I broke into a run, but my effort was too late. The sound of Dan punching Matt pierced my ears. The rage in Dan's eyes meant he had more, so I grabbed his arm before he punched him again.
"Dan, no!" I pulled his wrist, dug in my heels. My efforts froze his arm in mid air, but the view from this angle was one I never wanted to see. Matt's eyes glossed over, and a red mark raised the skin under his jaw.
"Dan!" Madison appeared on Dan's other side.
At her voice, Dan let Matt's shirt go. Matt hit the ground with a grunt, his eyes meeting mine. My heart raced faster, only to be cut off by my asshole brother. Don't say anything, Matt.
"That's right" Dan warned. "Stay down"
Matt pushed out from under Dan and stood up. Dan could punch over my head, but I turned to face him. "Dan" I glared at him, then sent Madison a 'do something' look. "Enough"
Madison nodded and took both of his hands in hers.
"Dan" she mumbled, having more influence on him. His breathing calmed and his eyes softened. He let her guide him towards her house.
See AlsoThe Right Time (Matt Sturniolo x Reader) - The First of ManySay Goodbye Part III (Chris Sturniolo)Dan's tantrums were old and tiring. They needed to stop. I turned to Matt's chest in my face and took a deep breath. I have one last look at my idiot brother, then looked at Matt's truck.
Neither of us spoke until we reached the curb behind his truck.
"Are you okay?" He whispered into my ear. I wasn't cold, but I shivered.
Inside, I melted. Dan punched him, and he worried about me?
"Me?" My voice cracked, curling my fingers into my palm. I looked at his red, puffy jaw. "Are you okay?"
"Your charity event" his eyes were tender, like his voice. That's what concerned him? I was done. Aurora goo status unlocked.
"Yeah. It was what I needed. Thanks for asking"
Through his truck window, Madison and Dan were sat on the porch steps. Madison's frown and the shake of her head was anything but pleased.
"I'm glad you're okay. And you're going home with Mr Time Bomb here?" Matt's mouth tightened. Didn't that hurt? He had no reason to worry except at the possibility I got car sick because his concern filled my stomach with butterflies.
"Me?" I smirked. "You should be worried about that new asshole I'm going to rip him on the ride home"
Matt's eyes sparkled and he returned my smirk. "I didn't need the visual"
He leaned in closer, and I took a deep breath. His nose raised goosebumps on my neck. His breath fanned over my skin and stole mine. My eyes closed at the soft kiss he placed behind my ear. "I'm glad you're okay..."
Matt pulled back and smiled. He walked around his truck, his smile dissolving into a wistful look through the window. I waved at him before I got into Dan's car.
Murder thoughts ran through my head while I waited for Dan. The details clashed with each other, but it involved every swear word I know of and new invented ones.
Dan's door opened and the car moved under his weight. The door slamming echoed between us. We both took deep breaths, attempting to calm down. I glared at him. "Don't" he mumbled.
"You can't-" His glare stole my words. He looked down as he gripped the wheel. He looked sad. Defeated. Despite knowing he blew his chance, I asked anyway. "Did she say yes?"
"No" his eyes were full of sadness. "I didn't get to ask"
He deserved her rejection. He was lucky I didn't make him walk home. I sighed, ready to start my 'I told you so' rant, when he held his hand to my face. "I saw him with her. And saw red"
"No excuse" I clenched my jaw. "You can't punch innocent people for apologising"
"Aurora" he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "If you knew what I knew about him, you'd be sick"
Why wouldn't he let me make my own decisions? "Try me" my voice was dry. "And close my window"
"He's a player" Dan started, rolling up my window.
"And you're not?" I snorted. I didn't mean for the words to slip out, but I was tired. I was tired of defending him, stopping him and protecting him from his anger.
"Not like him" Dan shook his head. "After Madison told me why he was there, I'm thankful you're too smart to get involved with him"
"I don't want to talk about it" I wasn't blind or stupid. Dan had a temper and charged into everything with his fists, stupid assumptions and rational thoughts.
What a clusterf*ck
