Surrendering by Ahren Sanders Read Free Book Online Page A

It was just a run.”
    “Since when do you run at 7:00 in the morning? Since when do you stay on the couch on a Thursday night? Since when do you hang out with us and eat Chinese when you usually hang at the bar on Thursdays?”
    “Jesus, Abbi, it was just a fucking run! I can see how you two are thinking so I’ll grab my shit and go. I’ll be back to learn about the fucking alarm in an hour, so make sure your bitch hats are off by the time I return!”
    A cup drops in the sink and then Abbi speaks. “Dec, we’re sorry, but Raven seems cool and she’s a blast to hang out with. She seems like she’ll be a good roommate and she has hot friends that are equally as cool as her. We don’t know much about her, but I don’t think she’s the kind of girl that you can fuck around with. She already thinks she’s out of your league because of the comment you made in the park. We know how you fool around with different girls. We see the kind of trash that throws itself at you. We also know you’re not interested in a relationship.”
    “Who the fuck is talking about relationships? It was a fucking run!”
    A door slams just as I get into the shower.
    After the shower, when I’m dressed and ready for the day, I walk back into the kitchen to a somber looking Abbi and Ella. They seem to be whispering, but quit immediately.
    Sensing the tension, I wave slightly and go to make my breakfast.
    Abbi breaks the silence first, “Raven, let’s talk.”
    “Okay, did I do something already to piss you off?”
    “No, but we think you should know some things. It’ll be better to tell you now and let you decide for yourself how you want to move forward, especially when it comes to our brother.”
    “I’m not sure what that even means, but I have to ask, is this about this morning?”
    Ella cuts in, “Yes and no. I’m going to lay it out for you. We love our brother more than anything in the world. We lost our mom at an early age and my dad made sure we all grew up close. Declan’s the best to us in every single way. There’s nothing in the world he wouldn’t do to support and protect us.”
    “This’s great news seeing as I have a brother of my own that I love infinitely. What’s the problem?”
    “The way Declan treats us is different than how he treats other girls- no matter who they are.”
    “What Abbi is trying to say is that our brother is a one-night stand kind of guy. He doesn’t do relationships, he doesn’t do sleepovers, and he doesn’t even know the names of all the girls he’s fucked. Our last roommate moved out because she was stupid enough to fall for him. She became clingy and started using us to get to him. He tried to let her down nicely, but she wouldn’t give up. Then he decided to shove other girls in her face to get her to leave him alone. By that time, our roommate relationship and friendship had taken a huge hit. She moved out and we asked Declan to never get involved with another roommate.”
    I remembered our first conversation and it hit me, “Declan was the conflict of interest?”
    “Yes.”
    “So you are both here to tell me to stay away from your brother because he is a player and a cheat and there will never be anything serious going forward?”
    “You have to see this from our side. Please understand. The Declan that you met last night for poker and Chinese food, and the Declan you went running with this morning, aren’t the same Declan Collins. We just want you to know that up-front before you decide to move forward in any way with him.”
    “I think you both are overreacting a little bit. We just met formally last night and he showed me around some trails. I’m not sure this puts us up for relationship counseling this morning. I know you don’t know me too well, but I think I have a level head on my shoulders and I can make pretty good decisions. And when I don’t, I have Finn and my brother Robbie to give me shit. I appreciate the warning and I’ll take it, but don’t