Jun had texted me, telling me to take another day off from work. I wasn't sure if she was just concerned for me, or if Markus had said something to her. Either way, I was thankful for the extra time to myself. It meant I could train with Dev today and not worry about exhausting myself. It meant that I could then sit in his office and do my uni work on my laptop that Markus had so helpfully broken into my flat for this morning.

"I still can't believe you stole my keys and robbed me."

"Is it considered robbing if I took only your laptop and art bag, and gave them to you?"

"What if you had run into Sarah?"

Markus looked down at the tablet in his hands and said nothing.

"You did run into Sarah! What did she say? God, did she scream? You didn't scare her, did you? Markus... You can't go around breaking into my flat and scaring my flatmate."

He cleared his throat, shooting me a meaningful look. "I didn't run into Sarah."

"So who did you- Oh." I felt something twinge in my chest, suddenly feeling stupid. "Jun?"

He nodded, and a realisation hit me. "Oh, my God. Do you think that's why she told me not to come in today? Because she knows you'd tell me about this, and she doesn't want to face me? This is getting out of hand if they're going to avoid me. I mean, come on, what is even the big deal at this point? They're clearly full on seeing each other if it's been going on for this long. How can they even hide this from me for so long? Are they not feeling guilty? There shouldn't be anything to hide at all! They're only making this worse for themselves!" I snapped.

Markus lay a hand on my arm and explained gently, "She asked what I was doing sneaking around at six am. I explained how stressed you were about uni so I was grabbing your stuff so you could do some work at the gym today. Jun doesn't strike me as someone who avoids confrontation. I think she really did just want to give you some time off."

"Well... Still," I said, some of my anger deflating. "They should just tell me what's going on. I don't care if they're dating, I only told her to stay away from Sarah 'cause I was worried that Jun would just fuck around with her and leave her upset." I didn't want Sarah to be another one-night stand for Jun. Previously, she had shown little interest in a relationship. And, much like me, Sarah had very little experience dating women, and I knew she was currently looking for something more serious.

"The same could be said for us."

I reeled back, outrage clear in my expression. "What does that even mean? We're not fucking around. Are we just fucking around?" Did Markus think I wasn't serious about us? Was that why he had been so determined to avoid the conversation last night, because he thought I was about to reject him?

Before I could ask him anything more, the door to his office burst open. "We're back!" Andres announced with a flourish of his hands, grinning too easily. Behind him, Lynch and Jarred followed. Alec was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you fucking drunk?" Markus snapped, eyeing his friend up and down with thinly veiled judgement. Andre's eyes looked glassy, and Lynch's face was flushed.

Andres waved him off, laughing. "We just had a few pints. It's a Friday, its fine."

"Fucking piss-heads," Markus grumbled beneath his breath, glancing down at his phone to check the time. It was already after six. "At least Alec had the sense to stay behind and actually work for once."

Jarred seemed hesitant to enter the office, lingering in the doorway as he peered inside at the room. Beside him, Andres stared down at his phone, grinning sloppily as he tapped at the screen. He's probably messaging Sam - how cute.

"Have you finished working yet?" Lynch asked him as he wandered closer to the desk. He peered at the sketchbook beneath my hands, and asked me, "Aren't you supposed to be at the studio?"

"I have the day off," I murmured, batting away his hands as he tried to pull the open book closer to him. "Look don't touch. Where are your manners?"

"Sorry, Mummy." He glanced at Markus out of the corner of his eye. Snickering to himself as he added quietly, "Oh, I shouldn't say that, should I? That's Grim's thing"

"What are you doing here?" Markus asked flatly, scowling at his friend.

"Tom's bartending at The Crown tonight, so we're off over there. You in?"

"We're busy."

"We," Lynch crooned, leaning over the desk towards us with his eyebrows lifting suggestively. "I see how it is."

"What are you all whispering about?" Andres called out from the door, finally off his phone. He pulled Jarred after him as they joined us hunched over Markus' desk, and slung an arm around Lynch's shoulders. "Are we going or what?"

"Did you really walk all the way back here just to invite us to the pub?" I asked, amused. "Would a text not have been quicker?"

"This dick," Andres jerked his thumb at Markus, "ignores his phone while at work."

"I don't ignore my phone. I ignore you."

Andres gaped at him, a hand slapping dramatically against his chest. "I thought we were besties."

Markus shot Andres the filthiest look I had ever seen. I met my brother's amused gaze and asked, "Are you drunk, too?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, despite their attempts to get me to do shots with them at 1pm."

