Just a Little Heartache (The Brotherhood #5) - Merry Farmer Page 0,41

win the lead in this stupid musical, and you had to steal the woman I wanted.”

“If I could give her to you, I would,” Blake said, voice hollow. “Believe me.”

“I don’t believe you.” Ian raised his voice. “You always have to come out on top, don’t you? You have to be the most charming, the best at athletics, the darling of our professors.”

“You have the wrong end of the stick,” Blake insisted, growing more agitated. “This is not what I want.” He glanced over his shoulder to Niall as he spoke, emotions intense in his eyes. “I don’t want Miss Cannon.”

“Horse shit,” Ian shouted. Blake jerked back to stare at him, eyes wide. Even Niall was startled by the vehemence of Ian’s curse. “If you didn’t want her, then why did you fawn all over her and engage her in conversation so much these last few weeks?”

Niall pulled his hands away from Blake’s back and retreated up two steps. Had he flirted with Miss Cannon?

Blake’s mouth worked wordlessly for a moment and he glanced to Niall before looking back at Ian to answer, “I was being polite, gentlemanly.”

“And was it gentlemanly of you to accompany Miss Cannon while she sang?” Ian demanded.

“I was asked to accompany her,” Blake defended himself, twisting to meet Niall’s eyes. “It wasn’t my idea.”

“You could have just played one or two songs for her.” Ian took another step toward Blake, forcing him to back up again. Niall retreated to the top of the stairs. “You didn’t have to spend half an hour performing an entire concert with her.”

“She wouldn’t let me stop,” Blake insisted. “No one else there that evening could play.”

“I can play the piano,” Ian shouted, poking his chest with a rigid finger. “I can do anything you can do.”

“Then why didn’t you do it?” Blake rounded on him with a sudden burst of anger. “Why didn’t you step up and capture Miss Cannon’s attention so that she wanted nothing to do with me?”

“Because you’re going to be a bloody duke, you gilded piece of shit,” Ian shouted. “How am I supposed to compete with that?”

A heavy silence fell as Ian glared at Blake, chest heaving with fury. Somewhere, underneath his own heartache, Niall felt sorry for Ian.

“I love her,” Ian said, his energy draining. Misery pinched his face as anger left it. “How am I supposed to watch her marry someone else?”

A sob escaped from Niall before he could swallow it. Blake turned to him, a look of devastating guilt in his eyes. It was more than Niall could stand to see. He spun away, racing across the stage to the wings, highly conscious of the curious stares of the students breaking down the set. The world of the play that had been intact half an hour before was now disjointed and jumbled, with painted canvases of castles and gardens resting on their sides or already stacked for storage.

“Niall, wait.” Blake shot after him again.

Niall clenched his jaw and squeezed his stinging eyes shut for a moment as he dodged discarded props and set pieces on his way to the hall leading to the dressing rooms. Some of the chorus members were loitering there, changed back into their ordinary clothes, their make-up removed. They laughed and drank bottles of beer, but Niall avoided them all when they tried to get him to join their merriment.

“Stop,” Blake called after him, catching up once Niall dashed into the dressing room they’d shared. “Just stop and talk to me for a moment.” Blake turned to shut and lock the door behind him.

“It appears as though there’s nothing to talk about,” Niall said, voice hoarse, barely able to get the words out. He crossed to the far end of the room, reaching behind him to tug at the fastenings of his costume.

“There is everything to talk about,” Blake insisted, approaching him with arms outstretched, his heart clearly on his sleeve. “I love you.”

Niall eyed him warily and turned his back as he shrugged out of his costume’s bodice.

“I love you,” Blake repeated, louder. “Don’t you dare ever doubt that.”

“It’s rather hard not to doubt when I’ve just been asked to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials.” Niall’s voice shook as he spoke.

“I don’t want to marry Miss Cannon,” Blake shouted in frustration, glancing plaintively at the ceiling before letting his arms and shoulders drop.

“Then don’t marry her.” Niall whipped around to face Blake, stepping out of his costume entirely and kicking it aside as he did.