Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ROYCE
My stomach grumbles in a sound that would be better fitting for a movie about aliens than inside of a human. I clutch the pillow to my stomach, groaning as another wave of nausea hits me.
The worst of it has passed, thank goodness.
I've been sick for a few hours now thanks to the health food concoction Austin had me split with him for breakfast this morning.
No one else drank it, and they're all fine.
Austin, while looking a little worse for wear when I was downstairs earlier, merely belched like a frat boy after a keg stand.
Then again, the man has an iron stomach. I do not. Lesson learned, I guess.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Blinking slowly, I realize I must have fallen asleep at some point. I guess my body needed the time to recuperate. While there's still an ache present, I'm no longer feeling as if a mad dash to the bathroom will come at any minute.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Ah, yes. The sound that woke me up. Someone clearly wants to see me.
I manage to grumble out, "Come in."
The door swings open, and Bellamy walks in with an oversized rectangular box balanced on his shoulder. I push myself up to sit and stare at him.
"What in the world is that? I thought we already opened all the presents this morning."
He shakes his head, then eases the box onto the edge of my bed.
The room that I grew up in is more refined to my adult taste; however, it is still very much filled with my favorite things.
That includes the king-size bed I requested once Bellamy got his in middle school.
Not because I actually needed it at the time, but because I was jealous of all the space he had to spread out and sleep.
Seeing him in this space is a reminder of that time.
With the box on the bed, I'm able to see inside. Several containers of food cover the entire thing, along with an item wrapped in foil.
"You received a get-well package," Bellamy says, voice careful like he's worried how I'll react.
"A package for me? Someone sent all this food?" I ask, leaning forward to look deeper at the contents.
I shift the items around, wondering who could have sent them and what in the world it all is. From first glance, it appears to be… Mexican food. The distinct scent of cilantro, onion, and fresh tortillas rises to greet me.
For a moment, I worry that I'll get sick again, but instead my stomach gives a rumble that signals hunger. Makes sense considering how sick I was earlier. There can't be anything left in me. Plus, everything smells delicious.
Bellamy laughs, then reaches into the side corner of the box and pulls out a card.
"I didn't open it, and I didn't let anyone else. I had to fight Jake off because he wanted to be nosy, so I expect you to tell me exactly who it is after you’ve read it. Everyone is buzzing with the need to know. There might be a riot if I don’t come back with details. "
I blink at him. "They want to know who sent me food?"
A part of me suspects who it could be. The question is, how did he know to send me anything? I haven't spoken to him at all today.
Bellamy shakes his head and extends the envelope closer. "Rules are rules. Open it up." He crosses his arms as soon as I take it from him.
I peel the lid of the envelope open and slide the card out.
I heard you weren't feeling well. Hopefully this makes things better. Thinking of you and wishing for a fast recovery.
-KM
Well shit.
How in the world can I spin this? There's no one else that we know with the initials KM, and lying to Bellamy in this state isn't possible.
My brother is definitely going to pick up if I'm trying to be evasive.
At the same time, I can't really tell him that I got this entire huge care package on Christmas Day from a man I had sworn to loathe and now work with.
Although we do work together. A care package isn't an unheard-of thing between co-workers.
I've seen people do it in the offices I've managed.
Speaking of which, I need to do a follow-up with them soon.
I've been so wrapped up in baseball I've been letting my other businesses coast. It's never good to leave them to themselves for too long.
"Well?" Bellamy asks, waving his hand in my direction. "Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to take it from you to see for myself?"
I roll my eyes. "It's from Kenneth. He sent it because we had been working on a project, and I told him I didn't feel well earlier."
"You were texting Kenneth Meyer today? On Christmas?" My brother asks, voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes? Is that such an odd thing?"
"It really is! Why would you need to contact him on Christmas? Everything could wait. It's one day."
I throw my hands up, letting myself fall back onto the bed as dramatically as possible. "What do you want me to say? I like to work. It's a good distraction instead of shitting my brains out."
