All the Brayton Brothers Want Me

Chapter 13: Alec’s Jealousy

Diary Entry:

Date: September 12th

Time: 3:00 AM

Dear Diary,

I’ve never seen Alec this mad before. He didn’t yell, but the way he looked at me—like I’d betrayed him. Like I was the one who started this mess. I tried to tell him the truth, but it didn’t matter.

Then he said the one thing I wasn’t expecting.

He asked what if we made it real.

What if this wasn’t fake anymore?

-Ivy

The car ride back from the gala was silent and suffocating.

Alec’s hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly, his jaw locked, his body tense like he was barely keeping himself from exploding.

Ivy sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, staring out the window, her heart hammering.

When they finally pulled up in front of her house, Alec cut the engine but didn’t move.

He turned to her, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were burning.

“What were you thinking?” he asked, his voice calm in a way that wasn’t calm at all.

Ivy turned to face him. “Excuse me?”

Alec exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Do you know what people are saying about you? About us?”

Ivy’s stomach twisted. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Alec’s eyes flicked to her, sharp. “You disappeared with Callum.”

“He pulled me aside to talk. That’s it.”

“That’s it?” Alec’s voice dropped lower, his irritation bleeding through. “Ivy, this isn’t just about you. You’re not just ruining your own reputation—you’re dragging mine down with you.”

Ivy flinched.

Alec let out a slow, frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair again, looking away for a moment like he was trying to collect himself.

Then Ivy snapped.

“You’re not even my real boyfriend! Why do you care?”

Alec froze.

The car went silent.

Ivy’s chest rose and fell too fast, her frustration, her exhaustion, everything bubbling over at once.

Alec stared at her, his jaw tight, his fingers flexing against his thigh.

Then, slowly, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

“What if I said I do care?”

Ivy’s breath caught.

Alec’s eyes searched hers, his face inches from hers now, his presence too much, too intense.

“What if I said we should make this real?”

Ivy couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

“You can’t be serious,” she whispered.

Alec’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’m not pretending anymore, Ivy.”

A pause. A moment that stretched too long, filled with something she couldn’t name.

Then Alec asked, so quiet it was almost a whisper—

“Are you?”