Bran dragged Will out the door and across the rough yard, fuming. He knew there was something up between Will and Jane, and, oh, he was going to put a stop to it! Jane might have been too naïve to see it, but he certainly hadn't missed the way Will was looking at her. "It didn't mean anything", yeah, right! And what was this about a kiss? That was something he'd have to hear more about!
Bran knew he was being irrational. After all, they'd only announced their relationship that morning, so really Will hadn't been doing anything wrong the night before. And he really shouldn't have been listening in on Will and Jane's little conversation afterwards anyway. But right now he was too angry to care.
In what seemed like no time at all, they'd reached the top of a hill. Bran threw Will to the ground roughly. He got up slowly and they faced each other.
And Bran almost couldn't do it. The look on Will's face...he'd never seen anyone look so empty. Empty, but with an underlying sense of something Bran couldn't put a name to, something cold and lifeless and utterly without hope. Horrible.
Bran shook himself out of his trance. He'd brought them here. He had to make the first move.
"What's going on between you and Jane?"
It seemed the obvious thing to say.
"Nothing," came the answer, as empty as the face that went with it.
"Bollocks. I saw the way you were looking at her."
It was like a train wreck. Once he'd started, he couldn't stop. Will just kept staring.
"Believe me, nothing's going on. Nothing ever has been or ever will be going on. She wants you."
"Well, it's obvious to me that you want something to be going on."
No way to go back now. Just keep fighting, keep yelling. Maybe it'll all go away.
"And you think I'm actually going to do anything about it? What do you take me for? You used to trust me."
And now Will was shouting, and so was he, and he couldn't go back, and it wasn't going to go away, and he had to answer.
"Well just don't go pity-seeking with Jane, you hear me? You stay away from her!"
"So now you don't trust her, eh? You know what, that's even worse! You just have to be right, don't you? You always need someone to be angry with, and if you were wrong, you'd find another reason, and another! Well, you won't this time. Nothing's going on!!"
Now Will was turning away, and Bran felt horrible, and he was half-gone, and there were no words to say, no way to apologize.
It was raining. Bran blinked and started slowly back down to the house, Will's words ringing in his ears.