"Daisy would have done shots with us. I like her more than you," Andres grumbled beside him. "Right?"

"I'm not a piss-head like you," I teased. I'd do shots any time of day. I don't think I've ever turned down a free shot.

"Well, you three buzz-kills can hang out together then. Have fun with your little sleepover tonight," Andres laughed, elbowing Jarred playfully in the side.

"He's not staying at yours?" Markus asked, scowling at Lynch. "You never use your fucking bed, anyway."

I glanced at Andres, but he didn't react to what Markus had said. Did he really never question where Lynch was half the time? Did he really have no idea Lynch was dating his younger brother?

"He's your brother-in-law mate."

"Am I missing something here?" Jarred interjected.

"Oh yeah," Andres laughed, "Grim's shagging your sister."

Jarred turned to stare at me with wide-eyed incredulity.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" I snapped.

"You're sleeping with him?" Jarred asked, hand flying out toward Markus. He was glaring when he locked eyes with Markus. "You're fucking around with my sister?"

"Okay," I scoffed. Again with that bloody phrase. "He's not 'fucking around with me', thank you very much. And what does it have to do with you, anyway? I can date whoever the fuck I want."

"Date?" It looked as if Jarred was about to scream. "You're dating? You and Grim?"

"Yep." Whoops, sorry Markus, I've jumped the gun a bit on our relationship status, but please do not contradict me right now or I'll be so embarrassed I'll cry.

Stood next to Jarred, Andres' eyes widened and a creepy little smile bloomed across his face as he immediately whirled towards Markus. Weirdo.

I followed his gaze, only to find Markus staring right back at me, the entire length of his neck and his ears bright red. Holy shit. He, too, looked a little wide-eyed. I can't tell whether this is a good or bad reaction. Surely good, right? I mean, he said he wanted to date exclusively last night. Or, wait... Had he said that? Or had I said that? Oh God, had I been so sleep deprived that I projected my feelings onto him?

He wanted to date me, right?

***

Andres and Lynch had somehow convinced us to go to the pub that evening. They'd hung around in Markus' office for the last half hour of his shift, slowly wearing down his resolve until he'd wearily agreed. I had been happy to do anything other than the shift I was supposed to work at the studio. Plus, the pub gave me the perfect opportunity to procrastinate the very imminent uni deadline I had.

However, this did mean that Markus and I had yet to have a moment alone to discuss what the hell was happening between us. Despite what I had asserted so confidently to my brother, I had absolutely no clue where Markus and I stood. After all, he hadn't agreed to anything. I'd just steam-rolled right over him and made the decision for both of us.

For the entire walk to the pub, I'd been desperate to hold him back just for a moment so I could demand to know what it was he wanted from me. But I had been too anxious to do so, terrified that the answer would be something other than an equally eager determination for us to be together.

Even now, as Lynch and I grabbed a table large enough for us all in the far corner of the pub - coincidentally the same table they'd sat at the first night we'd met - Markus headed straight to the bar with Andres and Jarred. Once again, I contemplated dragging him outside to the smoking area so we could talk.

Beside me, Lynch had laid his phone flat up on the table, and as it buzzed and the screen lit up, I caught sight of Roman's name. He was quick to snatch up the device and type something out.

"Is Roman joining us?"

Lynch hummed, still typing.

"Lynch?" I prompted. I was in a chatty mood today, all my pent up frustration transforming into an buzz of nervous energy that had no other outlet, and unfortunately for Lynch, he was the only one I could talk to until the others returned.

"Huh? Uh, yeah. He's not working tonight. He's walking over now," he murmured, still typing and chuckling at presumably something Roman had messaged.

"You told Andres about you two yet?" I asked, nosily.

That caught his full attention. He looked up from his phone with a guilt stricken expression. "No."

"Why are you hiding it from him? Do you think he'd not approve or something?"

"I don't know. I guess," Lynch shrugged, his gaze shifting towards the bar where the guys waited at the bar. It felt odd to see my brother stood alongside Andres and Markus. Even more odd to think of Lynch as someone my brother had been friends with for years, and to realise that Jarred had a connection to Markus far before I did.I wasn't yet sure how I felt about those two aspects of my life colliding - much like how it had felt somewhat off-putting to realise Jun and the others knew the guys. "I did a lot of shit when I was younger, hung out with the wrong kind of people. A lot of guys Grim and Andres know still judge me for it. I'm not the kind of guy you'd want your brother dating."

