"You know if she was here, we both would probably be having a fight." Xavier snorted jokingly, "I can't even remember what most of our quarrels were about but I miss all of them."
Brian gave him a Curt nod, "I think most of them will be about your arrogance and how badly you spoke to me."
Xavier gave him an amused look and then nodded in agreement, "Perhaps."
"You are quite a tough guy, I sent all the guys who had stared at Melissa twice a hard time in high school. They had run away without looking back. Let's not even discuss the ones who had hit on her and she had introduced to me." Xavier moved closer to him conspiratorially, "I was always courteous in front of Melissa but at school, I made sure they got the message that I'll hunt their asses if I saw them even breathing the same air as Melissa's."
Brian nodded at the bizarre image Xavier painted with his tale. It was almost impossible to see Xavier with his brooding stare as a little boy, who had cared enough about his sister to scare boys away from him, but remembering the brief moment in the hospital, he did see the picture.
"Thank you, I guess."
Xavier arched a brow, "For what?"
"For scaring off the other guys."
"Don't be too sure of yourself, British Prince. Don't fuck this up."
"I won't. Never,"
Xavier gave him a dimpled smile, "Then we will always be cool. Maybe we would get to hang out once we are done with whatever in God's name this is. I want to get to know you, see beyond the over-gelled hair, and try to figure out what my sister sees in you."
Brian chuckled, "As always, You remain so Charming."
Xavier stood up, "Anytime."
He walked past Melissa with a sly grin noting her mouth that was dropped open.
She hurried towards her fiance, obviously to make sure he had not done much damage to his pretty face or check his hands for claws.
"Thanks, sister, for the vote of confidence." He hollered even as he made his way to the kitchen.
***
"So you and Xavier now hang and chill?" Melissa raised her brow.
It has been hours, Mrs. Salvador had retired to her bed, Jessica was sulking and Jasmine now was talking actively with Melissa's Intel while brainstorming ideas with him. But Melissa was still obsessed with seeing Xavier and Brian talking, without the latter nursing an injury.
Xavier rolled his eyes, he was just opposite them, on a loveseat couch and could very well hear the conversation between the two, from Melissa asking what they have talked about to outrightly asking him, if Xavier probably sounded off, almost hinting that he might be mentally unstable because of current happenings.
He didn't know if Melissa was purposely trying to lure him to give his input but he was done pretending like he wasn't just some foot away from them and was hearing them discuss him.
"You should give the guy some credit, Melissa. He is not that unbearable to talk to."
"You think I don't know that!" She exclaimed almost immediately making him believe that all the show she had put up was to get him to talk, "You are the unbearable one to talk to."
Xavier Chuckled, "If talking to your fiance could make you completely dumbfounded and I suspect, happy then I'm ready to take one for the team."
"Hey," Brian raised his brow, "Not cool mate, I'm right here!"
Melissa Chuckled even as she leaned more into his arms. Xavier looked away, the moment between them felt so intimate to be witnessed by an outsider.
He doubted he'll ever look at anybody the way, Brian did Melissa and have anybody look at him, the way Melissa did Brian.
He didn't feel angry or pain. He felt nothing. Numbness.
A feeling that didn't shock him anymore. A feeling that had become a part of him for years. Nothing could change the fact that he had hurt to a point, that he now felt nothing.
And that was what convinced him that despite how he just might be beginning to like the picture of togetherness, the numbness in him will not allow him, to crave it enough to take all the risk.
"Let's play a game," Jasmine announced, her eyes flashing like it was the perfect idea that was borne out of genius thinking.
Xavier looked at Maya's friend, not even surprised they were all close. Three crazy human beings have found themselves and have decided to give their confraternity where they frustrated the likes of him, a name. Of course, it'll be called friendship.
Melissa blinked looking up not knowing what had taken place to make Jasmine's face so flushed with excitement and her eyes glowing with hope when she had minutes ago, been frustrated and chewing at her nails in pure exasperation.
Jessica blinked and looked away, also not believing the words that escaped her friend's lips.
Regardless, Jasmine grabbed an empty bottle of beer from the dining table, setting it on the floor.
She sat down cross-legged on the floor, watching them in anticipation.
"What is going on?" Xavier managed to mumble.
"I'm done with all of us looking like it is a day after Maya's funeral. She is alive, and we are going to get her back soon. So let's just try to stay positive."
She then stood up, her hands on her waist, looking like she was cussing whoever had given her the job of talking to the little dumb children, she smiled with sassy patience, "So truth and dare?"
Five minutes later, everybody was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the sitting room, Brian in between Xavier and Melissa, Jessica next to Jasmine, and a bottle in their middle.
"Truth or Dare?" Jasmine asked cheerily.
"Truth." Jessica's voice was flat as she looked up the ceiling.
"A good trait about Maya, you hate to admit even to yourself."
Melissa Chuckled, tears pooling in her brown eyes, at the little smile that crept into Jessica's blank face.
"She is fucking intelligent. Too smart for her own good and deserved the best graduating student award." Her voice conveyed a little smirk and Xavier could tell that has been a topic of argument and contending for a while now.
Maya's ability was inarguable. He could testify wholesomely to how dedicated and how efficient she was at her job.
How easily she have won the heart of almost all the staff and most businessmen who had even gone as far as asking him about her whenever they didn't see her smartly taking notes beside him.
He had not appreciated the interest they had formed one bit but he couldn't even fault her for being an attractive smart woman.