a few nights ago, reidandbridgeslepttogether, ” she said, her words stringing together as though it would somehow lessen the blow.

she tilted her head back with a laugh and patted his head lightly. “ yeah - me give up blackmail. that’s a good one, ol. what’s next? i’m gonna join a convent? ” she shook her head at him as she followed him into the street. her steps faltered at the news and her eyes widened, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “ you - ” she blinked in surprise. “ okay. yeah. no. definitely not telling bridge that. but i make no promises on keeping this from lyss. i can only keep a secret so far. -- marriage. damn, i wasn’t sure you had it in you. ” she tilted her head to the side, assessing him before she smiled widely. “ ollie’s all grown up and gonna get maaarriiiied. ”

the fact that he wasn’t phased by her reaction only served to anger her more. what would it take for him to just leave her alone? her breath caught as he flipped her over, the action so familiar and she stared up at him. it was some twisted joke that her body still reacted to him after everything. she shivered slightly, moving her face away from him and she closed her eyes gently. the fact that he knew her well enough to know what he was doing, what she was feeling beneath her anger, only made her want to disguise the conflicting emotions even more. her eyes darted open and she looked at him, eyes burning. “ don’t you dare say that. if you loved me you wouldn’t have gotten ENGAGED to someone else. you wouldn’t have even started seeing someone else, ” she spat, pushing against his chest. “ people who love each other don’t go off and marry someone else. that’s just not how it works! you broke MY heart, not the other way around. don’t try and twist this around to make yourself some victim. so fucking sorry that i found out you were cheating on me. or was it her you were cheating on? was i always the second girl? ” her gaze softened slightly and she swallowed, unsure if she really wanted the answer to that. he was her first and, until recently, only love. “ what’d you think i’d do when i found out? you know how my family works. or were you just hoping i would never find out and you could marry her and keep me as what, some mistress? ”

tavia tilted her head to the side in assent. no doubt he’d bring up josie again - the girl did come up at random times in their lives. she decided not to comment on the accessory on his wrist; there were just some things she didn’t want to know about her brother’s sex life. plus, it was mildly amusing knowing that he’d have to walk around campus with handcuffs still attached. “ yeah, sure. and i’m not madly in love with someone who can’t remember who i am, ” she replied, deadpan. she opened the door, exiting his place and she let out a long sigh. “ you think i’d wake you up, give you alcohol, and take you far away from your home if it was something i thought you ‘didn’t give a fuck’ about? come on, ollie, ” she replied, crossing her arms. she walked in silence before she was sure they were away from anyone of importance, sitting on a bench in a nearly deserted park. “ before i say anything, you have to promise not to be mad at the messenger; i’m just doing a service because i love you and i shouldn’t get punished for that. and you also have to promise you won’t break anything worth more than...two hundred dollars. deal? ”

tavia shrugged with a laugh. “ well, after everything, i think we deserve a fancy place to get married, don’t you? ” she rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. of course he’d wait until the last moment to warn her she’d be trying on a wedding dress. she crossed the room to grab her phone and slide on some shoes. “ did you invite the remainder of our lovely, very opinionated, family or no? ” she slid her phone in her back pocket. “ why would i tell bridge about it when i can blackmail you with it instead? it’s like you don’t even know me. now i’m worried you picked out some seventies style dress with shoulder pads. ”

“ YES, it matters! ” she yelled, taking a step toward him. she needed to know exactly what - who she had to protect. had he always been so difficult or was this just a recent, unfortunate development? of course he’d found a way to dispute the setup. he hadn’t been daddy’s number one player for no reason. “ you - ” she started, ready to defend her brother before the blood drained out of her face at the mention of lyss. he had absolutely no right even knowing lyss existed - let alone that she was in a coma. she felt like she was switching between hot and cold more rapidly than she could keep up with. she was angry and terrified all at the same time. and to bring dana into this? she had no idea what she was getting herself into. one second tavia found herself on the opposite side of the bench and the next, her hands were against his throat as she pushed him against the ground, looking into his eyes. “ go home jai, ” she said, more emotion than she wanted slipping through her angry veneer. was breaking her heart the first time not enough? now he had to infiltrate every piece of her life and tear it apart, too? “ before you end up in jail again. ”