Filed to story: Katy and Brayden Cooper Novel
She sighs and flops flat onto the bed. I lie down too, our heads bumping together.
“He said it’s his kink or something.”
“And he’s just now dropping that after, what… two years?”
Allie groans. “Now that you’ve put it like that, I’m officially pissed.”
“You probably need to have a real conversation with him,” I say carefully.
She’s quiet for a moment, then sighs. “Yeah… you’re right. She shifts, then bumps me suddenly. “So where’s Braydon?”
“Somewhere downstairs.” I shrug. “Honestly, he’s probably having more fun without me.”
She chuckles. “Have you seen Bryan?”
“Uhun. He was gawking at me like a ghost in a crop top. You should have seen his face.”
Allie snorts. “Well, I’m not satisfied until he cries. You can call me to come watch then.”
We burst out laughing, my stomach aching.
“Bryan’s definitely-“
“You said you don’t date, Braydon!” A sharp voice cuts me off from right outside the door. I sit up without thinking, my pulse kicking hard. I shoot Allie a wide-eyed look and she perks up. Who’s that? And… is she really talking to Braydon?
“Yeah, I don’t.” Braydon’s voice, one I could pick out in my sleep, answers. My jaw tightens. Who the hell is he talking to? And why does it sound like he’s seconds away from blowing our little fake relationship cover just for his ego?
“So then who’s Katy to you?” the girl asks. “Everyone’s talking about your relationship.”
Oh my God. I can actually hear my heart pounding in my ears. This is it. This is how I die.
There’s a pause, then Braydon says clearly, “Katy’s not my girlfriend yet.”
His response punches the air out of me. My stomach sinks and I stare down at my boots like they’ve suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world. It’s not like I expected him to blow off a random hookup just to protect our fake relationship. I mean… that would be insane.
Right?
“I’m still trying to win her heart,” he adds, and my head snaps up so fast my neck almost cracks.
“What?” the girl blurts, confusion dripping from her voice. “I don’t understand. Are you…”
“What I’m saying is that I don’t date,” Braydon cuts in smoothly, not missing a beat. “But for Katy, I’ll make an exception. So, are we done here?”
Silence follows, thick and awkward. I’m sitting on the bed, trying to process, while my cheeks heat up so bad I feel like a human toaster. I push my hair behind my ears to do something with my hands, pretending I’m not about to combust.
Beside me, Allie digs her elbow into my side and snickers under her breath, the picture of someone having way too much fun at my expense. I give her my best stone face like I can’t hear her.
My eyes flick toward the door, and I’m desperate to see that girl’s expression. For a second, I’d been so sure Braydon was about to tank our entire plan and I’d have to crawl out of here in shame.
But instead…
Instead, he backed me up. Actually, more than that. He made it sound real.
I swallow hard. Maybe Braydon’s more trustworthy than I gave him credit for.
“Seriously? Katy Evans? Of all people?” the girl’s voice bites again, and my eye twitches. Of all people? Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
“Are you better than her?” Braydon fires back, his tone clipped, and deeper. “What makes you think there’s anyone in this goddamn house who’s better than Katy Evans?”
The air in my lungs stalls. I’m frozen, half from shock at his words, half from rage at hers.
“At least, I don’t dress like a middle schooler,” she snaps. “Have you even heard what people are saying? She’s not your type.”
That’s it.
My fingers curl tight, nails digging into my palm, and heat rushes through me.
I shoot up from the bed and march to the door, anger burning inside me. When I swing the door open, Braydon’s eyes go wide and the girl whirls around, and yep…it’s her. The same redhead from that first night.
I let out a sharp scoff and cross my arms. “You again?”
She squares her shoulders, her lips curling into a smug smile. “Look who it is,” she sings, like we’re in some bad teen drama.
“Stacy, you should leave,” Braydon warns, but I hold up my hand without looking at him. This is mine. I’ll handle this bitch myself.
“I see you go around talking about me,” I say, tilting my head. “Obsessed much?”
She flips her hair over her shoulder and lets out a snigger. “And what exactly am I supposed to be obsessed with?”
I step closer, tugging lightly at her jacket collar with a smile. “I’d be obsessed too if the only thing I had to brag about was flashing my ass cheeks to half of Cadston in the name of fashion. I mean… you’ve been doing that for years and still haven’t pulled anyone worth remembering. Or does no one think you’re their type?”
Her lips part like she’s about to fire something back, but then she shuts them. Classic. The thing with bullies is they never stop to think about how pathetic their own lives actually look until someone points it out. And when you do, it’s game over.
“Good luck keeping him,” she mutters with a hard glare. “Just so you know, it won’t last long.”
I tilt my head, fighting the urge to laugh. “Oh, thanks for the advice, but I don’t need it.”
BRAYDON’S POV
Katy’s giving me the kind of death glare that could melt concrete as Stacy storms away. I swear, I’ve never seen her look this pissed, and for a second, it feels like I’m some married dude who just got caught sneaking around with his side chick.
I rub the back of my neck, searching for words that won’t make this worse.
“I leave you for five minutes and you’re already running back to your ex?” she asks, her arms folding across her chest.
“She’s not my ex,” I blurt before I can stop myself. The look she gives me right after makes me wish I could take it back. “And besides,” I add quickly, “I told her I’m into you.”
She raises a brow, clearly unimpressed. “Oh really? Because I didn’t hear that part.”
“I find it hard to believe you were in there the whole time and didn’t catch what I said,” I shoot back.