"Mate, that's so fucking stupid," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "Sorry, fuck, that was way too blunt. I just mean, well, no, it is fucking stupid. That was all, what, when you were sixteen? You're not the same person you were back then. And you and Andres are friends now. You live together, for fuck's sake. I think you're being way too hard on yourself."

Lynch smiled wryly. It looked as if he wanted to say something, but was holding himself back - which was unusual for him. Especially as he'd been drinking earlier today. He became awfully mouthy when he was drunk, much like his boyfriend.

"What?" I asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," he said with a smile, shaking his head. "You and Grim sound exactly the same sometimes. It's weird."

"He said you were being stupid, too?"

"He told me I was a stupid prick."

"That sounds like him," I laughed.

"Well," Lynch said, leaning closer and sly glancing over at Markus from the corner of his eye. "What he actually said was, 'Don't be such a stupid fucking prick. If I can find the balls to approach a girl like Daisy, then you can tell your best mate you're dating his brother'."

"He did not say that," I laughed incredulously.

"I swear to God he did. I mean, he was drunk, but he definitely said it."

"Right. Okay." I rolled my eyes, still grinning.

"So..." Lynch leant his head against his hand, still slouched across the table as he eyed me up and down. "You're dating now, ay? When did that happen?"

"It didn't. I just said that to shut Jarred up," I answered dryly, looking over at the guys. Markus was listening to something his bartender friend was saying. I couldn't see much from this angle, but it was clear he was frowning as per usual, and the sight of such a familiar expression had me grinning. Why did he always look so fucking moody? "I think I might actually be a little in love with him," I said jokingly, though my face instantly warmed as if there were an element of truth to the confession. Okay... Maybe there was.

Lynch's grin was cheek splitting. "Oh, really?" he drawled.

"That was a joke." Liar.

"Sure it was."

"Seriously. Don't go round telling people that. You and your boyf have the loosest fucking lips I've ever known. You better not tell anyone or I'll actually batter you."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Lynch taunted, pretending to flinch away from me as I jokingly raised a fist.

"Lynch, I'm being serious," I hissed. A panicked glance to my right confirmed the guys were now walking back to us. "Don't say anything."

"Do you genuinely think I'm going to tell anyone?"

"Yes!"

"Roman doesn't count, though, right?"

"Lynch!" I snapped.

"What're you two talking about so secretly?" A pint was placed down in front of me, and I was distracted from my glaring by Markus sliding into the booth next to me. He raised an eyebrow at me, glancing at his friend who was still leaning over the table towards me.

"I- ah- nothing," I said quickly, unable to think of a lie. Cursing myself, I wiped my sweaty palms against my leggings.

"Because that's not suspicious," Jarred snorted as he sat opposite me. Stupid idiot brother.

"What are you even doing here?" I asked Jarred. "This group already has its token straight. Move along please, find yourself a new friends."

"What does that even mean?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Instead of answering him, I nodded down at Andres as he sat down with both a pint and a glass of coke. "Thirsty?"

"Roman texted me while I was ordering. Someone," he shot a small glare at Lynch, "told him I was buying."

Lynch paid no notice as he continued typing away on his phone. His earlier glee, however, had completely disappeared. His thick, dark eyebrows had knitted together in a deep frown as he stared down at his phone screen without moving for a few prolonged seconds, before he dramatically cast the device away from him. It clattered loudly against the table, landing face down in the centre.

What was up with him all of a sudden? I met Markus' eyes beside me, a silent question in my gaze, but he only shrugged.

"I was just joking, man..." Andres drawled dismissively and continued a conversation he, Jarred, and Markus must have shared at the bar. I stayed silent, watching Lynch as he watched the door impatiently. He was waiting for Roman, that much I could deduce, but what was with his sudden dip in mood?

Mere minutes later, Roman looked positively giddy as he rushed into the pub with more enthusiasm than I had ever seen from him. He was beaming from ear to ear as he stalked over to our table as quick as his long legs would carry him, his eyes very much fixed on his boyfriend and no one else. Lynch, on the other hand, looked like he was about to throw up. There was a definite sheen of panic in his eyes as he stared at the approaching man.

Roman offered no form of greeting when he reached the table. He walked right around his brother, leaned down to murmur a soft, "Hi," to Lynch, and kissed him smack on the mouth in front of everyone.