Bellamy winces and turns his head away. "Yeah, sorry. Austin got a little sick earlier himself. As much as I don't want to wish anything bad on anyone else, I'm kind of happy the guy got a taste of his own medicine."
"Oh yeah?" I question.
"Yeah. Carmen told him he was no longer allowed to make those concoctions, and he definitely couldn't use anyone in the family as a test dummy.
You should have seen her, man. She had the baby strapped to her boob breastfeeding, and baby Lee was running in circles around his dad who was barfing into a paper bag in the kitchen. Epic."
I snort, picturing what he's saying. Carmen is fierce. The woman can do anything she puts her mind to, which is why she has two young kids and a husband who knows that she doesn't play about anything. She also has a thriving career, but that's a whole different subject.
I aspire to be as epic as my sister is. As epic as all my siblings are, really. I was born into a good bunch.
Rolling my head to the side, I look at Bellamy.
I let down my guard a bit so he can see how I'm really feeling.
"I can't explain it to you, big brother.
What I can say is that Kenneth Meyer is turning out to not be the biggest asshole in the world.
Part of me wonders if a lot of my hatred for him stems from how much I couldn't stand his best friend Clark instead. Maybe guilty by association."
Bellamy's hands move to his hips. He nods slowly, as if he's processing the information.
"That could make sense. Clark deserved an ass-whooping, and a whole lotta therapy to get through his emotional baggage.
I just don't have a good feeling about all this.
Call me paranoid. I don't want to see you get hurt when this is over. "
"When this is over?"
He nods. "I mean when Kenneth no longer works with the team, and you're left to pick up whatever pieces he leaves behind.
You don't need to be wondering if all is well or if he's trying to manipulate you and hurt the situation.
Granted, I would take him to court and sue his ass for everything the Meyer family is worth if he did do anything shady. "
I shake my head as I discreetly tuck the envelope and letter underneath my pillow. Bellamy doesn't need to know how I'm going to examine every single word of every sentence on it once he's gone. The food will have to wait until I do a thorough deep dive into what Kenneth really means.
"I don't think he's trying to manipulate me," I say after a moment.
"I think that circumstances are odd, and the fact that we have a history makes things difficult but not impossible.
It's not the end of the world. What it boils down to is that I'm taking over running the team, and he's leaving.
It's in his best interest to be honest up front. "
"You're damn right it is," he interrupts.
"Yes, it is," I continue. "So whatever high school bullshit idea you have in your head, you can let go. I am able to take care of myself now. I'm not that scared teenager who's unsure about themselves and their place in the world."
Bellamy's arms drop to the sides as he gives me a soft smile. "No, you're not. I love you, Royce. You are an amazing sibling, and I'm honored to have you in my life. It's part of the reason I worry so much. I can't imagine—"
I cut him off, knowing where this train of thought is going. "You don't have to worry about anything like that. I'm in therapy. I've worked on my issues, and I know exactly who to contact if I’m in one of those dark moments."
He swallows thickly, nodding. I hate that my family has to worry about this.
Hate that it's even a topic of discussion.
As a teen, I thought I could be strong enough to handle the bullying on my own.
I wasn't, and after hurting myself badly enough to end up in the hospital, they discovered the truth.
Thinking back to that time, it's no wonder Bellamy is worried now about Kenneth and everything.
I push myself up off the bed and walk around until I'm in front of him. He towers over me, especially considering I'm not wearing any shoes. I step onto his toes, much like I did when I was a kid, and wrap my arms around his middle.
"I love you, Bell," I say, voice soft.
"I love you too, Royce." I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head, then he smooths down my hair and steps away.
I climb back into the bed and slide underneath the covers.
"Are you gonna eat any of this right now?" he asks, pointing to the box.
I shake my head. "I'm too scared to eat just yet."
He shrugs. "I figured as much. Do you want me to put it in the kitchen or just over to the side?"
