He raises his hand, shutting me up. “You told Olivia but not me? Your biological brother reached out to you, yet you didn’t think of tellingme? Who am I to you? Do I mean so little to you?”
His face contorts as he shouts and cries, not letting me retort. Then as furtive and unexpected as a thunder bolt, he starts laughing and mumbling something under his breath.
“I should’ve known this would happen,” he sobs, wiping at his eyes, fighting so hard to hold his tears back but they trace a path down his cheeks. “Why am I crying? Why am I fucking crying? This isn’t even about me!”
He curses at himself over and over again, hiding his face from me as he crouches down on the ground and wails. I can’t watch him in such pain anymore. It’s too much for me to handle.
“I should have told you the moment I found out. This is all my fault, please don’t cry,” I murmur, blinking through the haze. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
At that he raises his head, uncovering his face rosy and wet from the tears. His expression softens and he pulls me into a deep embrace, sniffling against my neck.
It takes me a second to realize what’s happening before I hug him back and break down in his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Aoi. I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.”
“No...” he breathes against my neck. “I could never hate you, Visha. I’m just hurt.”
And it’s my fault. If I had been honest from the start, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have caused him so much grief and pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll always love you. No matter what, you’ll always be my Visha.” He sniffles. “But you lied to me. You withheld the truth from me, feeding into my fear of losing you.”
“I’m sorry. I never meant to lie nor hide this. I just…I just wanted to find the right way to tell you.”
He shakes his head against my shoulder, holding me pressed against his heart. As though he just ran a marathon, his heart races against my ear. I nuzzle against him, relishing his touch. I want to stay like this forever, but life is cruel and reminds me that in barely a week I’m forced to leave. Leaving this life, this home, my friends and Aoi behind.
Inhaling his intoxicatingly sweet scent, I slowly pull away, needing to see his face. Aoi’s eyes are red and puffy from the waves of tears he shed because of me. He’s as beautiful as a meadow after a storm. Somehow, there isn’t a second when he’s not perfect.
I can’t believe I’m going to lose him.
“You should invite him for dinner,” he says casually, wiping the corner of his eye.
I angle my head in disbelief. “But why?”
“What do you mean why? He’s your brother for Christ’s sake. Shouldn’t you introduce me?” he chuckles as though everything’s fine. “I have to move past this. Staying mad and upset won’t change anything. You made a mistake by keeping this to yourself, but you didn’t mean to. I understand. I really do.”
Aoi was so furious just a second ago but now he’s alright? Then why is there such a heavy weight pushing down on my chest?
“I’ve only spoken to him once. I don’t really know him either,” I justify, not wanting Bellami to spoil the little time I have in paradise.
“Stop being a brat and text the man or I’ll do it.” He sniffles, wiping his face with his sleeve.
I sigh, unable to fight back. He ruffles my hair, pretending I never kissed him. Erasing my love for him and rewriting it into a mere forgotten dream.
This was a rollercoaster of emotions. I really thought I ruined everything for a second.
We get off the ground and dust our clothes off before he gives me back my phone and basically forces me to dial Bellami’s number. The phone rings for a while, and I pray he won’t answer but then-
Click.
“Missed me already?” a lazy, dark voice replies making my stomach lurch.
I want to throw the phone against the wall but instead I force my insults down. “No. Aoi wants to invite you over for dinner tonight.”
I glance around the room, searching for Aoi but he’s out of sight, so I express myself freely, lowering my voice in case he’s close. “You better fucking refuse, do you hear me? You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as him. Nobody wants to see your rat face. So go back to your lair of demons and leave us alone.”
“You little shit,” he curses, his tone sharper than a blade. “We have the same face, you smartass. If I’m a rat then what are you? Now pass me Aoi and don’t make me repeat myself.”
I cuss under my breath and call Aoi over who rushes to my side instantly. “He wants to talk to you.”
He gawks at me in confusion as surprised as I am that Bellami wants to talk to him. He reaches for the phone and with his angelic voice greets his interlocutor. “Hello? Yes, it’s me.”