"Holy shit," I whispered under my breath, reaching out to grab Markus' hand. Oh my gosh, what is even happening right now? Is this real? Holy fucking shit! My grip on Markus was almost bruising. My whole body had tensed with excitement and gaze shot back and forth between them all, not wanting to miss a single second of this.

Lynch's eyes grew wide. He froze beneath Roman and when the younger boy pulled away, he glared at him with an expression that was definitely fuelled more by panic than actual anger. "That is not what I meant by telling them."

Roman grinned and shrugged easily, leaning an elbow against his brother's shoulder. He seemed completely unbothered by whatever consequences could now arise from his impulsive actions. "It did the job, didn't it?"

"What the fuck is going on?" Andres asked monotonously, staring at Lynch with a blank expression. "Are you two..."

"Please," Roman snorted. "Where did you think he was all the time? He pays half the rent and yet he's never at your flat."

As if he had forgotten his brother was there, Andres glanced up at Roman with a bewildered expression. "I - I thought he was at Grim's, or he just slept around a lot."

"Oh, thanks," Lynch crooned sarcastically. "It didn't cross your mind that I could be dating someone?"

"I sure as hell didn't think you were dating my brother!" Andres snapped. He turned to the rest of the table with a glare. "Did you all know about this? Does Alec?"

Shit,I can't lie to save my life. I immediately turned away, keeping my wide-eyed gaze steadfast on Markus. I was still holding his hand, my palm disgustingly sweaty and my grip bone crushingly tight. He, however, didn't shy away from Andres' attention at all, and, insanely, answered the question with a blunt, "Yes."

I gaped at Markus as he casually took a long sip of his beer, not seeming at all uncomfortable with this situation, then whirled back to see Andres' reaction.

He was staring right at me now, looking annoyed, as he asked, "Daisy? Did you know?"

My mouth dropped open but no words could form as my tongue had tied itself into a knot. When Markus laid an arm across my shoulder, pulling me closer to his side, the urge to turn and bury myself into his shoulder for safety was a difficult one to resist.

"Don't fucking glare at her," Markus snapped at his friend, his tone sharper than I had heard from him before. "She barely knows you. Why the fuck would she tell you anything? Be mad at the rest of us, not her."

Oh. Okay.

He glared at his friend fiercely, and the weight of his arm across my shoulder was a comfort I never wanted to escape. My heart thumped heavily. It felt as if Markus had reached within my chest to grip my heart in his palm and claimed it as his own.

I placed a gentle hand against his jaw, turning his face down towards me. As soon as his eyes met mine, his expression softened. The hard lines of anger across his brow melted away into a look of affection that brightened his eyes and had a warmth blooming within me.

"Hey," I uttered softly, offering him a sweet smile as an emotion I had little experience with simmered to the surface, sparking a surge of giddy energy. My muscles twitched and ached as I fought a ridiculous urge to wiggle in my seat. It all felt like far too much for me to contain. "Let's get out of here."

"What? Right now?" Markus asked, his eyes darting across my face.

"Yep." I nodded, almost vibrating in my seat. "Let's go to mine. I'll cook us something."

We needed to leave the pub. I wanted desperately to be alone with Markus, and I was no longer willing to wait. I felt stupid for agreeing to come to the pub in the first place when I so obviously wanted to spend my evening alone with him.

"You want to go right now?" Markus asked again, briefly glancing towards the rest of the table. No one else was speaking, and I had a feeling all eyes were on us. I didn't bother to check, my attention fixed on the gorgeous man before me.

"Uhuh," I confirmed, picking up my glass with one hand and handing Markus' water to him with the other. "Let's go. I've made an executive decision. We're gonna' have a cute little date at mine. Drink up."

We both downed our drinks - though I actually only managed half of it and slid the rest of the glass over to my brother - before I impatiently nudged Markus out of the booth. As I edged out of my seat, I turned to Andres. "Sorry mate, I knew about it but as Roman's my friend, it's really not for me to say anything. It's none of my business. Hope you get all this-" I gestured in a circular motion between the three of them, "-sorted."

When I grabbed Markus' hand, pulling him towards the door, I did so with a beaming grin and a thumbs up in Lynch's direction.

Sorry it's been so long since I updated, we're very close to the end of the book now so it's taking me longer to write each chapter as make sure everything get's wrapped up nicely, also the ending I plan out at the beginning of writing always needs to be changed by the end. The characters always have a mind of their own and just take the story wherever they want. 

Next chapter will be updated to Inkitt later tonight.