"Just leave it here," I tell him. "I'm sure it won't be long. It smells really good."
Bellamy picks up the box and puts it on one of the tables across the room I normally use as a workstation. "I would hope it smells good. It's from Aries's mother. She had Andry and Rodney drop it off."
My jaw drops. "She cooked for me on Christmas? Holy crap."
Bellamy laughs. "Don't feel special. That woman is notorious for cooking ten times as much food as she needs.
I bet she threw it together out of what she had.
But know this: If you don't end up eating it, I will be back up here in a couple of hours to polish it off for you.
No need to let food go bad simply because you have a tummy ache. "
I scowl at him. "You will do no such thing. That food was made for me, delivered for me, meant for me."
Bellamy raises his hands as he slowly backs away towards the door. "It can be for you all you want, but it will be in me when I eat it." He snorts, then lets out a loud, barking laugh as he ducks out of the door.
If I didn't have to get up to go get it, I would throw my pillow at him. The bastard! Threatening to eat my food. I'm sure our parents have already fed him more than enough throughout the day while I've been up here. He doesn't need to eat mine too.
Pulling the note back out from under the pillow, I run my fingers over it. I read it again and again. Somewhere around the fifteenth time, I get the nerve to pick up my phone and shoot off a text.
Royce: Thank you for the food. It was unexpected.
I get a reply instantly.
Kenneth: You're welcome. How are you feeling?
Royce: I'm much better. I got some rest, and I'm gonna eat in just a bit.
The bubbles appear and disappear for a little bit. Then his reply comes through. It makes me sit up straight in bed.
Kenneth: I've been worried ever since I saw that you were sick. I made a friend at my parents' party who needed her own version of a beard for the night, so she showed me the page Jake uses to talk about everyone, and I just snapped. She called in a favor for me, and now you've got food to eat.
Another text message comes in quickly behind it.
Kenneth: Oh shit, I didn't need to tell you all of that. Ignore me. I've had a couple of drinks, and the bartender poured heavy.
I smile, thinking about a tipsy Kenneth. I wonder what he's like right now. What is he wearing and how is the party going? He mentioned a woman acting for him in a way that probably gets his parents off his back, if I had to guess.
Laying back down in the bed, I open the camera app on my phone and snap a quick selfie. I send it without thought, telling him thanks, and I already feel better knowing I've got a good meal.
He heart reacts to the picture, then sends me a selfie as well: him with a woman who is drop-dead gorgeous.
Kenneth: Meet my friend Claudia. She and her girlfriend are eloping next month, but for now I am being her pretend possible fiancé so that our parents will leave us alone for the night.
I laugh, then clutch my stomach for the pain that shoots through me. Shaking my head, I type out:
Royce: That is good luck on your part. I'm glad you have someone there to keep you company. You look great.
I berate myself for the next five minutes when he doesn't say anything back.
Mostly because I had no reason to tell him he looked great, and this whole banter thing we're doing is way too close to flirting for me.
I told Bellamy that we were cordial, not that we were sexually compatible, though that is still an idea I question.
The almost kiss and the simple touches between us have been hot, yeah, but there also hasn't been anything else. I won't know unless we—
My phone vibrates in my hand, pulling me from the erotic thoughts.
Kenneth: Thanks. You look amazing. The bed looks comfy, and your eyes are really soft.
I scroll back up to look at the photo, and my heart increases in speed.
I look freshly fucked. My hair is all over the place, and my face is softer than normal.
I'm very obviously in a bed, and the shirt I'm wearing has fallen open to show off some of my chest. As much as I wasn't trying to be seductive, it is picture perfect for such.
I heart react to his message and then send back a simple thanks.
I don't know what else to say, and I'm kind of worried any more talking between us will make me spill everything.
It's far too easy to talk to Kenneth Meyer when I don't see him, and it's becoming even easier to fall into this routine of ours.
Part of me wonders: If it's this easy, why am I fighting it so much?