Money or Love

It was times like this that I wished for silence. Wishing for all the money and power to disappear, in return for me being alone for just a day, the people buzzing around me to go and bother someone else. For the questions and mountains of work to go to somebody else, anybody who wasn't me.

“Colt, fix your face,” my older brother Ralph barked at me as he came towards me and the bar.

“My face is fine,” I replied, taking a sip of my brandy. It burned my throat as it went down but I needed it. Ralph was wearing a similar tuxedo to me, but all black, rather than my dark green jacket. I always liked to be different and matching my brothers definitely wasn't a plan I ever had. Ralph's hair was lighter than mine, a chestnut brown and he had a scowl on his face, as usual.

“You look miserable,” he groaned, signaling to the bartender. “Am I not talking to you?” He spat out at me when I didn't respond.

“I'm not sure what you want me to say,” I sighed, watching my much older brother Nicholas chatting with my dad and another older man across the dimly lit ballroom.

“Brandy on the rocks please,” Ralph told the bartender and leaned on his elbow, looking over at me.

“I want you to say sorry Ralph, let me look less like a depressing prick,” he said firmly and I put my glass down.

“You must be out of your fucking mind,” I told him, walking away and towards the toilets, outside the huge ballroom. Me and Ralph never got along, middle child syndrome made him the biggest tool I had ever met and his constant need to be better than me and Nicholas was tiring, exhausting actually. He was stupid anyway, dad loved Nicholas the most, he was the oldest and would inherit everything once dad went. Part of me even wondered why I was working so hard for any of them if I wouldn't get the biggest cash flow at the end of it. The long hallway outside of the ballroom was dark, fancy lights on the walls that didn't actually light up much. There was two wooden doors on the right hand side and I went into the first one, coming to an empty bathroom. I locked the door behind me, going to the sink. As I looked into the huge mirror in front of me I was shocked at how tired I looked. My brown eyes had lost their honey shine, my dark hair was cut short but I hadn't been bothered to shave today, stubble forming. I couldn't remember the last time I had a day off and I splashed some water over my face, drying it with a hand towel. As I left the bathroom I chuckled, my shoulders dropping.

“What were you doing in there?” Nicholas asked me, his eyes suspicious.

“Washing my face,” I told him, walking past and towards the ballroom again.

“You alright?” Nicholas wondered and I turned around to him, his eyes, similar in colour to mine looked me up and down but in a worried way, not a judgemental.

“No I'm fucking exhausted and I could do without this,” I sighed and Nicholas put his hands in his pockets, blowing out a breath.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to ask you what you were doing, it's just,” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“I told you, whoever informed you I sniff shit up my nose is a liar, also known as Ralph,” I told him the truth, tired of this.

“It wasn't Ralph,” Nicholas rushed out, too quickly.

“It could only be Ralph, I have no friends,” I half joked, walking back into the ballroom. The music was light, nothing you could dance to and I picked up a glass of champagne off a passing waiter.

“Colt, I'm worried about you,” Nicholas told me, his hand on my arm.

“I'm just tired, are you not tired? Dad gets you to work ten times more than me,” I said to Nicholas, him breaking into a small smile.

“I've never been this tired in my life, but what are you going to do?” He shrugged and I chuckled, taking a gulp of champagne. “I will talk to dad, get you some time off,” Nicholas said softly, his hand on my shoulder.

“No, it's fine, I'll live,” I shrugged. “Don't bother him,” I waved my hand out, not wanting that conversation with him either. Nicholas sighed, looking across the room but his face turned into a smirk, looking back at me.

“I know what would cheer you up.”