"I'm sorry," he mutters dejectedly. The remorse in his voice is clear and unwavering. "So fucking sorry."
It throws me off. Why is he apologetic when he didn't fucking say a thing?
"Why?" My one word holds so much force that I'm shaken by its impact.
Pru shudders a bit, his face placating. When he doesn't move to answer me, I peer at Just. He's unreadable. It's unlike him. He's always so protective and possessive. The past twenty-four hours make zero sense to me.
"We have rules, sweetheart," he barely explains with a sigh.
I can't tell if the sigh is simply him being annoyed with the question or it's really that bad of rules.
"And? That's not an answer, Justice. It's a copout."
His intense ruddy eyes meet mine. They're filled with the normal aggressive emotions he carts around for me. Proprietorial. Watchful. Urgency.
"Yeah, Justice. Fucking tell her. Explain to her how we let someone we hate fuck her right in front of us," Pru practically yells.
It's a side of him I've never witnessed, but it's there, the anger, the betrayal, the defeat. Rage and resentment bubble to the forefront of Pru’s face. His gaze collides with mine as I rotate toward him. He's bitter, obvious in the way his nostrils are flaring and how his brows scrunch. His grimace burns his face like a day spent in the sun without sunblock.
"Shut the fuck up, Prudence," he hisses.
I'm taken aback at the venom in his tone. Animosity isn't a trait I've witnessed firsthand from them. Seeing the twins, who are always in sync, off-balanced is upsetting to say the least.
"No," Pru argues, adjusting to where he's leaning toward his brother. "You let that fuck touch what's mine."
His loathing tone has me shivering, but I can't help but to watch as they spiral.
"Ours," Just corrects.
Pru won't have it. He stands, grabbing his boxers and jeans and pulling them up swiftly.
"No, brother. You lost that right when you decided for the both of us," Pru bites out. He grabs his shirt and leaves.
I'm still naked, practically sprawled out. It only takes thirty or so seconds for Just to break the awkward stale silence.
"He's temperamental."
It's a lame excuse. Even I can tell fighting with his brother bothers him. I used to be that way with Cass. When we'd be at odds, my heart would deflate, like a part of me was missing.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Col." His icy eyes glint with remorse. We're never at odds, but he doesn't approve of me with any of the guys. He caught Lux and I making out and lost his shit. He called me an attention seeker, and I called him a controlling asshat.
Fighting between us happens very little, but something about Student Gov always has him in knots. Since I've joined, I've seen him less and less, and we room together.
"I'm sorry, too," I apologize, pulling him into a hug. When his arms wrap around my waist, my head falls to his shoulder. Hugging isn't my favorite, but my brother knows how to hug. He makes me feel safer than ever before.
My eyes burn with the need to leak. Sadness overwhelms me down to the marrow in my bones, reminding me that they may still have each other and should fix things, but no matter how much I spend my life regretting mine and Cassidy's last words to each other, I'll never be able to fix it.
“You need to go talk to him.” My words are a broken plea, laced with the heartbreak seeping through my bones. He gives me a really look, and I nod. "Don't allow your differences to separate you. If last night's any sort of omen, we're only here for as long as others allow. Fix this."
It's more of a demand. I may not trust them with my heart, my body, or anything else remotely at risk, but I would never try to separate them. They're brothers. Twins. They need each other.
"I will when he cools off," he agrees, but I see the defiance in his eyes. He's none too happy to oblige.
I sit up and go to gather my clothes. As I dress, he smiles widely. Whether he's entertained or just in need of a distraction, I don't push. After I'm fully dressed, I go in search of my caddy. He follows suit moments later.
"We know Lennox from rugby," he explains suddenly in my front room.
My eyebrows raise, not realizing these two were athletes in that respect.
"What, babe?" he mocks with a withering stare. "Am I not meaty and muscular like Lennox?"
I laugh out loud, my face feeling weird to have this much happiness on it after my shitty day.
"You're definitely... muscular," I tease, tracing my eyes up and down his still naked body. He's goddamn breathtaking, but that's another story.
"Let me get dressed, and I'll walk you to the showers."
Good, at least he cares enough to walk me there and not make me go alone. His moods are new to me. Since I don't really know enough about the twins, I'm taking it step-by-step.
"I didn't realize Arcadia went that far east," I lie to him as soon as he walks back to me in his jeans and polo. Our rugby team travels worldwide, but seeing Just trip up is my goal and why I'm willing to play dumb.
Cassidy was the fly-half, the heartbeat of the game. He carried his weight and more. His dedication kept me in awe. If Cass was anything, he was an inspiration to me and all around him. For as long as I can remember, he's always been my hero.
But sometimes, the hero dies, leaving the princess to wield her own sword, slaying her own beasts and conquering with a crown, no matter how tilted.
"Oh, yeah," he says sheepishly. "We'd see each other across the world, unsurprisingly. While Arcadia has always been at the top, Tremington has always been right beside them."
Shit. Maybe he did play. My mind travels to Valridge and while I want to question it further, he gives off no bad vibes.
With my caddy in hand, we leave, and I grab my badge for the communal showers. The short distance it takes to get there, we don't talk, but as soon as we're in the shower room, I turn to him.
"Why do you hate each other?" I ask honestly, wanting the answer.
He narrows his eyes and his jaw ticks. "Our fathers," he states it as if it's self-explanatory. When I offer him only a questioning stare, he elaborates. "But for as why we didn't argue or fight him is simply based on owing him."
A self-deprecating laugh leaves me, making my chest ache. I'm like a fucking bet. Toss a coin. It'll define your life.
"Don't look at me like that." He cringes at his own words.
After setting down my shower supplies, I get inside one of the shower stalls and start undressing as Just watches me.
"A year ago, we were at a game in Las Vegas, and we fucked the girl he brought with him," he continues.
Vegas.
I gasp, thinking of that game. Lux brought me to that game against the Valridge Trojans.
"She was this hot-as-fuck blonde." Then he gives me an apologetic look and drags a palm down his face. "Her hair was nearly silver. She wore these tight, pleated skirts and—"
I interrupt him, fully naked and annoyed. If I didn't know he was speaking of me, I would be infuriated, so I play the part. "Could you not talk about someone else like that?" I cringe for good measure. "It makes me feel insecure."