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Scout
A week after Lev tore my heart out and left, I ride the elevator at Lenox Hill to the luxury suites armed with flowers, candy, and bright “get well soon” balloons which appear far too cheery for the occasion. They were all out of “Sorry, I fucked your brother” paraphernalia at the giftshop.
I knock and enter the room when I hear him and King laughing. That laughter quickly dies when Navrin locks eyes with me.
“Oh shit,” King says, arching his brows. He scratches his chin and ducks his head as if Navrin were about to fire missiles at me.
“Would you look at that, King,” Nav says, smiling, but there is no humor in his tone. It pours over me like iced water. “It’s my girlfriend. Or should I say, ex-girlfriend, since you fucked my brother and fucked my life?”
Ouch. I deserve that. I deserve so much more than that.
“Can we talk?” I venture.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I get that, I really do, but I hope you’ll listen to what I have to say.”
“Why? So you can alleviate your guilt?”
“So I can apologize.”
“How can you possibly make up for everything you’ve done?”
Hell hath no fury like a Fox scorned.
“Alright, brother,” King says. “I’m gonna go, let you two talk it out.”
“Don’t bother. Scout isn’t staying.”
“Nav, please?”
“Don’t,” he roars. “You do not get to use my nickname. We are not friends. We’re not anything anymore. You saw to that when you opened your legs for him—how many times was it? I counted at least three on the video, but if I know my girlfriend like I thought I did, your greedy little cunt just needs to keep coming and—”
“Hey,” King says, standing to his full height. “I love you, man, but hurting or not, I’ll still kick your ass for disrespecting her like that.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like I don’t deserve it.” I swallow back my tears and set the candy and flowers on a nearby table. The balloons droop between us. I glance at Kingston’s face, his deep green eyes, perfect coffee-colored skin—anything to keep from meeting Navrin’s angry gaze. “You need a ride back to Scarsdale?”
“Nah, I like the subway.”
I frown. “King, no one likes the subway.”
“I do.” He gives me a wistful smile. “Be seeing you, brother.”
Navrin nods and watches King go, but he won’t meet my eyes once we’re alone. “How are you feeling?”
He laughs. “I don’t know, Scout. How should I be feeling after finding out the asshole I shared a womb with has been sticking it to my girlfriend?”
“Don’t hate him for this. He’s your brother and—”
“Yes, and you fucked him,” he snaps.
“And you let him take beating after beating from your dad for all those years. For you.”
His eyes grow wide and I can see I’ve stumped him. His voice is cold and biting as venom when he says, “He told you?”
“He didn’t have to. I was there when your dad attacked you, remember? I saw the black eyes, the bruises on his body—just a byproduct of all of the fights he got into, right? He protected you, but who protected him?”
“You, apparently.”
“Look, I don’t expect you to forgive me. I don’t even expect you to talk to me. Years from now, you’ll probably only think of me as the first girl who broke your heart, but he’s your blood—"
“Yeah, and he fucked my girl.”
I sigh and close my eyes. I’m not going to get anywhere with him today, but that’s okay, because tenacity is my strong suit, and I’ve never met a challenge I couldn’t overcome.
Well, aside from losing his brother.